After careful consideration, Liu Tong decided to purchase 500 catties of each type of grain, ten boxes of instant noodles in various flavors, and twenty boxes of eight-treasure porridge.  

For meat and vegetables, he ordered 100 catties of pork, 200 whole chickens, 100 catties of radishes, 100 catties of potatoes, and 100 catties of napa cabbage.  

Other perishable items were temporarily left out, to be considered next time.  

“Boss, I also need to rent a cart to transport the grain back. I’ll return it to you tomorrow,” Liu Tong said.  

Su Ling: “…”  

She was utterly exhausted.  

Liu Tong noticed the boss’s expression and sensed she seemed deeply fatigued, but Su Ling still turned and headed to the warehouse.  

A short while later, Su Ling began hauling out the grain.  

Wang Zhaodi’s eight-treasure porridge had just finished heating, and with the help of a nearby police officer to open it, she began eating it in small bites.  

Su Ling continued pulling carts and moving grain. At one point, Liu Tong tried to step behind the counter to help in the warehouse, but the moment he crossed the boundary line, he felt a numbing sensation, as if electrocuted, startling him into immediately pulling his foot back.  

Was this boss really an immortal descended to the mortal world?  

In any case, after Su Ling’s strenuous efforts, all the grain was finally wheeled out. Then she began retrieving the meat and vegetables.  

The instant noodles and eight-treasure porridge were directly moved box by box onto the counter, where Liu Tong took them outside.  

Once everything was tallied up, Liu Tong paid 1,980 yuan, with an additional 20 yuan for the cart rental, bringing the total to an even 2,000 yuan.  

“Do you need flashlights?”  

Su Ling brought out stand-up and old-fashioned models—the old ones ran on batteries, while the stand-up versions were solar-powered.  

Liu Tong took a good number of both types, spending another 200 yuan.  

By the time the sky was completely dark, the group of thirty people trudged back to town in a grand procession, pushing carts laden with grain.  

Fortunately, the flashlights illuminated the path, making the journey bright and safe.  

……  

After they left, Wang Zhaodi also prepared to depart. She had washed the eight-treasure porridge can clean—it would make a perfect piggy bank.  

“Wait,” Su Ling called out to her, smiling and lowering her voice. “Tell them that I also accept the snow they bring.”  

Wang Zhaodi’s eyes instantly lit up. By asking her to relay this message, the boss was ensuring that the townspeople wouldn’t give her a hard time.

“Thank you, boss! I’ll never forget your great kindness.”  

Su Ling waved her hand with a smile. “No need. I believe that once you have the means, you’ll help more girls like yourself.”  

“I definitely will,” Wang Zhaodi vowed solemnly.  

Su Ling glanced at the sky outside. “Alright, hurry back now. Just tell them I kept you to pass on the message. Come early tomorrow morning—there’ll be cotton-padded jackets and fabric.”  

Wang Zhaodi asked, “Boss, do you have heating pads or electric heaters?”  

“We do. Do you want some?”  

Su Ling glanced at Huahua—she hadn’t even thought of heating pads, probably because it was so comfortable indoors.  

Huahua stretched lazily in response.  

“Yes! Let’s start with a hundred heating pads to test the waters. For the electric heater, just one for now—I’ll take it to show the others,” Wang Zhaodi said before bidding farewell and leaving.  

Outside, many people were still delivering snow. After Wang Zhaodi left, a few came in to settle their exchanges.  

“Boss, I’d like to trade for a catty of corn grits.”  

“Sure.”  

Su Ling responded promptly, filling a bag and handing it over.  

“Thank you, boss,” the person said before leaving with their backpack.  

Su Ling waited a while longer, and once she confirmed no one else was coming to trade, she turned off the lights. The door of the grocery store automatically locked, though the machines outside continued to flicker, lighting the way for those still delivering snow.  

……

Back inside the house, Su Ling first cooked herself a bowl of spicy hot pot noodles, then carried it to the table, sitting cross-legged on the floor as she opened the system’s shopping interface.  

Huahua propped her front paws on the table to peer at it alongside her.  

“We can order a few hundred more heating pads, but just two electric heaters for now—they need to be displayed so people know they exist.”  

Now that the number of visitors had finally reached 300, she could unlock the clothing section.  

First, she placed orders for all the fabric colors requested by the village women, then moved on to selecting cotton-padded jackets.  

“Down jackets are too expensive at the suggested retail price—they might not sell well. Cotton jackets are more cost-effective… For those doing farm work often, darker colors like navy and black would be better. Patterned jackets are popular too, and let’s get a couple in red—all in the largest sizes.”  

Huahua tilted her head. “All the largest sizes?”  

Su Ling clicked to confirm the order and began eating. “Because rural women are resourceful. If they buy the largest size, they can take it apart and make both a top and a pair of pants out of it. If it’s the right size for their kids, they might hesitate since children grow quickly—so smaller sizes might not sell as well.”  

Huahua curled up on the sofa. “What about the city folks?”  

“Let’s wait. Once the grain we sold gets delivered, we’ll probably get a huge wave of customers. Then I can set visitor requirements.”  

Soon enough, she’d likely unlock the daily necessities section too.  

After finishing her spicy noodles and washing the bowl, Su Ling freshened up and snuggled into bed.  

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a TV? Or a computer? Even a tablet would do. A phone would be even better.” She muttered to herself, glancing at Huahua.  

Huahua, sprawled on the other pillow, yawned in response.  

“Host, snap out of it. There’s no internet in this era.”  

Su Ling sighed in frustration.  

“Once the transaction count hits a thousand, check the shopping interface again.” With that, Huahua buried her head and fell asleep.  

Su Ling turned off the light. Alright, at least there’s something to look forward to.

…

Liu Tong braved the wind and snow all the way back. Even at a brisk pace, it was deep into the night by the time they arrived.  

A group of people had gathered at the town entrance, worried they might have run into trouble.  

Liu Tong’s face was chapped red from the cold, his skin so tight he could barely speak. He could only wave weakly to signal that they should head back first.  

Once inside, everyone stared at the incredibly real and precious grain in disbelief. After a long pause, they reached out to pinch it, as if to confirm it wasn’t an illusion, then inspected the other supplies.  

“Come on, comrades, you’ve worked hard. Cook a pot of rice and make a few dishes—let’s all eat our fill.”  

“That’s right. Once we’re fed, tomorrow we’ll transport the grain out and go back to buy even more!” Chief Liu patted Liu Tong’s shoulder. “You’ve had a tough time.”  

Liu Tong waved it off. “It wasn’t too bad, but the boss doesn’t haggle, and since we bought so much, she had to move everything herself—we couldn’t even help… But I asked, and she said the grain supply is endless as long as we have the money.”  

Chief Liu exhaled in relief. “That’s good. We need a lot of grain.”  

…

Early the next morning.  

Su Ling got up and hung the jackets on the display stand to the left of the entrance. In front, she set up a square platform for the fabric, with stock stored underneath.  

At 4:50 AM, Wang Zhaodi pushed the door open and walked in.  

The goods in her cart were already packed, the tarp stretched high from the load.  

“These are cotton jackets—and they’re so thick!” Wang Zhaodi walked over. “Boss, how much are they?”  

Su Ling approached, pulling one out from the bottom and handing it to her. “Thirty-eight yuan each, no bargaining. Your wholesale price is thirty-two.”  

Wang Zhaodi picked three colors—navy blue, a floral pattern, and bright red.  

She was going into debt again, but if these sold well, she stood to make a decent profit.  

After carefully folding the jackets, she strapped them to her back, then placed the eggs she’d selected into a basket she’d brought, layering straw between them before hanging it at the front of the cart.  

“Boss, I’m heading out.”  

With that, Wang Zhaodi left the shop.