Chapter 7: The Breakfast Vending Machine
After Shi Zijin left, Su Tao went to buy breakfast as usual. She even subconsciously bought portions for Shi Ziyue and Cen Tianjiao.
The total cost was 32 Federal Coins.
She realized she had become much more generous than before, especially toward herself.
Back at the Su family’s house, spending 32 Federal Coins on food would’ve been unthinkable. She would’ve been afraid of getting scolded even for buying a 2-Coin meat pie.
Shi Ziyue hadn’t expected the landlord sister to bring her breakfast too. She smiled gratefully and ate obediently, all while secretly thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea if her brother could rely on Su Tao.
After all, Su Tao had money, owned property, and was beautiful and gentle.
After breakfast, the injured Cen Tianjiao said to Su Tao:
“I feel pretty much recovered. I’ll go on the mission with the boss tomorrow. It might take ten days or even half a month before I come back. When the room rental period ends, feel free to rearrange the room. I’ll pay you the full rent when I return, including the days I’m not here.”
Su Tao waved her hand. “No need, no need. I’ll hold the room for you. We’ll talk when you get back.”
They were quite familiar with each other by now, and she didn’t feel right taking advantage of him.
Cen Tianjiao didn’t argue, just nodded and dropped the subject.
Shi Ziyue leaned over to Su Tao and quietly suggested:
“Sister Su Tao, I think you could put a vending machine in the hall or maybe a fridge with ready-made meals. That way, everyone wouldn’t have to go to Dongyang to buy food—they could buy directly from you. You could even mark up the price a bit and make some extra money.”
Su Tao gently pinched her cheek. “You little smarty!”
Shi Ziyue’s idea was spot on.
Most people staying here were very busy and wouldn’t cook for themselves. They mainly relied on fast food and ready-made meals.
It was definitely a way to earn a little extra income.
Shi Ziyue blushed from the praise, turning slightly away as her cheeks turned rosy.
Back in her own room, Su Tao couldn’t wait any longer. She spent 10,000 Federal Coins to upgrade the system.
[Landlady System upgraded to Lv2. Unlocked: One Double Room, Food Shop available. Please accept.]
A slight tremor came from beneath her feet. The end of the hallway extended noticeably, with a new room of about 20 square meters on the left side.
The room had partitions—the left side was a bedroom, and the right side had a private bathroom and a small balcony.
Perfect!
Su Tao immediately furnished the room according to the system’s requirements. She added two single beds, a double sink in the bathroom, a separate shower, and a toilet. She even put a simple clothes-drying rack on the balcony.
The total cost for the furnishings was 1,850 Federal Coins.
[Rental conditions met. Please select rental mode: daily, short-term, monthly, or annual. Once selected, rent prices and interior decorations cannot be changed within the set period.]
Su Tao chose the monthly rental mode.
[Room 001 (Double Room) is now available for monthly rental. Based on the interior design, the system suggests a monthly rent of 15,000 Federal Coins. To increase rental income, please purchase higher-quality furnishings.]
She walked around the double room with satisfaction.
This double occupancy setup was perfect for friends who wanted to share. Splitting the rent would be more cost-effective than renting a single room, which should appeal to young people.
Su Tao was looking forward to the rental income flowing in.
She planned to let Shi Zijin’s team know about the new room first thing in the morning.
Afterward, Su Tao bought a glass coffee table and four wooden stools for the reception hall.
This way, when tenants weren’t in their rooms, they could sit in the reception hall and chat.
Finally, she couldn’t resist and added a solid wood wardrobe to her own room as well.
After all the spending, Su Tao had only 655 Federal Coins left…
“How is spending money so easy?!”
Clutching her chest in pain, Su Tao took another look at the newly unlocked Food Store in the system.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t just retail—items came with cold storage or even vending machines.
She weighed her remaining balance carefully and, as frugally as possible, bought a breakfast vending machine for the reception hall.
[Federal Coins -500]
Su Tao held her chest, took a deep breath to calm down, and started to examine the machine.
The vending machine was empty. Following the prompts, she had to spend another 100 Federal Coins to stock it.
Soon, the once-empty breakfast machine was filled with delicate meal boxes.
There were bread and milk, coffee and desserts, steamed buns and soy milk, and various other combinations—a total of ten sets.
Just looking at them made Su Tao’s stomach growl.
These meals were much richer and more balanced than anything sold at the biggest convenience store in the base.
The prices were also reasonable, ranging from 20 to 50 Federal Coins per set.
Su Tao did the math—if she sold everything, after deducting the cost of goods, the net profit would be 200 Federal Coins.
However, breakfast items had a two-day shelf life. Anything unsold would be a loss.
As a thrifty (stingy) person, Su Tao would never let that happen.
Whatever the tenants didn’t buy, she would make sure to sell at the base market before the expiration date.
Aside from the breakfast machine, there were also bento fridges, drink machines, yogurt machines, and even a popcorn machine.
But Su Tao’s wallet wouldn’t allow it.
She was down to 55 Federal Coins, barely enough to buy anything.
She needed to make money—earn rent!
Summer was approaching, and she wanted to buy an air conditioner for every room. That would be a huge expense.
And cold drinks and ice creams would likely sell well in the summer too…
Everywhere she looked, she needed money!
*
The next morning, Su Tao had just finished showering and was hand-washing her only change of clothes.
She planned to go out and buy two cheap outfits to alternate between. Once the double room had tenants, her first priority would be buying a washing machine to free her hands.
Just then, Cen Tianjiao’s booming voice echoed:
“When did this breakfast machine get here? Hey! Boss, boss, there’s hot breakfast for sale! This is great! None of it is synthetic food—you can’t even get this quality in Dongyang!”
Saying that, he immediately paid and bought three breakfasts.
[Federal Coins +90]
Su Tao’s eyes curved into delighted crescents. She hung her freshly washed clothes by the bed and walked out.
She saw Shi Zijin, his sister Shi Ziyue, and Cen Tianjiao sitting on the sofa in the reception hall, enjoying their breakfast.
Shi Ziyue was eating with her eyes nearly closed in bliss.
Shi Zijin, on the other hand, was eating while deep in thought.
Perhaps others wouldn’t realize it, but he was very familiar with Dongyang’s production capacity.
Dongyang definitely couldn’t produce meals made with such high-quality ingredients.
Taoyang, just how many people were working behind the scenes to supply such premium food?
Unlike the thoughtful Shi Zijin, the simple-minded Cen Tianjiao didn’t think much of it. He finished his meal in three big bites. When he saw Su Tao, he shouted:
“Little boss, the food from your breakfast machine is really good! And not too expensive—so honest and fair! Let me know when you have a room available. I want to bring my old mom over to stay!”
Su Tao smiled, “There’s actually a room available now, but it’s a double room, better suited for friends to share.”
Shi Zijin nodded and said to Cen Tianjiao:
“Give it to Da Zhou and Er Zhou. The rest will have to wait. Tell them not to worry.”
Cen Tianjiao saluted, signaling he understood.
