Zhou Xiaoyun’s Happy Life

Chapter 62 The popcorn is here

 The loud "bang" sound could probably be heard from the beginning to the end of the village.

This earth-shattering noise made the children feel itchy, and they all pestered their adults to scoop out bowls of rice from the rice vat and eat popcorn.

The popcorn vendor who walked the streets pushed his wheelbarrow to the village for a long time. He found an open space and laid out his tools and was busy with work.

 There was a long queue of children coming to get popcorn, and adults came to join in the fun and stood around talking and laughing.

I saw a short man about fifty years old sitting on a short bench, quickly pulling the bellows with one hand and slowly shaking the pot handle in his hand with the other. The rhythms of the left and right hands were completely different but there was a strange sense of harmony, which made the children watching burst into exclamations.

Dabao led Xiaobao to line up early, and Zhou Xiaoyun was responsible for carrying a bowl of rice and a bowl of corn. It's not that she had to come to join in the fun, but she just really didn't trust the rough Dabao. If she asked him to come with a bowl, she would probably spill half of the rice by the time she got here.

 When I got here, I saw, oh, probably more than half of the children in the village were here.

There are two types of popcorn at this time. One is popcorn made from corn, which is similar to later popcorn but less sweet. The other is small white popcorn made from rice, which is fragrant and crispy. Both adults and children love to eat it.

Scoop a bowl of rice from your own rice vat and let the popcorn vendor process it here. The price is not expensive and costs only a few cents at most. A bowl of rice can pop up a dustpan of popcorn, which is enough to last three or four days. It is really good quality. The price is very affordable. So when they heard the news about popcorn, adults would never save a few cents, and they all dug into their pockets to let the children satisfy their craving.

 Dabao stretched his head and counted the heads in front of him. There were still five more to come. He was really anxious and wished it was their turn now.

　　　The first child to arrive had his pockets full and his mouth bulging with food. He wandered around the open space and refused to leave. While eating, I had a lot of fun chasing and playing with my friends.

Wang Jingjing walked up to Zhou Xiaoyun carrying half a bag of rice crackers and asked Zhou Xiaoyun to grab some and taste them first.

Zhou Xiaoyun waved his hands repeatedly: "No, we will be there in a moment. You can eat by yourself!"

Wang Jingjing insisted that Zhou Xiaoyun eat some first, but Zhou Xiaoyun couldn't resist her enthusiasm. He handed the bowl in his hand to Dabao, grabbed a handful and ate with Wang Jingjing.

The rice krispies just out of the pot are still hot and a bit hot on the mouth, but they are really sweet and crispy! It’s strange that you can’t eat such delicious food when you grow up. Zhou Xiaoyun especially likes to eat the current kind of rice popcorn, which can’t be compared with the popcorn sold in supermarkets later.

 After finishing a handful quickly, Zhou Xiaoyun simply grabbed another handful and gave it to Xiaobao. Xiaobao was already so greedy that he finished it in two or three mouthfuls.

When the popcorn vendor saw that the heat was almost done, he stopped the bellows, picked up a four- to five-meter-long cloth bag and put it on the oval pot head. Then there was another "bang" sound, and the empty bag that was originally deflated suddenly swelled up. After getting up, the anxious children waiting nearby quickly opened the bags they brought with them and let the vendor pour all the rice crackers in the long cloth bags into it, and then handed over the five cents that were wet in the palm of his hand. The next child quickly handed over the bowl in his hand.

 The waiting time is always very long, and Dabao feels that seconds are like years. In fact, it only takes five minutes at most for a portion of rice krispies to be ready. Finally it was Dabao’s turn, and Dabao happily gave it to the vendor with the big bowl in his hand.

The vendor poured the rice in the bowl into a white porcelain cup, added some saccharin granules and stirred it for a few times. After pouring out one cup of rice, there was still less than half a bowl left. If you wanted to make more rice, you had to pay another price.

Dabao gave the bowl to Xiaobao and asked him to take it home. Xiaobao refused to go because he wanted to wait for the newly popped rice crackers. Zhou Xiaoyun had no choice but to run errands. When she came home, she took a basket with her to prepare rice cakes.

The pocket in Dabao's hand was already half full. He and Xiaobao were eating happily, and the popped popcorn was placed in the basket brought by Zhou Xiaoyun. Zhou Xiaoyun pinched a taster. One bite, it's a little rough and not as delicious as the rice crackers, but it has a special fragrance and a very special taste.

The hawker was busy working until late in the evening. Although a portion cost only 50 cents, he could sell at least thirty or forty portions in five minutes and a half, so he made a lot of money. When it got dark and was out of sight, the popcorn vendor packed up his things and pushed them away on a wheelbarrow.

 The delicious rice popsicles are the most popular among the children. Half of the rice popsicles in the food bag were eaten by the Zhou brothers and sisters in one night and during the day. After eating the rice popsicles, it was the turn of the corn popsicles.

Pomp popcorn is chewy, so put some in it and put it in your pocket. When playing, you can pinch one and throw it in your mouth at any time. The taste is wonderful. Dabao's pocket will definitely be bulging when he goes out.

  Xiaobao and Erya stayed at home and ate more, and even Zhou Guoqiang and Zhao Yuzhen couldn't help but grab some to satisfy their cravings during their free time.

Soon the popcorn at home was finished. Xiaobao and Erya looked at the empty pockets and baskets eagerly. Zhao Yuzhen coaxed: "Xiaobao Erya, wait for the popcorn person to come back in two days. Mom will pop some." Leave two bags at home for you to eat slowly."

Erya said innocently: "Mom, when I grow up, I want to pop corn for others, so that I can eat delicious rice pops every day."

 The family was amused by the children's words and laughed heartily.

 Xiaobao began to look forward to the popcorn man every day, but instead of the popcorn man, he waited for the maltose seller. When the shouting came, Zhao Yuzhen did not wait for the children to urge her and took out the money for the children to buy. This money was usually given to the honest and reliable Zhou Xiaoyun. Seeing that Dabao could not fight for financial rights, she gave up and followed her sister. We'll go out together to buy maltose later.

Maltose is sticky and difficult to chew, but it is sweet, sticky and fragrant. What’s even better is that one piece can last for a long time, and it is very cheap and only costs a dime. It is one of children’s favorite snacks.

 After a while, the Zhou brothers and sisters came back satisfied with a piece of maltose in their hands. Dabao started eating halfway, and Xiaobao and Erya followed their eldest brother.

Zhou Xiaoyun originally wanted to be more reserved and wait until he got home, but when he saw that his brothers and sisters were all eating, especially Dabao who was eating with gusto, he finally couldn't help but start eating too.

The sweetness is so sweet that it stays in my heart for a long time.

 (End of this chapter)