A night before the Annual Ball:

Zhao Min was sleeping soundly when suddenly his eyes snapped open and he shot up in bed.Though the room was not overly warm,Zhao min was soaked in sweat and his hands were trembling.His eyes were widened in horror and he looked one and around the bed wildly.He had woken up from the grip of a nightmare and at a loss and disoriented about where he was.It all came rushing back when he realized he was sleeping in Ru's room.Butt in the next moment,biz breath stopped short because Xin Xin was not there in her cot!All sorts of scary thoughts ran through his head and opening the door,he ran outside only to stop short at the scene before him.Ru's mother was cradling Xin in her arms and rocking her to sleep.He felt his throat clog at the sight.His mother used to put Xin xin to sleep like that. He must have made some sound to attract her attention,because she suddenly turned to stare at him.

​​

Zhao Min was actually in awe of Ru's mother.The lady looked like an angel.He had not spoken to her much as she was busy but knew all about her because Ru never stopped talking about his mother.She looked at him with kind eyes and then shifting XinXin in one hand,she came to him and streched her hand.He was unable to control his flinch and then was too embarrassed to face her for being scared and kept his head bowed.But,the lady just moved her hand to the table and then taking a tissue wiped his sweaty face.Min min could feel his eyes tear up.She was just like his mother!She used to always wipe his face like this!He tried to gulp down his tears but his voice still cracked as he said,"M mmm.. Madam Long."Alicia smiled at the formal madam and said,"You can call me Auntie Al."Continuing in a similar sweet tone she said,"Did you have a nightmare?Is that why you are trembling so badly?Do you want to discuss and talk about it?Don't worry,little Xin Xin is safe and asleep.On the other hand,you are recovering from fever and should not be running around in the cold and that too without any house slippers."She looked pointedly at his bare feet and raised her eyebrows in silent scolding.By the end of this statement,Zhao Min was unable to control his tears anymore and ran back to the room faster than he had come out.Following him Alicia went to the cot and put down the sleeping little girl before covering her with a blanket.She then turned to the shaking lump under the covers.A little kindness and the boy was almost howling.Fate was sometimes too unkind to the innocent. Going to him,she sat next to him and placing a hand on what she thought were his shoulders and said,"Min Min,you know,when bad people hurt us,there are also good people who care for us.You know that I have been busy.But let me tell you a secret.I am busy not with just work.Like you,there were people who hurt me really badly sometime back.I was not strong enough to retaliate and so I had no choice to run away.But then I found the strength in me to teach those people a lesson.But I had to wait for it till I was stronger than them.And now finally I am able to get that and get some peace..So little Zhao Min,I know my husband had offered you a chance to teach that man a lesson.Have you thought about it?"

Zhao Min thought of his mother who always thought him that wanting revenge is bad.But Uncle Ryu and Auntie Al were asking him if he wanted to teach him a lesson.His little mind wondered if there was any difference between the two.He was not too sure.So he peeped out of the blanket with only his eyes and the rest of his face covered and looked at Ru's mother and asked her"Wouldn't that be like taking revenge?My mother told me that wanting revenge is bad and we must forgive those who sin against us.Or we also become sinners like them."

Alicia smiled at the little boy's innocent question.She pondered how to answer it.Yes wanting revenge was wrong.But if the guilty party was not taught a lesson,what was to stop them from repeating their sins?But it was important that Zhao Min understand the difference between the two or else this would stain his conscience forever.Oh that uncle was going to suffer either way.Once he had landed on Ryu's radar,there was no way he was going unpunished.But the extent of the man's punishment depended on Zhao Min.This was to give him closure.Little minds were impressionable and he had been left to deal with too much at a young age so naturally he needed to understand the difference between using of power and abusing it."

After thinking it through,Alicia asked him a few hard hitting questions,"Little min min,where would you like to go from here?What had you planned whe you ran away with your sister?Did you plan to hide away forever?Then how would you have taken care of her?Do you know your uncle can have you imprisoned for kidnapping your little sister?Or prove that you are not well in the head and take her away from you?So would it be a sin to protect your sister?Little Min Min,you need to decide what you want to do and tell your Uncle Ryu about it.And if you need help with anything,you must tell me."

Zhao Min nodded and looked on as Alicia made her way out of the room and wondered waht to do.