She walked outside the warehouse, gazing at the endless wheat fields in the distance. It was the crucial time for the wheat to fill out, the lush green waves of wheat undulating in the wind like a boundless green sea. But this seemingly bountiful scene was overshadowed by a sudden price surge. She recalled the beginning of her rebirth, struggling in poverty with Nian'an, barely surviving thanks to the resources in her spatial dimension and her own skills; she remembered resolutely separating from her troublesome in-laws to live independently; she remembered how she persevered through the difficulties of starting her food workshop, facing shortages of funds, lack of technology, and poor sales channels.
"I can't let the food workshop collapse, and I can't let the villagers' hopes be dashed." Lin Wanqiu clenched her fist, her nails digging deep into her palm, bringing a slight stinging pain, but it also made her eyes more determined. "No matter what the cost, I will protect this supply chain and protect everyone's livelihood."
Looking at her resolute profile, Shen Tingzhou felt both heartache and pride. This woman, who had grown up in adversity, always possessed an indomitable spirit. He gently took her hand, his palm warm yet firm: "I'll be with you. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. We can split up; you stay home to stabilize production at the food workshop and with existing customers, while I'll go to the surrounding cities and find new suppliers."
Lin Wanqiu turned to look at him, a warmth appearing in her eyes. Over the years, no matter what difficulties she encountered, Shen Tingzhou had always been her strongest support. With him by her side, she felt confident. "Okay, then let's divide the work. You must be careful while you're out and about," she instructed, her tone full of concern.
In the following days, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou split up and launched a race against time to protect the supply chain.
Lin Wanqiu remained at the food workshop, where she rigorously controlled production quality to ensure that the quality of existing products remained uncompromised. She also convened an emergency meeting with the workshop's core management team to discuss countermeasures. The atmosphere in the meeting room was serious, and everyone's face was grave.
"Mr. Lin, how about we raise our product prices a bit?" Xiao Wang, who is in charge of sales, tentatively suggested. "Raw material prices have risen so much right now, if we don't raise prices, our profits simply won't be enough. Besides, our products have a good reputation, so consumers should understand."
“No.” Lin Wanqiu shook her head decisively. “The reputation of ‘Natural Taste’ today is based on its cost-effectiveness. If we raise prices, we may lose some of our old customers, and it would also go against our original intention of helping our fellow villagers get rich together. We cannot raise prices lightly unless absolutely necessary.”
"What can we do? Raw material prices have gone up, and costs have increased. If we don't raise prices, it means we'll lose money!" Xiao Wang said anxiously.
Lin Wanqiu pondered for a moment and said, "We can optimize product packaging to reduce unnecessary costs. In addition, we can adjust the production plan, appropriately increase the output of some high-margin products, and reduce the production of low-margin products. At the same time, we can strengthen inventory management to avoid the backlog of raw materials and finished products and improve capital turnover."
She paused, then continued, "Also, we can communicate with downstream distributors to try and extend the payment cycle to alleviate financial pressure. Most importantly, we need to find new suppliers as soon as possible to break the current price monopoly."
After the meeting, Lin Wanqiu rushed to the village cooperative to hold a discussion with the cooperative's负责人 (person in charge) and farmer representatives. The farmers were also worried upon learning of the rising raw material prices.
"Late Autumn, what are we going to do? If the food factory doesn't buy our grain, or if they lower the price, we'll be in big trouble this year!" An old farmer who grows wheat said anxiously, holding Lin Wanqiu's hand.
Looking at the old farmer's calloused hands, Lin Wanqiu felt a pang of sorrow. She solemnly said, "Fellow villagers, rest assured, 'Natural Taste' will never abandon you. No matter how the raw material market changes, we will always prioritize purchasing your agricultural products, and the purchase price will only be higher than the market price, never lower."
"Really?" A hint of surprise flashed in the old farmer's eyes.
“Of course it’s true.” Lin Wanqiu nodded, her tone firm. “We are a community of shared interests. The development of the food workshop cannot be separated from everyone’s support, and everyone’s income is closely linked to the fate of the food workshop. The difficulties are only temporary. As long as we work together, we will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties.”
Her words were like a reassuring pill, putting the farmers present at ease. One farmer representative said, "Late Autumn, we're relieved to hear you say that. From now on, we'll definitely grow more high-quality grains and guarantee to provide the food processing plant with the best raw materials!"
After calming the farmers down, Lin Wanqiu rushed back to the food workshop to deal with the mountain of tasks. During the day, she was busy coordinating production, communicating with customers, and liaising with the cooperative; at night, she stayed up late calculating costs and analyzing market data, often working until the wee hours. With Shen Tingzhou not by her side, the burden on her shoulders was even heavier, but she had no complaints, only one belief in her heart: she must save the food workshop and preserve the hopes of her fellow villagers.
Meanwhile, Shen Tingzhou embarked on a journey to find new suppliers. He drove to five surrounding cities, visiting grain purchasing stations, agricultural wholesale markets, and planting bases of all sizes. Along the way, he endured harsh weather, often eating only two meals a day, and sometimes even driving through the night to save time.
But things didn't go as smoothly as he'd imagined. He discovered that many grain buyers were indeed raising prices, and many purchasing stations were hoarding goods and reluctant to sell. What made him even more suspicious was that several suppliers who were initially willing to cooperate declined the offer after learning that he was the person in charge of "Natural Taste," their attitudes ambiguous, seemingly indicating some apprehension.
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