Back in the village, Shen Tingzhou and Lin Wanqiu told Brother Zhou and Sister Liu about their idea of opening a food store in the county town. Brother Zhou and Sister Liu were very supportive. Brother Zhou even offered to go to the county town to help manage the store's procurement and transportation once it opened, while Sister Liu would stay in the village to continue managing the workshop's production.
Over the next few days, Shen Tingzhou and Lin Wanqiu were busy preparing for the food shop. Shen Tingzhou went to the commune to handle the procedures for opening the shop, while Lin Wanqiu developed new pastries in the workshop and taught the workers new production methods to ensure that the village workshop could stably supply goods to the shops in the county town. Shen Nian'an was also busy. Every day after school, she would help with the bookkeeping and even took out her own pocket money, saying she wanted to buy account books for the shop.
When Grandma Shen and Zhang Lan heard that Shen Tingzhou had returned and opened a food shop in the county town, they offered to help. Grandma Shen helped look after Shen Nianxi, while Zhang Lan helped clean the shop. Although they used to frequently cause trouble for Lin Wanqiu, now that they saw Shen Tingzhou's abilities and the increasing success of his workshop and shop, they wanted to benefit from his success, and their attitude was much better than before. Out of respect for Shen Tingzhou, Lin Wanqiu didn't hold it against them, but she kept a watchful eye on them and didn't let them get involved in the shop's core business.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the food store in the county town was finally renovated. A wooden signboard hung above the storefront, bearing the words "Late Autumn Food Store" in strong, vigorous characters, written by Shen Tingzhou himself. Inside, the shelves were neatly arranged with various baby foods and snacks, including red date paste, walnut paste, sesame brittle, peanut brittle, and ginger candy and glutinous rice cake, specially developed by Lin Wanqiu for winter. The aroma was irresistible, attracting many passersby to stop and browse.
On the opening day, the commune secretary, Comrade Li, and Doctor Wang all came to show their support and presented the shop with a banner that read "A Leader in Getting Rich, A Good Merchant Who Makes Things Convenient for the People." Many villagers also came, crowding the shop to capacity. Everyone wanted to try the baby food and snacks made by Lin Wanqiu, and before long, most of the items on the shelves were sold out.
Shen Tingzhou looked at the busy Lin Wanqiu, feeling gratified. He walked to her side and helped her tidy her wind-blown hair: "Wanqiu, you've worked hard."
Lin Wanqiu smiled and shook her head: "It's not hard work. I'm overjoyed to see the shop so popular." She looked up at Shen Tingzhou, her eyes full of anticipation, "Our business will get better and better in the future, and our lives will become more and more prosperous."
Shen Tingzhou grasped her hand and nodded firmly: "Yes, from now on, our family will never be separated again. We will work together to make a good life for our children."
As the sun set, golden rays bathed the shop's entrance, making the "Late Autumn Food Shop" sign shimmer. Lin Wanqiu leaned on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder, watching the customers come and go in the shop and listening to the children's laughter, her heart filled with happiness.
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