" Mother, please I want to buy it! Look at that! Look at that Nah, how cute!" A girl in pigtails pointed at the three dollhouses that were propped on as display and looked at her mother who was looking down at her with exasperation. " I know that it's cute but you have to see the prices as well, one house costs at least seventy gold taels, if I buy something so expensive for you, then your sister will ask for one as well. And you will not share with her."
" I will, I will share with her mother!" twisting around her mother's skirt, the girl in pigtails rolled around on the floor. " Please buy it for me, I will share it with Cha Cha! I promise I won't make you buy another one soon."
The girl's mother knew that her daughter was just talking nonsense, her words were like rainbow farts. She might please her right now because she wanted her to buy that doll house but the second she was back home, she was going to hide the doll house and keep it for herself without letting her sister play with it and once her second daughter saw that her sister had something good that she didn't, she will definitely twist and turn while sobbing like a fool until she bought one for her too.
" No, you will not share with her." The girl's mother knew her eldest daughter too well and understood that she would never share her toys with her siblings therefore she heartlessly refused. Though she indeed wanted her daughter to have the best of what she wanted but giving her everything was simply spoiling her.
" I won't dare to! Please, mother!" The pigtail girl squealed and tried to play cute with her mother but when she saw that selling meng wasn't working, she pouted in grievance and immediately started to cry in front of the crowd causing her mother enough embarrassment as it is.
" Sha Sha!"
" Excuse me, can I help you?" Lin Yan who has long heard the commotion walked towards the mother and daughter pair, he has been dealing with many types of customers since he opened his restaurant on the docks and knew how to deal with kids who were just too stubborn to listen to their parents. " If you don't mind I can help a little with your predicament."
His voice was calm and with the elegance of a prince that was hard to ignore, Lin Yan managed to calm both the mother and daughter down. Seeing that the girl with pigtails has calmed down, he looked at her mother and politely said, " May I?"
" Yes, please…" the girl's mother was a bit embarrassed to let a complete stranger teach her daughter but at least he looked kinder and more sensible than others who only glared at her daughter when she created a nuisance. " She just won't listen to me, please see if she listens to you a little, I don't know what to do with her." As she said that, she glared at her daughter who poked her tongue out at her mother causing her mother's face to light up with anger at once. " Sha Sha, you!"
However, before the mother could raise her voice at her daughter, Lin Yan crouched down and wiped the tears that were clinging to the young girl's cheeks and said softly, " Sha Sha? Your name is Sha Sha?"
" My name is Shan, but my mother calls me Sha Sha," the girl answered Lin Yan very wisely as she sniffed and looked at him with eyes that were as adorable as grapes with tiny stars in them. "What's your name mister."
" Sha Sha…" seeing her daughter act so boldly with the man she has just met her mother felt like she was having a headache.
" My name is Lin Yan, my family calls me Ah Yan," not at all offended Lin Yan patted the girl's head. " You are very smart little princess, mind telling me why you are crying so hard? Maybe I will be able to help you out?"
The girl looked at her mother causing her pigtails to swish before she turned to look at Lin Yan and aggrievedly said, " Mother won't buy me a doll house," she pointed to the biggest doll house that was almost a hundred gold taels and sniffed once again. " I even promised her that I will let my younger sister play with it but she won't listen to me! She keeps saying that I am lying but Sha Sha never lies."𝒇𝚛e𝗲𝘸e𝚋𝑛o𝘃𝙚𝒍. c૦𝒎
" You lied just now," said the girl's mother with an exasperated sigh.
Sha Sha pouted before looking at Lin Yan and shook her head earnestly. " I swear I am not lying, though I don't like my twin sister she is my sister and I will take care of her when I have to, so of course, I will share my toys with her."
" You tried to stab your sister in the eyes because she tried to play with one of your dolls." chimed her mother in between.
" I did that because she tried to throw dirty water at me!" retorted Sha Sha sounding unhappy as she looked at her mother who was taking the side of her sister. " You only care about my sister and not me!"
Lin Yan more or less understood what was going on before he turned to Sha Sha and spoke with a gentle smile on his face. " Sha Sha, why don't you promise that you will share your doll house with your sister and let her have a go at it and if you don't then …" he pursed his lips and said, " What is the one thing that Sha Sha hates to eat?"
" Bitter melon."
" Very well, if you don't let your sister play with the dollhouse then your mother will serve you a bowl of bitter melons, if you can't finish it then you will have to give your dollhouse to your sister."
Sha Sha's little face crumpled up, as she peeked at her mother who arched a brow and said, " Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"
" I…I…I promise…" after hesitating for a while Sha Sha finally gave up and chose to compromise.
" Thank you very much for your help," said the girl's mother as she bowed to Lin Yan who shook his head. "It's alright this is what I am supposed to do," then he looked at Sha Sha and patted her on the head. " Now be a good girl all right?"