Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 29: The Washing Machine

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

Ma Lu had Old Wang prepare enough for 300 servings, but they were all sold out before 7 p.m.

There were still plenty of people gathered around the snack stand, and those who heard it was sold out were disappointed but had no choice but to visit other stalls.

Some asked Ma Lu when they’d be setting up the next day, and a few even wanted to place advance orders.

Ma Lu simply created a WeChat group and added everyone who was interested, telling them he’d notify the group when they were setting up or closing, and they could message him privately to order.

Afterward, he rode the tricycle home with Old Wang.

As usual, he counted the day’s earnings on the way back. While sales numbers hadn’t changed compared to before, the increased price brought a significant boost in revenue.

They took in a total of 8,400 yuan, with expenses, including the new grill, amounting to 195 yuan, resulting in a profit of 8,205 yuan.

Ma Lu was pleased; it was much better than having a regular job, and the hours were flexible.

Back at the rental house, Old Wang didn’t join Ma Lu for a Switch gaming session. Instead, he pulled a rusty round-nose plier from his jacket, held it in reverse, and inserted it into the top of his head.

As the pliers approached his bald head, the blank, hairless area at the center of his scalp slowly slid open like a mechanical door, revealing two small holes perfectly sized for the plier’s legs.

With a series of clicking sounds, the pliers locked onto Old Wang’s head, and the plier legs came together, emitting a red light.

Seeing the metal appendage protruding from Old Wang’s head, Ma Lu couldn’t help but think of a name.

—Teletubbies.

However, Old Wang clearly hadn’t seen that famous children’s show and explained, “This is a key specifically used to contact craftsmen. If there’s a craftsman on this planet, they’ll receive the signal and know we’re here.”

“Alright… so, do you have to keep that thing on your head the whole time?”

“No need, just twenty minutes. It won’t interfere with setting up tomorrow.”

“That’s good.”

Ma Lu didn’t think much of it. After all, Old Wang had mentioned that the chances of a craftsman existing on Earth were less than one in a hundred trillion, even rarer than winning the lottery.

However, early the next morning, Ma Lu was woken up by a loud knocking at the door.

He opened it to find no one outside, only a large box.

Seeing the words "Freezer" printed on the box, Ma Lu remembered that he had ordered a freezer online a while back, and it seemed like it was finally here.

But why hadn’t the delivery person asked him to sign for it? Just dropping it at the door and leaving? He hadn’t even had a chance to inspect it—what if it was damaged during transport or had some quality issues? Who would be responsible?

Ma Lu frowned but called Old Wang over to help bring the freezer inside. They temporarily placed it in the living room, and Ma Lu grabbed his phone, set it to record mode, and began documenting the unboxing process.

And soon, this precaution proved necessary.

As he opened the box, he was greeted not by a freezer but by an old, nearly obsolete twin-tub washing machine, covered in rust, looking like it had been dragged from a junkyard.

Online scam? That was Ma Lu’s first thought. But he had bought the freezer from a major store on PDD during their Billion Yuan Subsidy event, and the shop had over 100,000 sales—it didn’t look like a scam operation.

(Translator's Note: One of their events which offers subsidies/discounts on items and usually guarantees authenticity for the products under the promotion.)

Ma Lu inspected the outer packaging again. He hadn’t paid much attention when bringing it inside, but now he noticed it was labeled with the brand Aucma, while he remembered ordering a Rongsheng.

He pulled out his phone and checked the delivery details, only to see that his order was still in transit, having just entered the city this morning and not yet reaching the distribution center.

So this wasn’t the freezer he ordered. Did someone send it to the wrong address? But after searching the box, Ma Lu couldn’t find any sender’s name or address, leaving him unsure of where to return it.

Old Wang also inspected the washing machine carefully but didn’t find anything unusual.

They decided to move it to the balcony for now. Ma Lu figured he’d wait a couple of days, and if no one came to claim it, he’d just sell it for scrap.

Since he was already up, Ma Lu didn’t go back to bed and opened his shopping app again.

Ever since his bank balance had increased, he’d started pursuing a better lifestyle, finding faults with everything around him. Now, he thought the 55-inch TV in the living room was too small and not great for gaming—he needed a bigger one.

Ma Lu first read through some reviews on Bilibili and Zhihu, then used a price comparison app to find the best deals. He finally settled on a gaming TV released this April, 85 inches, and just over 4,000 yuan.

He placed the order immediately.

When Old Wang had almost finished preparing the ingredients for the Giant Claw King roast, Ma Lu announced in the WeChat group that they’d be opening in half an hour.

The Universe’s Best Snack Stall was as popular as ever today, and Ma Lu spotted many familiar faces. Among them was a shy-looking boy who showed up almost every time the stand was open; this time, he’d ordered six servings and was already waiting before the tricycle even arrived.

“Senior, I’m Little Snail,” the boy greeted Ma Lu, introducing himself by his WeChat name. “I have class soon; can you make mine quickly?”

“Sure.” Ma Lu parked the tricycle, hung up the payment code, and chatted briefly with Little Snail while Old Wang was grilling the meatballs.

“What year are you in?”

“Second year.”

“Do you have someone you like?”

Little Snail looked surprised. “How did you know, senior?”

“It’s obvious. You’re always so eager and buy six servings each time. It’s unlikely you’re buying for your roommates just to be nice, so the only explanation is that you’re buying for a girl you like—and probably for her whole dorm, too.”

Ma Lu paused, then continued, “Did she ask you to do this, or are you doing it voluntarily? Never mind, it’s not important. Either way, you won’t win her over like this.”

Little Snail still seemed doubtful, whispering, “But she always saves me a seat in English class.”

“You two are on completely different levels,” Ma Lu said as he handed over the packed Deep Sea Supreme King Roast, speaking earnestly. “It’s better to let go early. But I’m guessing you won’t take my advice.”

Little Snail looked like he wanted to say more, but seeing that class was about to start, he just waved at Ma Lu and hurried toward the teaching building with his bags.

Shen Yue appeared out of nowhere. “Wow, do you offer emotional counseling with your snacks now?”

“I was just giving him some advice since I noticed what was going on,” Ma Lu said. “Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”

“How are we alike?” Shen Yue rolled her eyes. “Sucking up to one person makes you a simp, but doing it for a hundred makes you the God of Love.”

“I was talking about you in your first year.”

“Oh, come on. Who hasn’t been young and foolish? Without those messy days, I wouldn’t have reached my current state of peace and freedom.” Shen Yue laughed cheerfully. “Give me a serving of Deep Sea Supreme King Roast.”

“Pay first.”

“I’m a bit tight on cash lately. Can you put it on my tab, and I’ll pay it all at once later?” The president of the Ancient Poetry and Literature Club pleaded with a sheepish grin.

“No.”

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