Before long, Old Wang’s family, the village chief’s family, and many other villagers arrived.  

The first thing they saw was the “big machine” outside the shop.  

“Boss Su.”  

Village Chief Wang stepped forward just in time to see Su Ling take out a roll of aluminum foil.  

“What’s this?”  

“Cheap aluminum foil for lining walls to block drafts, but it’s not fireproof.”  

Su Ling unfolded it and let those near the counter take a closer look. “This is five yuan per roll.”  

Many immediately withdrew their hands, but others examined it more carefully.  

“Boss, are you really buying snow? The snow outside?” someone asked.  

Su Ling nodded. “Yes, the snow outside. I have a use for it. Make sure it’s clean—no snow from the bottom layer touching the ground. The machine outside can tally the amount. Whatever you put in is what counts. If anyone tries to cheat, I won’t accept their snow anymore.”  

“Boss, how could anyone do such a thing?”  

“Exactly! Whoever dares, I’ll be the first to deal with them.”  

“Boss, are you starting to buy now?”  

“Starting now. You can use any baskets or trays—just dump it in.” As Su Ling spoke, he laid out some needles and thread.  

“Boss, how much for the needles and thread?” Cao Guihua squeezed to the front, her eyes gleaming.  

Su Ling showed her the set: the top lid held needles of varying thicknesses, while the bottom contained spools of thread in different colors.  

“Two yuan per set.”  

Cao Guihua immediately decided. “Boss, I’ll take one.”  

Su Ling handed her the set he was holding.  

“Boss, do you have fabric here?” Cao Guihua clutched the needles and thread as if they were something precious.  

“Yes, what color do you want?” The moment Su Ling asked, the women behind her surged forward.  

“Red!”  

“Rose red—rose red is pretty!”  

“Dirt-blue is stain-resistant and durable.”  

“Do you have yellow? I want to make a dress.”  

Su Ling raised a hand to calm them, smiling. “No rush. I have them all, but you’ll have to wait for the next shipment—about ten days or so. You can use this time to gather more snow.”  

“Alright, we’ll listen to the boss.”  

“Boss, you’re such a good person.”  

“Exactly! Just looking at the boss, I can tell he’s got a kind face.”  

“Yeah, so kind…”  

The shop buzzed with excitement, and Su Ling took the opportunity to recommend frozen meat and instant noodles.  

The shop’s kettles, peony-patterned thermoses, and hot water bottles were also on display. In winter, if people were reluctant to burn too much firewood, they’d definitely need hot water bottles.  

The crowd looked around, wanting one thing, then another.  

But they had no money.  

“We can start by gathering snow! Didn’t the boss say she’s buying snow?”  

Someone snapped to their senses and, after a reluctant glance at the items on the counter, hurriedly called their family to head back.  

Old Wang also realized—he knew how to weave and had plenty of wicker baskets at home. People might come looking for them.  

He needed to hurry back, but first, he had to buy a chicken.  

Su Ling handed him a plump, cleaned chicken. “You’ll need to thaw it at home first.”  

After thanking her, Old Wang left, while many others stared at the chicken, unable to tear their eyes away.  

That chicken… looked so tempting.  

Seizing the moment, Su Ling promoted chicken breasts and drumsticks, successfully closing a few more sales.  

“Boss, can outsiders come to your shop to buy things? Will you buy their snow too?” Yang Tao asked nervously.

She had married into Dawang Village. Now that the village had a shop and was buying snow, they wouldn’t starve—but what about her own family back home?  

As soon as Yang Tao spoke these words, the room suddenly fell silent.  

If outsiders came too, would there even be enough for the villagers?  

Some people began to look displeased.  

Su Ling immediately spoke up: “The more people come to buy things, the better. The same goes for snow—the more, the better. There’s no upper limit. Once winter passes, we’ll stop buying.”

Hearing this, many sighed in relief.  

But someone still said, “Outsiders can’t touch our village’s snow. No way—I’m going to talk to the village chief.”

The village chief called a meeting to divide snow-collecting zones, even including the mountains and the educated youth.  

Yang Tao exchanged a glance with her husband, bought two pounds of cornmeal, and left—they needed to notify their relatives.  

Soon, the shop emptied, and only a few new customers came in that day.  

Su Ling tidied up the store, making the small grocery shop look neater and better stocked.  

“They need to earn money first—then we can earn money.”

Su Ling sat down, pondering what to eat for lunch.  

Just then, the doorbell chimed—someone had entered.  

Liu Juhua walked in with Wang Baozhu and smiled at Su Ling. “Boss Su, do you buy ginseng?”  

Su Ling: “Yes!” 

She took the ginseng and placed it on the scale. The system offered 180 yuan, but Su Ling chose not to recycle it.  

“This ginseng is worth 180 yuan. Would you like to buy something, or should I give you the money directly?”

Liu Juhua’s eyes lit up, and she began shopping enthusiastically.  

Her second son had said this ginseng would first help the family, so she was going to stock up.  

“Boss, I’ll take five thermoses, five hot water bottles. Do you have coal stoves? Or coal briquettes? Kerosene?”

Su Ling nodded. “I have everything. Besides kerosene, I also have solar-powered flashlights—twenty yuan each. They charge in sunlight.”  

She pulled out a standing flashlight with a large front light, a small rear light, and a green cover that flipped up to reveal a solar panel.  

“This one stands upright, but there’s also a hanging version. Buy once, save on electricity and money later.”

Hua Hua covered her head with her paws:  

“Since everything in this world has already been rationalized, might as well keep going…”

Liu Juhua had never seen anything like it. After Su Ling showed her how it worked, her eyes sparkled.  

Then, gritting her teeth, she bought three flashlights, five rolls of aluminum foil, a large pack of toilet paper, two chickens, ten pounds of pork belly, two packs of brown sugar, one pack of salt, and a bag of white flour—leaving fully loaded.  

“Boss, will you have eggs later?” Liu Juhua asked.  

Su Ling nodded. “Yes, in about two or three days, there’ll be another shipment—chicken and duck eggs included.”

Liu Juhua left happily with her granddaughter.  

Su Ling sighed. “That old lady makes decisions for the family—decisive and sharp.” 

But then again, winter was brutal, and this was only the beginning.  

Hua Hua tilted her head. “Host, didn’t you notice Little Koi was unusually quiet just now?”

Su Ling nodded slightly. She had noticed. She wondered what had happened in such a short time.  

… 

On the way back, Wang Baozhu kept her head down, not even reacting when Wang Guoqing came to carry their purchases home.  

Liu Juhua pulled her aside. “Baozhu, what’s wrong?”  

Wang Baozhu pouted, teary-eyed. “Grandma, Mom called me a greedy little cat, saying I always want meat… She said it’s for Auntie, not me…”  

Liu Juhua laughed. “Oh, that’s nothing! Grandma will make sure you and your big sister each get a big bowl, okay?”

“But Grandma, Mom said unless she falls and can’t move—and needs to recover—then I can have some of her chicken soup. So I said I wanted some… and then she fell.”

Wang Baozhu sniffled, tears rolling down.  

Liu Juhua quickly reassured her. “Don’t overthink it! The snow just made the path slippery. Come on, let’s go home.”