The Golden Gift - Part 3

Mr Ping's Dragon Warrior Noodles & Tofu restaurant was alive and full of energy. It couldn't have appeared any more inviting. The smell of Mr Ping's noodle soup enticed the nostrils, while the cheers and laughter added to its inviting feeling. Those that stopped by Mr Ping's were having the time of their lives. Not only were their taste buds treated to the deliciousness of Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup, but a five-member chorale entertained them, providing some calm music to complement the night. No place in the world could have been more joyous. Mr Ping's winter feast is renowned for its welcomeness and friendly vibe. How could anyone not want to be there?

While the feast at Mr Ping's may be running smoothly, things were different inside of Po's head. He didn't know how Tigress would react to his gift. The golden hanfu may have been more than he'd usually get anyone, but it just felt right. Not knowing how Tigress would react left him nervous, for he didn't know whether he had crossed a line in their friendship or whether he had said too much in his letter. All these scenarios running through his head ended with him getting beaten to a pulp, and while he would accept that kind of reaction, he hoped that wouldn't eventuate. Anything, but that would be fine. If Tigress rejected the gift, Po would be relieved, but as more scenarios came into his head, it seemed far-fetched that she would accept his gift.

Po didn't expect Tigress to wear the hanfu down to his father's, but he wouldn't complain if she did. After having to take all the measurements as stealthy as he could, without being caught, Po hoped those efforts wouldn't be wasted. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't believe how much of an effort he had gone through to get Tigress the golden hanfu. He may value the friendship with Tigress more than anything else, but perhaps his efforts this year were a little too over the top. Whatever happened, with the sun on the verge of setting, he wondered where his friends and the other masters were. His wonders were answered, as the Furious Five entered Mr Ping's restaurant, followed by several other masters who attended the Palace Feast.

"PO! YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!" Mr Ping shouted, causing Po to jump up from his bed, run down the stairs, only to trip halfway and fall the rest of the way down. "Are you alright, Po?"

Po jumped up, dusting himself off—"Yeah, yeah, I'm good"—before running out of the kitchen to greet his friends. While he was a little nervous about seeing Tigress, she was still his friend, or so he hoped. Upon leaving the kitchen, the first thing Po noticed was Tigress wearing her silver qipao, giving him a bad feeling. However, her calm demeanour confused him, and when their eyes met, she smiled. Although confused, Po smiled, hoping things weren't as bad as he thought. Perhaps she had accepted it, but just didn't wish to wear it tonight, which would make sense. "Hey, guys!" Po said, approaching his friends. "Come on over here! Hey dad! Six bowls please!"

"Six bowls coming right up, Po!" Mr Ping said through the opening from the kitchen. The Furious Five gathered around the table Po had reserved for them, but before Po could sit down, his father interrupted. "PO! YOUR FOOD'S READY!"

"Coming dad! I'll be back in two seconds guys." Po left, entering the kitchen, and like he said, returned within seconds, balancing three bowls on each arm. "Alrighty, here we go. How was the Palace Feast? Did I do alright?"

"The feast was fantastic, Po," Viper said, smiling at Po. "You do an amazing job each year."

Po sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear that. I was a bit short of time this year."

"We noticed. You seemed a little panicky in the lead up to the feast," Crane said.

Po laughing, glancing at Tigress, seeing she had her full attention on him before looking back at Crane. "Yeah, thanks for your help, guys. It's really appreciated every year. I, honestly, don't know what I'd do without you guys."

"That's what we're here for, Po. To help you when you need it," Viper said. "Now, I heard you've got our gifts hidden here somewhere."

Po's eyes widened, stunned at being caught, when he didn't think any of them had seen him with their gifts. "What? Gifts? I don't have gifts. What are gifts? I think, I think you're mistaken." Viper narrowed her eyes on Po, making him surrender. "Okay, you got me! But you'll have to wait until after the feast. In the meantime, enjoy the feast. I've gotta go back and help my dad clean the kitchen, but I'll be out soon after."

While Po went into the kitchen, helping his father finish serving the last of the visitors, the Furious Five sat around the table, enjoying the food and entertainment. Despite all the festive joys and activities, one warrior remained quiet. Quieter than usual. The others knew Po's gift had caused Tigress' quietness, but they didn't know why she had brought it with her. She said she wasn't going to reject it, so why did she bring it? Whatever the reason seemed to cause her quietness, and Tigress only remained extra quiet if something made her anxious, which was rare. They couldn't be too worried about Tigress, for there was a festive celebration happening around them, inside Mr Ping's restaurant.

Inside of Mr Ping's kitchen, Po was helping his father clean up after having served everyone. Normally, Mr Ping couldn't stop Po from telling him about every master that was in their restaurant, despite having heard the same thing every year. Tonight, however, Po hadn't, which concerned Mr Ping, for he knew it meant something was bothering Po, though he couldn't pinpoint it. With everyone fed, and the kitchen cleaned, Po went to leave the kitchen. "Po."

Po turned around to his father. "Yeah, dad?"

"Is everything alright? You've been unusually quiet tonight."

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Po tried playing the ignorance card with his father, but it never works. "Don't lie to me, Po. I know something's wrong. What's bothering you?"

Knowing he couldn't avoid explaining to his father what was bothering him, Po sighed. "Alright, I brought Tigress this really awesome hanfu. It's a golden colour, matches her with every aspect you could think of. Anyway, I left it in her room before coming here, so she's no doubt seen it, and I'm now nervous about how she's going to react."

Mr Ping glanced out of the kitchen, and while Po couldn't see, he presumed his father was looking at Tigress before looking back at him. "She doesn't appear angry, Po, but she's been awfully quiet all night. Perhaps you should just talk to her about it. Make sure she's alright."

"I-I don't know… maybe."

"She's your friend, Po, and I know you two are close. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Ah, she pummels me into the ground, leaving me clinging to life."

"Be reasonable, Po. If she was upset about it, she'd let you know in a caring way."

"I know… but it must be bothering her somehow. Why else would she remain so quiet all evening?"

Mr Ping shrugged. "There's only one way you can find out, Po."

Po sighed before his eyes lit up. "Ooh! I should give the others their gifts. They're probably waiting for them!"

Before Mr Ping could respond, Po ran up the stairs in their little apartment, out of sight, though Mr Ping could still hear Po's footsteps. Just as quick as Po vanished from the kitchen, he reappeared, carrying a bag with him before disappearing again, leaving the kitchen into the dining area. "PO! WAIT!" Mr Ping cried out, only for his calls to fall on deaf ears.

"Hey, guys! You ready to receive your gifts?" Po asked, sitting down at the table where the Five were sitting. By now, the lanterns had taken over full responsibility of providing the light, and while some villagers and masters remained in Mr Ping's restaurant, most had left by now.

"Hi, Po. Sure, we can exchange gifts now, right guys?" Crane asked, looking at the others.

"Now's a better time than never, Po," Viper said. "Are you going to join us, Tigress?"

"Is it mandatory?"

"No, of course not," Po said, with a slightly high-pitched voice. "It's totally up to you, as is whether you wanna keep whatever you get. Totally fine if you don't like something you get either."

An awkward silence followed, as Po glanced at Tigress, seeing her expressionless face, before looking at the others. "Alright, that's it. What the hell is going on with you two?" Mantis asked, breaking the silence. "This awkwardness is getting ridiculous. We know you got Tigress the hanfu. She's seen it; we've seen it. She's even brought it down with her. We don't know why, but you two have been acting weird all evening, and it's making my antennae twitchy!"

Everyone looked at Mantis, some stunned, some shocked, and one person angered. "Thank you, Mantis," the master of Tiger Style said, though, for once, the angry glare Mantis was receiving did not intimidate him.

"You, you brought it with you?" Po asked, causing Tigress to look at him, the anger in her eyes turning into guilt. "Why? Do you not like it?"

"That's what we're all wondering," Mantis said, continuing to vent his frustration. "It's like one big secret."

Tigress glanced at Mantis, annoyed by his behaviour. "For your information, Mantis, it's something I wish to speak with Po privately, where no one else can hear nor eavesdrop on us." Tigress looked back at Po. "Now, I don't wish to spoil your plans, Po. You came out here to give the others their gifts, right?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, right. Gifts." Po reached into the bag, pulling out a bunch of wrapped parcels. "Alright, here's yours Crane. And yours Viper and Mantis. Last, but not least, Monkey. And, um, apparently everyone knows what you got from me," Po said, looking at Tigress with an awkward smile. "Hope you guys like your gifts."

"Thanks, Po!" everyone bar Tigress said, before tearing into their wrapped gifts. Each gift was of a different size, with Crane having the largest, but that, by no means, had any correlation to favouritism. Sometimes the smallest gifts can be the most valuable, so you cannot let size, or lack of, deceive you.

Monkey was the first to open his gift, revealing a jar filled with freshly baked almond cookies–Monkey's favourite. "Gee, thanks, Po! Hopefully I will get to eat some of these this year," Monkey said, causing Po to chuckle.

"It's not my fault my nose tracks them down. You've gotta disguise the smell from me."

Monkey rolled his eyes before taking the jar out of Po's sight, knowing if he left it unattended, they'd be eaten, and not by him. Next to open their gift was Mantis, pulling out a bunch of coupon-like cards, leaving a perplexed look on his face. "Buy one noodle soup, get one free." Mantis flicked over to the next coupon. "Get five free dumplings with this coupon." Again, flicking over to the next one, Mantis read it out again. "Buy one noodle soup… okay, that's the same as before. I mean, thank you, but don't you usually shout us food from here or are you just gonna pay for Tigress' food from now on?"

A low growl emitted from Tigress, as Po chuckled nervously. "Well, yeah, but that's when we all come down together," Po said, defending himself. "If you come here on your own, without me, that's when you can use them."

"Or I could join you on your lunch dates with Tigress."

The comments of Mantis were causing Tigress to become more irritated with him, while adding to Po's nervousness. "Dates? They're not dates. It's just two friends having lunch. What's wrong with that? We all eat dinner together every night. Nobody ever calls that a six-person date, do they?"

"That's the first step to a successful carousal," Crane said, causing Monkey to burst into laughter, while Viper rolled her eyes. Mantis smiled; Tigress shook her head and Po just looked at Crane, confused.

"A casserole? A what?" Po asked, confused as ever.

"Stay innocent and never find out, Po," Monkey said, through breaths, further confusing Po.

"Alrighty then…"

"I appreciate the time and effort you took in creating this gift, Po," Mantis said, reverting Po's attention back to his gift for Mantis. "It's just, I don't think I've ever actually had to pay for food here. Either you order for us, your father makes it on the house, or Crane pays for it."

"Oh, so that's why you always come down with me?" Crane asked.

"Of course! Why else? You've never questioned, nor complained about doing so. Why should I?"

Crane rolled his eyes and shook his head, displeased at Mantis' response. In the meantime, Viper had gone back to unwrapping her gift, which was made somewhat difficult by her lack of limbs, but had managed to unveil her gift. Inside laid a neatly folded, thick woollen scarf, and upon pulling it out, it revealed to be covered in snakes, but not just any snakes. Little vipers covered the scarf from top to bottom. "Oh, wow! This is amazing, Po! Now I won't freeze in winter!" Viper said, wrapping the scarf around her neck and lower body. "Ooh, it's so warm. I could sleep like this."

Po looked over at Viper, smiling upon seeing his gift wrapped around her upper body. "I'm glad you like it. I thought it looked cool. Well, it'll feel nice and warm, but it looks cool with all the snakes on them." Po grabbed the loose end. "And did you see what type of snake? They're vipers. Like you. Isn't that awesome?!"

"Yes, Po. They're awesome. Thank you." Viper snuggled down into her scarf, becoming sleepy from the warmth it provided.

With three gifts now opened, one remained, and that one belonged to Crane. The gift was a large box, but what was inside remained anyone's guess. Crane opened the box to reveal a large calligraphy set inside. Not just any set, though. This had the lot. Different coloured inks, paper, ink pens, but the first thing Crane picked out of the box was the easel. Now he wouldn't have to use the floor. "Wow, Po! This is, this is some gift. Where did you get all this stuff from?"

"Ah, I just found stuff here and there and kept adding it to the box. Hope you like it. It should last awhile, and that easel will help you do your calligraphy at eye-level. Unless you prefer the floor."

"No, no, this is fantastic. This'll help the strain on my neck. Thank you, but now that we've received our gifts, we've got something for you as well."

"Oh, come on, guys. You know you don't have to get me… WOOOOAH!" Po's eyes popped wide open upon seeing what Crane placed on the table. Earlier in the year, Po lost his action figures after his father gave them away, and while Po seemed content with wherever they had ended up, everyone could tell he missed them. So, the Five had Mujiang, the valley's woodcrafter, create brand new replicas for Po. Designed down to the smallest of details, such as Viper's scales, and Tigress' fur pattern. "Wow… guys! These are amazing!" Tears of joy filled Po's eyes as he picked up each replica and looked at its design. Though the others said nothing, they noticed he assessed the Tigress replica more carefully. "Thank you, guys! I better put these away before they get damaged."

"We know you treasured your previous collection, so the least we could do was kick start your next collection. But maybe you shouldn't let your father near them this time," Crane said with a smile.

Po chuckled. "Oh, he'll know not to go near them. I nearly knocked down the wall after finding out he had given them away."

"Did you actually end up finding them? When we found you, you were looking over a wall, but you never told us what was over the wall."

"Ah, yeah. There was a little bunny kid who was using Tigress' action figure to learn how to do the sidekick, and guess what? She's nailed it! It was so awesome to see. Anyway, I better clean up the restaurant. Everyone's gone now. Do you guys wanna stay or go back to the palace?"

"We can help clean up before going, right, guys?"

"Oh, there's not much to do. If you guys wanna go, that's fine. Someone might need to carry Viper, though." Everyone looked at Viper, seeing her snuggled deep into her scarf, fast asleep.

"We probably should return. Shifu won't want us staying out too late," Mantis said.

"What about you, Tigress?" Crane asked. "You staying or coming with us?"

Unlike Viper, Tigress' quietness wasn't because of her being asleep. She had just been unusually quiet all night. "I'll come afterwards. I need to talk with Po."

"Alright, well, thank you for another wonderful Winter Festival, Po. It's always a pleasure coming down here and enjoying the night. Let's get going guys." Crane headed for the exit, with Mantis jumping onto his hat and waving goodbye to Po.

Monkey scooped up and carried the sleeping Viper with him, following Crane and Mantis out of the exit. "Good luck, Po. Hope you're still alive in the morning."

With the others gone, Po looked back at Tigress, not really knowing what to say. "I, um… look, I'm s-"

Tigress held up her paw, stopping Po. "You don't need to apologise for anything, Po. I'm the one who should apologise for my quietness tonight."

"What? Why?"

Tigress sighed, glancing away from Po, and starring into nothing before shifting her focus back onto Po. "Because I have nothing to repay you for the gift."

"I never expect anything in return, Tigress. Besides, like I said in the letter, your friendship is the greatest gift I could ever have. And what about the action figures? Weren't you part of that?"

"No, the others had those created for you. I wanted to do something different, but never had the chance to get anything. This is why I don't like this gift exchanging thing. It creates unnecessary stress."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Tigress. If you don't have a gift for me, that's okay. I only started doing this to add another element of joy to the night, but you should never feel obligated to get anyone a gift. Your friendship is more important to me than anything else. Even the action figures. The last thing I want is to create tension."

Tigress remained silent for a few moments, trying to coalesce the thoughts in her head, but only one sung loud and clear. "Po, why did you get me the hanfu?"

The question struck Po without warning, taking him aback a bit. "W-why? Do you not like it?"

"No, it's beautiful, but what made you think I deserved something like this?"

Po let out a single laugh. "I ask myself the same question."

Now it was Tigress' turn to be confused. "Ask yourself what?"

Po sighed, knowing he had led himself into a trap. "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I value more than your friendship, but there are days when I wonder what I did to deserve you. You're the most awesomest person ever, and I'm just a big, fat panda. Like, seriously? Then there's other times when it all makes sense. We understand each other, and care for each other. We've nearly died protecting each other. We've been to hell and back, yet, no matter what we face, we stick by each other's side until the end. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. No gift can match how much you mean to me."

Though Tigress didn't really have her question answered, Po's response was good enough for her. She knew why Po had gotten her the hanfu, but she still felt as though he was leaving something out. Perhaps it was the same thing that had been simmering away in her heart, but fear prevented it from being revealed. Now that Tigress thought about it, she cannot fear her emotions, but, like Crane said earlier, trust them. This is Po. The last thing Po would do is violate her vulnerability. Not only would Tigress murder him for trying, but those thoughts wouldn't even cross Po's mind. Tigress stood up, confusing Po. "Check your room in five minutes."

This further confused Po. "Ah… why?"

"It would be wrong to accept a gift from the Dragon Warrior and not return the favour."

Po's eyes lit up with excitement as he jumped up from the table. "You got me a gift?! I wanna see it! Wait… didn't you just say you didn't get me a gift?"

For the first time since entering Mr Ping's, Tigress smiled. "I cannot keep a secret forever, Po." Taking the hint, Po went to sprint into his room, but before he could run too far, Tigress grabbed Po and pulled him back down to where he once sat. "You'll have to wait five minutes, otherwise you'll spoil the surprise. After five minutes, go to your room, and you'll find your gift waiting for you in there. And make sure you knock first. Understood?"

Po nodded, almost shaking his eyeballs out of their sockets. "Understood! I'll, ah, I'll just clean the dining area or something."

"Good." Tigress walked over to the kitchen door, but stopped before opening it. "And don't be late."

Walking into the kitchen, Tigress was met with a broom being placed into her right paw. "About time you returned to help your fath- oh, Tigress. I apologise." Mr Ping took the broom from Tigress. "I thought you were Po. H-how can I help?"

"That's okay, Mr Ping. I need to use Po's room, if that's okay?"

"Oh, of course, of course. I assume you and Po are good now?"

"Yes, Po and I are fine. You shouldn't worry too often about us. Can you ensure Po doesn't come upstairs the next few minutes, please, Mr Ping?"

Mr Ping became curious. "Of course, but what are you doing in Po's room?"

"I have a surprise for Po but need a few minutes to prepare it."

Mr Ping smiled. "Sounds like you two have indeed made up. Don't let me keep you waiting. You know what Po's like when he's told to wait for something."

Tigress smiled, bowing to Mr Ping—"Thank you, Mr Ping"—before going up the stairs and entering Po's room on the top level. Now standing in Po's room, Tigress looked around, forgetting how much stuff he had in here. Upon remembering her plan, Tigress snapped into action. She pulled the golden hanfu from the inside of her silver vest and laid it flat on Po's crooked bed. Tigress didn't know why she felt the need to do this, but in her heart, it seemed the perfect thing to do. After all, Po had spent, who knows how long, organising this golden hanfu for her. The least Tigress could do was let him be the first person, other than Tigress herself, to see it on her.

While the others may have seen it, they hadn't seen her on it. Nobody had. Tigress didn't even try it when she first opened it. She didn't know how it would feel, let alone whether it would fit on her. If anyone knew her size, it would be Po, as odd as that may sound to some. With her time to prepare running out, Tigress flicked open the clips on her silver vest, flipping it off, before folding and placing it down on the end of Po's bed. Picking up the golden hanfu, Tigress looked over it, noting the red vine pattern, before putting it on for the first time. To say it felt comfortable for Tigress was an understatement. It felt snug, tight, and extremely comfortable.

Apart from the loose-ended sleeves, it hugged her body perfectly, and its weightlessness made it almost feel like she wasn't wearing anything. When you're training or fighting, that's what you want. You cannot allow the clothing to distract you or be loose enough for an opponent to use it against you. Nor can it have the potential of snagging on anything. Neither would be the case with this hanfu. Po had designed it for perfect use. Speaking of Po, as Tigress finished preparing herself for his arrival, downstairs in the kitchen, Mr Ping had to stop Po from going to his room too early. "Why can't I go yet? I really wanna see my gift!" Po said, complaining to his father.

"Do you want to spoil the surprise Tigress has for you, Po?"

"No, but what could she have gotten me? I wanna know!"

"You'll just have to wait, Po. Don't you have any patience?"

"No. Can you at least see if she's ready? Pleeease?!"

"Why can't you? If she's not ready, she'll tell you." Po paced back and forth in the kitchen, almost wetting himself from excitement. While Mr Ping didn't know what Tigress had planned, he knew whatever it was would be nothing near what Po was expecting. Then again, he didn't know what the surprise was, either. Part of him didn't want to know. However, five minutes had now passed since Tigress came into the kitchen. "I don't hear much happening upstairs, Po. Perhaps Tigress is waiting for you."

"I know… I wanna go but all these nerves have come from nowhere."

"You'll be fine, Po. Tigress is your friend. I'm sure she has something wonderful up there for you. Don't keep her waiting because you know how impatient she can get. You don't want to spoil the moment. Now go!"

"Okay, bye, dad. Might see you tomorrow. Maybe never again. Who knows?" Mr Ping shook his head as Po disappeared up the stairs. Inside Po's room, Tigress sat on Po's bed, with her heart racing faster than she'd like, and hearing someone approaching didn't help either. "Tigress?" Just hearing Po's voice caused her heart to jump. Tigress didn't know why she felt so anxious, but she'd do anything to get rid of it. "Is it okay for me to enter? I'm so excited to see what you got me!"

Tigress stood up, flattening down the golden hanfu and faced the entrance of Po's room. Taking one last deep breath, Tigress ended Po's misery. "You may enter, Po."

Not needing a second invitation, Po rushed into his room. "Man, you have no idea how long I've been- woah!" Po stopped, his jaw hit the floor and eyes popped wide open upon seeing Tigress.

"Po."

"Uh?"

"You're drooling."

This snapped Po out of his drooling, infatuated state. "Sorry… I just, I mean. Wow! You, you look awesome! I knew you'd look awesome in it!"

Tigress took a step closer to Po. "I'm glad you approve. You seem to know my size well."

"Yeah, it fits you well. See if you can do some of your awesome kung fu moves in it. How about a quick sparring session?"

Tigress raised an eyebrow at Po. "You want to have a sparring session?" Po nodded. "In here?" Again, Po nodded. "Okay, you don't need to ask me twice." Tigress moved into her defence position, kicking Po's instincts into action as he stood in his. "Ready?"

"Try some punches and kicks, but don't do too much, otherwise we might fall through the floor."

As instructed, Tigress advanced, throwing a combination of punches and kicks. Nothing that would trouble Po; he just wanted to see Tigress in action with her golden hanfu, so he was living the dream. As for Tigress, this was just another little sparring session with Po for her. Though given their location and time of night, she didn't want to cause too much commotion, so after a couple of minutes of sparring, Tigress finished the sparring off by delivering a soft double-palm strike into Po's chest. The soft impact caused Po to stumble back and fall onto his bed.

Tigress walked over to Po and bowed to him. "Thank you, Po. Would you like to receive your gift now?"

Po nodded, almost shaking his head off, as he shot up onto his feet with excitement flooding every vessel in his body. "Where is it? Where is it?!"

A soft smile formed on the face of Tigress, as she grabbed both of Po's paws in her own, bringing his attention back to her. Despite her heart thumping in her chest, Tigress had made the decision long before coming into Mr Ping's tonight. She was going to give Po the greatest gift he could have asked for. "You're looking at it."


[End Notes]:
That concludes the end of this story, my first for 2022. What did you think? Lemme know in the reviews (or send me a PM if you want). If you find any errors or mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know. I may edit my works thoroughly, but I am still human, bound to miss mistakes here and there.

I know I'm not the first to think Po was the one who gave Tigress the golden hanfu, but nobody's ever really gone into detail as to how he got it. Perhaps you have your theories. Feel free to share. I'm open for all ideas. There were some really difficult parts to write in that story. The Creed of the Masters and Tigress' letter were two of the most difficult parts. Hopefully they're good enough.

Now, be honest. Who thought that had the potential of turning a little saucy? If you did, that's okay. I made it that way to make it seem like it was going in that direction, but of course, I'm not great with writing M-rated stuff, so stuck with the soft and fluffy ending. Either way, you can imagine whatever you like after the ending. Perhaps it does turn saucy with a dollop of mayonnaise. Or they just cuddle all night. The possibilities are endless and in your hands... or heads.

Anyway, that's it for now. Just a quick update, Eye of the Tiger will begin January 10 (so not long now). Are you excited? I am!
I'll provide more details in the first upload, but my plan is to upload every 3 weeks. So, until then...

Take care and stay safe!
Footrot Flats :)