7. Cold-warm Dinner

"I really didn't notice that he stuck in the helmet." Po had to laugh after this sentence.

They were all sitting at a large table in the dining room. The panda couldn't help telling a few of his adventures and repeated the story of the stolen helmet. "And then I had kicked him away. Oh. I hope he doesn't hold it against me. By the way, he's a nice bird." With that, he took a bowl of soup and drained it.

Yin-Yu smiled. She shared one side of the table with her husband Shen, while Xia and Sheng sat around the corner next to her. Po sat facing them. Much to Shen's annoyance, who didn't seem to like the panda's presence at all. In the entire time since they started dinner, he hadn't said a word. Though Po kept throwing him smiles, the white lord didn't reply a bit.

Yin-Yu tried as best as possible to intercept the conversations at the table. "Oh yes," she began when Po reported so cheerfully about Takeo's mishap. "He had served as a messenger in the city of Xiang for many years."

Po let the bowl sink. "In the city of Xiang?"

The peahen nodded. "Yes, after none of my family or his family took over the town administration, Takeo asked about work here one day. As he is a reliable messenger, we finally hired him. It wasn't easy for his family to gain a foothold in China."

"I can understand it well," Po said and reached for a bowl of rice.

Shen narrowed his eyes. Why had he let himself be persuaded to invite this panda? Whenever he saw him, a dark shadow came over him. Or was it all just a bad dream?

A few weeks earlier...

The white peacock couldn't get it out of his head, why the soothsayer had clasped his wings so tightly when she wished them good luck for their future. He knew her too well for that. It wasn't her way of saying and suggesting anything for no reason. This became particularly clear to him when Yin-Yu announced her pregnancy. Should that be the luck for the future?

It had been a few days since then and Shen wouldn't let go of the thought. He had to talk to the soothsayer about it. Even if he had to force it out of her.

The lord was arriving at her room when he heard her talking to her great-nephew. Shen didn't really want to listen, but when he heard the word "future" he pricked up his ears and stopped in front of the closed door.

"If you're so sure it wasn't a glimpse into the future," he heard Ling say. "Then why are you so worried? I don't always have good dreams either."

Soothsayer sighed. "I don't know either, Ling. Something was bothering me. This burned plumage. And I've had such a terrible feeling ever since. As if something terrible is coming our way."

Her great-nephew let out a loud breath. "Oh aunt, what's the worst that could happen? If you are so unsure, why don't you just take a look into the future?"

"No, I can't!" she said. "I vowed never to look into the future again. I don't want to be responsible again for causing calamity. I still feel complicit that an entire panda village had been killed after that. If it were not that ominous feeling. Something bad is in the air."

The peacock could hear her cane clattering on the ground. Her steps were extremely heavy.

"No," Soothsayer muttered wistfully. "I just can't. I can't see it again. I can't."

Shen blinked. At the table, Xia and Sheng had started discussing whether it would be boys or girls.

"Well, a sister will definitely be there," Xia said acidly and crossed her wings.

"I can ask for a brother too, right?" Sheng said, offended.

Po took a chopstick and tapped it against a bowl. "Hey, guys."

The eyes of the two siblings wandered over to him. "Has it ever occurred to any of you that it might be four girls or four boys?"

At first there was silence. Then Xia hit the table with her wings. "Mum! I want a sister!"

"I want a brother!" Sheng interrupted her.

Her mother smiled. "I'm sorry, but I don't have to decide that. Not even your father."

All eyes turned to Shen. Everyone was shocked when they noticed his icy stare. A cold shiver ran down Po's back and he tried it with a nice comment. "Have you already thought of names?"

Shen's eyes narrowed. "Is that all you can think of?!"

Silence fell. Shen was annoyed by the looks of everyone around. He got up and left the room.

"Um, maybe we should go to bed now," Yin-Yu suggested.

"That's a very good idea," Po agreed and stood up.

"Xia, could you show him his room?" the lady asked.

Your daughter nodded. "Okay."

Then her mother left the dining room quickly, too.

With a violent swing, Shen pushed open the doors to the bedroom. To his inner relief, the clutch lay unchanged in the blankets. He kept standing in the room in silence and listened attentively when he heard footsteps behind him. He heard her approach. Then she stopped.

After about half a minute she started talking. "Why, Shen?"

The white peacock didn't turn to face her yet. "You know, I don't like it that you invited him over to us."

The peahen sighed deeply. Shen sucked in air as she lowered her wings on his shoulders. "I'm sure he won't hurt them."

He pushed her away. "You don't know him as well as I do!" he chipped off her words and first walked in a circle before turning to her.

She raised her wings carefully. "I know what you've heard from her," she continued in a soft voice when she remembered how Shen had told her about the soothsayer's words. Both had vowed not to hide anything from each other. And somehow Shen regretted that oath now. "But she hadn't mentioned a word about the panda. Maybe it doesn't mean anything."

But Shen wasn't so convinced and looked uncertainly at the eggs.

Almost pleading, she came up to him and cupped his face.

"Please calm down," she asked him. "At least try to stay calm."

She stroked his cheek. Finally, the peacock took a deep breath. "Alright."

A little relieved, she gave him a kiss. Then she sat down on the blankets. "Don't you want to go to bed, too?"

But Shen shook his head. "I'll keep watch tonight."

Yin-Yu wanted to say something, but she knew him well enough that nothing could stop him. So she let him.

Nobody noticed the dark shadow that lingered in a dark corner of the room and watched the couple.

"So this is your room," Xia said.

Po looked around excitedly. The room wasn't big, but the furniture was beautifully carved and decorated. On the side there was a nice, comfortable bed and a couple of tables and vases. Some of them even had cherry blossoms inside. And the window also offered a nice view.

"Wow, you don't dare to touch anything," Po joked and stroked a gilded table frame.

Xia nodded. "Yes, even in the guest room we didn't save." But then she had to yawn loudly. "I think, I'll go to bed now, too."

"Oh yes, of course," Po said understandingly. "It was also a long day."

The girl nodded. "Yes, but I am usually never tired that quickly."

Po giggled. "We're all not getting any younger."

Xia grinned viciously and gave him a kick. "Well then, good night."

"Good night, Xia." Po waved to her until she closed the door. Then the panda stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Mm, actually I'm not really tired..."

In the next second, he began to snore.