At noon, many people who had lined up early cooked pots of dry rice and stir-fried greens with leftover lard scraps, eating to their hearts’ content. The streets were filled with the rich aroma of oil.  

Those still waiting in line could only swallow their saliva desperately, enduring the torment.  

Fortunately, rice and flour were unlimited—no matter how far back in line you were, you could still buy some.  

Zhu Ying stood with her daughter inside the safety line, waiting their turn. Only one person was ahead of them before they could make their selections. Each item was clearly labeled with its price, making it easy to see.  

“Mom.”  

Her seven-year-old daughter, Cheng Yue, tugged at her sleeve, her clear black-and-white eyes looking up at her with a hint of panic.  

“It’s okay,” Zhu Ying reassured her, gently patting her daughter’s head before tightening her grip on her pocket.  

Inside were only a few cents—and a wristwatch.  

Her husband had left home long ago and still hadn’t returned. The snow kept falling heavier, and with no money or food left at home, she had come here to take a gamble, hoping someone would buy her ladies’ wristwatch.  

If it sold, she and her daughter would at least have food for a while. If not, she’d have to settle for the cheapest options—anything to keep her child alive.  

Soon, it was their turn.  

Zhu Ying walked straight up to a police officer, slightly shrinking her shoulders as she pulled her daughter behind her. “Excuse me, I wanted to ask—does anyone here buy wristwatches?”  

Liu Tong glanced at her and replied kindly, “Boss Su does. Just put it in the machine when you check out.”  

Zhu Ying pulled out her watch and asked nervously, “How much is this watch worth?”  

Liu Tong shook his head—he didn’t know for sure, but…  

“Probably at least a few dozen yuan.” Boss Su seemed pretty generous.  

Zhu Ying let out a small sigh of relief. She quickly grabbed the essentials: rice, oil, and brown sugar, along with some salt, then hurried to the checkout.  

She called out “Checkout!” and placed the watch into the payment slot. The watch was instantly swallowed up, and the screen displayed:  

Recycle Price: 100 yuan.

Yes/No?

Zhu Ying rubbed her eyes, tears mixing with joy. She immediately grabbed her daughter’s hand and rushed back to add more items—peach shortbread she had hesitated over, milk her daughter wanted to drink, canned food, noodles, meat, and even some aluminum foil. Then she returned and pressed Yes.  

After packing up the rice, flour, coal briquettes, and receiving her change, mother and daughter left with their arms full.  

Liu Tong, who had been watching nearby, couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “Boss Su is really generous. What a good person.”  

Others in line also noticed. Many immediately left family members to hold their spots while they rushed home.  

If watches could be sold for money, didn’t that mean other things could be exchanged too?  

Right now, those items were just useless objects—only the food that kept people alive mattered!  

…

At the same time, inside the grocery store, Su Ling heard a notification sound.  

She looked at the ladies’ wristwatch that had suddenly appeared in her store’s inventory and casually placed it in the display window. Soon, someone offered 10,000 yuan to buy it.  

Su Ling was stunned. “Are vintage watches really this valuable?”  

Customer’s Note: Boss, this watch looks exactly like the one my mother was forced to sell—her wedding gift. I never thought I’d see it again.

After shipping the watch, Su Ling turned to Hua Hua. “This must be decades later in the same timeline, right?”  

Hua Hua nodded. “Of course. Items sold in this world are naturally bought by people decades in the future, because this world has its own future.”  

“Some worlds are standalone, though. For those, we’d need to open a multi-directional channel to sell to other worlds.”  

Su Ling understood. “So what you’re saying is, the money I’m making now isn’t enough to open a multi-directional channel, right?”  

Hua Hua let out an “Aoowoo!” “Right.”  

Su Ling: “……Real cats don’t actually make that sound.”

…

While people were lining up eagerly at all four locations to buy food, Old Man Wu also began organizing a team to collect old artifacts, planning to personally deliver them to Dawang Village.  

This time, it was hope given by the heavens—they had to ensure more people could survive.  

At the same time, he notified even more people, urging them to go see the vending machines, the snow collectors, and the food collectors for themselves.  

No amount of words could compare to seeing it firsthand.  

…

Inside the Grocery Store 

Su Ling watched the steadily rising numbers on the backend while placing an order in the system for store-wide Wi-Fi. The monthly rent was 99 yuan—no discounts.  

“It might be a bit expensive for this era, but it’s the most cost-effective option right now. Plus, it covers both the store and the living quarters in the back,” Su Ling muttered as she confirmed the purchase.  

“Alright, Host, the whole store is online now. Buy me a tablet—I want to watch Tom and Jerry.”  

The box Hua Hua had been lying on was already shredded, so it had switched to a new one.  

Su Ling took the old box to prop up near the door. By the time she returned, she had already ordered two tablets and placed one inside the box.  

“How do you even use—”  

Before she could finish, she saw Hua Hua deftly swipe open the tablet with its paw, tap into the video app, and log into a membership account.  

Su Ling: ???  

“You even have a membership?!”  

Hua Hua: “Of course. If you’re buying one, get this site’s—it’s got plenty of cat videos. No need to spread out subscriptions.”  

Su Ling: Thanks, but no thanks. She wasn’t into cat videos!  

In the end, Su Ling subscribed to an older streaming site—one full of classic TV dramas, movies, and cartoons.  

“Let’s start with Journey to the West—my all-time favorite.”  

She clicked on the first episode, then glanced at Hua Hua, who had already pulled up Tom and Jerry on mute.  

Hua Hua turned its feline head: “Only the user can hear it. No need for headphones, and it won’t disturb others. Feel free to slack off, Host.”  

Su Ling chuckled. “Alright.”  

The store fell into peaceful silence, with just one human and one cat engrossed in their tablets.  

…

By the afternoon, customers started arriving with freshly cooked food. This time, someone even attempted a full dish—iron-pot stewed goose, packed with potatoes and green beans, topped with cornbread.  

Su Ling immediately paused her show and stood up. “That smells amazing.”  

The man beamed with pride. “My wife made it. She’s really good at cooking.”  

Su Ling had him place the entire pot into the machine. Moments later, the pot was returned, and the reward announcement blared—a whopping 30 yuan!  

“Thirty?! That much?!”  

The man was stunned. “Boss, you don’t have a limit on this, right? Then I’ll take two more geese!”  

One for his family to eat, the other to cook and bring back tomorrow.  

“Sure. But this time, add more ingredients—some beer to remove the gaminess, shredded cabbage, MSG, and… actually, I’ll just prep everything for you. Have your wife experiment a bit—if she perfects it, she can earn even more.”  

Su Ling quickly gathered seasonings and packed them up.  

A big iron pot cooked over high heat made food taste better—more wok hei, richer flavors.  

The man insisted on paying for the beer and seasonings, then left with extra potatoes and two geese, heading home happily.  

Su Ling decided to stock beer as well. Too bad it was winter—sales would’ve been much better in summer.