Of CNY, angpows and fireworks

Playing with fireworks always lights up a kid

THERE once lived a boy in Bukit Mertajam, when much of the area was covered in coconut trees and the tallest buildings were supermarkets. 

As Chinese New Year approached each year, he would bring out his stash of firecrackers and ‘nightflowers’ to dry under the sun, believing that the gunpowder in them would make a louder bang.