I served as Li Bai's page.

We moved to Donglu, and Li Bai was full of hope that he could see his father and be with him. His sixth uncle's words shattered Li Bai's hopes, and Li Bai picked up his wine cup and drank in silence.

Sixth Uncle said, "Twelfth, don't be too disappointed. If you have the chance, go back to Western Shu to see them. We older generation are all old and just want to stay in our own homes and with our loved ones, unlike you young people who are ambitious and can make the world your home. We can't do it anymore, so our hopes are on you younger generation."

Li Bai said, "Sixth Uncle, don't worry, I will adjust my mindset and won't let you down. Although Father won't be coming to Donglu anymore, I will take Ziyan and the children back to see them when I have the chance."

Aunt Liu said, "Twelve, although your parents aren't here, your Uncle Liu and I will treat you like your own parents. Whatever you need or want, we will do our best to fulfill it."

"Thank you, Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu. Ziyan and I would like to toast you." Li Bai and Xu Ziyan stood up, raised their wine glasses, and bowed to Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu.

After having dinner at Uncle Liu's house, we returned home. Li Bai, out of disappointment, surprisingly did not get drunk.

After returning home, Li Bai paced back and forth in the courtyard. I lit a lantern and hung it in the foyer, illuminating his wanderings in the courtyard.

I boiled a big pot of water and let Xu Ziyan and the two children take a nice hot bath before going to bed.

I went into the courtyard and called out, "Young Master, stop pacing around, take a bath and go to bed."

"Don't worry, Yuehua. Think about it for me, why did Father resign? Is he sick, or is someone in the family sick?"

"Didn't Sixth Master say that they're old and just want to stay with their loved ones? Don't overthink it. Just write a letter home tomorrow and ask them," I said.

"The last letter mentioned our arrival in Rencheng; they've probably already received it."

"Then let's wait and see how the master replies to us."

"That's all I can do. I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed," Li Bai said.

Li Bai came out of the bathhouse and then remembered to ask me:

"Yuehua, how did you arrange the bedroom?"

I pointed to the two rooms with lights on and said, "The innermost room in the main house is your and your wife's room, and the outer room is for Pingyang and Boqin to stay in temporarily. I'll stay in the side room next to your study. Does that seem suitable?"

"Alright, the innermost room was originally my room. I'm going to rest now, you should rest early too." Li Bai said and walked into the bedroom.

After I finished showering, I went back to my room, closed the door, lay down, and didn't want to move anymore.

"Uncle, get up and eat." Pingyang's shouts and knocking woke me up. I got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and saw that it was already broad daylight.

I opened the door, and Pingyang and Boqin ran in.

Boqin said, "Father says you're a lazybones and don't keep your word. You said you'd get up early to help him practice swordsmanship and study, but you didn't, so my sister and I had to do it for you."

"My dear Mingyue Nu, this task will be yours and your sister's from now on. Uncle is going to cook."

"Mother has already prepared the meal; we've come to call you for dinner," Pingyang said.

I followed the child into the courtyard. Li Bai was reading in the pavilion. After I quickly washed up, I went to the dining room, where Xu Ziyan was bringing a bowl of porridge to the table.

"Madam, I'm sorry I woke up late. I'll make sure to do it tomorrow," I said.

"It's nothing. You were too tired yesterday, so I only cooked some porridge. Eat it with the snacks Zhang Ma made," Xu Ziyan said.

I picked up the bowl, ladled out the porridge, and called out towards the yard:

"Young Master, dinner is ready."

After finishing breakfast, Li Bai said he was going to visit an old friend in Rencheng. He went back to his room to change his clothes and then headed towards the gate. Xu Ziyan called out, "Tell Yuehua to go with you, so she doesn't get drunk and lose her way home."

"No need. This is my territory in Rencheng. Even with my eyes covered, I can still find my way home," Li Bai said.

"You're quite confident, aren't you? Why weren't you confident at Baizhao Mountain?" Xu Ziyan pressed Li Bai relentlessly.

Li Bai quickly put on a smiling face and said, "Madam, please don't be angry. Isn't Bai Zhaoshan your territory? I'll just go for a stroll and come right back." After saying that, he glanced at Xu Ziyan and quickly walked out the door.

Enraged, Xu Ziyan retorted, "You're not going home on your own turf."

I watched over the two of them with Pingyang and Boqin. The moment Li Bai walked out the door, I knew my troubles had returned. Just then, Xu Ziyan called out:

"Yuehua, you go with the young master and see what kind of old friends he meets."

"Yes, Madam." I released Pingyang and Boqin and walked towards the gate. As I reached the door, I turned back and asked, "Madam, is this necessary?"

"Of course he is! Hurry up, or he'll disappear and you'll wonder where you'll find him."

Following Xu Ziyan's instructions, I quickly walked out of the main gate and glanced into the alley. Li Bai was just about to exit the alley, so I ran over and called out, "Young Master, wait for me!"

"You've been kicked out, haven't you? I've been slowly walking and waiting for you," Li Bai said.

How did you know I'd be kicked out?

"Read people's expressions, understand? Come on, let's go have a drink with my old friend."

Li Bai led me to a small alley near the Rencheng County government office, and we stopped in front of a building called Lu Mansion. Li Bai sighed, "It's been over twenty years since I've been here, and it hasn't changed much."

Li Bai stepped forward and knocked twice on the door. Footsteps came from inside, and when the door opened, an old man poked his head out and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Uncle Zhang, don't you recognize me? I'm Li Shier, Lu Qian's good friend. I used to come to your house often."

Uncle Zhang opened the door and carefully examined Li Bai: "You said you were Li Twelve, and you do look somewhat alike. We've all grown up, and my young master has become a master. Come in, I'll take you to see my master."

Li Bai and I followed Uncle Zhang into the living room. As we walked, Uncle Zhang called out, "Master, your friend Li Twelve is looking for you."

As soon as Uncle Zhang finished speaking, a man walked out of the living room. He was tall, wearing an old-fashioned hat and a blue long robe. Upon seeing Li Bai, he rushed to him and embraced him tightly, saying, "Brother Taibai, where have you been for the past twenty years? I've missed you so much!"

"Brother Lu, it's been over twenty years since we last met. You're already the registrar of Rencheng, while I'm still wasting my time. I'm truly ashamed," Li Bai said.

"A mere registrar is not worth mentioning. Brother Taibai's literary talent and ambition are beyond the reach of a lowly registrar like myself," said Registrar Lu.

At this moment, an elderly man with a large belly emerged from the inner courtyard. Li Bai quickly bowed and said, "Uncle Lu, how have you been?"

"Good, good, is it Twelve? You've become even more handsome and dashing after all these years."

"Uncle, you flatter me," Li Bai said.

"My son told me that you've become quite famous over the years, and could be considered a renowned poet of our dynasty."

"Uncle, I dare not accept such praise. I merely write as I walk, hoping to please people."

"Don't stand there talking, come inside and sit down." Clerk Lu pulled Li Bai towards the living room, instructing the servants to prepare more dishes as they walked, wanting to drink until they were completely drunk and make up for all the wine they hadn't drunk together in the past twenty years.