The mountains gleamed beneath newly cleared skies.
Xuanzang and his disciples walked slowly west along the mountain road.
Yesterday's rain had beaten back much of the summer heat in the mountains.
After walking for a while, Bajie plucked a mugwort leaf and sniffed it. "Hmm? Master, the Dragon Boat Festival's coming up, isn't it?"
Xuanzang nodded. "It should be sometime in the next few days."
Bajie sighed. "Missed it again."
Wukong walked ahead, a grass stem he had snapped off somewhere dangling from his mouth. At that, he turned his head. "Idiot, what did you miss?"
"Rice dumplings!"
Bajie answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "Back in Gao Village, we'd already be wrapping them by now. Sweet ones, savory ones, ones with dates, ones with beans. Delicious!"
A-Hu listened with curiosity and asked as she walked, "Master, are rice dumplings really that good?"
Xuanzang nodded. "Bajie speaks the truth. When I was returning east, I passed through Khotan on the night of the full moon during the Dragon Boat Festival. I took rice from the Jade River and gathered reed leaves along the marsh to make vegetarian rice dumplings, which I shared with the monks and faithful devotees. Everyone enjoyed them."
Hearing this, Bajie immediately perked up and hurried a few steps to A-Hu's side.
"See? Even Master says they're good. Tiger Sister, when we come across a village up ahead, I'll wrap some for you all."
A-Hu nodded happily. "All right!"
Little White Dragon said, "You're clearly the one who wants to eat them, but you just have to pretend you're doing it for everyone else!"
Bajie glared at him.
Sha Wujing, bringing up the rear with the carrying pole on his shoulder, smiled too.
The group followed the mountain road, crossed a