Universe Infinite Canteen

The snack stall was still surrounded by many people. Those who heard they were sold out were disappointed but had no choice but to patronize other stalls.

Some inquired Ma Lu about when they would set up their stall tomorrow, and there were even some who wanted to place advance orders.

Ma Lu simply created a WeChat group and added all those people to it, saying he would notify the group when they are setting up and closing down the stall and that they could PM him if they wanted to preorder.

He then rode the tricycle back home with Old Wang.

As usual, he tallied up the day's earnings on the way home. Although the sales volume hadn't changed compared to before, the increased unit price still led to a significant increase in turnover.

They took in a total of 8,400 yuan, and taking into account the cost of a new grill they had purchased, spent 195 yuan in total, netting a profit of 8,205 yuan.

Ma Lu was very satisfied. This was much better than working a regular job, and the hours were more flexible.

Back at the rental, Old Wang didn't join Ma Lu to play the Switch. Instead, he took a rusty pair of round-nose pliers from inside his jacket, held them upside down, and inserted them into the top of his head.

As the round-nose pliers neared his bald scalp, the hairless area in the middle slid apart like mechanical doors, revealing two small holes that fit the pliers' legs perfectly.

With a couple of clicks, the round-nose pliers fixed themselves to the top of Old Wang's head. The pliers' legs then came together, starting to blink with a red light.

Watching the antenna-shaped metal appendage on Old Wang's head, Ma Lu couldn't help but think of a name.

——Teletubby.

However, Old Wang evidently hadn't seen this popular animation and said, "This is a secret key, used specifically to contact Artisans. If there are any Artisans on this planet, they will know we are here once they receive the signal."

"Okay... So, do you have to keep that thing on your head?"

"No need, 20 minutes will suffice. It won't affect opening the stall tomorrow."

"That's good."

Ma Lu didn't pay much attention to it, considering Old Wang had mentioned that the probability of Artisans existing on Earth was less than one in ten quintillion, even rarer than winning the lottery.

However, the next morning he was woken up by a loud knocking at the door.

Ma Lu opened the door to find no one outside, just a large box.

He saw the words "freezer" on it and remembered that he had indeed ordered one online; it was about time for it to arrive.

But why hadn't the delivery person asked for his signature? Just dumping it at the door and running off, he hadn't even had the chance to check it. What if there was damage during transportation, or some quality issue? Who would be responsible for that?

Ma Lu frowned but still called Old Wang over to carry the freezer inside and temporarily placed it in the living room. He took out his phone, opened the camera, and set it up to record the unboxing process.

His foresight soon proved invaluable.

Upon opening the box, what appeared before him was not a new freezer, but an archaic twin-tub washing machine, its exterior rusted, looking as if it had just been hauled out of a scrapyard.

Online fraud? That was Ma Lu's first thought, but the freezer was bought from a store on Pinduoduo with a "10 billion subsidy", with over 100,000 in sales. It didn't seem like a scam.

Checking the exterior packaging again, he hadn't noticed before as he brought it inside, now he found that the brand printed on it was Aucma, but Ma Lu remembered that he had ordered a Ronshen.

He pulled out his phone, pulled up the delivery details, and saw that his original order was still en route, having just entered the city that morning, not yet at the delivery point.

So this wasn't the freezer he ordered, but rather a delivery error by someone else? But after searching the entire box, he didn't find the sender's name and address, now he had no idea where to return it.

Old Wang also came over and carefully inspected the washing machine but likewise found nothing amiss.

He could only carry it to the balcony for the time being, thinking if the rightful owner didn't show up within a couple of days, he'd sell it as scrap.

Since he was already up, Ma Lu didn't go back to sleep but opened the shopping app again.

Ever since there was an increase in his bank account, he started to aspire for a better living standard, feeling dissatisfied with everything. And now, he thought the 55-inch TV in the living room was too small for gaming, and he needed a bigger one.

Ma Lu first checked out some reviews and advertorials on Bilibili and Zhihu, then used a price comparison app to look for deals, finally zeroing in on a gaming TV that was just released in April, 85 inches, and just over 4000 to snag.

Ma Lu placed the order at once.

When Old Wang had almost prepared the ingredients for the Giant Claw Lord Grill, Ma Lu announced in the WeChat group that they would open for business in half an hour.

Today, The Universe's Number One Snack Stall was as popular as ever, and Ma Lu saw many familiar faces, including a very shy boy whom he almost always saw every time he set up the stall. This time, the boy ordered six portions in one go and was already waiting even before his trike arrived.

"Senior, I am Little Snail," the boy greeted Ma Lu, also stating his WeChat nickname, "I have class soon, can you make it for me quickly?"

"Sure," Ma Lu parked his trike and set up the QR code for payment, then chatted with Little Snail while Old Wang was busy grilling meatballs.

"What year are you in?"

"Just started my sophomore year."

"Got someone you fancy?"

Little Snail was surprised, "How did you know, Senior?"

"Nonsense, you are always so eager, and you buy six portions each time; it couldn't possibly be just to treat your roommates, so there's only one explanation left – you're buying for the girl you like, and not just for her, you're covering for her dorm mates as well."

Ma Lu paused, "Did she ask you to do this, or are you doing it voluntarily? Never mind, it's not important, you won't win her over like this."

Little Snail was still somewhat skeptical, whispering, "But she saves seats for me in English class."

"You're out of her league," Ma Lu said gravely as he handed over the packaged Deep Sea Supreme Emperor Grill, "You're better off letting go sooner rather than later, but I guess you won't listen to me anyway."

Little Snail seemed to have more to say, but it was almost time for class, so he could only wave at Ma Lu and hurried toward the lecture building with the bag in hand.

Shen Yue somehow made her way over again, "Tsk, tsk, are you now offering relationship advice with your street food?"

"I just happened to see and casually mentioned it," Ma Lu replied, "Don't you think he resembles you?"

"How are we alike," Shen Yue rolled her eyes, "Slobbering over one person is called being a simp, while slobbering over a hundred is called being a casanova."

"I was referring to your freshman year."

"Hey, who hasn't been young and foolish? If it weren't for those past mess-ups, I wouldn't have the freedom I enjoy today." Shen Yue laughed casually, "Give me a Deep Sea Supreme Emperor Grill."

"Pay first."

"I'm a bit tight on funds recently, can I owe you just this once and settle it all later?" the president of the Classical Literature Society asked, face brimming with hopeful expectation.

"No way."