“Attention, attention.”  

“In three days, a severe temperature drop will occur. All residents are advised to promptly exchange snow for money to purchase thick blankets, heating pads, electric blankets, space heaters…”  

“Life comes first!”  

“Notice: Please spread the word. A major cold wave is coming in three days. Ensure your safety at all costs.”  

“Do not take chances. Life is precious—do not be careless.”  

Meanwhile, officials in various localities also sprang into action, spreading the warning far and wide.  

……  

In towns, announcements were broadcast, and workers went door-to-door to communicate the message. In villages, it fell to the village chiefs to gather everyone for meetings.  

Old Village Chief Wang had initially thought the hard days were finally over. Now, every household had stored food—people had enough to eat and ways to earn, and life was getting better and better. Who could have imagined another crisis looming with this great temperature drop?  

If it was just a matter of hunkering down at home to wait out the cold, they could probably endure it.  

But the real trouble was that some villagers might refuse to listen and insist on braving the harsh cold to deliver snow. This was precisely why Wang Zhaodi had sought him out to discuss it.  

Old Village Chief Wang understood—everyone had been poor and hungry for so long. Now that they could earn money just by collecting snow, how could they bear to stay home?  

But their bodies were still weak, their health not fully restored. None of them were particularly robust to begin with. If they pushed themselves too hard, they could easily collapse in the snow. And then what? Throw away their lives for a bit of snow?  

“Everyone knows about the coming temperature drop, right?” Old Village Chief Wang frowned. “I know what you’re all thinking—that it’s no big deal, that you’re not taking it seriously.”  

“But I have to make this clear: Stay home. There will be plenty of chances to earn money later. But if you collapse, the cost of medicine alone could ruin you. And if you’re too stingy to buy medicine, you’ll just be lying in bed waiting to die!”  

Someone muttered under their breath, “But isn’t Boss Su the one buying the snow? Would Boss Su really just stand by and do nothing?”  

“Which bastard just said that? Step forward!”  

Old Village Chief Wang slammed the table, his eyes blazing with fury. “Which ungrateful piece of trash spoke?”  

For a moment, the crowd fell silent.  

“Let me ask you this—if there’s money to be made from all the snow lying around the streets, why aren’t you out there collecting it yourselves instead of relying on Boss Su?”  

Gritting his teeth, the old chief scanned the room. Most of the villagers were decent people, but there were always a few rotten apples—disgusting, shameless troublemakers.  

“Did Boss Su do wrong by being charitable? Are you planning to dump snow on her and then extort compensation if someone collapses? If anyone dares to demand money from Boss Su after ignoring this warning, I swear I’ll drag you out of this village myself! Die outside if you must—don’t you dare come back! Dawang Village has no room for heartless scum!”  

Old Village Chief Wang took a deep breath. Seeing a few still-defiant faces, he didn’t waste more words. He simply stated coldly:  

“I mean what I say, and I’ll stand by it anywhere.”  

Even the most resentful among them didn’t dare to speak up now.  

Then, Old Village Chief Wang suddenly added, “I wonder if that machine of hers can tell the difference between good and evil, loyalty and deceit. If it can, it should refuse to accept goods from certain people.”  

The faces of a few villagers paled instantly.  

If the machine stopped accepting their snow, how would they earn money? They were counting on this income.  

Old Village Chief Wang snorted. After delivering this warning, he returned to the topic of the temperature drop. He urged those who had some savings not to be stingy now—better to spend a little than risk freezing and regret it later.  

Beyond that, there wasn’t much more he could do.  

But one thing was certain—he would never allow anyone to repay kindness with betrayal!  

…

As soon as the notice about the great temperature drop was issued, everyone—willingly or reluctantly—began preparing in earnest.  

When Zhu Ying took Chen Yue out to buy supplies, she even tried to persuade their next-door neighbor: “They said yesterday that there are electric blankets available now. You’ll sleep warm all night and won’t have to worry about freezing. Are you really not going to buy one?”  

The neighbor wore a troubled expression. Their family wasn’t short on money—in fact, they were better off than Zhu Ying—but they simply didn’t see the need to buy one.  

Besides, wasn’t every winter cold? If you just toughed it out, you’d get through it. Was it really necessary to splurge on things like electric blankets or space heaters?  

“Zhu Ying, let me tell you something—kids need to endure the cold a little. If they get too comfortable when they’re young, they’ll grow up spoiled. Look at my boy—I don’t let him use any of that stuff. But then again, maybe it’s because he’s a boy, so he’s naturally more resistant to the cold.”  

Zhu Ying’s face darkened. “Since when is staying warm the same as being spoiled? Are your standards for ‘spoiled’ really that low?” With that, she grabbed her daughter’s hand and walked away.  

“Hey, no need to get upset. It’s not like you’re rolling in money—why put on airs…”  

Zhu Ying had already started to leave, but at these words, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. “We may not have much, but when your family was in trouble, we lent you money without hesitation.”  

“We paid it back later…”  

The neighbor’s voice trailed off, realizing she was being ungrateful.  

Zhu Ying glared at her. “Let’s not interact anymore. Whether your family freezes or not is none of my concern.”  

The neighbor scoffed and turned back inside.  

Zhu Ying ignored her and headed straight to the vending machine with the family’s two fountain pens to queue up. She bought an electric blanket, thick bedding, brown sugar, powdered milk, some snacks, an electric hot pot, the hotpot meatballs her daughter had been craving, radishes, and lamb. Once the cold hit, they wouldn’t be stepping outside again.  

When Zhu Ying returned with her arms full of bags, the neighbor couldn’t resist another snide remark.  

Zhu Ying paid her no mind, but when other neighbors asked, she still urged them to prepare.  

Most saw the sense in it and went to buy some supplies—better safe than sorry.  

…

Meanwhile, after Wang Zhaodi delivered goods to the town, she also persuaded the townsfolk to stock up. This great temperature drop was no joke.  

As a result, all the available supplies were quickly sold out, and even the next day’s stock was pre-ordered in advance.  

The same went for the villages.  

Villagers tended to prioritize saving money. Cold weather? A temperature drop? They could tough it out—why waste money?  

But the village chiefs were responsible. After emphasizing the dangers, many villagers still bought some warm clothing and heating supplies to take home.  

….

The next day arrived.  

Today, Wang Zhaodi hired help to transport the goods to the town entrance. Then, she and a few female educated youths split up to sell the remaining stock before hurrying back immediately.  

After returning, the female educated youths discussed and decided to use their savings to buy electric blankets, rent portable power supplies, purchase electric hot pots, and stock up on convenient instant meals. They also grabbed a few packs of spicy hotpot base.  

Once the educated youths left, Su Ling turned to Wang Zhaodi. “What’s your plan?”  

Wang Zhaodi grinned confidently. “I don’t want to waste time, so I’m planning to stay in that abandoned house. There’s no obstruction nearby, so there’s enough light to knit sweaters, and it can double as a storage space. My mother agreed.”  

She had already bought a tent lined with foil, laid out an electric blanket and bedding, and temporarily patched the drafty gaps in the broken house with foil. She’d even installed a lock.  

“I asked Baozhu for help. I told her I wanted that house. She said I could ask the police for assistance, so I went to the village chief and said I needed to help the police guard the small shop, so I’d be temporarily staying in that abandoned house.”  

Su Ling’s eyes widened, and then she couldn’t help but laugh.  

“Alright, if you need anything, come find me. My shop will still be open every day.”  

“Mm, thank you, boss.”  

Wang Zhaodi was excited. She could sense that in the near future, she might find a way to move out of her family home. Once she did, she could focus all her energy on building her business.