Oh.
Child's Mom and Child's Dad nodded knowingly.
They thought the old man had handled things well.
He had kept his word from the start, letting the child choose one item to make up for the balloon.
The child had already used that chance when she chose the goldfish.
To make sure she didn't leave empty-handed, the old man let her trade her last fishing net for the music box.
He had also taught her how important opportunities were.
Nothing came for free.
You had to make the right choice.
And pay the price that came with it.
"Little Mango met a really nice old man."
Child's Mom said with a smile.
"Mm."
The child nodded seriously.
"The old man was really nice."
Although she didn't understand why the old man wouldn't let her tell anyone about Uncle Yu...
Not even her parents.
But she knew...
The old man was doing it for her own good.
Child's Mom smiled.
Then something occurred to her, and a hint of wistfulness crossed her face. "No wonder it was a general store..."
"They even had goldfish in there?"
But then again...
Having goldfish in a general store...
Wasn't all that ordinary, was it?
She didn't know.
She hadn't been to many general stores.
There had only been one near her home when she was little.
Of course, there hadn't been any goldfish inside.
She'd loved going to the general store as a child.
To buy paper, pens, and things like that.
She stopped going when she got older.
She didn't even know when...
That general store had disappeared.
It had turned into some other shop.
She'd accepted it calmly.
She hadn't felt much regret.
"Yes."
The child nodded.
"Such pretty little goldfish."
Her eyes sparkled.
"I didn't see