The Last Victory

30. The Explanation

"Po?"
The panda raised his head. "Yes, dad?"
"Don't you want to come in?"
Po sat on a bench next to the restaurant and watched the sunset.
"I won't be a jiffy, dad."
In the next moment, Mr. Ping appeared next to him. "You seem to be a little worried, my son. Anything wrong?"
"Oh, I'm thinking. This and that."
"Aha. And about what, for example?"
"Well, I mean, everything seems fine. Everything's alright. And yet, so much is confusing. As if your life were a bowl of noodles that you can never get out of."
The gander was irritated for a moment. Then he smiled mischievously. "I think I'll make tofu for your dinner today... How are Shen and his family doing?"
Po sat up. "Oh, well, they are fine... you might say that... more or less. They are allowed to stay in Gongmen City for a short time. They moved into a house with Soothsayer. They will stay there until the little children are strong enough."
Mr. Ping smiled. "I would have loved to see the picture you held her in your arms. I really would have loved to see that. Well, who knows. Maybe one day it will be so far that you..." He paused. "Well, maybe someday... I'll make you your meal, Po!"
With that, the gander disappeared back into the restaurant, while Po was left alone on the bench. Sighing, he leaned against the wall again. He'd been racking his brain all day long about how it was possible that eggs that were broken first could grow back together out of the blue.
Groaning, Po rubbed his head. All this thinking gave him a headache.
"Hello, Dragon Warrior."
Startled, the panda straightened up and looked around hastily. He knew that voice from somewhere...
"Up here."
The panda's eyes wandered to the roof of the house opposite, where a dark little figure crouched.
"Ryuga?" Po leaped down from the bench. "I thought, you were arrested!"
The raven puffed up his feathers. "I flew away before the whole meltdown broke out."
Po put his legs firmly on the floor. "And what are you doing here? Do you want to cause trouble?"
"Trouble?" The raven looked at him in surprise. "Why should I?"
Po narrowed his eyes. "It was you who threw the eggs into the abyss... Or at least... or did you, or didn't you?" Again everything tumbled in Po's head.
The raven croaked in amusement. "I suspected that this question would come up that is why I flew here to explain something to you."
Po looked at him with a frown. "Explain something to me?"
Ryuga put his finger feathertips together. "Well, I admit it was really me who stole the eggs. But I didn't destroy them."
Po bowed his head. "But... the eggshells..."
Ryuga raised a wing. "First of all, you should know that the whole time, shortly after you arrived in Yin Yan City, I was hiding in the bedroom of the Lord and Lady. When the lord and his wife had left the room, I used the time and copied the painted signs on the eggs on empty eggshells with a brush. Then I took these painted, empty eggshells out in a basket and hid them in the mountains. I was careful not to give you any sleeping pills. I had to wake you up so that you become aware of the theft."
Po stood there, quite taken by surprise. Gradually, a light dawned on him while Ryuga continued: "When you were still behind the hill, I hid the basket with the real eggs in the rocks and instead I took out the basket with the empty eggshells. Then I threw them into the abyss."
The panda clapped his forehead with a paw. "So that's how it was! So then, was that..."
"Yes, the empty eggshells were pure fakes. Unfortunately, or maybe it was luck after all, the lord's undamaged eggs were found by a few walkers before I could get them back."
"Weren't you worried that something might happen to them?" Po asked.
The raven waved it off. "Of course, I immediately looked around for them and also spotted the hikers. As I passed by, I called out to them to stop by Yin Yan City. Still, I thought it would be best to go with Xiang. If only he had suspected... " He shook his feathers. "Better you don't tell him that it was me."
Po frowned. "And why are you telling me all this? Why don't you say that those who own the eggs... well, chicks actually now... that is, who own them. Why don't you tell Shen and Yin-Yu your story personally?"
The raven shook his head. "It's the best that you explain it to them in a message. I will fly back to Japan to my relatives again. Well then, goodbye!"
Po would have liked to talk to him, but the raven was apparently in a hurry to get out of China as soon as possible. The raven fluttered, made another lap of honor, then he flew away. Po waved to him until Ryuga was gone in the evening sun.
"Nice bird," the panda muttered and was visibly happy that he no longer had that big question mark in his head. But no sooner was this riddle solved than the next one followed.
Thoughtfully, he put his head back and looked up at the sky. Everyone was happy and satisfied... except one.