Early morning.  

Liu Tong, who was on the early shift, suddenly noticed five machines lined up outside the bureau.  

Each machine was twice as large as the ones in the village, made of the same sleek silver material, with massive snow intake ports and broadcast units on top.  

Liu Tong stepped forward to test them and found that these machines could be moved—the barriers at the bottom opened to reveal wheels!  

What did this mean? It meant they could transport the machines to other locations. As long as there was snow, they could process and exchange it!  

Good heavens!  

Was the boss some kind of deity descended to earth?  

Moreover, the straight, wide road showed no traces of any wheel marks. Did these “giants” just fall from the sky?  

Wait—the cafeteria!  

Liu Tong ran all the way to the cafeteria.  

Everyone on the early shift had gathered inside, all examining the sudden appearance of a massive new machine.  

“Make way, make way, let me see.”  

Liu Tong squeezed through the crowd and saw that a food collection machine had also appeared in the cafeteria. Its conveyor belt was wider than the one in the shop, and next to it, under a completely transparent glass cover, was a purchasing area for food containers of various sizes.  

This meant that any food submitted had to be packed in these containers.  

Although the containers cost money, based on his observations, the profits from food collection were far greater than those from snow collection. The snow collection was probably genuinely meant as an act of charity.  

“Brother Liu, did you see the machines outside? That’s where you submit snow, but where does the snow go after it’s collected?”  

Liu Tong immediately put on a stern expression: “If we don’t understand, we don’t ask. All we need to know is that it can be exchanged for money, for food, for survival!”  

“Brother Liu, you’re right!”  

“Yeah, snow can be traded for money—why wouldn’t we do it?”  

“That boss is truly generous, so kind-hearted.”  

Liu Tong cut them off, rounding up a few people to load four of the machines onto a truck to be transported elsewhere.  

The remaining one would stay to serve the impoverished residents of the town.  

While Liu Tong and his team were busy, Bureau Chief Liu also came to inspect the machines. He then posted two notices outside the bureau.  

The first informed the town’s struggling residents that they could collect clean snow and submit it to the machines in exchange for money to supplement their household income.  

The second was a temporary recruitment notice, hiring chefs to cook meals. As long as the food tasted good, there was no limit to the number of hires, and wages would be discussed in person.  

These two notices instantly stirred up excitement throughout the town early in the morning.  

At the same time, the Little Store was also bustling with activity.  

……  

Inside the store, several female educated youths nervously yet eagerly handed over the scarves they had knitted overnight.  

Wang Zhaodi was surprised—she hadn’t expected them to learn so quickly and even finish knitting overnight.  

Su Ling was also astonished. “You stayed up knitting by the light of the snow?”  

Zhang Miaomiao rubbed her sore, tired eyes and smiled. “Everyone was so eager and excited, they couldn’t sleep. So we chatted while knitting, and ended up making this many.”  

Li Juan asked sheepishly, “Will you take all of these?”  

Wang Zhaodi nodded. “I should be able to sell them.”  

“If you can’t sell them, I’ll take them,” Su Ling said. Just in case—who knew when they might come in handy?  

Wang Zhaodi let out a sigh of relief. Though she was the one who wanted to run this business, if she ended up with too much unsold stock, it would become a burden.  

If the stock sat unsold until the next year, it would be considered old goods. Not only would the price drop, but there was no guarantee they could be sold at all.  

“Thank you, boss. I’ll do my best to sell them too.”

Wang Zhaodi packed the scarves into her backpack, restocked her goods, and prepared to head out.  

Suddenly, Su Ling remembered something. “Oh, I think I have some candles here. If you don’t want to use up your flashlight batteries, you can try these, though they’re not very bright.”  

She crouched down, pulled out candles of varying thicknesses from the system’s mall, and placed them on the counter.  

“Boss, I’ll take a box of these regular-sized ones. Also, do you have any red dragon-and-phoenix candles?” Wang Zhaodi asked eagerly.  

“I do.”  

Su Ling crouched down again and fetched two boxes of festive red candles. Wang Zhaodi took them all.  

The female educated youths also thought candles would be convenient, so they pooled their money to buy a box. With the remaining funds, they bought some more yarn before leaving.  

After seeing them off, Shen Ping’an arrived to restock.  

This time, after replenishing his supplies, he settled the remaining balance. From now on, any purchases would be paid for upfront.  

“Thank you, boss. I’ll be going now.” Shen Ping’an politely bid farewell before leaving.  

Life with his grandfather had improved significantly—they now had affordable bedding, a windproof tent, a small stove, and several carts of coal they had quietly transported home at night.  

Their pantry was stocked with rice, flour, oil, and seasonings. In the depths of winter, they could still enjoy stir-fried greens cooked with lard and even simmer chicken soup every few days.  

This kind of life? Not even immortality could compare.  

……  

Outside, the sky was still dim. Su Ling decided to close the shop and catch up on sleep.  

Before dozing off, she listed the candles in the store’s inventory.  

When she woke up again, she heated a bowl of eight-treasure porridge for herself and opened the shop door.  

The line of people delivering snow outside was slightly shorter than the day before—because last night, when she had the system deliver machines to the town, she also upgraded the single machine outside her shop to three.  

Each machine now had two snow intake ports, making snow deliveries even more convenient.  

Of course, the rental cost had increased accordingly, but based on her current daily earnings, she could easily afford it.  

Ding-a-ling—

“Boss, I’m here to drop off the hats, scarves, and little crocheted shoes my sister-in-law made. Take a look.” Lin Mei walked in with a smile, handing over a bundle.  

Su Ling unwrapped it.  

Some people were just naturally gifted with dexterous fingers—the scarves were finely knit, the hats could cover the ears, and the little tiger-head shoes were adorable.  

“Alright, leave them here for now. If Zhaodi wants to take them when she returns, she can. If she doesn’t need this many, I’ll pay you directly. Let’s log this first.”  

Su Ling pulled out a ledger, jotted down the details, and had Lin Mei sign it.  

Lin Mei grinned. “Sounds good.”  

As she was leaving, Lin Mei spotted the candles. After asking about them, she took a pair of dragon-and-phoenix candles—likely for a gift—and a box of white candles.  

Then, as if flipping a switch, nearly everyone delivering snow that day bought a box of white candles before leaving. They really were convenient.  

By noon, things had settled down.  

Just as Su Ling was pondering what to eat for lunch, a notification chimed in her mind.  

[Ding—]

[Unlocked Period Novel Cuisine: 10/10. Reward doubled. Each dish has been multiplied and stored in your inventory.]

[Unlocked Snow Collection Participants: 500/500. Map expanded. Reward: One vending machine (must be reclaimed upon departure). (Vending machine has no quantity or category restrictions.)]

[Unlocked Snow Collection Participants: 1000/1000. Map expanded. Reward: Three vending machines (must be reclaimed upon departure). (Vending machines have no quantity or category restrictions.)]

[Congratulations, Host, for unlocking vending machines. Reward: Unlimited Coal purchases.]