1039. Join in the fun

The neighboring village was said to be close, but it actually took almost 20 minutes by car.

The mountain roads were winding, with only the recently renovated main road paved with asphalt; the remaining paths were bumpy dirt roads. Even though the drivers were skilled, Lao Zhu and the others still ended up jostling around a bit.

Still, everyone seemed excited, starting to chat as they rode in the car—

"Feels like I haven't had this in years!"

"Right? I used to love it as a kid, kept eating it until I got blisters in my mouth."

"My family was poor back then. We only made it during New Year's, to serve the guests."

"I used to hook it on my fingers while eating..."

"Back when I was in elementary school, the kids in class used this to fight. Even if it fell on the ground and got dusty, we'd just blow it off and keep eating."

"By the way, what's the name for that popped rice snack in your area? The kind that turns into individual grains?"

"We called it stir-fried rice!"