"I was so excited that my hands trembled when I saw the telephone number was from Beijing," he recalled.

The caller was Ma's assistant. He said that Ma had received the huashengshen and the letter he sent, and spoke highly of him and the snack. He asked Zhao for his opinion on whether the letter could be made public on Weibo.

On the same day, Ma also expressed his willingness to promote the snack.

"Zhao Jixiao, from Pingyi county, Shandong's Linyi city, has written a three-page letter to me. The words are simple and full of unease about his life. He sent me two bags of huashengshen. I tasted it and my mouth was full of flavor. I immediately sent two books with my signature to thank him. I am willing to make a promotion for huashengshen so that the peasants in the countryside could do something and stick to the tradition," he posted.

The unexpected surprise overwhelmed Zhao a little. What surprised him even more was that after the Weibo was posted that afternoon, there were many calls to place orders or ask about how to act as an agent, and one company was willing to design trademark and packaging for huashengshen for free.

Less than a day after the Weibo was posted, Zhao received orders amounting to more than 100 kilograms.

After Spring Festival, a friend of Ma went to his house to inspect huashengshen. Unexpectedly, Ma's friend wanted to help him develop huashengshen products. At the end of 2018, the trial production of related products was completed.

The original granular peanuts were converted into energy bars of various flavors. The original huashengshen has too much oil and is not easy to carry. The modified snack is convenient to carry and eat, which is more in line with modern people's dietary habits.

From market feedback, the modified huashengshen is very popular, and it will continue to be improved according to the feedback of customers.

Zhao said that the peanuts were purchased preferentially from poor households in his village at a price of 10 yuan ($1.5) per kilogram, which is twice the market price.

Ma was touched by Zhou and launched a crowdfunding campaign for the product, hoping that everyone would give love and help others to achieve better lives for themselves.

Ma Weidu posts on his Weibo account to promote huashengshen for Zhao Jixiao in 2018. [Photo/Weibo account of Ma Weidu] 

The traditional peanut snack of huashengshen in Linyi, Shandong province. [Photo/iqilu.com]

The modified huashengshen products, which are convenient to carry and eat. [Photo/iqilu.com]