Black Mountain got a faceful of spit from the gray donkey. He wiped his face. "I-I wasn't talking about you! I'm looking for that little bald donkey!"
The gray donkey refused to let it go. It pawed the ground, then let out another string of brays of varying lengths. "Hee-haw... hee... hee-haw! Haw-!?"
Black Mountain was utterly bewildered. He turned to Xie Changsheng. "What's it jabbering about now?"
Seated on the donkey's back, Xie Changsheng began translating as though it were perfectly natural. "It says..."
"First, its coat is thick, and it's handsome and dashing. The word 'bald' has nothing to do with it, so watch your mouth."
"Second, next time you insult someone, make it clear who you're talking about. Don't catch an innocent, beautiful donkey like it in the crossfire."
Black Mountain's bear mouth fell open. He looked at the gray donkey, then at Xie Changsheng, disbelief written all over his face. "Wait... what?"
"...It only went hee-haw a few times just now... and you got that whole speech out of it?!"
Xie Changsheng shrugged. "That's how my old pal talks. Brief but to the point."
Right on cue, the gray donkey raised its neck and tossed its mane, looking for all the world as if to say, That's right. There's that much depth to me.
Red Bean crouched on Si Chen's shoulder, tilting its little head curiously as it stared at the gray donkey. Then it chirped, as though saying hello.
The gray donkey's ears twitched. It turned toward Red Bean, looked it up and down, then gave a much more polite "hee-haw."
And so the donkey and the bird began chatting, trading "hee-haws" and chirps.
Black Mountain's eyes nearly popped out. What the hell kind of creature was this donkey?!
Xie Changsheng ignored the commotion. His