Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Ice Cube

Hua Buwan was deep in a lively group chat with her dormmates when the backdoor sensor chimed, ”WELCOME!” Ling Qianjun had arrived. Even so, she couldn’t bear to put down her phone, the smile never once fading from her lips.

”You’re here,” Hua Buwan said, shooting Ling Qianjun a quick smile before looking back down to type her reply. ”Have a seat for a moment. I still have a few messages to get to.”

”Alright, take your time.” Ling Qianjun knew Hua Buwan was fiddling with her phone. He understood that the device allowed people to communicate even if they were thousands of miles apart, so she was likely exchanging messages with her friends. Rather than just sitting idly, he wandered among the supermarket shelves. There were still many items in the store he hadn’t used yet, and he wanted to take a good look and understand them. That way, if they ever needed to use them in Lingnan, he would already know how they worked.

At the moment, he was studying a pair of nail clippers, twisting its top lever back and forth.

About fifteen minutes later, Hua Buwan finally set her phone down with a lingering sense of amusement. She got up and walked over to the aisles to check on Ling Qianjun. She found him holding a small portable fan, examining it from every angle. Just as he was about to poke his finger inside the cage to touch the blades, she spoke up. ”That’s an electric fan. The one you’re holding runs on batteries. Here, let me put some in so you can try it out. This particular model actually blows a pretty strong breeze.”

Since Hua Buwan always ran the air conditioning in the supermarket, she had never needed to use a fan and thus had never introduced one to him. However, this plastic fan wouldn’t be very suitable to use openly once they arrived in Lingnan, unless they were just using it secretly in their own room. She remembered seeing wooden electric fans before. Those would blend right in with the ancient era. She figured she would search online later and buy a few.

After grabbing some batteries and slotting them into the fan, Hua Buwan pressed the power button. WHIRRR! The blades immediately began spinning, kicking up a breeze that ruffled their hair and brought a refreshing chill.

Ling Qianjun stared at the little device in awe. It spun without any human effort, and the wind speed could even be adjusted. It was an incredible tool for beating the summer heat!

”The artifacts from a millennium in the future are truly miraculous,” Ling Qianjun said, gently taking the fan from her hands. He couldn’t put it down. ”In Dongxuan Country, we can only rely on hand fans to drive away the heat. I never imagined something like this could exist.”

Hua Buwan pointed up at the air conditioner mounted on the wall. ”That air conditioner over there is even cooler. It’s the reason why you said walking into this shop feels like stepping into an ice cellar.”

”Yes, the air conditioner is even more miraculous.” Ling Qianjun had noticed the machine before, and he remained entirely baffled by its construction. ”If ice weren’t so incredibly expensive to produce back home, placing a basin of ice in a room to dispel the summer heat would be quite refreshing. As it stands, only those within the Imperial Palace use ice basins regularly. Even the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital rarely have access to them.”

He clicked the switch, turning the fan off.

”Ice basins?” An image popped into Hua Buwan’s head, and the thought of ice cubes sparked a brilliant idea. ”Making ice is incredibly easy over here. All I have to do is put some water in the freezer, and I can make as much as you need. Even buying wholesale ice blocks is super cheap—at least compared to your era! Qianjun, I have a bold idea!”

Hua Buwan’s imagination began to run wild as she pictured popsicles, ice cream, iced beverages... There were simply too many lucrative business opportunities waiting for them in Dongxuan Country! Furthermore, she was intimately familiar with the weather, climate, and geography of Lingnan. She knew exactly what the people there lacked and what they desperately needed.

It only took Ling Qianjun a moment to catch on to her train of thought. He raised an eyebrow. ”Selling ice blocks? Iced drinks?”