At three in the afternoon, Su Ling had just finished organizing the rice and flour when someone anxiously pushed open the shop door.  

With a ring of the bell, a tall, thin man with red, tear-swollen eyes staggered toward the counter, his gaze fixed intently on the clean white rice beneath the glass display.  

“Boss, do you need ration coupons to buy rice here?” The man’s voice was hoarse and strained, clearly nervous.  

Su Ling shook her head. “No. Premium rice is fifty cents per pound, same for white flour. The rice next to it is cheaper at twenty cents per pound, and cornmeal is ten cents per pound. For the first three days of opening, all rice and flour are at a 12% discount. Other items aren’t discounted—today is the second day.”  

“Boss, I’ll take ten pounds—no, twenty pounds!”  

“Hey, how can you do that? If you buy twenty pounds, what will the rest of us buy?”  

“Yeah, you can’t take that much. There are still people behind you.”  

“Leave some for the rest of us.”  

“But my whole family is here—four generations, plus relatives who’ve come too…”  

Su Ling raised a hand to quiet the crowd. “There’s more rice and flour in the back warehouse. Plenty for everyone, as much as you want—as long as you have the money. Over there, there’s also frozen meat—chicken, pork, lamb. On those shelves are hot water bottles, thermoses, and instant noodles that cook in five minutes. Feel free to take a look.”  

With that, Su Ling grabbed two ten-pound bags of rice and headed to the checkout counter, gesturing for the man to follow and pay.  

The man paid quickly, then gritted his teeth and added a pound of pork to his purchase.  

“Boss, do you still buy snow?”  

“Yes, but only until winter ends. It has to be clean.”  

Su Ling handed him his change and turned to the next customer. “Everyone, line up properly. One at a time.”  

An onlooker from Dawang Village immediately interjected, “Don’t touch the snow from our village! Our village chief has already marked out the areas.”  

The man bowed his head in thanks. “Of course, we won’t take yours.” Wiping his tears, he hurried home.  

Su Ling continued serving the next customer.  

Among the customers, those who had money mostly took ten-pound bags, since the discount for the first three days was a good deal.  

After the first batch of cheaper rice sold out, Su Ling went to the warehouse to restock and bring out more.  

Soon, the cornmeal was completely gone too. The number of customers served had reached 120, and Su Ling estimated the vegetable section would unlock by that evening.  

By the time another batch of goods was sold, most of the out-of-town customers had left.  

Seizing the lull, Su Ling went to place another order.  

As evening approached, the snow showed no sign of letting up, and a long line of people waited outside to exchange snow for goods.  

Someone from Shilin Village watched and sighed, “Dawang Village has it easier—they’re right by the shop. We have to come from much farther away.”  

Su Ling smiled. “You could bring more at once. For a whole family, a day’s work could probably get you a pound of rice.”  

“True. My family has a cart—I’ll dig it out and start using it.”  

“Having a cart makes things much easier.”  

Wang Zhaodi happened to walk in just then and overheard. Secretly, she thought: Actually, the supermarket’s pushcarts would be even simpler and more convenient.

Wait—pushcarts!  

Wang Zhaodi stood to the side, waiting until all the customers had left before stepping forward. “Boss, can I help you sell your goods?”  

Su Ling was taken aback.  

[Ding—]

[New Task: Recruit distributors to serve more customers. Serve over 500 people and complete transactions to unlock the daily necessities section.]

Su Ling and Huahua exchanged a glance. No wonder she’s the protagonist—she can trigger missions.

Su Ling asked gently, “How do you plan to help me sell the goods? And how should I price it for you?”

Wang Zhaodi seemed to have already thought it through. She looked up earnestly and said, “Boss, first, I’d like to rent a large pushcart from you. I won’t sell in the nearby villages and compete with your business—I’ll go to the town instead. You can just give me a discount of a cent or two per item, and when I sell in town, I’ll be honest with the customers. If they’re willing to come here themselves, they can buy directly. If they find it too troublesome, they can pay me a little extra for delivery, and I’ll bring the goods to their homes.”  

Su Ling frowned slightly. “That’s too hard on you. The weather is freezing—can you handle it?”  

Wang Zhaodi, thinking Su Ling might refuse, quickly pleaded, “Please, boss, give me a chance. I want to earn money for school. I want to study.”  

Su Ling nodded. “Alright, come find me later, okay?”  

Wang Zhaodi’s face lit up with excitement. “Yes! Thank you, boss! I’ll come back tonight.”  

After Wang Zhaodi left, villagers from Dawang Village began coming in to stock up on rice and flour—after all, the discount only lasted three days.  

So Su Ling was busy again, and it wasn’t until nearly 9 p.m. that the crowd finally thinned out. However, outside, people were still queuing by the snow exchange machine.  

Among them were the elderly professor and his wife, who took advantage of the darkness to deliver more snow, as well as young Shen Ping’an and his frail grandfather. And, of course, Wang Zhaodi, determined to earn money.  

After a while, seeing that there were few customers left, Wang Zhaodi entered the store.  

Su Ling, rubbing her sore wrist, asked her to wait while she restocked from the system’s mall.  

Su Ling silently communicated with Huahua: “It seems I can’t give Wang Zhaodi the system’s wholesale price.”  

Huahua replied telepathically: “Of course not. That’s a benefit for you, the host. Distributors under you have to pay a markup on top of that.”

Su Ling first ordered a large pushcart. The cart cost 25 yuan, and she decided to rent it out for 0.1 yuan per day.  

Su Ling: “The pushcart costs 25 yuan, and the rental is 0.1 yuan per day. It’s big but lightweight.”

After carefully calculating, Wang Zhaodi nodded. “Okay, boss. I can do that.”

Su Ling continued: “Premium rice is 0.5 yuan per pound, and I’ll give it to you for 0.4. White flour is the same. Cornmeal is 0.08 yuan, and the cheaper rice is 0.15 yuan. Are you sure you want this?”

Wang Zhaodi twisted her hands nervously, looking at Su Ling with slight embarrassment. “Boss Su, I might… need to buy on credit at first. I—I swear I’ll pay you back! My home is right here—it’s not like I can run away.”

Su Ling smiled. “Fine, I’ll extend you credit.”

Wang Zhaodi bowed deeply in gratitude. “Thank you, boss! For now, please give me 20 pounds each of rice and flour, five bags of brown sugar, two cans of milk powder, some frozen chicken breasts and drumsticks, five pounds of pork belly, and… a pair of rubber shoes.”

Su Ling: “Alright. Let’s draw up an IOU. I’ve already written it—just press your fingerprint here.”

She handed Wang Zhaodi a slip of paper, and without hesitation, the girl pressed her thumb onto the ink pad and then onto the document.  

Su Ling carefully explained the terms of the IOU to reassure her.  

Wang Zhaodi listened intently. “Boss, since you trust me, I’ll work hard to sell the goods and pay you back as soon as possible.”

Su Ling chuckled. “Sounds good.” She had no reason to distrust the protagonist, especially since little Zhaodi was so well-behaved.  

“Alright, I’ll pack everything for you. Come pick it up tomorrow morning?”

“Boss… can I come at 5 a.m.?” Wang Zhaodi asked timidly. She was small and short, and the journey to town would take a long time—she needed to leave early.  

Su Ling nodded gently. “Sure.”

After Wang Zhaodi left, Su Ling closed up the shop to rest.  

As for the snow exchange machine outside, it continued working diligently through the night.  

The elderly professor, his wife, Shen Ping’an, and his grandfather—all four of them—stayed up the entire night, tirelessly hauling snow.  

The snowfall grew heavier, and the roads were soon buried under thick layers of snow. Eventually, the four of them even cleared the area right outside the shop’s entrance.  

…

The next day, 5 a.m.

Wang Zhaodi arrived right on time.  

She had cooked cornmeal porridge earlier and eaten a full bowl. After getting the rubber shoes from Su Ling, she loaded the cart with goods and began pushing it toward town.  

In her past life, she hadn’t known the way and had been too afraid to venture far from the village.  

But now, having lived through it all once before, she knew the road like the back of her hand—and she was no longer afraid.