12. Table Talks

The first stars were already twinkling in the sky and the evening atmosphere attracted more and more guests to Mr. Ping's restaurant. It was a luke-warm summer evening, so that everyone could sit comfortably on the terrace. Yin-Yu also wanted to dine there with her children. They'd spent the rest of the day just checking out their rooms, especially since the kids were always arguing about who got which bed. Sheng was the only one who didn't show up the whole day, although Master Shifu asked about him again, because as a kung fu participant he should normally be in the palace. Since Shifu couldn't think of anything else, he instructed the Furious Five to look for him.

So it was that Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Crane and Mantis met the peacock family in front of the restaurant entrance. But when they asked whether the mother knew where Sheng was, she had to say no.

"No, I haven't seen him today anymore," Yin-Yu replied.

"He hasn't even chosen his bed yet," Zedong complained. "I would have liked to have had a pillow fight with him."

Yin-Yu's gaze wandered to her older daughter Xia, but she also had no idea where Sheng could be.

"I assume he'll come when he's hungry," Yin-Yu concluded the questioning and pushed her small children into the restaurant.

The five kung fu masters looked at each other. Then they also went to the restaurant terrace, hoping that Sheng would show up there soon. Wang was not among the guests as he preferred to go to bed early.

Yin-Yu chose a table at the side, which Mr. Ping had even reserved for them. Barely two tables away sat Mr. Pong's family. They greeted each other briefly, then the peafowls went to their places.

The Furious Five had to take a table further back because it was already quite full.

"What do you think, guys?" Monkey began after everyone took their places. "Do you really think, we should have let Po go alone?"

Mantis vibrated his antennae. "What should we have done? We couldn't put him on a leash."

"But at least persuade," Monkey added.

"Po and persuade?" Viper shook her head. "Once he sets his mind on something, it's hard to dissuade him. Just remember how he sneaked into the firework factory even though we told him not to go in."

Crane nodded. "It wouldn't have taken not much and we would have blown him up. Even though Shen did it…"

"Now stop it!" Tigress interrupted the conversation. She didn't want to relive old stories that would worry her again anyway. She was still a bit worried that the white peacock might lose his temper and that the two former opponents could really get into a fight again. "Tell me what you want to eat and I'll order."

The four friends gave their food requests, then the tigress went to the kitchen. Yin-Yu was already there, ordering for her children. When the two women saw each other, they gave each other a quick nod. Yin-Yu felt compelled to say something, she just didn't know what. Finally, she smiled at the tigress. "Bon appétite," she wished her and went back to her table. Something else that she hoped the Dragon Warrior would do well, she didn't even want to mention. While she had no doubts that Shen would behave, she knew that it was very easy for him to freak out when something didn't work like he wanted. And it seemed very important for Shen to find out something about his brother.

Finally, it was Tigress's turn to order. She was surprised to see Mr. Ping's brother Pong standing in the kitchen as well. The fat gander gave her a quick wave and while Mr. Ping finished the order for Tigress. Mr. Pong watched the work.

"So brother," he began with a scrutinizing look. "I think, you're chopping the veggies too thin. There has to be more in the soup."

Mr. Ping rolled his eyes. "I prepare the food the way I learned from father."

Pong distorted his beak. "Yes, of course. As always."

Mr. Ping narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Then he handed the bowls out to Tigress. The tiger woman thanked, then she disappeared. Yin-Yu watched as she joined her friends at the table. Then she thoughtfully let her gaze wander over the terrace and wished that Shen would sit next to her.

She stopped when she saw Liu and Xiang standing at the entrance in the next moment. Suddenly, Xiang grimaced and backed away from the patio door as if he had just discovered cockroaches in the kitchen. The peahen watched as Liu talked to him, but Xiang just shook his head vigorously.

"But you can't just go to bed without eating," Liu pointed out.

But Xiang didn't want to be persuaded by her to go to the restaurant. "Then bring me something. But I'm not going in there!"

"Oh, come on," she tried to encourage him. "They won't beat you up."

"It's enough if they look at me!"

"You don't have to sit at the same table with them." She tugged on his wing again, but the blue peacock just tore himself away from her.

"Do what you want," he grumbled and hobbled away. "But I eat outside!"

With disappointment, Liu watched as Xiang shuffled down the street with the crutch. She wondered if his leg were healthy, he would be in a better mood. But it's been almost 6 years since the accident. It was practically impossible for him to be able to move his leg normally again.

Thoughtfully, she went into the restaurant. Since the peacock family's table was not too far from the kitchen, Yin-Yu stood up from her seat as Liu passed them.

"Would you like to join us?" she asked.

Liu looked at her in surprise. "Oh, later. I have to carry out Xiang's food first."

"Isn't he eating with us?" Shenmi asked disappointed.

Liu looked at the white peacock girl warmly. It was good for her when someone else cared for Xiang besides her. But then she shook her head. "Well, I don't think so. He likes to eat alone." Then she turned to Mr. Ping. "A bowl to go, please."

Xia didn't say anything, but she seemed to be relieved not to have to eat with Xiang on the same terrace. As soon as Liu received the food, she went outside. Shenmi followed her with her eyes and watched as Liu left the terrace with the bowl in her wings and disappeared into the street. The white girl sighed and poked at her noodles.

"Why did you call him uncle?"

Xia's question made the little one flinch. It hadn't gone unnoticed that Xia still didn't like Xiang.

She looked up at her older sister shyly. "I just wanted to say something nice," she replied softly.

Xia snorted, then she continued eating her food.

Liu looked around. Finally, she found Xiang near the river bridge. There he sat down on a wall and stared gloomily into space. Slowly, she walked over to him.

"Here you are." She held the bowl out to him.

Xiang only gave her a sideways glance, then he snatched the bowl from her wings. Without thanks, he placed it on his lap and seemed to wait until Liu had disappeared again.

Liu was already used to his behavior and said goodbye. "Bon appétite."

Without waiting for an answer from Xiang, she knew he wouldn't answer anyway, she went back to the restaurant. There she ordered something for herself. But when she wanted to sit down at the table with Yin-Yu, she hesitated. Although Shenmi looked up curiously and Yin-Yu waved her over, only Xia was the only one who gave her a peeved look. Zedong, Fantao and Jian were the exception. They were too busy pulling out the noodles which they had thrown at each other for fun. Her mother's admonishing words didn't help either. Liu smiled and pulled a noodle out of Zedong.

"Hey, it's mine!" the peacock boy complained and took it back from her.

"Kids are pretty exciting," the younger peahen said.

Yin Yu sighed. "Well, they do something different every day."

Liu giggled. "Then I know what to expect in the near future."

Xia looked up in surprise. "Are you planning offspring?"

Liu sat down. "It's already there. In a few days it will happen."

Xia's chopsticks almost fell out of her finger feathers. "You're having children?"

Liu looked over at Yin-Yu. "Hasn't she told you that yet?"

Yin-Yu shook her head. "I thought, you might want to say it."

Liu's gaze wandered back to Xia, who didn't exactly look friendly. She sighed and tried to smile. "Well, more precisely, it's just one egg. But I'm looking forward to it."

But Xia didn't seem to agree with that peacefully. "Do you think that's wise?" she asked with a peeved undertone.

Liu looked at her blankly. "I beg your pardon?"

Xia bit back a nasty comment. She didn't want to mention to her mother that Xiang had secretly hurt and threatened her when she was a small child, which is why she gave an indirect answer. "I'm talking about whether it's wise to let a small child in his nearness."

"You mean Xiang?" Nervously, Liu rubbed her wings. "Well, I can understand that you and he didn't get along that well..." She tried to find the right words. "But I'm sure he'll be kinder to the child this time." She tried to smile again, but it wasn't succeeded as well as before. "He's made some progress over the years that we've been together."

Xia grimaced. "Must have been great progress," she remarked dryly and her eyes fell on Shenmi. "Even to her he had been mean."

Shenmi swallowed down her noodles in shock and didn't know whether she should say anything.

Liu tried to defuse the situation. "But that was two years ago," she protested. "He's been a lot quieter lately. Otherwise, he would never have agreed to marry me."

Xia turned her head to the side, offended. "Who believes that?" She flinched when she felt her mother's wing on her wing.

"Xia, that's enough now," Yin-Yu said with a serious look. "Let's talk about something else." And turned back to Liu. "How is it actually in Mendong City? Is the city still the same?"

Nobody had noticed how Shenmi left her seat and walked over to Mr. Ping. The girl was curious about Liu's statement that Xiang had calmed down and immediately she wanted to start a conversation with the blue peacock.

"Mr. Ping?" she asked over the counter.

The gander looked at her outside in surprise. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

"May I take the bowl outside for a moment?" the white girl asked.

"If you bring it back."

"Most certainly."

Quickly, the girl ran back to her seat and grabbed her bowl in her wings. "Mom, may I go out for a moment?"

Her mother looked at her in surprise. "With the bowl?"

"I'll bring it back in a moment," the girl assured and ran away in a hurry.

Xia wanted to get up, but her mother held her back. "Xia, keep your seat, please." Both suspected what the girl was up to, but Yin-Yu thought it's the best not to stop Shenmi. She hadn't had good experiences with Xiang during her married years either, but maybe there was some truth to Liu's statement.

Xiang scowled at the noodles. The thought of not being able to sit at a normal table because of his ex-family made him angry. He would have liked to leave immediately, but Liu couldn't possibly travel a long distance with the egg. Besides, she would only be disappointed by him. With a sigh, the blue peacock dropped the chopsticks into the noodles. He hated to admit it, but he really liked Liu, even though it was quite difficult for him at first. For a while, he didn't want to admit that he liked a girl like her. Since childhood, he had despised the females and vowed never to make their lives easier. Although, Yin-Yu had never been angry with him, he had always hated her. In every peahen, he had only seen his devilish mother or his brutal aunt. Even from Liu, he always fled when she entered the room. He kept believing that it was all in his dreams and that the truth was that his mother would come in to continue to bully him. Just the silhouette of a peahen could make him panic.

"Hi."

Xiang cried out in shock as the small form of a peacock girl appeared next to him out of nowhere. Only when he recognized Shenmi, he calmed down again, even though his heart was beating in his throat.

The white girl smiled at him. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

Gradually, Xiang managed to put on an angry expression again. "What do you want here?!"

"Can I sit next to you?"

"No," Xiang refused firmly and turned his head away from her. Why was that brat near him again?

The peacock girl looked at him questioningly. "Why not?"

"You're annoying," the blue peacock brushed her off. He wanted her gone.

"Then I'll just sit down here." With these words, the girl with the bowl went a little further away to the small stone wall and sat down there. Then she took the chopsticks and stuffed the noodles into her beak.

Xiang tried to ignore her, but the constant clatter of chopsticks rattled his nerves until his patience snapped.

"Can't I eat here in peace?!" he shouted. "I didn't go to the restaurant on purpose! Do you have to follow me down the street instead?!"

Shenmi looked at him in surprise. "How so? I just thought you needed someone to talk."

Xiang narrowed his eyes viciously. "I'm very good at keeping myself busy!"

"Oh." Shenmi stirred her noodles around. "Then I'll just stay seated. You don't have to talk. Then I won't say anything."

Shyly, she continued to eat her noodles. The blue peacock had averted his gaze from her again and both were silent. But new anger was building in Xiang. The presence of this girl constricted him inside. With each passing minute, his muscles tightened more and more until even his wings began to tremble. No matter how calmly Shenmi sat in her seat, he felt like he was on a torture rack. Above all, her calmness drove him insane. She had the best life anyone could have as a kid and sat there serenely while he had endured just hell.

His finger feathers dug into the bowl. Why did life give this brat more rest than him?!

With a loud bang, he set the bowl down on the stone wall and jumped at Shenmi on his left good leg in a huge leap that was never thought possible. "Get lost, you damn brat!"

Shenmi cried out in shock when Xiang grabbed her wing so roughly. But at the next moment, another wing grabbed him and squeezed him so hard that the blue peacock had to let go of the girl. Sheng pushed his ex-father away from Shenmi and forced him to the ground. Xiang tried to get up, but then Sheng applied another iron grip and pinned him with it.

Xiang glared at him angrily. "You damn…!"

Sheng choked off the next words by raising his wing admonishingly. "Touch her like that again," he threatened, "and you can feel what I've learned over the years."

Xiang trembled, but then he gave up resistance. When Sheng felt that he was no longer resisting, he loosened his grip. He let go of the blue peacock and turned back to his little sister. The girl was still somewhat stunned. It wasn't until her big brother grabbed her wing and picked up her bowl that she came alive again.

"Come Shenmi," Sheng instructed her and both walked up the street.

Xiang glared after them angrily.

When they were some distance away, Sheng looked at his sister. She looked up at him sadly. Finally, Sheng pressed the bowl into her wings.

"I won't tell mother anything," Sheng assured her. "But do me a favor and keep sufficient distance to him."

Shenmi didn't know what to say, but she nodded obediently. Although, she was much more disappointed by herself and wondered whether she had done anything wrong.

Pong frowned as he still stood in the kitchen and continued to watch his brother's work. "You still make the noodles like dad."

"Of course I do," Mr. Ping replied in surprise.

"Why don't you try something else?"

"What else?" Mr. Ping looked at his brother in surprise. "I already have so much. Dumplings, noodles and rice dishes. I've even had tofu on the menu card for a few years. Father never allowed me to do that back then."

"I meant something completely different," Mr. Pong objected. "A completely different flavor with different spices."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, for example curry. This is the latest trend in southern China."

Mr. Ping raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Curry?"

"Yes, and the whole thing in rice, and then bananas, or peaches on top."

"Bananas? Peaches? In the rice?"

"It tastes fantastic," Mr. Pong assured. "I also offer it in my restaurant and people love it."

"Well, I hardly think that's compatible," Mr. Ping asserted dryly. "Only vegetables go into my noodles and rice."

With these words, the gander turned back to the orders until his brother jerked him aside. "I'll prove it to you," Mr. Pong assured him. "Come on, I'll show you!"

Mr. Ping twisted his beak. "But I don't have corry."

"Curry," Mr. Pong corrected. "Don't worry, I brought some things with me."

Before Mr. Ping could say anything, Pong had disappeared outside. And it wasn't long before he came back with a cloth bag, which he immediately shook out on the counter. Out came a few little boxes. Then he strolled to a shelf and pulled out some food items. "Okay, let's take rice. And onions. Mix in a pan. Boil peaches…"

"Pong!" Mr. Ping complained. "It's still my kitchen!"

"But still our father's kitchen," his brother taught him.

Mr. Ping watched sullenly as his brother had the dish ready in a few minutes and poured it into a bowl. The rice was almost yellow now.

"Oh, please," Mr. Ping protested. "Peaches with rice and with this brown powder inside. Who is supposed to like that?"

"Let's ask one of the guests. Hey you mister!"

Mr. Pong waved his wing energetically after spotting Sheng at the entrance. "Come here!"

Sheng looked up in surprise. "Who? Me?"

"Of course you! Come here!"

Although, Sheng was very surprised that he was immediately asked to go to the kitchen, then he shrugged his shoulders. He told his little sister to go to their mother, then he went to the counter. On the way, he also passed the table where Pong's family was sitting. Liana was also among them. Sheng couldn't help but look over at her. Their eyes met. The goose's gaze was neutral at first, but the peacock thought she was secretly smiling at him. Quickly, he looked away and hurried to the counter, where Mr. Pong was longingly awaiting him.

"As a member of high society, you must have a sense of good taste," Mr. Pong said. "Here's a taste."

He held out the bowl. The peacock examined the contents. "And what's that?"

"Don't ask," Mr. Pong instructed him. "Just try."

In the meantime, Shenmi was back at her table. Her mother watched her with concern.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

Shenmi looked up at her abruptly. "No, no, everything's okay." And she sat down dutifully.

Xia glanced at her, but she didn't ask any questions.

Meanwhile, Sheng had grabbed a spoon and tasted the unknown meal. He let it melt in his mouth for a moment, then he nodded. "Tastes good. How is this called?"

Mr. Pong grew a few inches. "This, mister, is the new food trend in southern China. Now I can even say that even royals recommend this recipe."

"Can I try that, too?" a pig next to Sheng asked.

"Me too!" a rabbit urged.

The people pushed forward energetically. Sheng was unintentionally pushed back. He wiped the heads of a few guests with his long feathers.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sheng apologized and turned around. But instead, he accidentally dunked his long feathers in a bowl of soup.

"Oh, I'm very sorry." Quickly, the peacock retrieved his feathers again. But as he was about to walk away, someone stepped on his long peacock tail. Sheng only felt a tug and he knew immediately that he now had one feather less. Startled, he spun around and crashed against a table. Shortly thereafter, he looked straight into Liana's face.

Ashamed, he braced himself on the tabletop, blushing extremely under the feathers.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I'm not used to standing in a small space with the long feathers."

The goose giggled. "It doesn't matter. Nothing happened..."

"Hello Sheng!" In the next moment, Monkey landed next to him. "The master was looking for you."

"For me?"

"You should be in the palace."

"Oh, is he still awake?"

Monkey scratched his head. "Uh, I think..."

"Then maybe we still have something to talk about!" Sheng interrupted him. "It's the best if we go immediately."

With these words, he pushed the stunned Monkey to the exit, while Sheng shouted to his mother: 2Mother, I'm in the palace!" Then he hurried to the street. The main thing was that he was out of Liana's field of vision. He was still embarrassed about it all, and he could only hope that she would forget his mishaps as soon as possible.

Gradually, the restaurant emptied. A few more guests ordered something from Pong's new food. Much to the frustration of Mr. Ping, who didn't like the new kitchen at all. Yin-Yu also went to the exit with the children. Liu accompanied her. Next to the entrance, she noticed an empty soup bowl that Xiang simply had put there after he finished eating. Then the peacock had retired to his room.

The two married peahens said goodbye. Liu immediately went to her room, where it was already dark. The peahen looked over at the bed where Xiang had already lain down. She sighed. He still seemed disappointed from that evening. She would have loved to snuggle up to him. But when Xiang was in a bad mood, he didn't want anything from her.

Quietly, she went to the blankets where her egg lay. Gently, she stroked the eggshell. She could only hope that the birth of the baby would put an end to his anger.

"Why doesn't Sheng sleep with us?" Zedong wasn't enthusiastic about his mother's announcement, who had to make it clear to her son that Sheng would probably stay at the palace for the next few days.

"Where's the fun in that?" the peacock boy continued to complain.

His mother put her wings on his shoulders. "Boy, Sheng is a grown man with responsibilities of his own."

"If that means there's no pillow fight, then adult life is pretty dull."

With disappointment, the boy disappeared into his room, where his two brothers were already jumping around on the beds.

"Mother?" Yin-Yu turned to her older daughter. "Shenmi wanted you to say good night to her."

The peahen raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "But I always do that."

While Xia was still getting ready for bed, the mother peacock went to the guest room, where Shenmi and Xia had their beds. The white girl was already in bed.

"Well, how do you like your bed?" her mother asked. It wasn't nearly as luxurious as the palace at home, but the children had never complained about primitive things. On the contrary, sometimes they would rather play in the mud than with their toys.

Shenmi nodded slightly. "It's okay."

Thoughtfully, her mother sat next to her on the bed. "Is anything wrong?"

"When is dad coming back?" Shenmi wanted to know.

"I'm not sure yet," Yin-Yu answered truthfully. "But I think, he is back soon."

The girl also probably missed her father because it was Shen who always said goodnight to her and it was rare that he missed it.

Yin-Yu looked at her daughter. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Shenmi even seemed about to say something, but then she shook her head. "No."

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "Really not?"

The girl shook her head again. "No, nothing."

Although she would have liked to ask something more about Xiang, but she feared that she would upset someone again and decided to keep quiet about tonight's incident for the time being.

Yin-Yu nodded understandingly and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Then she left the room. Xia also wished her good night before she went to Shenmi's room. As soon as she was gone, Yin-Yu went to a window and looked up at the starry sky. "Oh, Shen. I hope you are well."

The stars twinkled in the Japanese night sky like in China, but yet Shen thought, even the atmosphere was different here. But maybe it was just the company. Annoyed, his gaze wandered back. The panda always leaned against a tree or rock and massaged his feet. For hours, they had been marching through the lonely forests without encountering a single civilization.

"Shen," the panda panted, "I don't want to complain..."

"Then don't do it at all!" Shen interrupted him with a cold undertone. "If you can't keep up, you can turn back."

With a sigh, the panda pulled himself together for a new march. "But could we maybe take a little longer break?"

Shen raised his beak defiantly and just kept walking. The panda followed him laboriously.

After a few meters, the white peacock stopped abruptly and pointed to the side of the road. "Here we set up our camp for the night."

As soon as he finished speaking, the panda just dropped onto the grass.

A little later, a campfire was burning. Po had made a bed out of twigs while Shen covered himself with a blanket, which he had brought with him. When the two finally calmed down, Po couldn't help but ask a question.

"Shen?" he asked quietly. "Have you always wanted a brother?"

Shen was silent, so Po kept talking. "Well, I would be happy if I found out that I have siblings." When Shen didn't answer again, Po glanced over at him curiously. "Don't you?"

Shen simply rolled onto his side and turned his back on the panda.

Sobered, Po lay down again. "Oh okay. Yes, had been a long day. - Well then, good night."

It wasn't long before Po was sound asleep. Only Shen didn't sleep. His thoughts kept circling around his head. Above all, he was concerned with one question: What was his brother doing right now?