A loud "boom" sound, probably audible from one end of the village to the other.

  The earth-shaking sound made the children itchy, and they surrounded their parents to scoop out rice from the rice jar to make popcorn.

  The popcorn vendor who had been wandering around the streets and alleys for a while arrived at the village, pushing his single-wheeled cart. He found an empty space, set up his tools, and got busy in no time.

  Children who came for popcorn lined up in a long queue. Adults also joined in the fun and stood by, chatting and laughing.

  A man of about fifty years old, short in stature, sat on a low stool, one hand quickly pulling the bellows and the other slowly shaking the handle of the pot. The rhythm of his left and right hands was completely different, but there was a strange harmony that made the children watching around him exclaim in surprise.

  Dabao led Xiaobao to line up, and Zhou Xiayun was in charge of holding a bowl of rice and a bowl of corn. She didn't necessarily want to join the excitement, but she really couldn't trust Dabao, who was a bit clumsy, and if he were to hold the bowls, the rice would probably be spilled halfway by now.

  Upon arriving here, I see that nearly half of the village's children have come.

  At that time, the popcorn was divided into two types. One type was similar to the corn burst out and later popcorn but less sweet, and the other type was small white crispy rice bursts that were fragrant and crunchy, loved by both adults and children.

  From the rice jar at home, scoop a bowl of rice and bring it here to let the popcorn vendor process it. The price is not expensive, just a few cents for labor, and a bowl of rice can pop out a bamboo basket of popcorn, enough to eat for three or four days. It's really good value for money and very cost-effective. So as soon as they hear the sound of popping corn, adults will not save these few cents and take out their wallets to let the children satisfy their cravings.

  The queue inched forward and there were still five people ahead of them. It was infuriating, they wished it was their turn already.

  The earliest child to arrive had a mouthful of food and was wandering around the empty space, refusing to leave. While eating, they chased and played with familiar friends, having a great time.

  Wang Jingjing carried half a bag of rice flowers and walked in front of Zhou Xiaoyun, letting Zhou Xiaoyun pick some to taste first.

  Zhou Xiaoyun waved her hand repeatedly: "No need, we'll be there soon, you eat by yourself!"

  Wang Jingjing insisted that Zhou Xiaoyun eat first, and Zhou Xiaoyun couldn't resist her enthusiasm. She handed the bowl in her hand to Dabao to hold, grabbed a handful of food, and started eating with Wang Jingjing together.

  Just out of the pot, the rice puffs are still hot and a bit scalding to the mouth, but they're really sweet and crispy! It's strange that such delicious things can't be eaten after growing up. Zhou Xiaoyun especially loves eating this kind of rice puffs now, which is far better than the popcorn sold in supermarkets later on.

  She quickly finished one handful and then grabbed another handful to stuff into Xiaobao's mouth. Xiaobao was already greedy and ate it in just three or two bites.

  The popcorn vendor stopped the blower when he thought it was done, picked up a long canvas bag about four or five meters long and put it on the oval pot. Then there was another "bang" sound, and the originally empty canvas bag suddenly puffed up. The anxious children waiting aside quickly opened their own bags to let the vendor pour all the popcorn from the long canvas bag into them. They then handed over the sweaty five-cent coin in their palms. The next child hastily passed over the bowl in his hand.

  The waiting time is always particularly long, and Dabao feels like the seconds are passing by like years. Actually, a bowl of rice porridge only takes five minutes at most, and finally it's Dabao's turn. Dabao excitedly hands over the large bowl in his hand to the street vendor.

  The hawker poured the rice from the bowl into a white ceramic cup, added some sugar and stirred it a few times. After filling one cup, there was still half a bowl of rice left. If you want to have more, you need to pay for another serving.

  Dabao handed the bowl to Xiaobao and asked him to take it back home, but Xiaobao wanted to wait for new rice crackers to come out and didn't want to go. Zhou Xiayun had no choice but to run errands. On her way back home, she brought a basket to prepare for holding rice crackers.

  The big treasure's pocket was already half full, and he and the little treasure were happily eating to their heart's content, with one mouthful on the left and one on the right. The burst of corn flowers filled the basket brought by Zhou Xiaoyun, who pinched one up and took a bite. It was a bit coarse and not as good as rice flowers, but it had a special fragrance and a very unique taste.

  The little vendor was busy until late at night, although each one only cost five cents, but in five minutes, he could sell at least thirty or forty pieces in half a day, which also earned a lot of money. When it got dark and couldn't be seen, the popcorn vendor packed up his things and pushed them away on a unicycle.

  The delicious puffed rice is most favored by the children. A whole half bag of puffed rice was finished in one night and one day by Zhou family siblings. After finishing the puffed rice, it's corn flakes' turn again.

  Corn kernels are crunchy, put a few in your pocket, and when you play, squeeze one into your mouth, the taste is wonderful, and whenever Dabao goes out, his pockets are always bulging.

  Xiao Bao and Er Ya stayed at home to eat more, even Zhou Guoqiang and Zhao Yuzhen couldn't help but grab some snacks during their spare time while doing chores.

  The corn at home was soon eaten up, Xiaobao and Er Ya stared blankly at the empty pockets and baskets. Zhao Yu Zhen coaxed: "Xiaobao Er Ya, wait for two more days when the popcorn man comes again, Mom will pop two bags and put them at home for you to eat slowly."

  Mommy, when I grow up, I want to go pop popcorn for others too, so I can eat delicious popcorn every day.

  A family was amused by children's words and burst into laughter.

  Xiao Bao started looking forward to the popcorn vendor every day, but instead of waiting for the popcorn vendor, he waited for the maltose sugar seller. When the shouting voice came, Zhao Yu Zhen didn't wait for the children to urge her and took out money to let the children buy it. This money was usually given to the honest and reliable Zhou Xiao Yun. Da Bao saw that he couldn't compete for financial power, so he gave up and followed his sister out to buy maltose sugar to eat.

  Maltose is sticky and hard to chew, but it's sweet and fragrant, and the best part is that one piece can last for a long time. It's also very cheap, only one cent per piece, making it one of children's favorite snacks.

  Before long, Zhou family siblings returned with a piece of malt sugar in each hand. Dabao started eating halfway, while Xiaobao and Er Ya followed the example of their elder brother.

  Zhou Xiaoyun had originally wanted to hold back until they got home, but when she saw her brothers and sisters all starting to eat, especially Dabao eating with gusto, she finally couldn't resist and started eating too.

  That sweetness, has been sweet all the way into the heart, lingering for a long time without dispersing.