I loved ice cream when I was a kid, and ice cream comes in different grades.

The cheapest ones are popsicles, which cost five cents, one cent, or two cents. There are white ones and mostly orange ones. There is also a special kind of popsicle called double stick, which has one popsicle stick on the left and right. When eating, you can split the two sides to make two. Whether eating by myself or with my family, I have to break these sticks apart. There are also cases where I accidentally break them into different sizes, but I never tire of it.

The more upscale ones are local ice creams priced between 30 to 50 cents. The first ice cream factory in the county was the tertiary industry of the post office of my mother’s workplace. At that time, enterprises were all set to set up factories, and the post office opened an ice cream factory. I even went to the cold storage to visit it, which was very eye-opening.

The ice cream factory’s first popular item was called Cold Dog, which was a long cream ice cream with some raisins added to it, but it was much harder than the current ice cream. Adults and children were also wondering why the ice cream was called cold dog. It was obviously for people to eat. Then internal news came that there was a thing called hot dog in foreign countries. The ice cream chef specially hired in the big city gave the ice cream this name. Cold dog, we are all thinking about what the hell is a hot dog? Is it hot ice cream? Or hot dog meat?

The second popular item was Shunmei Cola, which was a cola-colored cream ice cream. Coke was just emerging at that time, so all the ice cream factories in the city produced their own signature cola

. The longest-lasting ice cream is called Beibingyang. It is a cream ice cream produced by an ice cream factory called Beibingyang. It costs 30 cents. It is softer, easier to melt and has a milkier taste than the previous cold dog ice creams. This ice cream factory has been surviving when other local ice cream factories have closed down.

Ice cream emerged with the popularity of refrigerators. In the past, ice cream could only be bought from an old man selling popsicles on a bicycle or at a doorstep shop. With a refrigerator, everyone can store ice cream. Wholesale of ice cream has become a very important thing. There is a price difference between wholesale and retail at the ice cream factory, and if you buy more, you will get extra gifts, such as buy five and get one free. People whose life has just improved are still sensitive to prices. I still remember that I had just learned to ride a bicycle in the third grade. My father and I each had a bicycle, and we walked through the small town from south to north, specifically to wholesale ice cream. There is a small window in the ice cream factory. I want a few skewers of each item, some of my usual favorites, and some of the new products. Every ice cream factory is constantly introducing new products to attract people's tastes. I am very happy when I come back and fill up the freezer compartment of the small refrigerator at home. Eat it for half a month and buy it next time.

Now that I think about wholesale ice cream across most of the county, I really feel that it was slow in the past, and I also feel that buying ice cream should be full of ritual memories.

It was around 1996 or 1997, the end of my elementary school life. The ice cream factories in small towns have gradually declined, replaced by Shenyang Ice Cream. The ice cream in Shenyang usually costs one yuan. It is softer and sweeter than the ice cream we have eaten before, and it melts in your mouth without any hassle. The ice cream was even advertised on Shenyang TV. I can still recall the German dinosaur eggs and Little Red Riding Hood. The flavors are also rich, including corn flavor, purple potato flavor, mung bean flavor, jam flavor, white chocolate crispy crust, dark chocolate crispy crust, and various fruity fillings. Compared to now, children are not allowed to eat ice cream for fear of hurting the spleen and stomach. At that time, parents were not very aware of this problem, and milk was not yet popular in the county. My child’s mother said that ice cream is full of milk, which is good for the body. , my mother doesn’t stop me from eating ice cream, so she probably thinks so too. We no longer go to the ice cream factory to buy ice cream, we go to the wholesale department that specializes in Shenyang ice cream. There are several large freezers inside. Later, an ice cream that was more expensive than Shenyang ice cream came out, called Yili Bitter Coffee. Yes, until we had never tasted Yili milk, we had the impression that Yili made ice cream. Advertising on the CCTV movie channel, the slogan is "hard pursuit, sweet enjoyment". Inside the chocolate crispy crust is coffee-flavored ice cream with milk from the prairie. Yili Bitter Coffee is simply delicious. Apart from being more expensive than Shenyang Ice Cream at RMB 50, it has no other drawbacks at all!

Later on, I don’t know when, buying ice cream became less important. First, there was no need to go across town to wholesale ice cream. Then the refrigerator became bigger and there was no need to store ice cream in the cold room. In the future, I no longer remember which ice cream comes from which ice cream factory, nor the price. Now I can’t even remember which ice cream is in it. I don’t know how delicious the ice cream is. But when I think of my childhood, the ice cream is still the taste of my childhood, and they remain in my childhood together.