The Kitty Became a Cutie and Was Pampered in the 80s
Chapter 199: Pop Rocks Candy (2)_1

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Pop Rocks Candy (2)_1

Ruan Jie stuck his head out of the still unsealed window and shouted to the vendor outside, "Wait a moment, we want to buy some candy."

"Alright," the vendor responded, halting his steps and looking up at the imposing building in front of him with a sparkle in his eye, convinced that wealthy people must be living inside.

The group ran downstairs and saw an old man in his fifties or sixties standing in front of the building, carrying a shoulder pole with baskets hanging from both ends, which were covered with white cloth.

When the old man saw a group of children coming down, he quickly lifted the cloth from the baskets to reveal the ding-ding tang (hard candy) inside.

Ruan Jiaojiao was seeing this for the first time and looked around with curiosity.

The old man found her adorable with her rosy, tender skin, and better-dressed than other kids, so he pinched off a small piece of loose candy and handed it to her with a smile, "Try this, little one, see if it’s sweet."

Ruan Jiaojiao smiled and said thank you, took the candy, put it in her mouth, tasted the sweetness, and found it to be delicious.

"Give me three... no, five cents’ worth," Ruan Jie stretched out five fingers, commanding the old man with an assertive tone.

After speaking, he pulled the Ruan Family boys to one side and asked in a low voice, "I only have two cents on me, do you guys have any? I’ll pay you back once we get home."

Ruan Chi and Ruan Feng nodded and each took out a cent from their pockets, with Little Fatty also pulling out a cent, just enough to make five cents.

Ruan Chi said, "No need to pay back, it’s for buying candy for our sister."

Ruan Feng chimed in agreement.

Little Fatty, fearing he might miss the chance to show his loyalty, bobbed his little head vigorously in agreement.

Ruan Chi saw this and wasn’t surprised because it was indeed their family’s way; if they had money, they would think of buying treats for their sister, a habit formed over many years.

He handed the collected money to the candy-selling old man, "Grandpa, we’d like five cents’ worth."

"Alright," the old man began chiseling the hard candy, happy to encounter such a generous little customer.

The others who had spare change also started placing orders for candy, asking for two or five cents’ worth; those without money could only secretly swallow their saliva, eyes fixated on the candy without so much as a blink.

The old man weighed the broken-off candy and, feeling it was not enough, added a few small pieces before wrapping them up in two separate candy wrappers.

"Grandpa, can you break it into smaller pieces for us? That way it’ll be easier for us to share," Ruan Jie requested.

The old man glanced at the several brothers, nodded, unwrapped it and gave it a few more hits with the hammer, breaking it into many small pieces. He then asked, "Is this good?"

Ruan Jie replied with a yes, took the paper with the candy, and passed the first piece to Ruan Jiaojiao, "Here, sister, you eat."

The other boys didn’t need to be called twice; they helped themselves.

Ruan Jiaojiao ate with loud smacking sounds, feeling her teeth stick together, her little face displaying a slightly bewildered expression.

After each of the Ruan Family brothers had a piece, Ruan Jie, seeing other children around them eyeing the paper bag in his hand with longing, frowned and wrapped up the untouched candy paper, then placed it into Ruan Jiaojiao’s arms, "Sister, take this back first, have grandma put it away so you can eat it slowly later."

"Haha, young man, you really care for your sister, don’t you?" The old man was still weighing candy for others and chuckled teasingly on hearing this.

Ruan Jie replied, "Of course, our sister is the treasure of our family."

The old man laughed heartily, finding the siblings quite amusing.

Ruan Jiaojiao, still struggling with the sticky candy in her mouth, upon hearing this, merely nodded hazily and walked away with the candy wrapper in her arms. Ruan Jie, not trusting her to go back alone, sent Little Fatty along with her.