As dusk settled, Shen Tingzhou spread out letter paper under the kerosene lamp in the main room. The dim light cast a long shadow of his, falling on the mottled earthen wall. The scratching sound of the pen nib across the paper mingled with the occasional chirping of insects outside the window, creating an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere. Lin Wanqiu sat beside him, organizing the list of villagers who had invested in the company. She caught a glimpse of him writing diligently, his brow slightly furrowed, and couldn't help but ask softly, "The letter you wrote to your comrades-in-arms, do you want me to take another look?"
Shen Tingzhou looked up, a gentle smile spreading across his eyes: "No need, we're all old comrades, just get things straight." He paused, pen hovering over the paper, his tone becoming more serious, "I mainly want to mention two points to him: first, our workshop has brought together more than twenty villagers as shareholders, making it a legitimate project to enrich the people; second, we have a partnership with the county food factory, which can help state-owned units fill the gap in manual production, so I want him to pay more attention when reporting, lest someone with ulterior motives obstruct the process."
Lin Wanqiu leaned closer to take a look. The handwriting on the letter was strong and vigorous, without any unnecessary formalities. It clearly explained the ins and outs of the matter, and even specifically mentioned the old story of his comrade who was injured saving him during a mission years ago—not to curry favor, but to let him know that this was not a trivial request, but a practical matter that he genuinely wanted to address for the people's livelihood. Her heart warmed. Shen Tingzhou was never good at asking for favors, yet for the sake of the workshop and the villagers, he took the initiative to bring up past camaraderie. This sense of responsibility was more precious than anything else.
The next morning, Shen Tingzhou made a special trip to the commune post office to mail a letter. On his way back, he passed by the brick kiln and stopped to check on the bricks and tiles he had ordered. The bluish-gray bricks were stacked neatly, gleaming with a delicate luster in the sunlight. The brick kiln worker patted his chest and assured him, "Comrade Shen, rest assured, these bricks are all made from the finest clay. They sound good when you tap them and feel heavy in your hand. The factory buildings built with them will be guaranteed to stay dry for decades!"
Meanwhile, the village's house-building project also commenced with great fanfare. Uncle Zhang, along with five old bricklayers, three old carpenters, and a dozen or so young and strong villagers, arrived early at the open space on the west side of the village. The sounds of hoes digging through the soil, mallets striking wooden stakes, and the laughter of the villagers echoed between the fields. Aunt Li, with several women, arrived carrying wooden buckets filled with corn porridge and pickled vegetables, calling out with a smile, "Everyone, take a break and have a bowl of porridge to fill your stomachs!"
Lin Wanqiu wasn't idle either. She set up a simple shed on the open space and took out the modern construction drawings from her space. Comparing them with the sketches drawn by Shen Tingzhou, she discussed the beam structure of the factory with the old carpenter: "Uncle Wang, look here, the beams in the baking room need to be made of thicker wood. The ovens generate a lot of heat, and thin wood might not be able to withstand it; also, I want to make the windows in the production room into two sections, one above the other, so that they can be pushed up in the summer for good ventilation and without taking up too much space."
The old carpenter squinted at the blueprints, gesturing with his finger on the sketch: "Comrade Wanqiu, your idea is excellent! Windows at the top and bottom provide ventilation and prevent rain from blowing in. Don't worry about the beams; the pine trees Uncle Zhang chose are all twenty-year-old timber, thick and sturdy enough. I'll add two more diagonal braces, and it'll be perfectly stable!"
When Nian'an came home from school, he ran to the construction site with his little schoolbag on his back and a small notebook in his hand. He squatted down and helped count the bricks: "Grandpa Li, you just carried twenty bricks, and Uncle Wang carried eighteen, that makes thirty-eight!" The villagers were amused by his earnest appearance. Uncle Zhang patted his head: "Our Nian'an is really a little accountant. From now on, the workshop's accounts will depend on you!" Nian'an puffed out his little chest, looking proud: "I'm sure I can count them correctly!"
Time flies by in the midst of busyness, and Friday arrived in the blink of an eye. That afternoon, Shen Tingzhou was helping an old bricklayer build a wall when a young clerk from the commune's industrial and commercial administration office suddenly rode up on his bicycle, the bell ringing, and called out from afar, "Comrade Shen, Comrade Lin, the license has been issued! The county bureau approved it very quickly and asked me to bring it over right away!"
The bricklayer's trowel clattered to the ground as Shen Tingzhou strode forward. Lin Wanqiu also put down her work, her heart pounding. The officer pulled a small red booklet from his canvas bag. The cover bore the words "Individual Business License" in gold lettering, stamped with the bright red seal of the county's Administration for Industry and Commerce. Lin Wanqiu took the license with both hands, her fingertips touching the gold lettering. Still somewhat incredulous, she opened it and saw the name, business scope, and address of "Red Flag Food Workshop" clearly written on it, dated yesterday.
"How come it was so fast?" Lin Wanqiu asked, looking up, her voice trembling with excitement. The clerk smiled and said, "Section Chief Li from the county bureau—the old comrade your wife mentioned in her letter—specifically spoke to us, saying this is a great project to help the villagers get rich, and that it should be given priority in the approval process. Normally it would take a week according to the procedure, but it was approved in just three days! By the way, Section Chief Li also said that if you want to expand the scale in the future, you can consult him about policies at any time."
Shen Tingzhou's tense shoulders finally relaxed. He looked at the license in Lin Wanqiu's hand, his eyes filled with relief. He had been worried that Zhao Jianjun would cause trouble in the county, but now, with the help of his old comrade-in-arms, not only was the license obtained smoothly, but he also gained the convenience of policy consultation. Now, the future of the workshop was completely bright.
The villagers gathered around, their faces beaming with joy as they looked at the red license. "Great! With the license, our workshop is now a legitimate business!" "We won't be afraid of being checked when we deliver goods to the county town anymore!" Uncle Zhang excitedly patted Shen Tingzhou on the shoulder: "Comrade Shen, you really know how to do things! Now we have even more energy to work!"
Lin Wanqiu carefully put away the license and said to the villagers, "The license was issued so quickly thanks to Tingzhou's old comrade-in-arms, and also thanks to everyone's hard work. Let's work even harder and try to finish building the factory by the end of the month, so we can start making pastries next month!"
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