My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was not yet fully bright.

Lin Xiulan was already dressed.

Lu Qingshan's voice had the characteristic hoarseness of early morning.

"I've taught you everything I needed to know. Today, you'll fight this battle yourself."

Lin Xiulan hummed in agreement, and the last vestiges of unease in her heart dissipated.

……

Enterprise Management Section of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

When Lin Xiulan arrived, the young clerk from last time was not there.

She was received by the deputy section chief himself.

A man in his forties, with a shrewd face and a slicked-back hairstyle.

"Deputy Section Chief Qin," Lin Xiulan greeted him politely but firmly.

Deputy Section Chief Qin politely invited her to sit down, poured her a glass of water, and then slowly opened the proposal document she had submitted last time.

"Boss Lin, I've reviewed your plan; the idea is good."

He put down the documents, crossed his hands on the table, and smiled gently, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"However, this matter involves a wide range of issues, and it's not something a deputy section chief like me can decide on."

"Moreover, recently, many companies in the same industry have also expressed their opinions."

Deputy Section Chief Qin dragged out his words.

"They feel that your proposal is suspected of 'restricting competition'."

"Therefore, my suggestion is to first organize a symposium with all parties involved to gather everyone's opinions, and then submit it to the deputy director in charge for approval. What do you think?"

Lin Xiulan picked up the water glass, the warmth of her fingertips passing through the enamel.

This is standard official documentation, a procedural delay.

A "symposium" can be delayed for a week, and a "reporting for approval" can be delayed for another week.

Two weeks later, the provincial capital's mountain produce market had long been turned into a complete mess by those people.

Lin Xiulan showed no dissatisfaction on her face; she nodded sincerely.

"Section Chief Qin is right; it is the right thing to do to listen to opinions from all sides."

She paused for a moment, then changed the subject.

"However, I have a small suggestion. Since we're going to hold a meeting, could we invite the deputy director in charge to attend as well?"

Deputy Section Chief Qin's smile froze slightly.

"Well... Director Liu is very busy and may not have time."

"I understand. However, the three co-initiators of our proposal, Director Guo of the Provincial Health Products Factory and Deputy General Manager Qian of the Provincial Pharmaceutical Corporation, have all expressed their willingness to attend the symposium in person."

Lin Xiulan's voice remained gentle.

"If I go alone, the quantity might not be enough."

"But if both Director Guo and Deputy General Manager Qian are here, and only a deputy section chief is in charge, isn't that... a bit unfair?"

Deputy Section Chief Qin picked up his teacup and took a big gulp; the scalding tea masked the stiffness at the corner of his mouth.

"...I'll go ask the director."

Two days later, the symposium was held in the conference room on the third floor of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

Deputy Director Liu, who is in charge of enterprise management, personally presided over the meeting, while Deputy Section Chief Qin sat on the side, looking rather displeased.

Lin Xiulan sat on the left with Chen Meili.

Opposite them were representatives of six small businesses, led by a fat-faced businessman with a menacing expression, surnamed Wu.

He is the brother-in-law of Deputy Section Chief Qin.

"Director Liu! We object!"

At the very beginning of the meeting, Boss Wu took the initiative and slammed a joint appeal on the table.

"Xiushan Industry is colluding with large enterprises to create an industry monopoly! They're trying to destroy the livelihoods of small businesses like ours! We firmly demand that the Industry and Commerce Bureau reject this tyrannical proposal!"

He spoke for a full fifteen minutes, spitting as he spoke, with only one core argument: we small business owners also have the right to do business in the market.

Lin Xiulan waited for him to finish speaking before calmly opening the second file folder and handing a stack of provincial quality inspection reports to Deputy Director Liu.

"Director Liu, the core of our Xiushan Industrial's plan is not to exclude anyone, but to set a quality baseline. All qualified merchants can enter the market to operate."

"Mr. Wu, you said we're engaging in monopolistic practices. I'd like to ask you a question."

She pulled a piece of paper from the third file folder.

Those were the sample data of goods from Boss Wu's stall, recorded by Chen Meili.

"Last Tuesday, a batch of dried daylilies sold at your stall had a moisture content of 23%, exceeding the national standard limit by a full 8 percentage points. Are you aware of what would happen if this batch of goods entered the food processing stage?"

She pulled out a second sheet of paper.

"On the same day, the pine nuts from the stall next to yours didn't even have a certificate of origin. Where did this batch of goods come from? Were they inspected?"

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

Boss Wu's face turned a deep purplish-red. He opened his mouth twice, but couldn't utter a single word.

Lin Xiulan gave him no chance to catch his breath.

She stood up and took out two sealed, transparent plastic bags from the worn canvas bag.

One bag contains dried black fungus samples from Xiushan Industry; the flesh is thick and the color is just right.

The other bag contained dried wood ear mushrooms of the same type that she had Hou San buy from Boss Wu's stall; they were dark in color and of mixed quality.

"Director Liu, if you allow me, I would like to conduct a simple experiment."

Deputy Director Liu stared at her and waved his hand.

"Do."

Chen Meili immediately brought over two clean enamel bowls, poured in equal amounts of water, and put the two kinds of wood ear mushrooms into them respectively.

All eyes were on the two bowls.

Two minutes later, the results came out.

The black fungus from Xiushan Industry expands and becomes plump in the water, which is crystal clear.

The wood ear mushrooms at Mr. Wu's stall soaked slowly, and a layer of grayish-brown flocculent substance settled at the bottom of the bowl, making the clear water murky.

Deputy Director Liu took a closer look, his brows furrowing into a knot.

"What is this?"

"Residue after soaking in magnesium sulfate".

Lin Xiulan's voice was calm as still water, yet it struck the hearts of everyone present like a stone.

"Soaking dried wood ear mushrooms in magnesium sulfate solution can significantly increase their weight, allowing them to sell for an extra three to four cents per pound. However, long-term consumption of this type of wood ear mushroom can damage the kidneys."

She surveyed the entire room, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a market without quality standards."

"Today it's magnesium sulfate black fungus, tomorrow it might be sulfur-treated white fungus or pickled vegetables with industrial salt."

"Our plan isn't about monopolizing the market; it's about ensuring that the people of the provincial capital can eat safe food!"

The audience was silent.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Boss Wu's forehead. He shrank back in his chair, no longer daring to look up.

Deputy Section Chief Qin lowered his head, staring intently at the table, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists under the table.

Deputy Director Liu remained silent for a moment before making his statement on the spot.

"The questions raised by Mr. Lin are very practical. The market needs regulation, and consumers' health is not a trivial matter."

He glanced at Deputy Section Chief Qin beside him.

"Old Qin, I agree in principle to the standardized operation plan jointly submitted by the three parties. Complete the approval process this week and issue the official approval document before next Monday."

"As for the specific terms of the quality standards, according to the plan, they will be formulated by the laboratory of the Provincial Pharmaceutical Corporation. All merchants operating in the market must complete the quality standard certification within three months; those that fail to meet the standards by the deadline will be removed from the market."

Mr. Wu and the representatives of several small businesses looked at each other, as if their bones had been pulled out, and no one dared to utter a sound.