Chapter 2: 2 Be Helpful
"Open your Geography textbooks at chapter two!" Miss Liang ordered the room of thirteen year-olds.
"We are going to continue with our lesson on European countries... Today we are talking about Italy, Rome!"
Lina looked around the class at the sleepy teens, a mix of Chinese and foreigners. "Can anybody tell me what the Colosseum what used for?"
Her desperate eyes scanned the students, trying to make eye-contact.
"What about you Julie?" she said catching the gaze of a pretty young student in her class.
Julie looked around at her peers who smirked and muttered quietly,
"Umm.. it was used as a form of entertainment.... the emperor would hold great battles and plays for the public."
"Exactly!" Miss Liang grinned squeezing her hands together, "So why do you think the emperor would hold such events for the public?"
One arrogant student laughed.
"Something to say?" Lina frowned and placed a hand on her hip.
"Well obviously for entertainment... duh!" the boy smirked, gaining encouraging chuckles from his classmates.
"Actually no... that's not the main reason." Lina scowled, unentertained.
Julie raised her hand hesitantly.
"Yes Julie Zheng?" Lina asked, expecting Julie to ask to be excused as she began to turn pink from her classmate's staring eyes.
"Miss Liang... The performances were held as a political agenda, so that the emperor could gain control and favor over the public."
Lina smiled, her face lighting up.
It was in these moments when a student would surprise her with an intelligent answer, that she felt she was getting through.
"Perfect! Thank you Julie." Lina beamed.
....
After class, the students left quickly. Most of them lived in the affluent Chaoyang district, but Lina had to ride the subway to the Haidian district.
She hoped someday to collect enough savings to move to a nicer apartment, closer to work.
She checked her watch, it was after four. That should give me enough time to get home and change, she thought.
...
A thirty minute subway ride home. Lina sat beside the window, keeping to herself and graded some papers on her lap.
An older man sat across from her, with a sleazy smile painted across his face. Lina ignored the staring and continued to write.
...
Haidian District,
Lina walked quickly up the stairs and out of the train station.
"Oh Excuse me?" called a young woman.
Lina stopped in her tracks to see a young mother with a small toddler on her hip and multiple shopping bags in her hand.
"Can you help me carry these bags?" Asked the woman, "I live at the end of this street.
Lina checked her watch and sighed, seeing the hopeful look from the woman. "Fine..." she agreed taking half of the bags from the lady.
She followed the woman to an apartment, not far from her own.
"Sorry to bother you," said the lady with a sleeping child on her shoulder, "But I couldn't ask a man, and you seem nice..."
"Yes, that's fine. Don't worry about it." Lina said passing the bags to the woman at the apartment entrance.
Lina quickly crossed the road, and hurriedly walked down the street in the direction of her house.
She didn't have much time, and she probably shouldn't have agreed to help the lady but she felt obliged.
...
"Li Na!" called dad as she entered the small apartment with a tired exhausted expression.
"Hello, dad. Everything okay?" she asked politely, removing her flat shoes.
Dad was an older man in his late fifties, who spent his days sitting at home watching t.v.
After his retirement and mom's death four years ago, he didn't seem to have any motivation to leave the house.
"Yanlin is in his room with his friends..." dad said switching the t.v. station with the remote.
Lina nodded and placed her bag on the kitchen counter, and went to see her younger brother.
She opened the bedroom door without knocking and found her brother sitting on the floor with a group of friends. The smoke-filled room felt suffocating.
"Open a window!" Lina shouted, stepping over the messy floor and unlatching the window, allowing a chilly breeze to enter the room.
"Yes! Yes! Undefeated champiooooon!!" sang Yanlin as he held a controller in his hands and battled with a friend on a video game.
Lina began picking up the papers and rubbish from around the room.
Accidentally stepping on a small tin of tobacco or something.
"Yuck! This is disgusting!" she complained as she gathered the papers and empty cans into her arms.
The group of three young twenty-one year olds snickered and laughed.
Yanlin called to his elder sister, "Lina we are hungry!! That pasta dish you made wasn't enough.."
"What?" Lina said whipping around to face him, "You finished it?? That was for dinner tonight!! What is dad going to eat now?"
Yanlin raised his eyebrows and put the controller down, guiding his sister out of the room.
Lina stormed away and threw the rubbish in the trash.
"Lina... don't scold me in front of my friends, I'm not a kid anymore." Yanlin said following her into the kitchen.
Lina opened the fridge door and groaned loudly seeing the empty shelves.
"Well maybe if you stopped acting like a kid then I wouldn't have to scold you! Now look!"
She took an empty bottle from the refrigerator and shook it in front of his face, "You finished all of the food and put an empty bottle back in the fridge!"
"Liang Li Na!!" dad shouted from the living-area, "Your voice dear!"
Lina gripped her younger brother's shirt, speaking in a lowered voice and pulling him closer.
"Listen Yanlin, I have to go out tonight... so you find a way to serve dinner for dad."
"Wha??..." Yanlin stuttered, "Since when do you go out? and... what am I supposed to make him huh?"
Lina shrugged and removed her cardigan,
"Not my problem. Figure it out."
"Please, please..." Yanlin begged with big eyes.
Lina huffed a loud breath and took some money out of her skirt pocket, placing it into her brother's open hand.
"Fine... order something, but for you and dad. Not your friends!" she warned
" ... and tell them to leave, don't they have anything better to do than hang around here every night?"
Yanlin grinned and hugged her tightly, "Thanks Lina!" He placed a small peck on her soft pink cheek,
"You're the best!"
Lina rolled her eyes, "Now leave me alone, I have to get ready!"
...
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone