Snacks from 1966, forever remembered

It was a long and unforgettable time, the midsummer of 1966, the sun was like fire, and the cicadas were singing. When I was 10 years old, I didn't have as many snacks as today's children, but there was one snack that will always be remembered in our hearts.

On that day, I made an appointment with Xiaoqiang and Cuihua to go to the commissary at the entrance of the village. On the way, we jumped up and down, discussing the legendary snack - sugar gourd. I heard that the sugar gourd was sweet and sour, and it was extremely delicious, but we didn't eat it.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the village, I saw a group of people gathered at the entrance of the commissary. We squeezed in curiously, only to see Uncle Wang holding a string of sugar gourds, arguing with the boss about something.

"Uncle Wang, what's wrong?" I asked curiously.

Uncle Wang's eyes widened, and he said excitedly: "I obviously counted ten of these sugar gourds, why are there only nine left?"

The boss had a bitter face and explained: "Uncle Wang, you are mistaken, this sugar gourd is originally so big, ten is ten, one is not less." ”

The three of us looked at each other and thought: This boss must be bullying Uncle Wang for his old age, and he can't count it.

So, I stepped forward: "Boss, let's help you count!"

The boss hesitated for a moment, but still handed us the sugar gourd. We carefully counted one, two...... Nine!

"Boss, there really are only nine of them!" the three of us said in unison.

The boss was stunned, and his face was blue and white for a while. At this time, someone in the crowd coaxed: "Return the money! Return the money!"

The boss was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, and suddenly, he slapped his head and shouted: "I remember, there was a kid who bought sugar gourds just now, he must be doing ghosts!"

We followed the boss's finger and saw a tall and thin boy running out of the village. The three of us immediately chased after him, and the boy ran so fast that we chased him for a long time until we finally stopped him around a corner.

"Why did you steal the sugar gourd?" I asked.

The boy lowered his head and said hesitantly, "I, I ......"

"Tell me, why do you want to do this?" asked Xiaoqiang.

The boy raised his head, tears flashing in his eyes: "My mother is sick and wants to eat sugar gourds, I have no money ......"

The three of us were stunned, but we didn't expect it to be for this reason. I looked at Xiaoqiang and Cuihua, and there was sympathy in their eyes.

"In this way, we will help you earn money together and buy sugar gourds for your mother. I said.

From that day on, the four of us started to earn money together. We pick up scrap, run errands, and save money by cent. Finally, we saved enough money to buy sugar gourds.

That day, we came to the boy's house with a sugar gourd, and his mother smiled from ear to ear. Looking at her satisfied smile, our hearts were also filled with joy.

The snacks of 1966 will always be remembered in our hearts. It was not only the delicious taste of the sugar gourd, but also the innocent friendship and the days when we worked hard for a common goal.

In the days that followed, the four of us became good friends who talked about everything. The boy who stole the sugar gourd, named Xiaojie, brought more joy to our small team. We played together in the fields, frolicked together by the river, and worked hard together for a living.

That day, I came up with a bold idea: "Why don't we open a stall and sell snacks that we make ourselves?"

Xiaoqiang's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands and applauded: "That's a good idea! We can make sugar gourds, fried melon seeds, and sell our own fruits." ”

Cuihua and Xiaojie also nodded excitedly, and we hit it off. Let's do it, and we start preparing. We had a lot of fun asking adults how to make snacks and making them ourselves.

Finally, our snack stand opened. On that day, the people of the village came to cheer and watched them taste the snacks we made with their own hands, and we couldn't have forgotten how happy we were.

One day, a strange middle-aged man came over, tasted our sugar gourd, and was full of praise: "This sugar gourd tastes authentic, the technique is authentic, you little guys are really not simple!"

I proudly said, "Thank you, uncle, for the compliment, we made it ourselves." ”

The middle-aged man smiled and asked, "Do you want to make your business bigger and let more people taste your snacks?"

The four of us looked at each other, not knowing how to answer. Xiao Qiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Of course I want to, but we don't know how to do it." ”

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I can help you, but I have one condition." ”

We looked at him nervously and asked in unison, "What conditions?"

"I'm going to take you around town to show you the real snack market. If you can get a foothold there, I'll help you make your dreams come true. The middle-aged man said.

We were thrilled and agreed without hesitation. So, in the autumn of 1966, the five of us set out on the road to the city with our dreams.

The snack market in the city was an eye-opener for us. With the help of middle-aged people, we rented a small stall and started selling our snacks. At first, business was not good, but we did not lose heart, but constantly improved our craft and learned from the good of others.

Gradually, our business improved and even attracted the attention of people in the city. They praise our snacks for being authentic and delicious. At that moment, we understood that as long as we work hard, dreams can come true.

In that passionate era, we worked hard for our dreams. Although life is full of hardships, we also gain friendship, growth, and hope. Those days have become memories that we will always remember.

Life in the city is fast-paced and intense, and our small snack stalls seem insignificant in the bustling market, but we use our own hands to create miracles bit by bit. Every day before dawn, we would get up and prepare the ingredients, and when night fell, we would pack up the stall and go home.

That day, a well-dressed lady walked up to our stall, looked at our sugar gourds with critical eyes, and asked, "Did you make these yourself?"

I nodded, a little nervous: "Yes, Auntie, we made it ourselves." ”

She picked up a string of sugar gourds, took a bite lightly, and her eyes lit up: "This taste reminds me of when I was a child." Your craftsmanship is really good. ”

Her compliment made us ecstatic, and Xiaoqiang hurriedly handed over a bunch of fried melon seeds: "Auntie, you can taste this again, it is also our specialty." ”

The lady took the melon seeds and nodded while tasting them: "Well, it tastes good." You little guys, have you ever thought about selling your snacks to a bigger place?"

We looked at each other, excited and uneasy. I cautiously asked, "Where, for example?"

The lady smiled slightly: "For example, those big shopping malls in the city." ”

We were shocked that the mall was so far out of reach for us. Xiaojie couldn't help but ask, "But, how can we do it?"

The lady pondered for a moment and said, "I can match you up, but in the end, it depends on whether your product is good enough." If you'd like, bring some samples to my office tomorrow. ”

We excitedly agreed, and that night, we barely slept and carefully prepared the samples we were going to take the next day.

The next day, we arrived at the lady's office early. She looked at the snacks we brought, and a hint of approval flashed in her eyes: "Yes, you are very sincere. I would recommend these samples to the purchasing manager of the mall, but the rest of the road is up to you. ”

The mall's doors opened for us, and our snacks began to appear in the city's major malls. Business is getting better and better, and our team is gradually expanding, employing a few local aunts to help. We are no longer a small gang of small stalls at the entrance of the village, but a small snack business.

However, as the business expanded, we also encountered new challenges. How to maintain the quality of products, how to respond to changes in the market, and how to deal with problems within the team all test our wisdom and courage.

During that time, we learned to grow and learn not to back down in the face of difficulties. We understand that the realization of dreams is not the end, but another beginning. We still miss the summer of 1966, those innocent smiles, those days of unremitting efforts for our dreams. And now, we stand at a new starting point and continue to move forward, for more dreams, for those good times that will always be remembered in our hearts.

As time went on, our snack business became more and more prosperous, not only with counters in major shopping malls in the city, but also with our own brand. The four of us have become good friends, experienced many ups and downs together, and shared many joys together.

One day, I was busy at the counter of the mall when a familiar figure walked by. It was Xiaojie, and he handed me a newspaper with a smile on his face: "Look, our sugar gourd has been reported by the newspaper!"

I picked up the newspaper and saw a report about us, with the headline: "Rural children start successful businesses, handmade snacks become popular in urban shopping malls". The article introduced our entrepreneurial journey and product features in detail, and also distributed a group photo of the four of us.

I looked at the newspaper excitedly and said to Xiaojie: "This is our common honor, and we must continue to work hard to let more people know about our snacks." ”

Xiaoqiang and Cuihua also rushed over, and the four of us read the newspaper together, full of emotion. At this time, a customer came up to us, looked at us and said, "Are you those four rural children? Your sugar gourds are so delicious, I want to buy some and give them to my family to try." ”

We smiled and nodded and packed sugar gourds for her. Looking at her satisfied smile, our hearts filled with a sense of accomplishment.

However, as our business expanded, so did the problems we faced. How to maintain the quality and taste of the product, how to deal with changes in the market, and how to deal with the problems within the team all test our wisdom and courage.

During that time, we learned to grow and learn not to back down in the face of difficulties. We understand that the realization of dreams is not the end, but another beginning. We still miss the summer of 1966, those innocent smiles, those days of unremitting efforts for our dreams. And now, we stand at a new starting point and continue to move forward, for more dreams, for those good times that will always be remembered in our hearts.

One day, the four of us got together to discuss the future. "We should develop more new products to meet the needs of our customers," Xiaoqiang said. ”

Cuihua nodded: "Yes, we can try to make some healthy snacks, such as whole grains." ”

Xiaojie proposed: "We can also develop some snacks with local characteristics, such as local special snacks. ”

I looked at them and my heart was full of pride: "You are right, we must continue to innovate and make our snacks go to the whole country and the world." ”

Since then, the four of us have worked harder to develop new products and expand the market. Our snack business is becoming more and more prosperous, and even attracts the attention of foreigners. We received many orders from overseas, and our snacks began to go to the world.

During those days, we not only gained wealth, but also growth and friendship. We learned that dreams can come true if we work hard. We miss the summer of 1966, those innocent smiles, those days of unremitting efforts for dreams. And now, we stand at a new starting point and continue to move forward, for more dreams, for those good times that will always be remembered in our hearts.