I served as Li Bai's page.

After returning home, I helped Li Bai to rest on the couch in the study. Xu Ziyan felt a little tired and wanted to take a nap in bed, but she didn't know which room to go to.

I went to check each room and found the main room next to the study to be quite nice. The bed was there, but the things on it hadn't been touched in a long time and were covered in dust. I took down the mosquito net, carried it and the quilt to the yard, cleaned the room, took out the mosquito net I brought from Bai Zhaoshan, hung it up, laid out the quilt, and said to Xu Ziyan:

"Madam, please rest in this room. I've changed everything to clean ones."

Xu Ziyan looked at me gratefully and said, "Yuehua, in this unfamiliar place, I'll have to rely on you for many things."

"It's alright, Madam, you'll get used to it eventually."

After Xu Ziyan went inside to rest, I closed the door for her and tidied up the main room outside. There was also a large bed in this room, but nothing was on it. After cleaning the room, I hung up a mosquito net and laid out a quilt. Pingyang and Boqin now had a place to stay.

After tidying up the two rooms, I went to the courtyard and saw Pingyang and Boqin playing by the well. Startled, I quickly called out, "Miss, Young Master, come here!"

Hearing my shout, the two people rushed towards me, asking, "Uncle, what's wrong?"

I found a relatively long stick, went to the well, washed the stick clean in the ditch, and put it in the well to test it. Fortunately, the well wasn't very deep, only about a meter deep. Spring water kept bubbling up from the well, which is why water could flow continuously out of the ditch.

"From now on, you can't play on the well platform; you can only play by the ditch. I want to see which one is disobedient," I said to Pingyang and Boqin.

"We're all being good, Uncle. I want to water the flowers," Pingyang said.

I went to the kitchen and found two wooden ladles, saying, "Pingyang is the most obedient. Take your younger brother to water the flowers. Each of you should have one ladle. You can't play on the well platform."

"Yes, Uncle." The two children took the wooden ladle and ran happily into the yard.

Looking at their figures, I suddenly felt that my mission as a page was probably coming to an end, and I would have to take on the responsibility of a nanny.

I tidied up the entire house except for the locked room on the left side of the main house. After cleaning, the Li residence looked brand new.

After Li Bai sobered up, he came out of the house, sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard, and called out to me:

"Yuehua, make me a cup of tea."

I brewed the tea and placed it on the table in the pavilion. Li Bai looked around the courtyard with satisfaction and said, "This is my true home. Now I can live here in peace."

"Young Master, are you not at ease living in Bai Zhaoshan? That's your home too," I said.

"Living under my father-in-law's nose always feels awkward. This is so much more comfortable," Li Bai said, and then deliberately strolled around the courtyard.

"Of course I feel free. There are no restrictions. I can go wherever I want, drink whenever I want, and they don't care whether my child and I live or die," Xu Ziyan said, standing on the steps outside the living room.

When Li Bai realized that Xu Ziyan had overheard his words, he glared at me and said, "Madam, you're exaggerating. Yuebi was just talking nonsense. I'll punish him by making him copy books later."

"I didn't hear Yuehua talking nonsense, but I did hear you talking nonsense. If anyone should be punished, it should be you copying." Xu Ziyan said as she came to sit down in the pavilion. I went to the living room and made a cup of chrysanthemum tea and brought it to Xu Ziyan. The two children also came to the pavilion and lay on Xu Ziyan's lap, one on each side.

Li Bai said with great satisfaction, "I'll copy it if you punish me, but Yuehua won't. Yuehua, go to the market and buy some vegetables; our family will have a reunion dinner tonight."

"Yes, young master. I'll also buy some other things we need for the house. I'll go right away."

Pingyang and Boqin clamored like tails to go too.

Li Bai said, "Let's go, our whole family will go."

Xu Ziyan, wearing a veil, carried Li Bai on her arm, while the two children carried me. We walked out of the Li residence and into the alley.

It was around four o'clock in the afternoon, and countless elderly people sat on both sides of the alley, chatting. Seeing us come out, some of them called out, "Twelve, you're back!"

"You're back, sir!" Li Bai greeted him warmly along the way.

We walked out of the alley and onto the main street. Li Bai was simply strolling around with his wife and children, but I couldn't. I had to buy countless things; otherwise, I wouldn't even have the means to start a fire and cook at home.

When I found them carrying large bags and small packages, the four of them were sitting at a food stall eating noodles.

"Yuehua, put your things down, the noodle shop owner is cooking your noodles," Li Bai said.

"It's already five o'clock. After we eat, will we still be able to eat anything?" I asked.

"It's okay, we'll eat later tonight. Come and sit down," Xu Ziyan said.

I sat down next to Pingyang and ate noodles with them.

After Li Bai finished eating, he said, "You all enjoy your meal, I'll be right back." With that, he walked towards a wine shop on the side of the street. A little while later, a shop assistant carrying wine followed him toward us.

Li Bai said to us, "Have you finished eating? Let's go home."

"Young master, are you having this delivered to your door?" I asked.

"Of course, with so much stuff you took, do you think you'd even get any wine?"

"No." I picked up what I had bought and led Pingyang and Boqin into the alley.

As we passed by Uncle Liu's house, Aunt Liu was standing at the gate waiting for us. Seeing that we had bought many things, she said to me:

"Yuehua, take your things home and come eat right away. Twelve, Ziyan, and the children don't need to go back; come in and eat."

"Yes, madam," I replied readily, leading the wine carrier toward the end of the alley.

After I put my things down, I went to my sixth uncle's house. Just then, I ran into him at the gate, where he was returning from the yamen in a carriage. I helped him down and called out, "Sixth Master."

"Where are Twelve and the others?" Sixth Uncle asked.

"It's already inside," I replied.

"Yuehua, how many years have you been a page for Twelve?" Sixth Uncle asked.

"Reporting to Sixth Master, it has been more than ten years. We came out of Western Shu together, along the Yangtze River, passing through Dongting Lake, Jinling, Yangzhou and other places, and finally arrived in Anlu, where we watched the young master get married and have children."

"You must have suffered a lot along the way."

"Fortunately, it was only in Yangzhou that the young master overspent and almost became penniless. Fortunately, he has many friends who helped us through the crisis."

"You must have gone to so much trouble." My sixth uncle and I said as we walked inside. Once inside the mansion, it was already bustling with activity.

Seeing me and Uncle Liu enter, Li Bai walked to Uncle Liu's side, took his hand, and led him into the living room.

Aunt Liu said, "You two, uncle and nephew, go wash your hands and eat. Don't sit in the living room. We'll move the table to the yard for dinner tonight."

As soon as Aunt Liu finished speaking, Li Bai's brothers rushed to move tables and chairs. Pingyang and Boqin were overjoyed to see this scene and sang and danced in the corridor, which brought tears to the eyes of Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu.

Sixth Uncle said to Li Bai, "Twelfth, from now on you are not allowed to leave us again. It's so much more lively when the whole family is together."

Aunt Liu said, "Tomorrow I'll ask someone to find a housekeeper for your family to do the laundry and cooking, so Yuehua can have an easier time."

Li Bai quickly said, "Sixth Aunt, no need. Yuehua isn't tired. Let's wait for Father to arrive."

"Your father probably won't come to Donglu again. He has resigned from his post as the magistrate of Rencheng. Only I know this; your sixth aunt and your brothers don't know. The reason he left the house is so that you would have a place to stay if you traveled here someday," said Sixth Uncle.

Li Bai was initially bewildered by these words, and then tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.