Chapter 14: Helped Wanted (Kindred Spirits).
When the next morning came around, Erdan's stay at the Jade Palace finally came to an end and the wolf cub set out for his third trip to the village. He had already filled his backpack with all his worldly possessions (he didn't have much to take with him, only his bow, some arrows, his new clothes, Cree's painting, and his neckerchief/bandana), and was ready to look for his new home. Luckily for him, Po and Zhong decided to come along for moral support, and to help him argue his case to Mr. Ping.
Erdan had never been to Po's old home before, so he had no idea what to expect when they arrived at the north side of the village. To his surprise, Mr. Ping's noodle shop was situated in an alleyway between two buildings, with a thin fence made of painted fabric separating it from the rest of the street. But instead of being small and cramped inside, the alleyway was spacious and huge, and filled with row after row of tables, covering every available inch of space.
At the very end of the alley was Mr. Ping's hut/kitchen, the place the Dragon Warrior had lived for over twenty years. Needless to say, the old goose was surprised to see his son visit him so early in the week, and even more surprised to see he had brought friends with him. Unfortunately, the negotiation about the job opening didn't go nearly as well as the initial greetings. Zhong and Erdan watched awkwardly, as Po and his father argued back and forth about the wolf cub in question.
"Absolutely not!", Mr. Ping insisted.
"But dad, Erdan needs a place to stay. And besides, you said you've been wanting a new waiter for months", Po argued.
"The last time I hired someone on your suggestion, he tried to throw me off a rooftop! That psycho rhino could have killed me!", Mr. Ping replied angrily.
"You can fly dad. Besides, what happened with Hun Dun was a total fluke", Po replied.
For the first time since the argument began, Zhong decided to speak up. "Wait, Hun Dun's real?", Zhong asked, confused.
As he saw how surprised his friend was, Po smirked triumphantly. "Looks like I won our bet. So when do you wanna go to Chor-Gom?", Po asked gloatingly.
Zhong growled under his breath, muttered something about Po always having to be right, and then turned back towards Mr. Ping, who was still visibly fuming. Finally, after he had calmed down a bit, the goose turned back to Po, hoping he could talk some sense into his son. "An unstable rhino was bad enough Po, and now you want me to hire a wolf? And a young wolf at that! I can't have him eating all my customers Po, it would be bad for business", Mr. Ping reasoned.
"You said it yourself, dad, Erdan's still young, while Hun Dun was a grown man. How much damage can one kid really cause?", Po argued, though he could see his father still wasn't going to budge on the matter. The panda bent down on his haunches and leaned his head down so he could speak to his father face-to-face. "Dad, I know I make mistakes-", Po began.
"Plenty of mistakes", Mr. Ping corrected him.
Po's smile faded a little. "Yeah, and I know mess up sometimes-", Po admitted.
"Almost all the time", Mr. Ping added.
This time, Po's smile faded completely, and he frowned at his goose father. "I get it, I'm a screw-up. I know I can mess things up sometimes, but I've never let you down, have I? No matter how much trouble I get in, I always find a way out of it. And sometimes, once every blue moon or so, my judgment is perfectly clear and I get things just right", Po said reassuringly.
Mr. Ping stared at the panda for minute, clearly debating his son's judgment, before the old goose sighed in defeat. "Fine, if you think this Erdan kid can control himself, then I trust your judgment. son", Mr. Ping decided.
"Sweet", Po grinned, feeling pretty pleased with himself.
But before Po could say anything else, Mr. Ping ran up to Erdan and thrust his spatula in the boy's face, taking him by surprise. Not knowing what else to do, Erdan held his paws up in the air, as a sign he meant the goose no harm. "But I'm only giving you this one chance, kid. If I see you put those fangs of yours anywhere near the villagers, or more importantly, my customers, I'll throw you out on your tail faster than you can say 'full moon'. You understand?", Mr. Ping asked in a semi-threatening manner.
"Yes, sir", Erdan replied, nodding his head in compliance.
Mr. Ping stared at the boy's face for a minute, checking his expression to make sure his words were sincere, and not just spoken out of fear, before putting his spatula back in his pocket. "Excellent, you'll start right now", Mr. Ping declared, before walking towards the kitchen.
"What, right now?", Erdan asked, surprised.
"Yes, now. You'll have to start training right away if you wanna work in my kitchen", Mr. Ping replied, before turning towards his panda son. "Po, can you help me show him the ropes?", the old goose requested.
"Sorry dad, Zhong and I can't stay. We promised Shifu we'd only stay long enough to see if you'd give Erdan the job, and then we'd head back to the palace to train with the others", Po explained.
Mr. Ping's face fell and Erdan watched as the goose's fierce expression was replaced by a look of longing and sadness. "But you just got here", Mr. Ping argued.
"I know, dad, I don't like being so busy here. But I've got stuff to do, Dragon Warrior responsibilities and everything. I guess being awesome comes at a price", Po figured, half-joking and half-serious.
Mr. Ping sighed again, before waving his spatula in the air. "Fine, go. Leave me alone with the man-eating teenager, I'm sure I'll be alright", the goose said sarcastically, though Erdan could tell he was just using sarcasm as a way of hiding his pain.
Po stared at his goose father, and Erdan could tell he sincerely regretted having to do what he was about to do, but the panda knew he had no choice in the matter. Great power really did come with great responsibility. "Alright dad, I guess I'll see you later. You too Erdan", Po said sadly.
Zhong walked up to Erdan and ruffled the fur on the boy's head. "You take care of yourself, son. There's plenty of crime in this village, so don't go doing anything stupid the next time you see someone getting robbed. Me, Po and the Five are always just up the mountain if you need us. And I'll come visit you whenever I can", Zhong advised, giving him a promise at the end.
Erdan grinned a little. "I'll miss you too, dad", Erdan said simply.
"Same here", Zhong remarked, before he reluctantly walked off to join Po.
"Cute kid", Po noted, hoping to take his mind off his guilt.
"Yeah", Zhong replied. However, the wolf wasn't really paying that much attention to what Po had said, he was too busy thinking about how he was going to focus on training when he kept thinking about Erdan.
Both Mr. Ping and Erdan watched wistfully as their loved ones walked off down the street, leaving them alone again. Mr. Ping sighed. "No matter how much you love them, they always leave", the old goose said under his breath.
"Always", Erdan said sympathetically, before sighing too.
Mr. Ping turned towards Erdan, surprised. The goose hadn't meant to say that out loud, but Erdan somehow had understood what he meant. He didn't know how a little boy could possibly understand what it meant to be alone, and he didn't really care that much. All he wanted to do was drown himself in his work as quickly as he could, so he could take his mind off Po. "Come on, I'll start by showing you the oven", Mr. Ping decided, beckoning for the wolf cub to join him.
((()-()))
About an hour later, Erdan found himself chopping up some carrots with a knife. To Mr. Ping's surprise, he was already an experienced cook. Apparently, the boy had been traveling across China for six months and had been cooking his own food the entire time. After moving his stuff into Po's old room (and admiring the panda's action figure collection), he was ready to start waiting tables.
But even though he had applied for a waiting job, Mr. Ping had insisted that for now, he work mainly in the kitchen so the old goose could keep a close eye on him. Erdan knew Mr. Ping had a good reason not to trust wolves, after what Zhong and his pack had nearly did to his son, but there was one thing he didn't understand. As usual, the boy's curiosity got the best of him, and he found himself asking the goose what was on his mind. "Mr. Ping, why did you hire me?", Erdan asked.
Mr. Ping glanced at the boy, confused. "Why do you ask?", the old goose inquired.
"No offense sir, but it's obvious you don't trust me or Zhong. So why would you risk hiring me, just because Po thinks it's a good idea? You said it yourself, Po's not exactly the best judge of character", Erdan explained.
Mr. Ping sighed and hung his head down a little. "You seem like a good kid, and I'd like to trust you. But after all the trouble wolves have caused my family, it's difficult. I'm still getting used Po being close to Zhong and him trusting him so much. But I'm willing to give Po the benefit of the doubt about this because he's been right about some things before. And he was right about Zhong", Mr. Ping replied.
"What do you mean?", Erdan asked, confused.
Mr. Ping smiled ruefully. "When Po first returned from Gongmen City, he told me all about his adventures in the city, and I was horrified when I learned about what had happened to his birth parents. To be truthful, I was glad when Po told me that Shen and his army perished. After what they almost did to my son, I would never have felt safe again knowing they were still out there, waiting for a chance to hurt Po again. So when Zhong first arrived in the Valley a few weeks later, it was the worst day of my life. And I thought Po was completely out of his mind for actually believing him when he said he had changed. Po might have thought Zhong came to reform, but I knew the only reason he had followed him back to the Valley was so he could kill him and avenge his army. I couldn't sleep at night, knowing my son was determined to help a monster. But no mattered how much I argued with him, Po refused to give up on Zhong", Mr. Ping explained.
Erdan watched as Mr. Ping's smile faded and was replaced by a look of sadness, as if he was remembering something horrible. "I wanted to hate Zhong for even having the nerve to go near my son again after he what he did. But as much as I loathed him, a small part of me was grateful. Because if Zhong and his men hadn't attacked the panda village, then I would have never met Po, and I would never have raised my little boy. And how could I hate someone who had caused so much death and destruction, but also brought me the greatest joy of my life? I couldn't believe how selfish I was being", Mr. Ping recalled, sounding disgusted with himself.
"He's your son, Mr. Ping, of course you were going to feel that way. Sometimes your opinions about your family don't have to make sense", Erdan reasoned, hoping he could somehow make the old goose feel better.
"I suppose. I stayed confused about Zhong for the longest time, not knowing whether to hate him or thank him. But then the day came when the boars attacked. When we learned they were coming, the whole Valley was evacuated, in fear they would destroy the village. And of course, as the Dragon Warrior, Po had to stay behind to help fight them. When Po forced me to leave him behind, to let him face those monsters alone, it was the worst day I've had since he left for Gongmen City. The whole time the battle raged on, I had no way of knowing whether he was alive or dead. And to make matters worse, he told me Zhong was going to fight alongside him. He was actually crazy enough to trust the man who killed his parents to have his back in battle", Mr. Ping frowned.
Erdan looked at the goose sympathetically. He had heard this story before, from Zhong himself of course. But when Mr. Ping told it from his point of view, it sounded so much sadder, so much more fearful and hopeless. To Po and Zhong, the battle with the boar gang had just been another day they defeated some bad guys. But Erdan realized that for innocent, helpless, bystanders like Mr. Ping, it had been their worst nightmare come true.
"By the end of the battle, Po and the Furious Five were defeated, and Zhong was the only man left standing. The fate of the entire Valley was in Zhong's hands. And there are so many ways that day could have went wrong", Mr. Ping ruminated. Erdan raised his eyebrows, as Mr. Ping started laughing weirdly towards the end, though he guessed the old man had chosen to laugh so he wouldn't cry.
"The old Zhong would have just cut his losses and run. He'd have let everyone in the entire Valley die just to save his own tail. After all, he'd killed people before, why not get a little more blood on paws? From the minute Po told me he was going to fight, that's what I thought he was going to do. But I was wrong. Not only did he fight back against impossible odds, but he risked his life to save Po and the people of the Valley. When I learned he had saved my son, he finally proved to me where his loyalty lies. And I admit, I still don't trust him completely, but I trust my son's judgment. Po was right about Zhong having changed, so if he thinks you're trustworthy, then I'm willing to give you a chance", Mr. Ping informed him.
Erdan smiled. "Thanks mister, you won't regret this", the teen promised.
"Hmm, we'll see. Now get back to chopping those carrots. Lunch hour will be here soon, and that's when things really start to get busy", Mr. Ping remarked, before walking off.
"Wait, sir, where are you going? I'll need your help to cook the noodles", Erdan asked curiously.
"I'll be back soon, I just need to look for something", Mr. Ping excused himself, though it was obvious he was hiding something.
Erdan shrugged and went back to his chopping. However, he started to get worried when twenty minutes passed, and Mr. Ping still hadn't returned yet. The wolf cub turned down the heat on the stove and left to go find his boss. He started to search the hut, until he finally found the goose in Po's old room, staring at a picture of him and his son. It was from a few years ago, before Po had become the Dragon Warrior. He and the panda were happy and smiling, Po holding a pair of chopsticks in his hand, while his father wielded a familiar old spatula, the same one Erdan had saw him using that morning.
Mr. Ping stared at the old portrait, remembering the good old days he had spent with his foster child, before things started to become complicated. He had promised himself that he wouldn't get distracted, but his conversation with Erdan about Zhong had brought his thoughts back towards Po, and he started to miss his son again. They just never seemed to find enough time to spend together. And on the days Po did come to visit, it still wasn't the same as before. And it probably never would be again.
Erdan watched as Mr. Ping reached out and touched the picture, rubbing his hand across the canvas as if he actually touching his real son. Mr. Ping either didn't know Erdan was watching, or had simply chose to ignore him. Either way, Erdan couldn't help but feel bad for his bad for boss. Eventually, after watching the old goose for a few more minutes, Erdan felt the need to say something. "You miss him, don't you?", Erdan asked.
"Everyday", Mr. Ping replied, before turning around to face his new employee. "But you're just a kid, you wouldn't understand an old man like me", Mr. Ping mumbled, as he walked past the boy and back into the kitchen.
Erdan raised his eyebrow and followed after the goose. "I think you're lonely. I think you've loved Po with every fiber of your being, for over twenty years, and gave him everything he needed to have a good life. And ever since he was a kid, you've encouraged him to follow his dreams. But now you have to watch him risk his life every single day, and sometimes disappear for weeks at a time, just so he can protect the Valley of Peace. And instead of being worried about his safety, or scared like most people would be, he says he's just doing his job", Erdan guessed.
Mr. Ping stopped walking and glanced back at Erdan, scrutinizing him. "How do you know all that?", he asked in surprised.
"Po didn't tell you earlier. I'm not just homeless, I'm an orphan, just like he is. And if anyone knows what's it like to be lonely, it's me", Erdan explained.
"The Doctor's Theme" by Murray Gold begins.
"Well, it's nice to know I've found a kindred spirit in a fourteen year old boy", Mr. Ping said sarcastically.
"I'm serious. I know what it's like to worry about someone close to you. I used to share a hut with Zhong. And he would disappear a lot. He never told me where he was going, he just said he was doing work stuff. I wanted him to stay, so I could spend time with the closest thing I had to a dad, but when he actually was home, he was too tired to do anything but sleep. Every time he disappeared, he would be gone longer and longer. And every time he got back, he looked worse and worse", Erdan explained.
"I had no idea what he was doing, but I knew it had to be dangerous, especially with the war going on in the city. All I could do was sit at home and wait. He told me not to worry, but how I could not? Not knowing whether or not he'd ever come back, or if I'd be left waiting for the rest of my life. And every time he was out there, doing who knows what, I felt useless. Completely and utterly useless", Erdan recounted, trailing off at the end. Of course, he knew perfectly well what Zhong had been doing now, but he didn't like to think about stuff like that too much. In fact, he was beginning to wish he had just kept his big mouth shut and let Mr. Ping change the subject.
Erdan finally looked back to see Mr. Ping staring at him sympathetically. "Has anyone ever told you, you're very wise for your years?", the old goose asked.
Erdan cracked a smile, relieved the goose had decided to change the subject off of Zhong. "A few times, yeah. I've read a lot of kung fu stories", Erdan replied. "Now, I know that some of the circumstances are different, and Po isn't a mercenary for a sadistic warlord, but I'm guessing it's pretty much the same for you and him?", Erdan reckoned.
"You'd be guessing right. But it's not just Po's safety I'm worried about. Po is gone so much now. Fighting crime, learning kung fu, and having fun with his friends. He's a grown man now, and he's living his dream. But that's the problem. Po's all grown up now, and out of the house, so he doesn't need his old man anymore. Po is the only family I have, and I know every father has to let go of his son eventually. But on the days that he promises to visit, he sometimes forgets to come, and I'm left alone with nothing but my noodles to keep me company all day. And I know it sounds silly, but I'm afraid that someday he'll forget about me entirely", Mr. Ping admitted, a small tear forming under his eye. He never thought he'd find himself opening up to total stranger about his family problems, but now that Erdan had let the floodgates of misery open, there was no closing them.
Suddenly, the old goose felt Erdan put his giant paw on his shoulder. He had forgotten how quickly wolves moved. "Hey now. That's never gonna happen. Po loves you, and he'd never forget about you. He'd fight off a whole army of rhinos if he thought you needed him", Erdan said reassuringly.
Mr. Ping smiled a little and sniffled. "Yeah, he would, wouldn't he?", the goose said, his spirits lifting already. Having someone around to talk to really made a difference in fighting off his depression.
"Totally. And he wouldn't be the only one, I'd be having his back the whole time", Erdan said, grinning.
"Don't be ridiculous, you don't even know me", Mr. Ping argued.
"I'm serious Mr. P, Po isn't your only employee anymore. And I'm not trying to take your son's place or anything, but I'll be glad to keep you company on the days he's not here. A kitchen can get pretty lonely with only one person in it", Erdan offered.
Mr. Ping's smile grew wider. "I was right before. You are a good kid", the goose declared.
"Thanks. Coming from the Dragon Warrior's father- I mean, Po's dad, that means a lot", Erdan said warmly, correcting himself towards the middle.
"Now, come on, we'd better get back before the carrot soup starts burning", Mr. Ping decided, before hastily running past the wolf cub.
"Don't worry, I adjusted the flame before I left", Erdan said.
"For a newbie, that's good work. But I thought boys aren't supposed to know much cooking", Mr. Ping questioned.
"My mom used to teach me. It's kind of a long story", Erdan replied, before returning to the stove and adjusting the flames again.
"Well, Po won't be back for hours, and we've still got plenty of things to cook until then. So I'd say we have plenty of time. I can tell you all my best noodle stories", Mr. Ping said excitedly.
"Ok, I guess we should start with yours first", Erdan said, feigning excitement. Still, it was Po's dad. And if faking a few smiles helped an old man fight off his loneliness, Erdan could sit through a boring story or two. And maybe even tell a few of his own.
Author's Note:
I wrote this chapter for three main reasons. One, we've gotten 13 chapters into this story, and I still hadn't found a way to introduce Mr. Ping. And the saddest part of that is that Po's dad is one of my favorite characters in the movie/TV series (he's greedy, bossy, sassy, and just plain annoying sometimes, but also kind and compassionate when it comes to helping his son. So what's not to like about a well-rounded character?). Two, In chapter 9, Zhong said that Erdan is a very kind and sympathetic kid, so I figured it was time we get to see Erdan's sympathy onscreen, by having him help Mr. Ping with his depression. And three, Erdan getting a job at the noodle shop sets up the events of the next chapter, which after a couple of helpful filler chapters, helps to get Erdan's main story arc moving again (which is his path to becoming a kung fu warrior).