Looking at the child's bright, sparkling eyes, wide and wet like a puppy's as he sought approval...
The woman smiled and nodded.
"Mm."
"That sounds great."
"All right."
The woman took the child's hand.
"We're crossing the road."
"Ah..."
The child drew out the sound.
He grabbed his mother's sleeve tightly with both hands and leaned back, pulling hard at his mother to make her move forward while mumbling, "The voice is leaving."
"Bao Bao."
The woman did not budge.
"Didn't you want to ride the swings?"
"The park is just ahead."
Hearing the word "swings," the child stopped kicking backward.
"Besides, didn't you want the sugar figurine Grandpa makes in the park?"
The woman brought out her "ultimate move" again.
"If we go too late, Grandpa's sugar figurines will be sold out."
An anxious look immediately appeared on the child's face.
His five fingers tightened around the woman's sleeve.
"No!"
The child shouted.
"I want a sugar figurine!"
"Mm."
The woman patted the child's head.
"Then let's hurry."
"That way, Bao Bao can have a sugar figurine."
The child's eyes lit up.
"Mm."
The child took a step closer toward the woman.
The woman silently gave herself a thumbs-up in her heart.
She was becoming more and more adept at handling this child.
Pipa ghost approached the child by several steps.
Its fingers brushed lightly past him.
The child suddenly stopped walking.
"What's wrong?"
Feeling resistance in her hand, the woman instinctively lowered her head.
However, when the woman caught sight of the traffic light from the corner of her eye, she hurriedly said, "We'll talk about it later."
"Let's hurry across."
The woman pulled the child quickly toward the other side of the road.