The children gathered around the refrigerator, eating bayberries and chatting, occasionally feeling the cool air seeping out from the fridge.

“This bayberry is so sweet.”

“My mom’s bayberries aren’t this sweet.”

“We have bayberries in my hometown too, but not this sweet.”

“I’ve picked wild bayberries in the mountains before. They’re sweet too, but very small.”

Bayberries were a common rural fruit during that time, found in most hillsides, not as scarce as apples or pears.

However, the children didn’t know that the bayberries they were talking about were different from the ones Ning Shu bought from the app.

The bayberries they knew were completely natural, while the ones Ning Shu bought were from cultivated bayberry trees.

“My mom’s bayberries are all very sweet,” Erbao said. “Last year, she bought bayberries too, and they were very sweet.”

He grinned, showing his teeth. “Look at my teeth, they’re all red.”

“Hahaha… Lin Hairui, your teeth look funny, and your lips too.”

“Hahaha…”

The children burst into laughter.

Listening to their laughter, Ning Shu felt envious.

Childhood life was so wonderful.

Thinking so, she stepped out of the house to ask who had industrial coupons.

In the dining room, the children continued their discussion.

“Can this refrigerator really make ice pops?” Yang Wenjie asked.

“My mom said it can,” Yibao affirmed.

He Jiaxing said, “I’ve ordered three ice pops every day, one fen each.”

Yang Wenjie said, “Then I’ll have five ice pops a day.” He thought He Jiaxing’s order of three ice pops per day included his parents’ shares.

He Jiaxing’s family only had three people, but his family had five people, so he ordered five ice pops.

He Jiaxing asked, “Are you going to eat so many ice pops every day?”

Yang Wenjie replied, “My parents and my siblings all want to eat them.”

He Jiaxing said, “Then all three of mine are for myself, so you can only have one.”

Yibao said, “He Jiaxing, won’t three ice pops a day be too much? My mom said you shouldn’t eat too many ice pops because they’re cold and can upset your stomach.”

He Jiaxing insisted, “It’s okay. I’ll have one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the evening.” He had it all planned out.

Erbao joked, “He Jiaxing, your stomach is like an ice pop barrel.”

Yibao: “?”

Yang Wenjie: “?”

Cheng Yingyong asked, “What does ‘ice pop barrel’ mean?”

Yibao said, “Do you know where the food we eat goes?”

Cheng Yingyong replied, “It goes into the body.”

Yibao explained, “Inside the human body, there’s a stomach where the food goes after we eat it.

Some people can eat a lot because they have a big stomach, and we call such stomachs ‘rice barrels’.

Now, He Jiaxing eats so much ice pops that his stomach has become an ‘ice pop barrel’.”

“Oh, I see,” the children finally understood after Yibao’s explanation.

So food doesn’t go directly into the belly; it goes into the stomach.

That’s what a ‘rice barrel’ means.

“Yibao, you know so much,” praised Yang Wenjie.

Yibao nodded proudly, “I know quite a bit.”

Meanwhile, Ning Shu took a stroll around the family compound and quickly gathered the 18 industrial coupons she needed.

Some were exchanged with other coupons, and some were acquired with cash.

It turned out, in such a large community, it was fairly easy to gather the coupons needed urgently.

Back at home, Ning Shu found the children still chatting.

Not wanting to disturb them, and seeing Lin Guodong hadn’t returned yet, she decided to go look for him.

Earlier, she had told Lin Guodong to find thinner bamboo tubes so they could make ice pops that were slim and long.

However, now she considered that thicker bamboo tubes could also work, creating ice pops that were chunkier, similar to ice cream that could be savored slowly.

As Ning Shu was walking halfway, she met Lin Guodong returning.

Seeing his empty hands, she couldn’t help but ask, “Where are the things?”

Lin Guodong patted his pants pocket, “They’re in here.”

During those times, everything found on the mountains belonged to the collective or the state.

Even picking firewood meant only collecting dry trees; one couldn’t pick lush, growing ones.

To make bamboo tubes for ice pops, they needed fresh bamboo.

It was alright to cut them secretly, but if caught carrying them into the family compound, it might not look good.

After all, there were all kinds of people.

So Lin Guodong had cut the bamboo tubes and placed them one by one into his pants pockets.

Wearing military pants, which had large pockets, he could fit several bamboo tubes in each pocket.

Ning Shu looked at the bulging pockets and asked, “How many did you make?”

“Eight,” Lin Guodong replied. “Is that enough? If not, I can go make more.”

Ning Shu said confidently, “Definitely not enough. How many mouths do we have at home? When the three boys bring their friends, you do the math. Also, it’s okay to make more ice pops at once and keep them frozen. They’ll all be eaten anyway.”

Lin Guodong nodded, “The pockets aren’t big enough. I’ll take these back first and go again after work tonight.”

Ning Shu added, “Make some bigger bamboo tubes too.”

Lin Guodong nodded, “Alright.”

Back at home, the children were still playing in the dining room.

With Lin Guodong nearing his afternoon work time, he headed to the military base, while Ning Shu began cleaning the bamboo tubes.

“What are you doing, Mom?” Yibao saw his mother washing the bamboo tubes and squatted beside her curiously.

Ning Shu replied, “I’m cleaning these bamboo tubes so we can make ice pops with them.”

“Oh?” Yibao was extremely curious. “We’re using these to make ice pops?”

Ning Shu explained, “Yes, after preparing the ice pop mixture, we’ll pour it into these tubes. Once it freezes, it becomes ice pops.”

“Mom, are you really making ice pops?” Excited, Erbao ran out after hearing this.

“Yeah, I’m trying it out. But this is my first time, so I’m not sure if they’ll turn out tasty,” Ning Shu admitted.

Sanbao chimed in, “Mom’s cooking is always delicious.”

The other children gradually joined them, eager upon hearing Ning Shu’s plan to make ice pops.

Despite their young age, these kids were quite smart and knew how to flatter.

“Auntie’s food is the best. Her ice pops will definitely be delicious.”

“Yeah, Auntie’s cooking is better than my mom’s.”

“Auntie’s food is even better than my grandma’s.”

“That’s right!”

Listening to their sweet praises, Ning Shu couldn’t help but feel delighted. “Alright, just wait here. Once they’re ready, I’ll give them to you.”

She wondered though, if their mothers and grandmothers would scold them for saying such things.

Nevertheless, Ning Shu was motivated to make the best ice pops possible.

Setting aside the cleaned bamboo tubes, Ning Shu began preparing the ingredients for the ice pops.

She decided to make two types: cream ice pops and mung bean ice pops.

Cream ice pops were straightforward—she simply mixed powdered milk with warm water from the thermos, allowing it to cool down.

If she used cold water directly from the thermos, the powdered milk wouldn’t dissolve properly.

She added sugar while mixing the powdered milk.

Once the milk was fully dissolved, she poured it into the small bamboo tubes and placed them in the freezer.

As Ning Shu worked, the children gathered around to watch.

Seeing this, they couldn’t help but ask questions.

“Auntie, are you making powdered milk ice pops?” asked He Jiaxing.

Having tasted cream ice pops before, he recognized the powdered milk flavor and was curious.

Ning Shu nodded, “Yes, I’m making cream ice pops first. Later, I’ll make mung bean ice pops.”

“Ah, there’s mung bean ice pops too?” Erbao’s eyes widened with curiosity.

He had only tried sugar water ice pops and cream ice pops before; mung bean ice pops were new to him. “Mom, are mung bean ice pops tasty?”

“Yes, I think Erbao will like it”

Ning Shu smiled as she saw the children eagerly waiting.

She carefully opened the freezer and took out the bamboo tubes filled with cream ice pops.

The children crowded around, their eyes fixed on the frozen treats.

“One by one now,” Ning Shu reminded them as she began inserting sticks into the cream ice pops.

The children watched intently, almost leaning into the fridge to get a closer look.

The sight of the cream ice pops was enticing, with their creamy texture and promises of sweet, cold refreshment.

Ning Shu carefully inserted each stick into the mixture, making sure they stood upright.

“There we go,” Ning Shu said with satisfaction once all the sticks were securely in place. “Now, we just wait for them to freeze completely.”

The children nodded eagerly, their anticipation palpable as they imagined the taste of the creamy treats.

“When will they be ready, Mom?” Yibao asked impatiently.

His stomach was already growling at the thought of the ice pops.

Ning Shu replied, “They’ll be ready around dinnertime.”

Hearing this, the children were shocked.

It would take so long, and they were getting restless.

But for the popsicles, they persisted in waiting.

During the wait, Er Bao kept asking when dinner would start.

Ning Shu sighed helplessly.

After checking the time, she saw it had been almost three hours since the cream popsicles went into the freezer.

So she took the popsicle sticks and went to insert them.

The moment she moved, the kids followed her like little shadows.

They watched Ning Shu open the fridge and insert the popsicle sticks into the cream popsicles.

They swallowed saliva one by one, eager to peek into the fridge to see what was happening.