As dawn broke, fine dust rose from the dirt road leading to the county town. Shen Tingzhou pushed a borrowed bicycle, with Lin Wanqiu on the back. A cloth bag full of documents and a bamboo basket containing vegetables and tofu hung from the handlebars. A small bamboo basket was tied to the side of the back seat, containing Nian'an, who was excitedly looking around. The morning mist hadn't completely dissipated, clinging to the roadside grass, condensing into glistening dewdrops that, when illuminated by the early sunlight, refracted into tiny, rainbow-like halos.

"Dad, is the county town far?" Nian'an asked, clinging to the edge of the bamboo basket and peeking out at the winding dirt road ahead.

Shen Tingzhou slowed his pace, turned around and smiled, saying, "We're almost there, just another half an hour's ride. When we get to the county town, Dad will take you to eat soy milk and fried dough sticks, okay?"

"Yay!" Nian'an cheered, then turned to Lin Wanqiu and grabbed her clothes with her little hand. "Mom, you'll definitely be selected as the 'Wealth Creation Expert' today!"

Lin Wanqiu looked down into her son's bright eyes, her heart warming as if a little sun were shining inside. She gently patted Nian'an's hand, her voice gentle yet firm: "Mother will try her best."

Shen Tingzhou pedaled his bicycle smoothly through the morning mist. The wind blew past her ears, carrying the fresh scent of earth and wild grass. Lin Wanqiu leaned against his back, clearly feeling the rise and fall of his chest and the strength of his arms. Thinking back to those days after she transmigrated, she was alone with Nian'an, suffering endless torment in the Shen family, never even getting a decent meal. Now, not only did she have a stable life, but she could also go to the county to participate in the selection, with her husband and son by her side. Her eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

Half an hour later, the outline of the county town gradually became clear. The bluish-gray city walls gleamed with an ancient luster under the sunlight. People came and went at the city gate: farmers carrying vegetables on shoulder poles, public officials in their uniforms going to work, and children with schoolbags on their backs. It was a lively scene. Shen Tingzhou pushed his bicycle, taking Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an with him, and first went to the breakfast stall on the street corner.

"Boss, three bowls of soy milk and ten fried dough sticks, please." Shen Tingzhou found a seat by the window and skillfully wiped the table for Nian An.

Soon, steaming hot soy milk and golden, crispy fried dough sticks were served. Nian'an picked up a fried dough stick, took a small bite, and her eyes lit up: "Dad, Mom, these fried dough sticks are so delicious! They're even better than the scallion pancakes at home!"

Seeing her son's satisfied expression, Lin Wanqiu smiled and broke half of the fried dough stick in her bowl for him: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

Shen Tingzhou blew on the soy milk to cool it down and handed it to Lin Wanqiu: "Drink some soy milk first to warm your stomach. You'll be speaking during the selection process later, so don't let your voice get cold."

After breakfast, there was still half an hour before the selection began. Shen Tingzhou, along with Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an, went to the entrance of the County Agriculture Bureau. The Agriculture Bureau was a two-story red brick building. A red banner hung at the entrance that read "County Agriculture Bureau 'Wealth Creation Expert' Selection Site." A number of people were already standing under the banner, all candidates from various communes. Each person held documents in their hands, their faces showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"Wanqiu, don't be nervous. You're well prepared, so there won't be any problems." Shen Tingzhou straightened Lin Wanqiu's clothes, then took out the documents from the cloth bag and checked them carefully. "The documents are all there, and the certificates are all in place. Don't worry."

Lin Wanqiu nodded, took a deep breath, and looked up at the gate of the Agriculture Bureau. She knew that this was not only a selection process, but also an affirmation of her past efforts and a new starting point for her and her family's future life.

The selection process was held in the conference room of the Agriculture Bureau. A long wooden table stood in the room, with the judges—leaders and agricultural experts from the county's Agriculture Bureau—seated at the front. Candidates took turns going up to the stage to introduce their achievements and present their materials and samples. Lin Wanqiu was fifth in line. She sat below the stage, listening attentively to the presentations of the candidates before her, silently organizing her thoughts.

"Next, please welcome Comrade Lin Wanqiu from the Hongqi Production Brigade to the stage to speak."

As the host's voice rang out, Lin Wanqiu took a deep breath, carrying her documents and bamboo basket, and steadily walked onto the stage. Standing on the stage, her gaze swept over the judges and audience below, and she saw Shen Tingzhou and Nian An sitting in the last row. Their eyes were full of encouragement and trust, which instantly calmed her down.

"Distinguished judges, comrades, good afternoon. I am Lin Wanqiu from the Hongqi Production Brigade." Lin Wanqiu's voice was clear and firm. "Today I am here to participate in the selection, mainly to share two things with you: one is off-season vegetable cultivation, and the other is tofu workshop management."

She first opened her planting notebook and showed the judges the planting steps, temperature control methods, and yield comparison tables one by one: "Last winter, the yield of ordinary vegetables in our brigade was less than 1,000 jin per mu, while the off-season cabbage that I led the women to grow achieved a yield of 2,300 jin per mu. This is because we built a simple greenhouse, used straw and plastic sheeting for insulation, and adjusted the fertilizer ratio based on the agricultural knowledge available in the space, allowing the vegetables to grow normally in winter."

At this point, she took a bunch of fresh greens from her bamboo basket and handed them to the judges: "These are the off-season greens we grow. As you can see, the leaves are bright green, juicy, and taste even better than regular greens. Last winter, our greens not only supplied the county's vegetable market but were also sold to neighboring counties, allowing more than a dozen households in the brigade to make money."

The judges took the vegetables, examined them carefully, and nodded in approval from time to time. One of the elderly experts, with gray hair, picked up a vegetable, smelled it, and said with a smile, "These vegetables are well grown. It's not easy to grow such good vegetables in winter."

Lin Wanqiu then opened the tofu workshop's ledger and handed it to the judges: "This is our tofu workshop's ledger. From the time we opened this spring until now, we have a clear record of every month's income, expenses, and dividends for the villagers. Our tofu uses high-quality soybeans purchased from the commune's grain station. We make and sell it fresh every day. It's not only popular in the county's vegetable market, but we've also signed supply agreements with several unit canteens. Currently, twelve households have invested in the tofu workshop, and each household receives at least five yuan a month, which is much better than working in the production team."

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