I served as Li Bai's page.

After settling into his new home, Li Bai became the true master of the house, spending his days lingering on Baizhao Mountain.

That day, right after breakfast, Li Bai walked up to my door and called out, "Yuehua, I've found a particularly quiet place perfect for reading. Come on, I'll show you."

Li Bai and I left through the main gate and headed west, winding around two valleys until we came to a stream flowing downhill. The stream was crystal clear, with fish occasionally swimming among the water. The stream was surrounded by peach trees covering the hillsides, and it was the peak season for peaches; the aroma of the peaches was mouthwatering.

"Young Master, how did you find this place? Don't you usually go up the mountain?"

"Can't I go down a bit further? Isn't it beautiful here? There's even more amazing stuff to see. Come with me." Li Bai said, leading me through the peach grove, around the stream, and down to the cliff face on the opposite side.

"Moonlight, look, what's here?"

I looked closely and saw a cave hidden among the tall, waist-high mountain grass and peach trees, with a stream flowing out from the bottom of the cave.

Li Bai and I parted the mountain grass, and a large cave appeared. The cave was sloping upwards, and there were stone steps to climb up, but the stone steps were filled with mud, so they were not visible unless you looked carefully.

"Young master, this cave was once used by people, otherwise why would there be stone steps?" I said.

"I also happened to see it yesterday at the foot of this mountain, but it was getting dark, so I didn't dare to go into the cave."

Li Bai stepped onto the muddy stone steps, wanting to climb up, but after a few steps, the mud was too slippery, so he turned back.

"Young Master, come back, let me handle this," I said.

I drew my sword, cut a thick branch from the side, and used it as a crutch to climb the stone steps one by one. After climbing several steps, I arrived at a wide platform. A stream flowed down a ditch beside the platform. The cave ceiling was split in the middle, allowing ample sunlight to shine through.

When Li Bai arrived at the cave, he exclaimed, "Wonderful! Wonderful! I have found the perfect place to study!"

"Young Master, this place is a good place, but it needs to be renovated and carefully laid out before it's suitable for studying," I said.

"Let's get right to it. Go back and find Wu Chao and the other two, bring them the tools, and we'll sort it out today," Li Bai said.

"Young Master, Wu Chao and I will have to do the work. You should go back; the young mistress will be angry again if she can't find you. It might be difficult for you to study here before the baby is born."

"Let's tidy this up first. The young mistress can't expect me to follow her every step of the way. Besides, you're here; just coax her a little."

"It's your business to coax him. Come on, let's go back and talk about it tomorrow," I said.

"I'm not leaving. I want to stay a little longer. This is what true freedom of body and mind feels like."

Li Bai paced back and forth in the cave, planning where to put a table here, a bed there, where to put paper, brushes, inkstones, and books.

"Is the plan finished, young master? Let's go home," I urged.

Li Bai reluctantly left the cave, and we arrived at the peach orchard. I picked a large bag full of peaches and carried it home.

Just as they reached the main entrance, they heard Xu Ziyan sitting on the balcony outside the hall shouting, "Go find my son-in-law! I haven't seen him all morning."

Li Bai followed me cautiously inside. He stood in front of the artificial hill, just in time to avoid being seen by the young mistress.

"Yuehua, go and make the young mistress happy first, then I'll go over."

"Young Master, why don't you just tell me to go and get scolded first before you show up? Do you think I can please the Young Madam?"

"How will you know if you don't try? Go now, and listen to me."

With a broad smile, I walked towards Xu Ziyan carrying a large bag of peaches, calling out as I went, "Young Madam, look what I brought you back! These are peaches bestowed upon you by the Queen Mother of the West. They're sweet and delicious; try them if you don't believe me!"

I went to Xu Ziyan, took out a big, red peach, and handed it to Xiaoqian, saying, "Quickly, peel it for the young mistress."

"Yuehua, stop covering for your young master! Tell me, where have you two been all morning?"

"Young mistress is truly insightful. Young master sought a study platform in Bai Zhao Mountain, and his efforts have paid off; he has found one."

"Where is it?" Xu Ziyan asked.

"Young Master, come quickly and tell the Young Madam where the reading platform is," I called out.

Li Bai emerged from behind the artificial hill and said, "Let me tell you in detail, my lady: The reading platform is located in the Peach Blossom Cave on Peach Blossom Rock, not far from here. It is spacious and bright inside, with plenty of sunlight thanks to the cracks in the mountain. You can even see the blue sky and white clouds inside. A small stream flows gently down the cave, which is perfect for washing ink after writing."

Xu Ziyan said, "With such a wonderful place, you only discovered it after wandering around for half a month?"

Li Bai said, "Madam, you are unaware of what I have been searching for in the past. I have longed to climb to the summit of Baizhao Peak, but nothing seems suitable. The temples on the summit offer no place for me to study. Yesterday, I stood atop the peak and looked down. I saw lush trees and dense peach orchards below, especially the towering cliffs and winding ravines on the west side of Baizhao Peak. I followed the mountain path down to a deep ravine halfway up the mountain, where this cave is hidden among these peach orchards, atop the precipice."

"Are you going to call Yuehua over today to clean up your cave?" Xu Ziyan asked.

"No, I just sent Yuehua to take a look. We need Madam's permission to tidy up."

"I won't agree without having inspected the site myself. I'll only agree if you let me go and see if there's any danger."

"Honey, that's not realistic. You're not suited for activities like climbing hills and slopes right now, and the kids will complain too," Li Bai said.

"Then forget about the reading platform. We'll talk about it after I give birth. That's all for today. Where are my peaches? Xiaoqian, bring them to me."

Xiaoqian handed the peach to Xu Ziyan, who took a bite and said, "This peach tastes good, you all should have some. Yuehua, pick more tomorrow."

"Yes, young mistress," I replied.

Li Bai said, "Is it really that delicious? Xiaoqian, get me one too."

After lunch, I took a hoe and led Wu Chao to Peach Blossom Cave.

"Wu Chao, it's a hole in this overgrown weeds. The young master has taken a liking to this place and wants to turn it into a reading platform. Let's discuss how to renovate it."

Wu Chao used a hoe to clear away the weeds in front of him, revealing a naturally large hole. Wu Chao then used the hoe to clear away the mud that had slid onto the stone steps, revealing that the stone steps were wide and sturdy.

"We need to repair the stone steps and walls to make them smooth and flat, so that people won't trip over them," Wu Chao said.

We climbed the stone steps and arrived at the platform inside the cave. Wu Chao exclaimed in amazement:

"I've lived in Da'an Mountain for over twenty years, frequently traveling between Baizhao Mountain and other areas, and I never knew there was such a natural cave."

"My young master has a good eye, doesn't he? Back in our hometown, he immediately recognized Xiaokuang Mountain as his study platform, and thus studied diligently there for over a decade, achieving his current success. Today, he has recognized Peach Blossom Rock as his study platform, so Peach Blossom Rock will also be remembered for eternity along with his poems and essays," I said.