In my early days, there were no supermarkets, department stores, televisions, or electric household appliances like refrigerators, ovens, or dryers. Nearby our house, there was a farmer’s market where we could find most of the groceries we needed. My mom would go there daily to buy everything for the household. We had a large cooler, and someone would deliver huge ice cubes to keep the food as fresh as possible. Cooking was done over direct heat, either from a fire or stovetop. Our main source of social communication was the newspaper. We also had a radio, which provided our main entertainment, especially on Saturday evenings. Many of the soap opera dramas from that time remain vivid in my memory.

While our lives were simple, we found joy in the small details. For example, my mother, an inventive cook, constantly experimented with new dishes to satisfy her growing children. Our neighbor, an American missionary, had a portable oven that she dearly cherished. One day, the missionary returned home and gave my mother the oven. From that moment on, we started to enjoy baked foods, especially cakes.

In our household, everything had to be divided by 8. For example, when we had watermelon, it had to be cut into 8 equal pieces, and we would argue over who got the bigger one. On our birthdays, we didn’t have cake or gifts, but we each got a whole egg for good luck, and that simple treat made us feel special.

My mother was also a talented knitter. After the New Year, she would unravel our old sweaters, wash the yarn, and knit new, bigger ones for the coming year. She even made stuffed animals based on our Chinese Zodiac animals.

I remember the street vendors, especially the popcorn makers. They used an old-fashioned method, placing kernels in a large, tightly sealed iron machine over the fire, turning a wheel, and then sifting out the popped corn. All the children would bring a bowl from home and wait. When we heard the loud popping sound, we knew the popcorn was ready.

Our main form of transportation was walking. On the streets, there were tricycles—drivers in front, with a maximum of three passengers. The rider would take you to more distant locations, and the fare was usually settled during the ride.

At that time, we didn’t have many toys, but most of us came from large families, so we were never lonely. We could always find a way to have fun from sunrise to sunset, except on school days. Looking back, life was simple filled with fun, play, eating, and sleeping. I was fortunate to experience all of that.

At the Mid-Autumn Festival, my family would sit outside on benches, eating moon cakes and watching the moon, while my parents told us stories. The best of all was Chinese New Year. My mother would spend nearly a month preparing food, including cured meats, dried fish, and sweet rice cakes, all ready for the New Year’s Eve celebration. Then, we would receive red envelopes with money from my father. On New Year’s Day, we would watch fireworks and eat candies that could only be enjoyed during that time.