Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 1061 - 1041. Popcorn

Chapter 1061: 1041. Popcorn

The two people waiting in front to press rice stalks also couldn’t help but glance at the large bag in Qiaoqiao’s hands—it was quite unusual to see someone bring thirty or forty catties of rice to press along with the stalks in this rural area over decades.

So strange!

A sneak photo of the bag!

Meanwhile, Old Zhou was strolling leisurely with his hands behind his back, Xiaoqi trailing beside him and joining in the fun. Just as both were feeling relaxed, suddenly a voice rang out: "Here it comes—here it comes—"

The next moment, a loud, muffled bang exploded right by their ears—

"Bang!"

In an instant, everyone tensed alertly, spinning around swiftly. Backs were closing in tightly, and hands instinctively reached toward their waists...

Just then, the laughter of children came from the side:

"Oh! Oh! Oh! It’s ready! It’s ready!"

"Time for puffed rice!"

"My mom says this is called ’mihua’ where she comes from!"

"My grandma says it’s just called ’popcorn!’"

Taking a closer look, an elderly man with graying hair was cheerily retrieving a small pry bar, pulling out a black iron spinning barrel from a white cloth bag.

He emptied the contents of the bag into a plastic sack, and out came tiny, snow-white, egg-shaped puffed rice grains before everyone’s eyes.

The adults opened the mouth of the sack, letting everyone grab freely. The children quickly reached in, grabbing a handful so large that puffed rice spilled between their tiny fingers.

By the time it got to Old Zhou, the few young fellows at the front were still tense-faced, while the elderly folks at the back were laughing cheerfully. Seeing this, Old Zhou couldn’t help but smile:

"Young people haven’t seen much, now they’re scared, huh? Come on, come on, try some! Go ahead, don’t be shy! How much is this rice worth anyway? It’s just for kids to have fun..."

The man said while warmly offering the sack over. Xiaoqi looked embarrassed, but Old Zhou casually reached in and grabbed a handful. While munching away, he asked:

"Hey! This rice is good. It’s from your own supply, right?"

"Yes!" The man chuckled: "My dad grows a bit of it at home. Today, I heard there was rice stalk pressing here, so I brought some over... Hey!"

His eyes lit up, staring at Old Zhou’s pants as he enthusiastically asked: "Sir, where’d you buy these pants?"

A flurry of words followed: "It’s way too cold riding a motorcycle. I’ve been wanting to buy a pair of leather cotton pants and get one for my dad too... Are they from our market?"

Uh, this.

Uh, this.

In all his life, Old Zhou had never imagined being envied for a forty-yuan pair of leather cotton pants. At this moment, he could only stammer:

"I don’t really know... The kids bought them. Said they were forty apiece..."

"So cheap!" The man grew bitterly jealous: "Young people are great at shopping online. I haven’t found anything suitable online before, and returns are such a hassle. But yours are different—they seem high quality. Must be windproof for riding a motorcycle, huh?"

Old Zhou: ...

Well, windproof or not... This morning that girl Tian Tian was wearing this while biking, so it must be, right?

Just as they were chatting, Qiaoqiao came running over. Spotting the black machine spinning repeatedly over an open flame, he lit up with excitement:

"Grandpa! I want to make this too—"

"Sure thing!" The elderly man grinned widely: "You want to make it with rice, corn, or even wheat? Corn makes them round and big, and smells amazing!"

This traditional method of popping corn doesn’t result in the flower-shaped popcorn you see in the cinema. Instead, they’re ivory-toned, a bit like small mushrooms with creamy caps. Each piece bears irregular reddish-brown speckles, making them quite charming.

Wheat and rice, on the other hand, turn out in different shapes.

But...

Qiaoqiao frowned: "We brought rice today to make rice stalks, but we didn’t bring any corn..."

He turned his head, and whenever he didn’t know what to do, he called out—

"Sis! Sis!"

Song Tan walked over: "What’s up?"

"I want to eat this. It’s different from the ones we make ourselves."

The ones made at home in the pan are flower-shaped and delicious, but...

They’re just not the same!

Qiaoqiao gazed at Song Tan with puppy-like eyes.

What’s the big deal? If you want to eat it, then eat it!

It was probably because the New Year was approaching, but Song Tan was feeling quite fond of such snacks. The only issue was this popping machine was too inefficient; it took ages just to get one loud pop, unlike the rice stalk machine which could churn out results continuously.

After thinking a bit, she straightforwardly asked: "Mister, are you free tomorrow? If you are, why not head to Yunqiao Village, Lao Song’s family? I’ll pay you 150 yuan and provide a meal; how about working for a day?"

The village elders seemed to enjoy this treat—it was easier for them to chew and probably would attract many who’d join in. Might as well hire him for the whole day.

150?

Why not! Of course!

Not many people eat this now, and even at busy markets, 100 yuan earnings would rarely be possible. The elderly man was thrilled: "Sure, sure, sure! I’ll head over early tomorrow! I’ve got a vehicle!"

"Write down your phone number too!" He pulled a small notebook and pen from his pocket.

Old Zhou and Xiaoqi silently listened. Glancing again at the elderly man’s vehicle—

Hmm, a maroon three-wheeler, same model as the nearby azure rice stalk pressing three-wheeler.

Meanwhile, Lao Zhu had somehow joined them unnoticed, grabbing a handful of puffed rice from Old Zhou’s hand. He tasted the faint yet sweet aroma of rice as he let it melt in his mouth, sighing:

"Rural life is still the liveliest!"

Secretary Xiaozu also approached, taking two grains from her grandfather’s hand, musing:

"Actually, the city’s not too bad. Wait until New Year—I’ll take you to the wholesale market and malls. The packed crowds there are so tight, you almost can’t move!"

Lao Zhu glared at her: "I don’t need anything! What’s the point of going to supermarkets or wholesale markets? It’s asking for trouble! Not to mention, why didn’t you say anything about this tasty rice before?"

Secretary Xiaozu: ...

Ha! Grumpy old man, be grateful you even have something to eat, and now you’re being picky?

Over here, the rice stalk pressing folks finally finished pressing for the two earlier customers. Seeing the gathered crowd already chatting, they quickly shouted: "Your turn! Time to press rice stalks!"

As they spoke, they glanced at Song Tan: "Hey, why don’t you invite me to your house for a day? I won’t even ask for much—just prepare a meal for two, and pay 200 yuan, and we’re good!"

They earned more than the popcorn-popping elder but only during festive market days. Wandering around towns on regular days wouldn’t make nearly as much.

Their best bet might be door-to-door business around the outskirts of urban neighborhoods, sometimes making a deal...

Song Tan burst into laughter: "Aren’t I already bringing people around for a day-trip? C’mon, let’s get started. I’ll make sure you get a big crowd swarming over!"

The rice stalk pressing couple: ...

Forget it, can’t figure her out—we’ll just stick to pressing rice stalks.

Rice, crushed corn, and a bit of sugar were mixed and poured into the machine’s funnel as the tractor-like mechanical hum filled the air. Gradually, an intense fragrance of rice spread out...

At this point, Qiaoqiao squeezed through the growing crowd, holding up his phone:

"Sis! I haven’t livestreamed in ages, today I’m going to teach the kids how to do this—"

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