Ch 42: My Multiverse Supermarket

Zhou Li asked Sophia, “How much does one automatic vending machine cost?”

“In the past, it would’ve been over a hundred thousand Orka,” Sophia explained. “But now that so many supermarkets have gone out of business, there are lots of secondhand units available. You might be able to get one for about a hundred thousand.”

Zhou Li asked again, “And what kind of energy does it use?”

“Orka batteries—and it needs to connect to the Matrix.”

“The Matrix? What’s that?”

“It’s similar to Blue Star’s twenty-first-century internet.”

Zhou Li asked the system, “System, can you take control of the vending machine and make sure all its functions work properly?”

“Yes.”

“What about in other planes?”

“Are you underestimating me?”

Hearing that, Zhou Li felt reassured.

She turned back to Sophia. “If I want to buy one, where can I find a secondhand unit?”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Can the boss really afford a hundred thousand Orka?”

Zhou Li pointed at her. “Didn’t you just pay a hundred thousand as your in-house employment fee?”

Sophia froze, then burst out laughing. “Boss, you’re so direct.”

“There’s no need to lie about something like this,” Zhou Li said matter-of-factly.

“I thought you were reminding me to pay my employment fee,” Sophia teased.

Zhou Li nodded. “That’s not entirely wrong.”

“Then do you want cash or transfer?”

Zhou Li called over Lin Jianshan. “Jianshan, I’ve got an important task for you.”

Lin Jianshan straightened her back. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Go buy a secondhand vending machine. The money’s with Sophia—you can ask her for it.”

Lin Jianshan: …

Sophia: …

Sophia said, “Getting a vending machine isn’t hard, but powering it is. The Orka batteries that keep it running are rare. A vending machine like that would need its battery charged once a month. But ninety-one percent of mining zones have collapsed or been sealed off. The number of Orka supply stations has dropped from 2,575 to just 39. Nine of those serve only government infrastructure, and the remaining thirty prioritize the wealthy districts. A supermarket would have to queue for weeks to get a recharge. And as Orka becomes scarcer, its price keeps rising. One recharge now costs more than the vending machine itself.”

Zhou Li immediately gave up. “Forget it. There’s no problem too hard—if you’re willing to give up.”

Lin Jianshan: …

Sophia laughed softly and said meaningfully, “Don’t worry, boss. I believe there will be some ‘philanthropist’ willing to donate these machines to your supermarket—for the sake of the masses.”

…

Sophia’s prediction came true faster than expected.

While they were discussing inside, a customer overheard everything and quickly shared the news online.

“Breaking news from the Good Life Supermarket—the boss plans to buy vending machines!”

The residents were thrilled. “That means shopping will be faster, right? Maybe even 24-hour service!”

“Why not buy several?”

“Because they’re expensive! The machines are easy to find, but Orka batteries aren’t!”

The one who shared the news replied, “Exactly! The Orka batteries are the real issue. The boss realized how scarce they are and decided against buying the machines after all.”

The residents: …

Why even announce it if she changed her mind? Now we’re just disappointed for nothing!

Their excitement dropped like a starship in freefall.

Some couldn’t let it go. Translated on Hololo novels. When it was finally their turn in line, they asked Zhou Li directly:

“Boss, your supermarket clearly has power—so energy shouldn’t be a problem, right? Can’t you reconsider getting those vending machines?”

Zhou Li declined politely but firmly. “If I raised prices to the normal market level just to afford vending machines and Orka batteries, would you be fine with that?”

Everyone fell silent.

Zhou Li said, “You can’t have it both ways. If you want cheap goods, you’ll just have to endure a little waiting. Fair trade, isn’t it?”

Sophia, ever the instigator, added cheerfully, “Don’t worry, my car has a triage station. If anyone faints while waiting, I offer emergency aid—ten Orka per rescue.”

The residents: …

How considerate.

Even though Zhou Li had changed her mind, people didn’t stop talking about it.

By noon, the rumor had spread through every community group in Chang District.

By afternoon, City Hall’s agent, Paul Bowman, showed up at the store.

This time, he didn’t bother pretending to be a customer. He flashed his credentials. “Store owner, I’m here on behalf of City Hall. We’d like to speak with you.”

Since she operated under their jurisdiction, Zhou Li figured she might as well hear them out. “Fine—but you’ll have to wait until after closing.”

Paul Bowman frowned. I’m from City Hall, he thought indignantly.

Still, remembering she might be from Blue Star—and that Blue Star people were notoriously proud and dismissive toward Mia Star citizens—he decided her arrogance fit the profile.

At ten that night, Zhou Li closed shop without mercy, ignoring how long the line outside still was.

She handed Lin Jianshan her pay and a bottle of medicated oil. “You’ve worked hard today. Go home, take a bath, and rub this on any sore joints.”

“Thank you, boss.”

Knowing the City Hall officials and the new director were waiting, Lin Jianshan decided to leave half an hour early.

As soon as she was gone, Paul Bowman entered, accompanied by Chen Yuhui and Katrine Neumann.

Paul frowned. “You said you’d talk with me. Why is there a third party here?”

Zhou Li smiled. “You represent City Hall. They’re the officials assigned by City Hall to the Tzu Chi House. I assumed you were working together.”

Chen Yuhui feigned surprise. “You know who we are?”

Zhou Li said, “You came this morning. You didn’t enter the supermarket, but I’m not blind to what happens outside my store.”

Chen Yuhui nodded, assuming Lin Jianshan must have told her.

“And her?” Katrine pointed toward Sophia, who was busy sweeping the stationery shelf clean.

Sophia said, “Oh, I’m the in-house doctor. I’m exercising my employee privileges.”

Zhou Li had long suspected Sophia had paid for the job just to enjoy unlimited purchases.

Ignoring her, Zhou Li said to the others, “There’s nowhere to sit down here. Please, come upstairs.”

No one but Zhou Li had ever gone upstairs before.

A few customers had tried sneaking up during rush hours, but it had triggered the system’s defense protocol—thankfully, just a warning, not a permanent ban.

After that, everyone learned that the second floor was off-limits.

Now, as the three followed Zhou Li up, curiosity mixed with tension.

If this supermarket really was a disguised starship, what was upstairs?

To their surprise, the upper floor looked completely ordinary—almost cozy.

A kitchen, a living room, a flat-screen TV, an air conditioner, a coffee machine… all standard Blue Star twenty-first-century furnishings.

Zhou Li poured them each a cup of warm water, sat down on the armchair, and asked, “So, what did you want to discuss?”

Chen Yuhui got straight to the point. “Due to severe resource shortages, even City Hall can’t supply the Tzu Chi House adequately. I’m here on behalf of the orphanage to propose a partnership.”

“What kind of partnership?”

“We’re willing to pay if your supermarket can provide a stable supply of goods for the orphanage.”

The real aim was to bypass the three-item purchase limit.

Zhou Li didn’t respond right away. “And how much do you need?”

“Right now, we don’t have many children. But City Hall plans to consolidate several orphanages, and soon we’ll be housing hundreds. Each child needs two pieces of bread, one cup of milk, and one egg—or 200 grams of rice per day.”

If it were local Mia rice, 30 grams would fill a stomach.

But City Hall’s studies found that Zhou Li’s rice required 50 grams per meal.

Of course, City Hall couldn’t afford to feed them that well. The 200 grams per child was just to pressure the supermarket for a higher supply.

“With 300 children, that’s 60 kilograms of rice a day…”

Zhou Li did the math. With her current daily limits, her stock would last a week. Supplying that much extra rice would empty her shelves in three days.

She asked the system, “If I rent Aunt Rong’s factory as a warehouse, can it move with the supermarket during jumps?”

“Non-supermarket properties can’t be bound,” the system replied. “But larger trade orders increase the plane-jump threshold. For example, after closing, the store can return to your base plane to restock, then reopen in another plane before business hours.”

Zhou Li’s eyes lit up.

She always jumped planes after 10 p.m.—when the streets were quiet. She could easily move goods from the large warehouse to the store without drawing attention.

…

Still, she didn’t agree immediately.

She said, “Before you came, the children at the Tzu Chi House couldn’t even get one proper meal a day. Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that City Hall will truly give all the purchased supplies to the kids.”

Paul Bowman hurried to defend them. “City Hall has its struggles too. We’ve done our best for the people, but the situation is difficult.”

Chen Yuhui said, “I understand your concern. I can assure you—the children we house are all true orphans. We’ll purchase by headcount. If you still don’t trust us, we can form an ethics committee with representatives from local communities to supervise the process.”

Zhou Li asked, “And how many children will your orphanage house?”

“Five hundred.”

Zhou Li fixed her gaze on her. “I’ll only sell enough supplies for three hundred.”

“Three hundred’s too few. How about four hundred and fifty?”

“No negotiations. Three hundred.”

Chen Yuhui thought for a moment. Three hundred was already better than expected—she could take what she could get. “Thank you.”

After the talk, they left.

Outside, Katrine said, “I can’t believe she agreed.”

Chen Yuhui nodded. They had expected Zhou Li to refuse entirely.

Meanwhile, the system chimed in. “When did you become so easy to deal with?”

Zhou Li sighed. “Do I seem like the stubborn type? We need large trade orders. We can’t stay closed off forever. The purchase limits exist to stop hoarding and reselling…”

“Didn’t you have distributors in the ancient plane?” the system interrupted. “Weren’t they reselling too?”

“That was different,” Zhou Li said seriously. “The conditions there and here are not the same. One must adapt to the situation, analyze specific problems specifically—”

System: …

Are you studying for a civil service exam now?

[Author’s Note]

Lin Jianshan: Good thing Sophia didn’t go upstairs—otherwise she’d have emptied out the boss’s furniture.

Sophia: ?

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