Otherwise...
How could a child's strength compare to an adult's?
The little girl's mother only wanted the child to let go.
She didn't actually want to hurt her.
But the child was resisting with all her might.
The second the mother pried one of the child's fingers loose, the child grabbed the balloon again.
As this went on and on, the little girl's mother inevitably grew rougher.
The passersby watching were stunned when the little girl's mother shouted at them.
Then the little girl's mother calmly explained what was going on, and their unhappy expressions softened somewhat.
It wasn't that they couldn't understand the little girl's mother's predicament...
But...
The little girl's hands... the backs of her hands, her fingers, and her wrists were all red.
A child's skin was delicate to begin with.
When it turned red, it was especially noticeable.
It was even a little shocking to look at.
And...
The little girl had been crying for quite a while.
She didn't feel it now, but later her eyes and face would hurt too.
The little girl didn't just look pitiful.
She really was in a bit of a pitiful state.
The little boy's mother sighed.
She crouched down and reached out to take hold of the hand clutching the pink balloon's string.
The little boy instinctively looked at his mother.
His red, tear-filled eyes were clearly reflected in hers.
The little boy's mother couldn't help reaching out to touch the corners of his eyes.
They felt a little hot.
She pulled her fingers back as if she'd been burned.
"Bao Bao."
The little boy's mother smiled gently.
"Why don't you let the little girl have the pink balloon?"
"Mommy will buy you another pink balloon."
"Hmm."
The little boy's mother