Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, "This is the result of everyone's hard work. I can't do it alone. Once the cooperation with the food factory is finalized, we'll hold a meeting to explain it in detail to the villagers and then count the number of people willing to work at the food factory."
After seeing Aunt Li and Uncle Zhang off, Shen Tingzhou looked at Lin Wanqiu and said, "I'll go with you to the county town tomorrow. Director Zhou works for a state-owned enterprise, and he's quite particular about what he says and does. I'll help you keep an eye on things so you don't get taken advantage of." Lin Wanqiu nodded, "Okay, with you there, I feel more at ease. By the way, when we come back tomorrow, let's buy Nian'an a new cotton-padded coat and some comic books; he's been talking about them for days."
“No problem.” Shen Tingzhou held Lin Wanqiu’s hand. “From now on, you don’t have to shoulder all the family matters alone. We’ll discuss them together and solve them together.” Lin Wanqiu leaned on Shen Tingzhou’s shoulder, her heart filled with happiness. She knew that with Shen Tingzhou by her side, she could overcome any difficulties she encountered.
The next morning, Shen Tingzhou and Lin Wanqiu set off for the county town in their carriage. The sun shone brightly along the way, and the wheat seedlings in the fields had already sprouted tender green shoots. A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of fresh grass. Lin Wanqiu sat on the carriage shaft, looking at Shen Tingzhou beside her, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. Shen Tingzhou felt her gaze, turned his head, and smiled back at her, his eyes full of tenderness.
Upon arriving at the county food factory, Director Zhou was already waiting at the entrance. "Comrade Lin, Comrade Shen, you've arrived!" Director Zhou greeted them warmly. "Please come in quickly, let's have a good talk about cooperation today."
Entering Director Zhou's office, the furnishings were simple: a desk, a few chairs, and a banner on the wall that read "Grasp Production, Promote Development." Director Zhou poured them a cup of hot water and said, "Comrade Lin, I've discussed the conditions you mentioned last time with the factory leaders, and everyone agrees. Regarding the formula, we will assign a dedicated person to manage its safekeeping and will strictly follow your requirements in production, absolutely no cutting corners. The villagers who work at the food factory will receive salaries according to the standards of state-owned enterprises, along with a monthly grain subsidy, and we will try our best to improve their working conditions."
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief: "Director Zhou, thank you for understanding our requirements. If that's the case, we can sign a cooperation agreement. In addition, I have another idea. We can keep some of the handmade pastries and sell them to pastry shops or acquaintances in the county town. This way, we can ensure the quality and also have another sales channel."
Factory Director Zhou's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! Handmade pastries taste better and can attract more customers. We can add this clause to the agreement: you will be responsible for making the handmade pastries, and we will be responsible for large-scale production. The profits will still be split proportionally."
Shen Tingzhou added, "Furthermore, villagers who go to work in the food factory need to receive basic training to ensure they can operate the equipment proficiently and guarantee production safety. In addition, we hope to send someone to supervise the production process to ensure that the quality of the pastries meets the requirements."
“No problem,” Factory Director Zhou readily agreed. “We’ll arrange the training, and you can send someone to supervise us anytime. Let’s draft the agreement now and try to sign it as soon as possible so we can start production soon.”
The cooperation agreement was quickly drafted. Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou carefully reviewed it, and after confirming there were no problems, they signed it. Factory Director Zhou shook their hands and said happily, "It's a pleasure to cooperate! I believe our cooperation will be a success, allowing more people to enjoy such delicious pastries!"
After leaving the food factory, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou went to the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town to buy a new cotton-padded coat for Nian'an. The cooperative didn't have many styles of coats, but the colors were very bright. Lin Wanqiu picked out a blue one and held it up against Shen Tingzhou: "This size should be about right; it will definitely look good on Nian'an." Shen Tingzhou smiled and said, "You have good taste; I'll listen to you."
After buying the cotton-padded coat, they went to the bookstore to buy comic books for Nian'an. The bookstore had many kinds of comic books, including "Journey to the West," "Water Margin," and "Little Soldier Zhang Ga." Nian'an liked "Journey to the West" the most, so Lin Wanqiu bought a set of "Journey to the West" comic books, and also bought several copies of "Little Soldier Zhang Ga" so that Nian'an could learn about the heroic deeds in the book.
When he got home, Nian'an had already finished school. Seeing his new cotton-padded coat and comic book, he jumped up with joy: "Thank you, Mom! Thank you, Dad!" He put on the new coat, looked at himself in the mirror again and again, and picked up the comic book. He sat down next to Shen Tingzhou and asked him to tell him a story.
That evening, the family sat under the lamp. Nian'an leaned against Shen Tingzhou, listening to stories, while Lin Wanqiu organized the cooperation documents with the food factory. After Shen Tingzhou finished telling the story, he looked at Lin Wanqiu and said, "Now that the cooperation with the food factory is finalized, shouldn't we consider opening a formal food workshop? Handmade pastries require a dedicated space and equipment, and our yard is too small right now."
Lin Wanqiu looked up, her eyes lighting up: "That's what I was thinking too! Opening a formal food workshop would not only expand the scale of our handmade production, but also help us build our brand. We can find a vacant lot in the village, build a few factory buildings, buy some professional equipment, and hire more villagers to work. In this way, our side business can be taken to the next level, and the villagers' income can also be increased significantly."
Shen Tingzhou nodded: "This idea is feasible. Tomorrow we'll go to the village and ask if there's any suitable vacant land. Also, building a factory and buying equipment will cost a lot of money. We can take a portion of the profits from selling pastries first. If that's not enough, we can discuss with the villagers to see if they're willing to invest and receive dividends at the end of the year."
"Great idea!" Lin Wanqiu said excitedly. "The villagers will definitely be willing to invest. This will not only solve the funding problem, but also motivate everyone. Once the workshop is up and running, we can produce more kinds of pastries, and also make some cookies and candies to meet the needs of more customers."
Hearing their conversation, Nian'an looked up and said, "Mom, Dad, when the workshop opens, I want to help too! I can keep accounts and help you watch the warehouse!" Lin Wanqiu smiled and patted his head, "Okay, when you grow up, you can help your parents manage the workshop."
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