Shanshan's finger was pointing at a pirate puppet with a missing leg.
On stage, as its strings were pulled, the wooden puppet moved as if it were alive.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man beside them burst into laughter.
"Little girl, that's not a toy—it's their prop, and they won't sell it."
But Charles thought otherwise. He gently patted Shanshan's calf. "Alright. Let's finish the show, and then I'll buy it for you."
It was the first time his daughter had asked him for something. He had to fulfill his duty as a father.
Soon, the puppet show on the small stage concluded with the pirates being eaten by a sea monster.
Charles led Shanshan through a side door into the cramped puppet theater.
When the theater's manager, a stout, big-bearded man, heard Charles's request, he immediately stated that the puppet was custom-made for their performances and was absolutely not for sale.
