The Panda and the Turtle (Book 1)

Chapter 2: Po's Life

Po tried to clear his head and woke up.

"Po! Get up!" Mr. Ping called out.

Po looked around his room and saw that it's filled with various kung fu posters (including a poster featuring all of the Five) and souvenirs, and a wooden version of the Sword of Heroes (the green sword). Po sighed and attempted to kick himself to his feet, but found his belly too worthy a foe.

"Po! What are you doing up there?" Mr. Ping asked.

"Uh, nothing!" Po replied.

He hopped to his feet and faced his action figures.

"Hi-ya! Monkey! Mantis! Crane! Viper! Tigress! Grrraahh—." Po said before he stopped.

Outside on the balcony of the neighboring house, a pig watering flowers started at Po. Po tried to play it cool and then quickly ducked out of sight

"Po! Let's go!" Mr. Ping called out. "You're late for work."

"Coming!" Po replied.

Po took a ninja star from his floor and chucked it at the wall, but it bounced off. He threw the star again, but it bounced off again. He quickly picked it up and headed downstairs where he tripped and fell the rest of the way. He fell flat on his face on the kitchen floor. A panda-shaped shadow loomed over Po.

"Sorry, Dad." Po apologized.

"Sorry doesn't make the noodles." Mr. Ping said as he revealed that the shadow is actually caused by a basket being carried by a himself; small goose.

Po got to work in the shop's small kitchen.

"What were you doing up there?" Mr. Ping asked. "All that noise."

"Oh, nothing." Po replied. "I just had a crazy dream."

"About what?" Mr. Ping asked.

"Huh?" Po asked.

"What were you dreaming about?" Mr. Ping asked as he put down the basket and began chopping vegetables next to Po as he listened.

"What was I...? Uh...I was dreaming about..." Po answered as he saw Mr. Ping listening expectantly and can't bring himself to say the truth. He glanced down at the bowl he's holding. "Uh...noodles."

Mr. Ping stopped chopping vegetables.

"Noodles? You were really dreaming about noodles?" Mr. Ping asked.

"Uh, yeah." Po said. "What else would I be dreaming about?"

Po handed a bowl of noodles to a customer, then realized his throwing star was sitting in it.

"Oh, careful! That soup is...sharp." Po said.

"Oh, happy day! My son, finally having the noodle dream!" Mr. Ping said excitedly before he began rummaging through something and arrived with an apron and a noodle hat. He tied the apron around Po's waist and placed the noodle hat in Po's paws. " You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment. This is a sign, Po."

Po looked at the noodle hat, nervously.

"Uh...a sign of what?" Po asked.

"You are almost ready to be entrusted
with the secret ingredient of my Secret Ingredient Soup. And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant!" Mr Ping answered before he quickly ran over to section of wall with three portraits and pointed at them accordingly.

"As I took it over from my father, who took it over from his father...who won it from a friend in mahjong." Mr. Ping continued.

"Dad, Dad, Dad, it was just a dream." Po chuckled nervously.

"No, it was the dream. We are noodle folk.
Broth runs through our veins." Mr. Ping said as he handed two customers their bowls without even looking at them.

"But, Dad, didn't you ever, I dunno, want
to do something else? Something besides noodles?" Po asked.

"Actually, when I was young and crazy, I thought about running away and learning how to make tofu." Mr. Ping admitted.

"So why didn't you?" Po asked again.

"Oh, because it was a stupid dream.  Can you imagine me making tofu?" Mr. Ping laughed. "Tofu. No! We all have our place in this world. Mine is here, and yours is..."

"I know, is here." Po said.

"No, it's at tables 2, 5, 7, and 12." Mr Ping corrected as he loaded Po's arms with bowls of soup. "Service with a smile."

A gong sound was heard in the distance. Po sighed and looked out the window at the distant Jade Palace.