"Shifu!"

Shifu glanced upwards as Zeng pounded straight into his office chamber and placed his hand on the table. Shifu flicked his ear in alarm, as Zeng was acting quite…giddy.

"What is it?"
"I need to show you something." Zeng spoke. "Down in the training courtyard."
Shifu's gaze flickered and blinked. "Ah, you're finally going to let me down there now, are you?"
Zeng shrugged. "Like I said, the servants were cleaning it up."

"It didn't need to be clean."
"Yeah it did," Zeng nodded, trying literally everything he could to keep Shifu from finding out his secret so he could deliver Shifu to the courtyard in surprise. Sure, maybe the servant cleaning thing wasn't the BEST, but he had to do something! No wonder why it's not the best since Shifu usually makes sure it's kept clean. "It was so messed up, I think the assistants were trying to get something but they didn't know where everything was so they made a mess."
Shifu placed his hand over his eyes in frustration and annoyance. "They should have asked me or you."

"True." Zeng nodded, a slight glitter in his eyes in the fact that he was tricking Shifu. Wow, he must really trust me! Zeng felt a rush of hope as swift as ever hearing Shifu's words, even if he was lying to make it a surprise. Plus, it was sort of fun. "But they were a bit impulsive."

Shifu let out a sigh and flickered open his gaze. "It's cleaned up now?"
"Yeah, that's what I wanted to show you," Zeng said, making sure to look Shifu straight in the eye as he spoke for he knew that Shifu could catch someone lying fairly fast most times. "Come on."

Zeng led Shifu out of the palace from the back and walked down the little trail to the training hall courtyard, where Zeng almost held his breath in fear of someone ruining something. Everyone was quiet, and it seemed as if the whole palace seemed to be locked in a "freeze-time" except for Shifu and Zeng.

Shifu blinked at Zeng as they entered the training hall, but said nothing. Everyone was quiet, as Zeng was talking so that the guests inside wouldn't speak so it can intensify the amount of the "surprise."
Frankly speaking, Zeng just hoped that they would be able to pull this off.

Zeng sighed and opened the doors to the training hall courtyard, as Shifu helped him on the other side since they were double doors. (why he couldn't just walk through one, idk)

Shifu blinked as he saw everyone randomly standing in the training hall and was about to speak, but everyone already beat him to it, as did Zeng, who was standing right beside him.

"Happy Birthday!"
Shifu thought he heard Mei Lang blow a horn. As Shifu glanced around, he just blankly stared at everyone's excited glances and his student's bows in front of him. Shifu blinked. What is….going on?

Shifu took a step forward, and still was speechless as he glanced around the decorated courtyard, all planned by some friends and his students. And apparently annoying Zeng who aided in the surprise.

Zeng gently pushed Shifu forward as one of his students grasped his arm, leading him forward as Shifu just gently glanced at his student in amusement, surprise, and rather a glint of honor.

Po bowed to Shifu in deepest respect, but no one else ever said anything as Shifu just blinked, still awestruck that someone would go through all of this for him.

Shifu flicked his ear, well aware that everyone was silent while watching him (which was quite uncomfortable), and glanced at the ground before speaking. When he finally did, he continued glancing around in shock.

"I…I don't know what to say," Shifu blinked. "Thank you."

Mei Lang nodded. "Yeah, well, it wasn't all OUR idea," Mei Lang looked over at Shifu's students and winked. "They pretty much organized most of it."

Shifu blinked, and suddenly understood all of their pleas for an apparent longer break time, which was something they rarely had the heart to ask for since Shifu's usually very strict on training. He felt slightly amused that his students had the heart to plan this behind his back, but I suppose it wasn't for the bad.

As if Shifu's thoughts had struck a gong in his student's mind, Monkey spoke from Shifu's side.

"I'm sorry we had to lie to you, Master," Monkey said, gazing at his master meaningfully. "But it's….hard to keep something from you."
"I'd say." Zeng grunted. "I've been here with you for 17 years and you're still the same old pain-in-the-neck."
Mei Lang let out a laugh. "You're one to talk about pains-in-necks."

Zeng shot Mei Lang an annoyed yet amused meaningful glance, which was returned between the two of them for a while until Uncle Yang eventually stood up and spoke.

"All right, you two, be quiet," Uncle Yang scoffed lightheartedly at the two of them, and then glanced at Shifu. "It's his 80th Birthday, after all, that's a pretty big deal."
Shifu inwardly groaned to himself. There it is, He heaved a sigh. Someone has to mention my age, don't they?
"Come on, Master," Monkey continued to bring him forward to the table, where everyone shot him rather meaningful glances while muttering "happy birthday" and offering him random things. Shifu didn't know what it was, but apparently Mei Lang and Uncle Yang were trying to push something on him, as usual.

Shifu sighed. He's hardly gotten something like this on his birthday, and it's not like the day he was born was necessarily the happiest, either, due to his heart failure in his early moments. (From Broken to Revered: Grandmaster Shifu's early life (kfp fanfic) *read this for more information)

Po placed his hand on his master's shoulder and shared glances with Tigress in relief. We really pulled it off…Po thought in relief and in happiness, I just now hope that Master Shifu enjoys all of it.

"...it took me a long time, but I finally got it." Monkey seemed rather glad that he was able to complete his gift to his master in time, although the one he was originally working on had been messed up, he was able to complete a new one.

"Of course you did," Shifu said, proudly, "It's beautiful, my student."
Everything seemed to be going according to plan, but the students didn't want to trip the system up. Usually it's a you-say-something-positive-you-get-something-negative type of a deal that the students didn't want EVER but especially not on their master's birthday. They wanted it to be special for him, because he's done so much for the palace and for his students alone that he never has time for himself, more or less.

Po had felt rather embarrassed offering flowers to his master (which seemed like a girly thing but then he remembered that there's the peach tree and a massive garden that Shifu liked to uphold.) He then didn't feel as awkward, but he felt relieved when Shifu had honestly thanked him, as if he liked it. Although, Mr. Ping had told Po that he probably would anyway, since he seems like the kind of individual that would care for anything his student's gave him.

Po, honestly, was just relieved that they had been able to pull this kind of thing off without Shifu really knowing. Zeng even said that it was quite amusing to do (and of course, because Zeng literally annoys Shifu like Mei Lang annoys Piao).

For once, some kind of party at the Jade Palace will actually be pulled off successfully.