As Lin Wanqiu carried Shen Nian'an to the entrance of the commune compound, a spring breeze carrying the fresh scent of wheat straw wafted over, causing the stray hairs at her temples to sway gently. Shen Nian'an, perched on her shoulder, excitedly turned her little head back and forth, murmuring softly, "Mom, when Secretary Zhou touched my head, his hands were so warm, much softer than Grandma's."
Lin Wanqiu chuckled at her son's words and pinched his chubby cheeks: "That's because Secretary Zhou is kind-hearted, unlike your grandma, whose hands are as hard as old tree bark, and she always likes to pinch people." Just as she finished speaking, she saw Director Zhang carrying a blue cloth bag, running over all the way, his forehead soaked with sweat, and calling out from afar: "Comrade Lin Wanqiu, I've finally caught up with you!"
Director Zhang rushed over, panting, and opened the cloth bag. Inside was a stack of brand-new papers. The top one had the words "Supply Agreement" written in large characters, stamped with a neat red seal. "Secretary Zhou specifically instructed me to bring this agreement to you as soon as possible so you don't have to make another trip." He handed over a pen and pointed to the terms of the agreement. "Look, five thousand catties of tofu per month, the price is one cent higher than before, eight cents per catty, settled at the end of the month. Also, you'll get priority for supplies to the commune canteen, school, and nursing home. This was all specially approved by Secretary Zhou!"
Lin Wanqiu took the agreement, her fingertips tracing the words "five thousand catties," and her heart felt warm. In her previous life as a food blogger, she had seen many large orders, but none were as substantial as fifty yuan in the 1960s—this was enough to ensure that she and Nian'an could eat their fill and still save money! She signed her name stroke by stroke, her pen even more neat than usual.
"Thank you, Director Zhang, and please thank Secretary Zhou for me too." Lin Wanqiu folded the agreement neatly and carefully put it in her bosom. She then took out a small piece of pumpkin tofu from the basket. "This is what's left. Please try it; it's just a small token of my appreciation."
Director Zhang's eyes lit up. He took a bite and immediately nodded, "My goodness, this tastes amazing! It's much better than the old-fashioned tofu from the supply and marketing cooperative's canteen. It's soft and sweet. My wife has a sensitive stomach, she'll definitely love it." He clutched the tofu, his eyes crinkling into slits with a smile. "From now on, when you deliver tofu to the supply and marketing cooperative, just come to me. If anyone dares to give you a hard time, just mention Secretary Zhou's name, and it'll definitely work!"
After saying goodbye to Director Zhang, the mother and son had only walked a few steps when they saw a group of people gathered under the old locust tree at the village entrance. Shen Nian'an whispered in Lin Wanqiu's ear, "Mom, it's Aunt Zhang Lan. She seems to be saying bad things about you." Lin Wanqiu looked in the direction her son was pointing and, sure enough, saw Zhang Lan standing in the middle of the crowd, hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke: "You didn't see it! That widow Lin Wanqiu, putting on airs at the commune gate, I don't know what kind of spell she cast on Secretary Zhou, trying to get the whole village to follow her and make money by making tofu? I think she just wants to be the first to stick her neck out; she'll get herself into trouble sooner or later!"
Someone nearby whispered in protest, "Wanqiu making tofu isn't bothering anyone. She can even supply the supply and marketing cooperative, and the money she makes might even help our brigade." Zhang Lan immediately glared at her, "What do you know! She's a widow, how could she make tofu? She probably used some dirty methods. Last time Zhao Jianjun said she added something to her tofu, and I think he was right!"
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly, but didn't go forward to argue—arguing with someone like Zhang Lan was a complete waste of time. Carrying Shen Nian'an, she bypassed the crowd and, just as she reached her own courtyard gate, saw Aunt Wang squatting by the threshold picking vegetables. Seeing her, Aunt Wang quickly stood up, pulled her into the yard, and said in a low voice, "Wanqiu, you're finally back! Zhang Lan was talking bad about you at the village entrance just now, and I argued with her a bit, and she got angry with me. You have to be careful; she holds grudges and might do something bad to you."
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. Aunt Wang was one of the few people in the village who genuinely treated her well. In her previous life, when she was tormented by the Shen family, it was only Aunt Wang who secretly gave her two sweet potatoes. "Thank you, Aunt Wang, I understand." She took two white steamed buns from the basket and handed them to Aunt Wang. "I bought these from the commune canteen. Please take them back for your children."
Aunt Wang quickly waved her hand, "No, no, these white steamed buns are precious. You should keep them for Nian'an." Lin Wanqiu insisted on putting them in her hand, "Please take them. I'll need your help when I make money from tofu." Aunt Wang then accepted them, gave a few more instructions to "be careful of Zhang Lan," and left in a hurry.
Chen Nian sat on a small stool, watching Lin Wanqiu tidy up the tofu-making tools, and suddenly said, "Mom, I saw Uncle Zhao at the commune today. He seemed very angry; his face was all red." Lin Wanqiu patted her son's head and said with a smile, "He was in the wrong and got scolded by Secretary Zhou. He deserved it. If he dares to bully us again, Mom will complain to Secretary Zhou and have his father teach him a lesson."
Despite saying that, Lin Wanqiu remained vigilant. Zhao Jianjun and his son had suffered a loss and certainly wouldn't let it go easily. With Zhang Lan stirring things up, who knew what kind of trouble she might cause? She needed to quickly get the tofu business up and running, save more money, and cultivate a good relationship with the commune so she could truly establish herself.
The next morning, before dawn, Lin Wanqiu got up to grind soybeans. The soybeans in the space were plump, and the resulting soy milk was thick and fragrant. Shen Nian'an also got up early to help with the fire; his little face was flushed red from the heat, but he didn't feel tired at all. "Mom, how much tofu are we going to make today?" he asked as he added firewood.
"We'll make 200 jin today. We'll send 100 jin to the supply and marketing cooperative first, and give the rest to the village primary school." Lin Wanqiu stirred the soy milk, thinking to herself, "In a few days, we'll teach Aunt Wang and the others how to make tofu. Then we can make it together and make money together."
Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up: "Does that mean that Xiao Zhu from Aunt Wang's family can eat fried tofu puffs with me in the future?" Lin Wanqiu nodded with a smile: "Yes, we can let Xiao Zhu eat with you, and we can also let the other children at school try it."
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