The cotton swab had fallen somewhere, and the big hand wrapped around the little hand, their body heat constantly being exchanged and transferred.

Shen Jingyan felt a surge of heat rising within her body, making her face slightly flushed.

She stared fascinated at Gu Zhiyun's beautiful lip lines and full lips. Whether she lowered her head or Gu Zhiyun raised his head, their lips drew closer and closer, separated by only a finger's width, feeling each other's breath.

The ambiguous atmosphere continued to rise, and Shen Jingyan seemed to have lost her ability to think; she was completely bewitched by that handsome face.

I really want to taste his lips...

She was like a kitten about to steal some cream, carefully closing the distance between them little by little.

Gu Zhiyun tilted his head back, his prominent Adam's apple forming a smooth arc. He wrapped his arm around Shen Jingyan's slender waist, his heart pounding wildly with ecstasy.

Just as their lips were about to touch, a knock on the door abruptly broke the ambiguous atmosphere.

Chen Jingyan jumped up like a startled fawn.

The warmth in his palm vanished, and Gu Zhiyun watched with disappointment as the little girl fled in a panic.

That damn knocking! Why did it have to happen at this time?!

When Shen Jingyan arrived at the door, she did not open it immediately. Instead, she pressed her ear against the crack in the door and listened warily to the sounds outside.

If Li Haisheng brings thugs to cause trouble, this door must never be opened!

Who is it?

"Hello, are you the little girl who sells glutinous rice balls at the market?"

The person speaking outside was a middle-aged man. His voice sounded very gentle, and he didn't seem like someone who had come to cause trouble.

Shen Jingyan and Gu Zhiyun exchanged a glance. Gu Zhiyun pursed his lips and stood in front of Shen Jingyan, adopting a protective stance.

"What do you want with me?"

Although it wasn't Liu Haisheng who brought thugs to cause trouble, Shen Jingyan still didn't open the door.

What if it was Liu Haisheng or his brother-in-law, who is an official, who filed a complaint?

It's not impossible that they might coax her into opening the door first, and then accuse her of something.

"Young lady, don't be afraid. We are staff members of the Hongri Supply and Marketing Cooperative in town. We are here to order Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls)."

Shen Jingyan was taken aback: "You want to order Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) from me?"

"Yes, your glutinous rice balls are famous. They come in many flavors and are cheap. They sell even better than the glutinous rice balls produced by our supply and marketing cooperative. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and we'd like to order a batch of glutinous rice balls from you. They'll sell well then!"

"How did you find this place?" Shen Jingyan asked.

"Hehe, we asked around at the market. Young man, your place is really hard to find. We asked around all morning before we finally found it."

Through the crack in the door, Shen Jingyan saw a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit and a military overcoat. He had a gentle face and spoke very patiently. Behind him were two men dressed similarly, one of whom was holding an abacus.

She then believed it and opened the door.

"Oh, you're from the supply and marketing cooperative. Come in and have a seat."

Since they're here to discuss business, they can't be neglected.

"Young lady, my surname is He. You can call me Master He. I'm in charge of purchasing at the Hongri Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

Master He walked in with his staff, and Shen Jingyan poured them hot water.

"Do supply and marketing cooperatives also purchase from individuals?" Gu Zhiyun asked skeptically.

In this era, the supplies of supply and marketing cooperatives were all allocated by the state, and they generally did not do business with private individuals.

Master He smiled and said, "Young lady, your boyfriend is here too."

Object?

Shen Jingyan and Gu Zhiyun exchanged a glance, a gesture that, in Master He's eyes, signified an unspoken understanding.

"The young man looks like an intellectual."

Master He chuckled and said, "You don't know yet, do you? The country's policy has changed. Because the supply and marketing cooperatives have always had insufficient supplies, the country is now gradually opening up the supply and marketing cooperatives' sources of goods, allowing them to do business with individuals on a small scale. This will help promote the rational distribution of goods, won't it?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingyan felt a surge of joy within him.

With the opening up of national policies, businesses can operate more freely and establish long-term partnerships with supply and marketing cooperatives.

This way, she saves effort and earns more money than hawking her wares at the market—a win-win situation!

"Master He, how many Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) would you like to order?"

Master He asked, "If I had one day, how many Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) could you make?"

Calmly, he said, "Two or three hundred catties is no problem!"

"Two or three hundred catties is too little; it's not enough for the supply and marketing cooperative to sell for half a day."

Master He said, "I need 800 jin (400 kg). Can you finish it by noon tomorrow?"

"Eight hundred catties?" Shen Jingyan was stunned by this huge order.

"Everyone in the town will be coming to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls), so we need to prepare at least 1,800 to 2,000 jin (500 to 1,500 kilograms)!"

Master He was amused by Shen Jingyan's reaction.

Shen Jingyan began to do mental calculations. If she didn't have any help, she could only process two or three hundred catties at most in one night.

However, if you have help and break down the process of making Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) into steps, the production efficiency will be greatly improved.

The question is, who should we ask for help?

"Jingya, I can help you."

Gu Zhiyun seemed to have guessed Shen Jingyan's thoughts and volunteered.

"That's right, isn't your partner right here?" Master He encouraged. "Find a few more people to help you with this."

Shen Jingyan was focused on how to secure this large order and didn't notice that Gu Zhiyun, whom Master He mentioned, was actually her "boyfriend."

Gu Zhiyun saw through it all but said nothing.

If a stranger can mistake him for Jingya's boyfriend, it means the two look like a couple; they look like a pair when they stand together!

"I'll call Lao Yang over, he can help you too," Gu Zhiyun suggested.

"Comrade Yang, is he willing to help me?" Shen Jingyan hesitated for a moment.

"If I say I'm willing, he's willing." Gu Zhiyun had already made the decision for Yang Zinuo, who was completely unaware of the situation.

Shen Jingyan said happily, "With two helpers, making 800 jin of Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) won't be a problem!"

Master He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, it's settled then!"

After confirming the order weight, Mr. He discussed the price with Shen Jingyan.

Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) are sold individually for 50 cents per pound, but the price will definitely be lowered for bulk orders.

This was Shen Jingyan's first large order. She didn't want to be too rigid about the price, so she finally settled on 35 cents per pound.

Master He asked the accountant to calculate the total amount.

If this order is successfully completed, Shen Jingyan will earn 304 yuan!

More than 300 yuan!

This was in the 1970s, when money was spent in cents; 300 yuan was an unimaginable sum of money!

She signed an order agreement with Mr. He, pressed her fingerprint on it, and Mr. He gave her a deposit of 91.2 yuan, which was 30% of the total amount.

After the order was placed, Chen Jingyan immediately rode her tricycle to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy glutinous rice and fillings for the Lantern Festival.

Gu Zhiyun then drove the truck back to the forest farm to find Yang Zinuo.