576 The Iron Frog

It was a traditional British toyshop. If Qin Guan was not mistaken, the owner sold both staple goods and handmade products.

Under the tall green counter was a big red fire truck with a line of bold yellow letters that spelled out "made in China".

It felt like it was mocking the British toy industry. Thanks to the low prices of Chinese products, 60% of toys in Britain were produced in Chinese factories.

The fire truck was filled to the brim with passengers. There were teddy bears of different shapes and sizes in it. One of them was wearing a traditional red military uniform, a second one was wearing a black policeman uniform, a third one was wearing a deerstalker and a pipe like Sherlock Holmes, and the fourth and last one was wearing a pink crepe dress.

Smiling, Qin Guan picked up a serious-looking bear in a Chinese Cheongsam from the last row. She looked calm, proud and cute. Qin Guan's heart suddenly softened.

The old man behind the counter stopped working and set the tin soldier down on the counter.

"You might find something you like on the shelf behind you. You don't need to just buy a present for your girlfriend. Men sometimes need to buy something for themselves too!"

He pointed to the shelf behind Qin Guan, which was candy-colored.

"Okay, thanks. Could you wrap this one for me first?" Qin Guan handed the bear to him with a smile.

A pair of female hands appeared from behind the counter and took the bear.

There's another person in the shop?

Qin Guan craned his neck to see a gentle old lady with grey hair sitting behind the counter. There was a pile of colorful straps, cotton padding and sparkling accessories in front of her. A half-made doll was on her knees.

This shop was a traditional family business, probably as old as the elderly couple.

Qin Guan felt happy. Mutual help and relief did wonders in times of poverty.

The shelf was filled with popular boys' toys. There were iron trains, soldiers carrying guns and mighty tanks. The whole collection looked like a primitive memory of Qin Guan's childhood. Although those toys were finer than his, their sense of history was irreplaceable.

"Wow! Iron toys!" Qin Guan found the treasure in a corner.

"An iron frog!" A friend from his neighborhood had once given him a frog as a gift. The toy had been able to leap after being winded up.

"A tangram! In Britain!"

"A bus pencil box!"

"A whole set of toy soldiers!" Those plastic soldiers had been Qin Guan's army when he had been a child.

The old couple exchanged a glance and smiled warmly at the boy. A man with such childlike innocence had to be a good person.

Qin Guan put all the toys he liked in a bag and walked over to the counter reluctantly. If he stayed there any longer, he would buy the whole store.

The old lady wrapped the toys up in a transparent wrapping paper decorated with flags of the United Kingdom. Qin Guan generously purchased a bag embroidered with a bear.

The old man smiled like a fox as Qin Guan put the bulging bag over his shoulder.

"Thank you for choosing our shop! It's 250 pounds in total!"

Qin Guan took out some bills. Feelings were a privilege of the rich. His parents would have beaten him if they knew that he had bought a cheap frog at such a high price. Qin Guan was 22 years old though and he was currently in London.

The street lamps lit up one by one as the old couple that owned the toy store locked the door and left hand in hand.

Qin Guan had no idea that there was a gift wrapped in red velvet in the bag. It was a surprise from the old man, who had given him the one-legged tin soldier and a ballerina in a white dress. The two toys were hugging each other.

There were many acts of kindness in life. They were usually hiding around the corner, waiting for somebody to discover them.

Panting, Qin Guan returned to his hotel, climbed on the large bed and fell asleep. His suitcase was so full that a corner of the coloful wrapping paper could be seen through the gap.

The next day, Sister Xue took Qin Guan to the set and left as fast as she could with the bald man. Qin Guan looked at their retreating backs in confusion. They seemed to have gotten quite familiar with each other in only a few hours.