Manager Meng was quite straightforward. A single shelving unit would normally cost two to three hundred on the market, but he charged Lin Ran only 50 per unit and even arranged help to carry them into her warehouse.
After happily signing the contract, Lin Ran took the keys and went out to meet up with Lin Ze.
“Sis, I checked—there are no cameras in the warehouse. It’s safe.”
Lin Ran nodded approvingly. Her brother’s novel reading hadn’t been in vain; he was quite sharp-minded now.
It was crucial there were no cameras—if anyone discovered her Dimension, it would be disastrous.
The two siblings had long agreed: the existence of the Dimension must be strictly concealed and never revealed to anyone.
Their second stop was the wholesale market.
When Lin Ran brought Lin Ze to the wholesale market, it was exactly noon. Having eaten nothing all morning, Lin Ze was already starving and desperately missed the steamed buns from breakfast.
“Sis, can we grab something to eat first?”
“Sure, that fried chicken and burger place looks good. I’ll go buy some.”
Lin Ze also craved fried chicken, but after binge-watching short videos, he felt conflicted. “Sis, that stuff is full of artificial additives and questionable ingredients.”
Lin Ran shook her head. “Little brother, you’re still too naive. In the apocalypse, we’d wish there were more preservatives in our food. If there had been more additives in bread and crackers, your sister wouldn’t have had to gnaw on tree bark.”
Hearing this, Lin Ze found it reasonable.
If the apocalypse was coming, why bother with such details?
When you can eat, eat quickly—after all, they could detox in the Dimension with Spirit Spring Water at night. No amount of artificial additives would be a concern.
Lin Ran returned with three large buckets of fried chicken, three giant burgers, and two cups of cola. Lin Ze, waiting in the car, was startled by the quantity and hurried down to help her.
“Sis, why did you buy so much? I can’t finish all this.”
Lin Ran calmly replied, “Don’t worry, if you can’t eat it all, I will.”
At 17, Lin Ze was already 1.8 meters tall. As someone who regularly exercised, he had always been the biggest eater in the family.
But watching Lin Ran devouring an entire bucket of fried chicken, he felt his own appetite was insignificant in comparison.
So this is the capability of an Ability User.
Unaware of her brother’s starry-eyed admiration, Lin Ran was fully immersed in the joy of savoring delicious food.
“So satisfying.”
Where could you find such fragrant fried chicken in the apocalypse?
Even after they established the Purple Light Base, everyone focused on filling their stomachs—who had the leisure to make such snacks?
After finishing her cola and tossing the last chicken bone, Lin Ran wiped her hands. “Let’s go spend some money.”
Entering the wholesale market, Lin Ran headed straight for the largest rice, flour, and oil store.
A woman in her forties stood at the entrance, busy explaining products to a customer. Lin Ran approached with a cheerful smile. “Auntie Zhang, I’m here to restock for my mom.”
“Oh, it’s Ran Ran! What brings you here today? Aren’t you busy with school?” Auntie Zhang was delighted to see Lin Ran.
Lin Ran had often accompanied her mother to purchase goods for their family supermarket and was very familiar with the people in this wholesale market. Being sweet-tongued, she was well-liked by all the wholesale vendors.
Lin Ran smiled sweetly and said, “Auntie Zhang, since it’s the weekend and there’s nothing going on at school, and I saw that Mom was busy, I came with my brother to help her stock up.”
“What thoughtful children. What would you like to order?”
Before Lin Ran could speak, Lin Ze took out the notes they had prepared along the way and began reading their shopping list.
“We need 1,000 bags of 25kg Wuchang rice, 1,000 bags of 25kg Northeast long-grain rice, 1,000 bags of 25kg pearl rice, 1,000 bags of 25kg regular flour, 1,000 bags of 10kg high-gluten flour, and 1,000 bags of 10kg low-gluten flour.”
“Then some coarse grains: 100 bags of 20kg millet, 100 bags of 20kg soybeans, 100 bags of 20kg black beans, 100 bags of 20kg mung beans, 50 bags of 20kg red beans, 100 bags of 20kg kidney beans, 100 bags of 10kg sesame seeds, 100 bags of 10kg brown rice, 100 bags of 20kg black rice, and 100 bags of 20kg Job’s tears.”
Beans were excellent—rich in protein and nutrients—so they had made sure to include plenty of them on the list.
Moreover, in the apocalypse, when vegetables were scarce, soybeans and mung beans could be sprouted and eaten as greens.
Lin Ze continued, “100 bags of 20kg millet, 100 bags of 20kg corn grits, 100 bags of 20kg soybean flour, 100 bags of 20kg cornmeal, 100 bags of 20kg soybean flour, 100 bags of 20kg buckwheat flour, 100 bags of 20kg mung bean flour, and 100 bags of 20kg sweet potato starch.”
“Also, give us 1,000 barrels of 5L rapeseed oil, 500 barrels of 5L peanut oil, 500 barrels of 5L soybean oil, 500 barrels of 5L olive oil, and 500 barrels of 5L corn oil.”
“Oh, and 100 bottles of 2L sesame oil. Hmm, that should be all for now.”
After finishing, Lin Ze looked up and smiled at Auntie Zhang.
Auntie Zhang said in surprise, “Ranran, you’re ordering so much this time. Is your mom expanding the store?”
Based on her experience, such a large quantity at once wasn’t something a small or medium-sized supermarket could handle.
Lin Ran had already prepared an answer for this: “Yes, Mom is planning to open a big supermarket.”
“That’s wonderful! Please pass on my congratulations to her,” Auntie Zhang said happily.
“By the way, should we deliver the goods to your usual warehouse?”
Lin Ran shook her head. “The old warehouse is too small. Auntie Zhang, we’ve rented a warehouse in Xiaoshan District. I’ll give you the address. When can you deliver the goods?”
For big clients like them, the wholesale market usually provided delivery services.
Auntie Zhang said, “You’ve ordered quite a lot, and it’s too late today. We’ll deliver everything tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Auntie Zhang, let’s exchange WeChat contacts. I’ll send you my phone number and the warehouse address. Once you’ve prepared the goods, contact me, and I’ll meet you at the warehouse.”
“Alright, just scan my code.”
After saying goodbye to Auntie Zhang, Lin Ran took Lin Ze to their next destination.
To Lin Ran’s surprise, purchasing such a large quantity of grains and cooking oil only cost 620,000 yuan at wholesale prices.
Lin Ran couldn’t help but marvel at the benefits of national stability – essential items like rice, flour, and cooking oil remained affordable, ensuring no one would go hungry.
However, in the coming months, the turbulent situation would make these commodities more precious than gold.