Jeremiah and Dudley were hard at work in the emperor's courtyard. They had just saved China from Hiei, Wuhan, and Lin who were now apprehended and locked away. Iris and Kitty helped tend the injured.
"We really had our work cut out didn't we?", Dudley asked as he lifted a tipped over cart back up.
"Yep.", Jeremiah said, "We're just lucky the emperor was kind enough to let us stay to help clear this mess up. Cho and Li did very good against Hiei."
"How did you know they could beat him?", Dudley asked.
"I saw it when I first saw them.", Jeremiah said, "That day I saw my opportunity to make a new start for me. The two who could both represent the Yin and Yang and my chosen successors."
After a while, the yard was cleared up and both groups met back inside the palace where more clean up crews were working extra hard to tidy up( hey Hiei did quite a lot of damage) where they met up with Cho and Li in the emperor's room with the emperor on his chair again.
"So how did it all go?", Jeremiah asked.
"Well the emperor is grateful for our help.", Cho stated, "He just hopes that those warlords remain locked up and hopefully a long time."
Jeremiah nodded.
"You both proved you had what it took to take Hiei down. So why don't we get out of here?"
That sounded like a great idea to everyone. As the group got ready to leave, they met up with Mr. Chan and the pandas from a secret village in the mountains that helped them out earlier.
"Well everything seems back in order.", Mr. Chan stated as he monitored the whole place that looked pretty good, "So are we going home?"
He paused a minute and seeing everyone's silence he knew he was right. So after making sure everyone was packed and all the pandas were ready to go, they set out again. This time to Cho, Li, and Mr. Chan's hometown.
"Why are all the pandas from the secret village coming?", Dudley asked Jeremiah as they started out.
"I think they deserve to be around other people besides pandas. Don't you?", Jeremiah asked.
Dudley smiled.
"As a matter of fact I do. But can we get something to eat on the way?"
After a long day's worth of travel, the whole escort came to a pause on a very familiar hillside and set up camp. The pandas may be a bit slow, but they do know how to prepare. They had entire feasts, a table, an entire noodle stand, and even an entertainment stage set up after a couple hours. Soon the whole place was filled with the rich smells of cooking and pandas getting ready to preform. Jeremiah and Dudley helped out with lookout in case of any danger loomed by. Iris and Kitty helped with decorations while Cho and Li helped Mr. Chan at the noodle stand.
"Anything we're missing?", Cho asked Li when the first noodle batch came up.
Li and Mr. Chan tasted it and paused a bit.
"Needs a little garlic.", Mr. Chan decided.
Li got a clove of garlic out from Mr. Chan's stock and chopped it up rather fast before adding it. Mr. Chan tasted it again.
"Just right."
A while later, the whole hillside was filled with the sounds of celebration and eating. Everyone was having a grand time and the pandas sure knew how to get a ball rolling when a celebration was involved. Cho and Li met up with Jeremiah and handed him back the jade scroll case he that he had earlier( the scroll was already in it).
"What do we do with this now?", Li asked as Jeremiah put the scroll case away in his pack.
"I think we should save that for another time.", Jeremiah said assuring that this was no time for concern, "I bet Mr. Chan's noodles taste very nice."
"You bet they do.", Cho said, "He's even considering naming a new promotion."
Li came up with his hand raised as if imagining a title.
"My boys save China, so you can save on noodles. Buy one get one free."
Jeremiah looked understanding.
"Sounds nice. I still didn't get that peppercorn dish from a while ago. But that can wait."
Cho paused a second, then pulled out a small covered pot from his pack and handed it to Jeremiah.
"Sorry it's a little cold."
Jeremiah uncovered the pot to see his order from the noodle shop and slurped it a bit.
"I think it's just right.", he said smiling, "Some noodles taste great when chilled."
Cho and Li looked confused, but then they caught on.
"You know. The Water Lantern Festival is coming up.", Cho said, "When we get home we should prepare for it."
That got Dudley's attention( he was close by).
"Water Lantern Festival?", he asked, "What's that?"
Jeremiah sighed. He was going to be up a long time explaining it.
"I'll tell you in the morning.", Jeremiah said, "Why don't we finish celebrating and call it a night?".
The very next day, the large party set out again right after they packed up again. As they traveled further and got closer to Cho and Li's hometown, Jeremiah took the time to explain the festival that was coming up.
"The Water Lantern Festival is a very special holiday.", Jeremiah explained, "It's when we worship the ones who have passed."
Dudley looked perplexed.
"So it's like Day of the Dead in Mexico?", he asked.
"Kind of.", Jeremiah said, "Only the Chinese make paper lanterns they put on the water to help spirits still on earth find their way back after they accept the offerings."
"Offerings?", Dudley asked, "As in we give something back?"
Jeremiah nodded.
"Some spirits come back to visit loved ones who still live."
Now Dudley was feeling more complex than ever. Who knew China had such fine festivals and such grand fashion? It took most of the day, but soon the whole caravan was on the outskirts of town where everyone was getting everything ready for the festival. When the caravan came by, people stopped to gaze in awe at the pandas with all their fine craftsmanship and fine attire. The pandas set up a set of houses outside of town and got settled in pretty fast. They had packed up from their secret location and were now ready to live in the open again. The panda children were quickly accepted in the local education centers and soon it looked like everything was getting along real good. At the noodle shop, Cho and Li helped Mr. Chan put up his new promotion posters and welcome in the first customers. It sure got busy fast, but they managed to get it done with Jeremiah, Dudley, Iris and Kitty lending a helping hand.
"Five orders of bamboo base for Table Nine.", Cho called in from outside.
Mr. Chan stirred the broth in his large pot while Jeremiah and Dudley helped with adding spices and vegetables while Iris and Kitty helped at the cash box. The pandas sure liked the new bamboo based noodle base Mr. Chan had developed and then Li came up.
"Nine orders of dumplings for Table Five."
"Wow, these pandas can sure put it away.", Dudley stated as he slipped an order on the open windowsill and Cho picked it up.
"They're pandas.", Jeremiah stated, "Bamboo is one food they have a fondness for and giant pandas sure eat a lot. I just hope they can cover the tab."
At the end of the day, Mr. Chan closed up shop while Cho and Li cleaned dishes. Jeremiah and Dudley swept and mopped the floor while Iris and Kitty wiped tables down.
"Well this was quite a day.", Cho said as he handed Li a stirring fork he just scrubbed.
"I'm just happy that the pandas had the dough to pay off what they ate.", Li said, "I'm sure they'll fit in here with everyone. They seem to like it here."
"Probably cause it's not a secret location of isolation.", Mr. Chan stated as he came in to check on the boys, "I know how I'd feel if I lived in a place like that for a long time."
Jeremiah and Dudley emptied out their mop buckets and wrung the mops thoroughly before putting them away. Iris and Kitty got their wiping cloths folded and pressed before storing those too.
"Any ideas on where we're going to spend the night?", Dudley asked.
"I'll talk with Mr. Chan.", Jeremiah stated, "He might have some room."
"And if he doesn't?", Kitty asked.
"We'll just find somewhere else.", Iris said.
Just then, Cho and Li came out with folding paper and art paint.
"Hey, you guys want to help us with getting our Water Festival boats ready?", Li asked, "Mr. Chan is getting some candles down the street."
"Are you sure he won't mind?", Jeremiah asked, "It's getting close to sundown and we don't want to miss tomorrow's big activities."
"I'm sure we'll be fine.", Kitty said as they all sat down at a table where Li and Cho set their stuff.
Building a boat of paper was not an easy task. Jeremiah and Iris caught on rather fast, but Dudley was having problems( as usual). Kitty had started forming hers, looked at Dudley's folded paper and looked concerned.
"Are you sure you know how to start the boat?", she asked him.
"Sure Kitty.", Dudley said smugly, "I never fail at making paper boats.
Jeremiah closed his eyes.
"Three...two...one."
"Kitty, I need help.", Dudley said kind of desperate, "I have no idea how to start. You got to help me."
Kitty moved a bit closer.
"Okay, here's how you start."
A little while later, Mr. Chan came in through the back door and paused to see the group working on their boats. Jeremiah was adding the traditional Chinese dragon on the bow of his while Iris drew some bonsai trees on her's. Dudley and Kitty were continuing their boats. Dudley had finally got the hang of the building process while Kitty had her's near finished. Cho and Li had their boats already done and had just put their names in Chinese on. Mr. Chan smiled and put the candles down as he left a note and went up to bed.
The following day, Dudley and Kitty got out of bed pretty slow. Jeremiah and Iris had carried them to bed and after finding themselves in hammocks in a guest room, it was kind of new for them.
"Guess we stayed up later than we should have.", Dudley yawned.
Kitty didn't complain. She just wanted to start the day. After they washed up and got dressed, the smell of breakfast hit Dudley's nostrils and he went off like a firecracker on Chinese New Year.
"Breakfast!", he screamed as he bolted out the door.
He only got a few feet cause he slipped on the newly shined floor and fell down. Kitty came over to help him up.
"Maybe we should get to breakfast at a slower pace.", she suggested.
Dudley said nothing, but Kitty knew he got the point. Sure enough, Jeremiah and Iris were with Cho and Li having Chinese breakfast.
"Well, looks who's up and about.", Jeremiah said pleasantly.
Dudley and Kitty looked at Jeremiah and Iris with puzzled looks.
"How could you still be up?", Dudley asked.
"We went to bed after putting you two in your hammocks.", Iris stated, "Jer and I are early risers."
Dudley and Kitty ate their breakfast without complaint. Afterward, Jeremiah led the whole group( Mr. Chan came too) into the village where everyone was getting ready for the big event that evening. Some were getting paper lanterns ready, some were making offerings to take, and some were even decorating the square in fashionable ways( like lanterns on the walls, lights on doorways, and such). Even the pandas were getting into the swing of things. By sundown, everyone was ready. Having lanterns on poles, the whole village went to the nearby river with the boats now with their lit lanterns in hand. They traveled to a cemetery(which was also by the river's edge) where Dudley, Jeremiah and the rest saw the festivities taking place. Some were setting offerings on the headstones and praying while some were at the river laying their boats into the river's current and watching them float away.
"Why does yours have many symbols?", Dudley asked Jeremiah as they approached the river's edge.
"It's to honor the pandas I massacred all those years back.", Jeremiah explained, "I still feel like I need to make amends for what I did."
Dudley and Jeremiah set their boats into the river with Kitty and Iris setting theirs in afterward and Cho and Li following.
"Sure looks pretty.", Dudley said as the group watched the boats float away.
It really was. Wit hall the lantern boats gleaming on the water's surface, it made the calm pleasant dark seem alive with light and it was a clear night so the starry sky made it even more extraordinary. Dudley thought he was seeing things cause he could have sworn he saw a panda ghost floating near one of the lantern boats followed by another and another until the whole river was filled with them. They each appeared for a minute, then vanished once more. Cho and Li saw a couple pandas and got teary eyed. Yep, it was Cho's mother and Li's father who both floated near the river's edge where Cho and Li came down to. Dudley wanted to get closer, but Jeremiah held him back.
"Let them talk.", Jeremiah said, "We best let the conversation go uninterrupted."
Dudley got that alright. After a bit, Cho and Li came back while the ghosts they talked to went back out to join the others.
"Our parents say they forgive you.", Cho said to Jeremiah.
"As do all the other pandas.", Li added.
Jeremiah sighed heavily and Iris put a hand on his shoulder. Dudley held Kitty's hand as they continued to watch. Finally, all the boats had faded and everyone was going back to get some well deserved rest. Mr. Chan led Jeremiah, Dudley and the rest back to the noodle shop.
"You think you made amends?", Kitty asked Jeremiah.
Jeremiah just smiled.
"I think I did."
A/N: This takes place after Cho and Li save China, but before the next episode(#32). Based on "Kung Fu Panda". I don't claim anything. All rights go to Dreamworks. Also, Thanksgiving was close to Thanksgiving that year and since the agents were in China at the time, I'd do the Chinese Water Festival that time.
