Chapter 258: Chapter 256 Popcorn

How old are you?

This is a sensitive question.

Nian Shutong squatting on the ground, tilting her head up, asked with a hostile look in her eyes, “Why do you ask?”

Rubble had already started the operation, his hands moving non-stop and swiftly.

“Because Rubble found out for the first time that Ms. Nian Shutong seems a bit immature and wanted to know your age to make a more accurate inference.”

“You can think of Rubble as collecting data.”

Nian Shutong kept squatting, her eyes fixed on Rubble’s actions, contemplating whether she should tell him the answer to this question.

In her past life, Nian Shutong had cultivated for 121 years and had reached the point of Tribulation, which made her a prodigy. Although she was killed by a lightning strike, wasn’t she brought back to life?

“Cough cough–I am now… twenty… years old.”

In the end, Nian Shutong still revealed to Rubble the age of her current body.

For some reason, Rubble stopped the work in his hands and tilted his head. A pair of Mechanical Clan’s big eyes stared unblinkingly at Nian Shutong.

“You can’t be serious! Did you crash?”

Nian Shutong, seeing Rubble suddenly freeze, stood up and tapped his head with a finger.

Rubble’s eyes finally moved, and a finger blocked Nian Shutong’s tapping motion.

“Ms. Nian Shutong, it’s normal for you to be a bit immature.”

Twenty years old was indeed very young in the interstellar context, belonging to the just-adult age group.

Generally speaking, at this age, one would just be preparing to enter university, of course, on the condition that you could get into one.

Immature?

Who’s immature?

Nian Shutong thought about it; all she did was eat some popcorn. Who decreed that only children could eat it? It was such an overreaction.

With a mischievous smile, she asked Rubble, who had turned back to his work, “Rubble, when the popcorn is ready, do you want to eat some?”

Rubble replied very matter-of-factly, “I’ll eat it.”

“Oh–didn’t you find eating popcorn to be childish?”

“In the Mechanical Clan’s age, Rubble is a child, not yet an adult.”

In other words, it was appropriate for Rubble to be childish.

What’s that supposed to mean? Does she look particularly mature or something?

Nian Shutong didn’t feel the least bit comforted.

“Mr. Nian, I think you’re very young.”

Ji Sisi, catching on later than others, delivered a flattery.

“Hehehe… thank you.”

“Hehe, no need to thank me.” Blissful, Ji Sisi continued her work–Mr. Nian had thanked her.

Nian Shutong didn’t have to wait long. Rubble’s speed was, as always, very fast. After receiving the popcorn-popping machine, Rubble and Ji Sisi also stopped their work and, curious, followed her over.

At this moment, no one called anyone childish anymore; eating popcorn was more important.

Nian Shutong, holding the old-fashioned hand-cranked popcorn machine, walked onto the clearing.

The black, body-style hand-cranked old machine was properly set up by Nian Shutong, with a little basin of charcoal fire underneath and a long bag connected to the other side.

Her playful spirit rising, she stood tall and shouted to the children around the small wooden house, “Kids, time for popcorn!”

“Time for popcorn!”

“Time for popcorn!”

“Time for popcorn!”

The children didn’t know what it was, but Dou Dou and Elder Hua were the first to shout, and they just joined in.

A bunch of children, running and chasing, came over cheerfully shouting, all gathering next to Nian Shutong.

She herself got more into the spirit of play and, following Daodao’s instructions, started with a batch of corn kernels.

She put in a little corn, some sugar, and began to crank.

The popcorn machine featured a small circular gauge that showed the pressure. Once it hit the red line, she knew she could stop.

According to Daodao’s analysis, such popcorn tasted exceptionally good.

The children didn’t find it boring at all and, driven by curiosity, squatted around Nian Shutong, watching intently.

What’s Boss doing?

Rubble, Elder Hua, and Ji Sisi also squatted down, and the three of them started a little classroom session.

Elder Hua transformed in a second from a spectator waiting to eat like a big kid to a respectable teacher.

“This black machine, continuously heated by the charcoal fire below, will put the corn inside under high pressure and high temperature,” Elder Hua explained.

Rubble nodded almost imperceptibly and said, “As the temperature inside the pot rises, so does the pressure of the gases.”

Ji Sisi continued, “When the temperature reaches a certain level, the corn softens, the steam inside the kernels evaporates, and the internal pressure becomes too high, causing the corn kernels to expand.”

Rubble went on, “But at this moment, the pressure inside and outside the corn is balanced, so the kernels won’t pop in the pot.”

Ji Sisi pointed at the long cloth bag outside and said, “So that’s what this bag is for.”

As she cranked the machine’s handle, Shutong suddenly felt popping the popcorn had lost some of its fun.

She wanted to shoo these people away.

“Time’s up,” Elder Hua called out precisely, without even glancing at the machine’s gauge.

Feeling like an illiterate Shutong, she looked down and, indeed, the time had arrived.

Oh well, if she was illiterate, so be it; after all, she had three smart cookies right here.

Having stood up, Nian Shutong carried the popcorn machine in one hand and warned the kids beside her, “Stand back and cover your ears, it’s going to be loud.”

She placed the machine on the ground and quickly removed the sealing device.

“Boom—-”

The sound didn’t scare the children; instead, they jumped up excitedly.

“Popcorn!”

“Popcorn!”

“Popcorn!”

On the ground were a few outliers that had burst out.

And the unique aroma of the popcorn had already begun to drift around, it’s just that the children were restraining themselves from moving forward.

On the other hand, Elder Hua was startled, patting his chest, while Dou Dou comforted him.

Rubble wasn’t much stronger, seemingly only Ji Sisi was a bit better, excitedly jumping with the children.

Nian Shutong went to the other end of the bag, opened the clasps on top, and took the winnowing basket that Fu Yunhe handed to her.

“It’s clean.”

“Thanks, beauty.”

She poured the popcorn into the winnowing basket and, upon standing up, she clutched several kernels in her hand, ate one herself, then handed one to Fu Yunhe beside her.

“Try this.”

“Kids, time to eat popcorn!”

At her word, the children finally couldn’t resist and rushed over. A winnowing basket full of popcorn was rapidly depleted in the blink of an eye.

Behind them, Elder Hua kept stretching out his arms shouting, “Save one for me! Save one for me!”

Watching the lively scene, Shutong still tasted the sweet aftertaste of the popcorn.

“How is it?”

“Really tasty, great for passing the time,” Yun He remarked.

Shutong agreed, “It’s just a snack–meant for whiling away time.”

“When our corn harvest is in, we could set up a popcorn processing plant.”

“Not a bad idea, many people would probably buy it.”

The pot of popcorn was gone quickly. Nian Shutong left the popping to others and, with a pocketful of popcorn, she walked away.

The task of distributing gifts was also left to someone else.

And those at home, who had ripped open countless parcels, finally received what they’d been waiting for.