At the same time, in the town’s cafeteria.  

Chef Tang stared at the broadcast announcement in surprise before turning to the people behind him. “What does ‘reward crit’ mean? A hundred yuan for me?”  

“Probably because your dish was so good, so they gave you a bonus.”  

“Of course it was!”  

When they were first recruited, they were told that the dishes they sent out would deduct fees for ingredients and seasonings, along with a small rental cost, but the rest of the earnings would be theirs to keep.  

The people who came were all from impoverished families, thinking that even a little extra income was better than nothing. Otherwise, they’d be sitting at home with empty pantries.  

But now—  

They actually got a crit reward of a hundred yuan! Just one dish earned them over ninety yuan?  

“I got one too, though only thirty. But that’s enough—I just made a bowl of wontons!” someone said excitedly, wiping away tears.  

“I got a kitchen knife as a reward. Guess my knife skills really are impressive!”  

“Ah, I didn’t get anything. I really need to step up my game!”  

“I’ve got to tell Old Li to come over. Her pan-fried buns are unbeatable!”  

…  

[Attention, chefs: Please continue crafting satisfying and delicious dishes. You are the artists of the kitchen, the inheritors of culinary tradition. Future crit rewards may include additional prizes, such as durable kitchen knives, brand-new aprons, high-quality pots and pans, and even long-lost recipes.]

“Recipes?!”  

The chefs gasped, their faces lighting up with excitement before they immediately turned back to their workstations, redoubling their efforts.  

…

Su Ling stared in shock at the Static Space she had just unlocked, now packed to the brim with food. She selected a bowl of wontons and took it out.  

“So good!”  

As expected of a master chef—even a simple bowl of wontons was this delicious. The broth was rich and clear, the wrappers thin, and the filling generous.  

Hua Hua pressed her paws against the glass display case, watching Su Ling’s blissful expression with some concern. “All of this was prepaid using the host’s funds. It’s recommended that the host starts earning money as soon as possible.”  

Su Ling froze, then quickly opened her system store to check her balance.  

“It didn’t decrease by much, though?”  

The crit rewards were given by the system—she only had to pay the base price of the dish plus the bonus. Still, Hua Hua had a point. It was always wise to prepare for the future.  

“I should get in touch with Liu Tong.”  

Su Ling used the snow-collecting machine to contact Liu Tong, asking him to come to the store. It’d be even better if he could bring a few hundred—or even a thousand—new customers to buy things.  

The moment the message was sent, Liu Tong, who was outside the city collecting snow, received the announcement.  

Liu Tong’s eyes lit up. “Mission accepted!”  

The boss had been so generous. If all she asked was for him to bring in some new customers, that was nothing—he’d scour the area to gather as many people as possible.  

With that thought, he immediately returned to report to Chief Liu.  

Chief Liu promptly began contacting people and announced that he would personally visit Dawang Village with Liu Tong—he wanted to see this little shop for himself.  

Additionally, that mysterious guest also decided to tag along.  

…

In the afternoon, a large truck slowly rolled into Dawang Village.  

Thanks to the villagers’ continuous snow-clearing efforts, the roads were mostly free of snow, making the journey smooth.  

Once they reached the village entrance, Chief Liu and the others got out of the truck, planning to walk the rest of the way to the shop. Along the way, they occasionally stopped to chat with villagers they encountered.  

Old Wang, dressed in a dark blue padded jacket, was pushing a cart loaded with several baskets of snow, walking ahead of Wang Dahu as they made their way toward the shop.  

When asked about the shop, Old Wang grinned. “It’s great—really great. You can earn a decent amount in a day. My family’s got a lot of mouths to feed.”  

Wang Dahu, hearing the laughter, turned around and chuckled too.  

His family was doing much better now. His wife had started making flatbreads, and her earnings were almost surpassing his.  

Chief Liu glanced at Liu Tong. “I heard nearby villages are all bringing snow here?”  

Liu Tong nodded. “Yeah, every time I come, there’s a long line outside. Some people save up more before exchanging, while others trade a day’s worth of snow for a pound of cornmeal.”  

Chief Liu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “This really is a godsend—someone sent to help us through these tough times.”

Liu Tong nodded in deep agreement—after all, his family’s food and clothing now all came from the store.  

Finally, the group arrived at the shop. Inside, someone was buying candles, while another was purchasing honeycomb briquettes?  

They even had those?  

It really was a general store.  

Chief Liu didn’t disturb the customers, leading his group to stand aside and wait until the current wave of shoppers finished before stepping forward.  

Su Ling glanced at Liu Tong, who introduced, “This is our chief.”  

Su Ling nodded politely with a smile. “I didn’t expect you to come in person. It’s really not such a big deal.”  

Chief Liu smiled warmly. “Boss Su, you might think you’re just running a business, but you’ve genuinely helped us. It’s only right for me to visit. Of course, I’ve also brought the people you asked for—they’re all waiting at the village entrance.”  

Su Ling’s eyes lit up. She was finally going to complete this purchase task!  

Once the vending machines were up and running, she wouldn’t need to manually recruit customers anymore!  

She explained cheerfully, “Actually, the reason I contacted Liu Tong this time was to ask if he knew any suitable locations for vending machines. These machines work like self-service shopping—you put in money, and the items come out from the dispenser.”  

“Additionally, I’ll set up a cash settlement point next to each vending machine, so people from other areas can directly exchange their earnings—whether from snow collection or cooking—into cash and then use it to buy what they need.”  

“Of course, the number of vending machines is limited for now—only four. There might be more later, but I don’t want this to affect my small distributor’s business.”  

Liu Tong understood immediately. “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll still handle deliveries to other regions. They’re in desperate need.”  

Su Ling knew that was true, but she planned to install at least one settlement machine in town so people could exchange their earnings properly.  

Chief Liu asked softly, “Boss Su, could we have more snow-collecting machines in other regions?”  

“It’s possible, but I’d need some antiques in exchange.”  

Su Ling made her requirements clear—after all, more machines meant exponentially higher rental fees.  

Chief Liu glanced back at the mysterious guest.  

The man stepped forward, removing his hat to reveal thinning, graying hair. He wore glasses, dressed simply, with a fountain pen clipped to the left pocket of his shirt. When he smiled, the wrinkles on his face made him look kindly.  

“Hello, Boss. My surname is Wu. Are there any specific requirements for the antiques? Would this fountain pen of mine count?”  

Hua Hua sighed in admiration, transmitting her thoughts to Su Ling: “This old gentleman is very sharp!”

Su Ling took the fountain pen and placed it on the checkout counter. The system displayed a price: 5,000 yuan.

That was definitely not the market value of a fountain pen from this era—it was likely because of the old man’s personal connection to it that it held such worth.  

“This pen you’ve used is valued at 5,000 yuan.”  

She handed it back. Old Mr. Wu accepted it, pondered for a moment, and quickly understood the reasoning.  

“Don’t worry, Boss Su. In the next few days, I’ll have Liu Tong gather some antiques and bring them over.”  

Old Mr. Wu smiled and stepped aside. “Shouldn’t we call in those impatient youngsters now and let them buy what they need? They’re practically vibrating with excitement.”  

Chief Liu laughed helplessly and quickly confirmed the vending machine locations with Su Ling, jotting them down.  

As for the snow and produce collection points, they’d first deliver the antiques to show their sincerity before discussing placement.  

Once everything was settled, Liu Tong went to fetch the waiting group.  

Soon, a long, seemingly endless line formed outside the small general store.  

The people in line stood tall and resolute, their expressions firm, yet they smiled warmly at the curious villagers.  

[Ding—]

[Task completed: Serve 500/500 customers. Daily household goods category unlocked.]

[Serve over 1,000 customers (500/1,000). Reward: Beverages and fresh fruits category unlocked.]

[Serve over [undisclosed number] customers (500/[undisclosed]). Reward: Medical supplies category unlocked. Special medications restricted to purchase by doctors or with a prescription.]

Su Ling turned to Chief Liu. “Once more people start using the vending machines, I can provide medicines. Some specialized medications will require a doctor’s prescription—they can’t be taken without guidance.”  

Chief Liu was stunned.  

They even sell medicine?!

Old Mr. Wu couldn’t help but chuckle.  

It really is a “grocery store” that has everything.