I served as Li Bai's page.

"Young Master, is your purpose in coming to Dongting Lake just to visit Young Master Wu's grave?" I asked.

"I'm not just going to look at it; I'm going to move Brother Zhinan's grave."

"The journey to Western Shu is long, and we won't be returning there for the time being. Where would you like to move him?"

"After some consideration, I found an excellent burial site east of Ezhou City. I'll bury Brother Zhinan there. Ezhou City is located on the banks of the Yangtze River, so Brother Zhinan can gaze upon the river day and night, as if returning to his hometown."

I was speechless. I knew Li Bai was fulfilling his duty as a friend, but whether Wu Zhinan was buried by Dongting Lake or east of Ezhou City, it was still a foreign land for him. Alone in a foreign land, he was a stranger, even in spirit.

After resting for a night, Li Bai and I left Yueyang Ancient City through the west gate early the next morning, heading towards the fishing village on the small island. Several years had passed, and the fishing village hadn't changed much; it was still just a few households, and the islanders lived the same lives. Li Bai and I walked onto the island, greeting the kind-hearted people who had helped us before. We headed towards Xiao Lin's house; the door was open. I went to the door and called out:

"Kobayashi, are you there?"

Xiao Lin's father came out, looking much older than Uncle Lin had been a few years ago.

"Uncle Lin, do you still recognize us?" I asked.

"Young Master Li, Yuehua, come in and sit down. It's been years since I last saw you. You've even grown a beard, Young Master Li. If Yuehua hadn't been here, I almost wouldn't have recognized you."

"Everyone has changed to varying degrees over the years. Uncle Lin, you've gotten a bit older too," I said.

"I'm getting old. Spending more than a few days on the ship makes me feel tired. Otherwise, why would I have let my son come back to take over the business?"

"How's Xiaolin's business?" I asked.

As we were talking, a young woman walked in, leading a child by the hand.

Li Bai and I stood up. Uncle Lin said, "These are Xiao Lin's wife and son. Xiao Lin took a job to Jinling today, and this mother and son went to see him off early this morning. They just got back."

Xiao Lin's wife smiled at us, and Xiao Lin's son greeted us, "Hello, Uncle."

I reached out and touched the child. This child was older than Pingyang, and was very outgoing. Xiaolin's lineage has been successfully carried on.

We've been inside for quite a while now, but we haven't seen Aunt Lin yet. I asked, "Aunt Lin, are you feeling alright? Did you go out to work?"

"Little Lin's mother had a serious illness last year and passed away. She was buried next to your friend's grave," Uncle Lin said, his face turning sorrowful.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Lin, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"You only brought her up because you had her in mind, that's not your fault. Did you come here today to see your friend?"

Li Bai said, "I want to move his grave, but I don't know if today is a good day. We would appreciate Uncle Lin's help."

Uncle Lin glanced at the weather and said, "I'll go find the feng shui master in our village and have him see when would be auspicious."

"Thank you, Uncle Lin," I said.

A short while later, Uncle Lin returned with an elderly feng shui master.

The feng shui master said, "Today is an auspicious day for relocating graves and building houses. Young master, would you like to relocate the grave today?"

Li Bai said, "Yes, please preside over this, sir."

Mr. Feng instructed Uncle Lin to find a middle-aged man in the village, and we took the Gongxian (a type of ancient Chinese currency) to Wu Zhinan's grave. As soon as we arrived at the grave, Li Bai couldn't stop crying, recounting his past with Wu Zhinan as he wept, his grief reaching its peak.

After performing the ritual according to custom, Mr. Fengsheng ordered Uncle Lin and his companion to dig up the grave. Wu Zhinan's coffin was revealed. Several years had passed, and the coffin had rotted somewhat. Mr. Fengsheng opened the coffin and said, "The body inside has decomposed, but the bones are still there. Did you bring a jar to put them in?"

Li Bai took out a red canvas bag and said, "Put it in here, so I can carry it on my back."

The feng shui master moved Wu Zhinan's remains out of the coffin and was about to put them in a bag when Li Bai saw that the remains were covered in filth. He took them and washed them clean in Dongting Lake.

We were all stunned, and the feng shui master quickly mumbled a string of words.

I quickly explained, "Please don't mind him, he's from a minority group, this is their custom."

The feng shui master and Uncle Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

After I helped Li Bai wash Wu Zhinan's remains, I put them into a red cloth bag. Li Bai then took out a strip of cloth and carried it on his back.

After I gave Uncle Lin and the others some silver to thank them, I followed Li Bai, who was leading the horse, towards the ancient city of Yueyang. Upon arriving at the west gate, I said:

"Young Master, with Young Master Wu's remains on your back, let's go directly to Ezhou to bury him."

"Yuehua, do you think what I'm doing is against common sense?"

"Yes, young master, we have great reverence for the dead. I'm a little scared that you're carrying me."

Li Bai said, "There's nothing to be afraid of. He's my brother, whether in life or death. If you treat him like family, there's nothing to fear."

"Young master, but I can't do it."

"In that case, let's hurry to eastern Hubei and bury him."

Li Bai and I mounted our horses and headed towards Ezhou. We rode without stopping on the official road. Seeing that it was getting dark, I spurred my horse forward and said to Li Bai:

"Young master, there's an inn up ahead. Let's stay there for the night. If we go any further, it'll be hard to find an inn after dark."

Li Bai tightened the reins and stopped the horse, saying:

"Alright, we'll stay at this inn."

Li Bai and I rode our horses to the post station. We dismounted and went inside.

"Gentlemen, would you like to stay at the inn or have a meal?" the waiter asked as he approached.

Li Bai replied, "We need both food and lodging."

"Please come in." The waiter led us to sit down in the lobby.

"Let's go to our room first and bring the food there," Li Bai said.

The waiter led us to a room in the backyard. After we finished eating, I prepared to go back to my room to rest, while Li Bai was still carrying his bundle.

I said, "Young master, please take the bundle down and put it on the table."

"I'll sleep on your back, you go and rest. We'll set off earlier tomorrow."

"Why are you carrying that? How can you sleep with Master Wu's remains on your back? Wouldn't you rest better if you put the bundle down?" I said somewhat angrily, preparing to take the bundle off Li Bai's back. Li Bai, however, refused to put it down no matter what, saying:

"You don't understand the bond between me and my brother Zhinan. We're brothers who would live and die together, and now I have to leave him in a foreign land. It breaks my heart."

"You haven't returned to your hometown either, have you? We've only buried him temporarily in eastern Hubei. If he ever returns to his hometown in glory, we'll take him with us," I comforted Li Bai.

After my persuasion, Li Bai finally put down his bundle, respectfully placed it on the table, washed up, and went to bed.

After Li Bai fell asleep, I returned to my room, leaned against the bed, and couldn't sleep at all. I thought to myself how fortunate Wu Zhinan was to have met such a loyal and devoted friend as Li Bai, and how unfortunate he was to be born in an era before advanced medicine. It's rare to find something perfect in this world, yet people often strive for perfection.