On a clear morning after the spring equinox in 1984, a thin mist, like a veil, enveloped the Hongqi Commune, transforming the blue-brick and gray-tiled houses and the golden rapeseed fields into a hazy ink painting. Lin Wanqiu got up early, wearing a blue apron, and busied herself in the kitchen. The millet porridge in the iron pot bubbled and steamed, the sweet aroma of rice mingling with the fragrance of red bean buns wafting from the steamer by the stove, filling the entire courtyard.
"Mommy, can you bring Xixi strawberry pastries again today? Teacher Li said my pastries were the best yesterday!" Chen Nianxi, wearing a pink dress, skipped and hopped out of the house, her round eyes sparkling like grapes dipped in morning dew. She ran to the stove, reaching out her chubby little hands to reach the steamer basket, but Lin Wanqiu gently held her wrist.
"Xixi, be good. The steamed buns are hot. Let Mommy let them cool down a bit before putting them in your schoolbag." Lin Wanqiu smiled and gently pinched her daughter's nose. Her fingertips touched the child's warm skin, and a soft ripple of tenderness welled up in her heart. Since Nianxi started kindergarten, she had been preparing different flavored pastries for her daughter every day, based on the "Early Childhood Nutrition Guide" in her online space. These pastries were not only nutritious but also helped her daughter get along better with her classmates at kindergarten—just like yesterday, Nianxi became good friends with the most introverted girl in her class because she shared a strawberry pastry.
"Mom, let me help my sister pack her schoolbag!" Shen Nian'an came out of the house carrying a canvas schoolbag and a clean, army-green water bottle slung over his shoulder. Now, he's not only a top student at the commune middle school but also the "little accountant" at the food shop. Every day after school, he goes to the food shop to help check the accounts, his maturity far exceeding that of his peers. He skillfully took out some parchment paper from the cupboard, carefully wrapped the cooled red bean buns and strawberry pastries, and put them into Nianxi's pink schoolbag, reminding her, "Xixi, you should let the teacher try a piece of the pastry first, then share it with your classmates, okay?"
Chen Nianxi nodded vigorously, her little head bobbing like a rattle drum. "I know! Brother taught me yesterday that I should be polite!"
Looking at her two sensible children, Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of joy. Just as she was about to hand the schoolbag to Nianxi, she suddenly heard familiar footsteps outside the courtyard gate. Looking up, she saw Director Wang from the commune's industrial and commercial bureau, followed by two cadres in gray Zhongshan suits, carrying briefcases. Their expressions were much gentler than before.
"Director Wang, what brings you here? Has the investigation yielded results?" Lin Wanqiu quickly wiped the flour off her hands and went to greet him, feeling both nervous and expectant. Since the last investigation by the Industry and Commerce Bureau, although she appeared calm on the surface, she had secretly compiled all the food workshop's raw material purchase vouchers, production records, and quality inspection reports into a booklet, based on the "Corporate Crisis Response Guide" in her spatial storage. She even had Li Xiulian compile statistics on the number of jobs created by the food workshop and the details of financial aid provided to impoverished students, all in order to prove her innocence during the investigation.
Director Wang smiled apologetically and stepped forward to shake Lin Wanqiu's hand. "Comrade Lin Wanqiu, I'm so sorry. Our sudden investigation last time caused you and the food workshop a lot of trouble. We're here today specifically to deliver the investigation results to you—after three days of detailed verification, all of the food workshop's business activities comply with national regulations, and there were no 'improper means' involved. The previous report was completely false!"
"Really? That's wonderful!" Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for days, finally settled down, and her eyes welled up slightly. She turned to look at Shen Tingzhou, who came out of the house, and the two smiled at each other, both seeing relief in each other's eyes. Shen Tingzhou stepped forward, grasped Director Wang's other hand, and said sincerely, "Thank you, Director Wang and your colleagues, for your fair investigation. You've worked hard these past few days."
Director Wang waved his hand, took out a printed investigation report from his briefcase, and handed it to Lin Wanqiu. "This is the official investigation report, stamped by our commune and the county's industrial and commercial bureau. You can keep it with confidence. Speaking of which, this investigation has also given us a clearer understanding of the contributions of 'Wanqiu Food Workshop'—not only has it solved the employment problem for more than sixty rural women, but it has also sponsored ten impoverished students. Such a good enterprise deserves not only support from our commune, but also vigorous promotion!"
Lin Wanqiu took the investigation report, her fingertips tracing the bright red seal on it, her heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. She recalled the "Guide to Social Responsibility of Small Businesses" in her spatial dimension, which mentioned that corporate social responsibility can not only enhance brand image but also gain recognition from the government and the public. Now it seemed to be true—the food workshop's charitable deeds over the years had not only helped others but also served as strong evidence to prove its innocence at crucial moments.
"Director Wang, I know that this report might be due to some misunderstanding about the food workshop, so I've compiled some materials that I'd like you to take a look at." Lin Wanqiu turned and went into the room, quickly taking out a thick stack of folders. Inside were not only the food workshop's operating license and financial statements, but also a list of employees compiled by Li Xiulian, records of financial aid for impoverished students, and even many thank-you letters from customers and positive feedback from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Director Wang took the folder and carefully flipped through it, becoming more and more surprised as he read. "Comrade Lin Wanqiu, I didn't expect your food workshop to have done so many practical things! Take this employment list for example, there are more than a dozen people in it who are from impoverished households in our commune. Now they can support their whole families with their own wages. This is a real project that benefits people's livelihoods!" The two cadres behind him also came over to look at it, nodding in praise from time to time, their eyes full of admiration as they looked at Lin Wanqiu.
Standing to the side, Shen Nian'an couldn't help but proudly say when she heard Director Wang praising the food workshop, "Uncle Wang, my mother not only provides jobs for the aunties, but also often teaches them how to make pastries! Last time, Aunt Zhang even said that she wanted to open her own small shop in the future to sell the sesame crisps that my mother taught her to make!"
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