always has some memories, which are awakened by a sentence inadvertently. The moment the floodgates of memory open, certain people and events from the past sweep in like a tide.
On Mother's Day, I accompanied my mother to the supermarket in front of the community. Stopping in front of the dim sum counter, I pointed at the Mi San Dao and said to my mother, "Let's buy some Mi San Dao. We can't get enough of these." My mother laughed and teased me, "What do you mean by not having enough? It's small. I didn’t have enough to eat, and I still have this greedy thing.” My mother’s casual words made my mind wander back to my childhood when supplies were poor, and I recalled what happened during the Spring Festival because of Mi Sandao. .
Among all kinds of snacks, I have loved eating Mi San Dao since I was a child. It is golden in color, crispy in texture, and has sesame on the surface. When you take a bite, it is mixed with a rich sesame aroma, sweet, fragrant, and extremely delicious! In my childhood memories, snacks like Mi Sandao are not seen on weekdays. They only appear at the stalls where New Year goods are gathered before the Spring Festival. In addition to Mi San Dao, there are also square biscuits, peach cakes and fruits. You can smell their fragrance from a long distance, which makes your mouth water!
At that time, snacks were a necessity when visiting relatives and friends. After people buy by the kilogram, the boss will take out a cut square piece of wrapping paper, place the weighed Mi San Dao, biscuits or peach cakes neatly one by one on the kraft paper and wrap them up, and then put them on the brown paper. Attach a piece of red paper with an auspicious pattern or label, tie it with a cross with a hemp rope, and place it package by package in the customer's basket. After the Spring Festival, every household begins to visit relatives and friends. Some carried thin bamboo baskets, and some carried baskets with four or six packages of biscuits, fruits, and honey. Every time I visit a house and say New Year greetings for a while, the host will usually leave a packet behind in the push and shove of politeness. Shandong people pay attention to courtesy and reciprocity. After the host leaves the snacks, he will also give some small things back. When I go to the next relative's house, the scene of pushing and giving will be repeated again. I will leave a bag of snacks and bring back some candies. After each family walks down and the relatives have finished visiting, families with good conditions will have three packs of snacks left, which they keep to entertain relatives and share with their children. Families with poor conditions will find neighbors with whom they have good relations and borrow three packs of snacks as a token of appreciation when visiting relatives. When visiting relatives, I always put the borrowed snacks at the bottom to avoid being left behind by relatives. After visiting relatives, send the borrowed snacks back intact. Now that I think about it, that kind of embarrassment is because of one word - poor!
In my memory, every time at this time, my father and mother would calculate and calculate together. How many relatives should I visit? How many packages of snacks should each relative bring? After careful calculation, I went to the market and bought back a basket of biscuits, peach cakes or honey. To this day, I still retain the memory of going to my neighbor’s grandma’s house to borrow snacks. Later, when my father’s salary increased and the conditions at home became better, people came to my house to borrow snacks for visiting.
I forget that it was when I was three or four years old. My brother and I could not resist the temptation and secretly opened a pack of Mi San Dao and took a few pieces to eat. When it was time to visit relatives, I was discovered by my mother. Because I'm young, I don't have to suffer physical pain. My brother was not so lucky. I still remember the scene of him being beaten. Afterwards, my father said to my mother: "Don't be angry. Let's borrow a bag first. We'll finish visiting relatives quickly and use the rest to ward off the greedy children."
From then on, I always looked at the bags in the basket. Smelling the aroma of the sweet snacks, I always swallowed my saliva again and again. I was looking forward to celebrating the New Year soon, so that I could feast on the leftover Mi Sandao when visiting relatives. Being able to eat the Mi San Dao that I have longed for is simply the most anticipated thing all year long!
"How much do you want to buy today?" My mother's words brought me back from my memories.Looking at the dazzling array of snacks displayed on the counter in front of me, in addition to the "old three" honey sandao, peach cake, and biscuits, there are also osmanthus cake, flower cake, fa cake, rice cake, Beijingpea yellow , mung bean cake, fried radish cake , water chestnut cake , preserved egg puff pastry, white moon cake, lard rice cake, wife cake , spring cake , rice Krispy candy , cloud leg moon cake, etc., all kinds of snacks are available. Although my favorite Mi San Dao has become the most inconspicuous one on the counter, I still have a soft spot for it.
’s mother said with emotion: “Life is so good now. Look at where there were so many delicious foods when you were a child. Children are so good now. When we catch up with the good times, we will never worry about a bite to eat again.” I’m in trouble!” My mother’s simple words revealed a full sense of happiness!
"That's right, you can buy whatever you want now. Don't worry, with the development of society, our lives will get better and better." I answered while holding the Mi San Dao I bought. Mother!
Mi Sandao is a memory of an era for me. Only by not forgetting history can we keep moving forward. Every time I eat honey, it awakens my memory of that era, making me even more grateful and cherishing the happy life I have now!
(Author: Wang Fang, Central Primary School of Lihaiwu Subdistrict Office, Jiangbei Shuicheng Tourist Resort, Liaocheng, Shandong Province)
Source: "Learning to Strengthen the Country" Liaocheng Resort Communication Station
Author's unit: Lihaiwu Subdistrict Office Center, Jiangbei Shuicheng Tourist Resort, Liaocheng, Shandong Province Primary school
Editor in charge: Miao Jingchao, Wu Jizhe, Zheng Zhixia
Reprint: Hao Fengting
Review: Hao Lin
