I served as Li Bai's page.

When Boqin heard that the eggs were used to hatch the birds, he immediately stood up and strode forward. The red-crowned cranes were startled and all flapped their wings and flew into the sky.

Li Bai stood up and pulled Bo Qin aside, saying, "Uncle Yuehua was just teasing you. There are no eggs. Red-crowned cranes are rare wild animals, and we must protect them. If you leave it at home, it won't be able to fly freely in nature and will die soon."

"Father, I feed it delicious food every day, will it still die?" Boqin asked.

"Child, come here, let me tell you, of course it will die. It eats insects in the reeds and fish and shrimp in the lake every day, and it flies freely every day. You keep it at home, it's unhappy, and it will slowly die." Xu Ziyan pulled Bo Qin over and sat him down next to her, speaking patiently.

Boqin looked at me blankly, seemingly understanding but not quite. I said, "It's just that it's different from us; it can't live with us."

"I understand now. It has its own home, and we have our own home. It can only come to my house as a guest, not stay here permanently," Boqin said as if suddenly enlightened.

"Boqin is clever; he understands such profound principles," I praised.

Pingyang said, "What profound truths? It's just that you can't bring it home, isn't it? You're only making things more confusing."

We played on the sandbar for a while, then Uncle Sun told us to get on the boat and rowed to the next scenic spot. We spent the whole morning playing on North Lake, and by the time we got back to shore it was already noon. After lunch, I took the three children to the lawn to fly kites. Li Bai and Xu Ziyan sat on the lawn, watching us and directing Pingyang and Boqin.

"Everyone, gather together!" Li Bai shouted after playing for a while.

We stopped running and gathered around Li Bai.

"Yuehua, put away the kite, we should go home," Li Bai said.

Led by Li Bai, everyone returned to Uncle Sun's boat, which slowly rowed towards the east gate of Rencheng. The spring outing ended, and the children were all exhausted, sprawled out in the cabin and fast asleep. Li Bai, leaning against the gunwale, also began to snore. Having nowhere to sit in the cabin, I went to sit on the deck, occasionally standing up to help Uncle Sun row.

When we returned to Dongmenli Wharf, it was already past four in the afternoon. I woke up everyone on the boat, and we all came to the wharf. I took out some money and offered it to Uncle Sun, but he refused to take it no matter what.

Li Bai said, "Uncle Sun, this is the money for two days' boat rental. You must take it no matter what."

"You've taken me and my grandson on trips all over the place. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. Besides, you've paid for all the food and lodging. The boat fare is waived."

"How can this be? You and your grandson rely on the boat for food. If you don't take the money, what will you eat? Here, Uncle Sun," Xu Ziyan said.

I forced the money into Uncle Sun's hand, and when I turned around, I saw Sun Fan looking at Pingyang and Boqin with reluctance.

I told him, "We live in the Li family mansion at the end of the alley ahead. Come visit them whenever you have time."

"Okay, Uncle, I'll come find them when I'm not helping Grandpa with chores," Sun Fan said.

"Son, you can do it, Auntie agrees. Take good care of your grandfather." Xu Ziyan patted Sun Fan's head and sighed as she spoke.

We said goodbye to Uncle Sun and his grandson and headed towards the alley. We hadn't gone far when Boqin pulled me, insisting I carry him on my back. I had no choice but to put him on my back. When we got home, Boqin was asleep again. I wanted to wake him, but Li Bai said:

"He's been playing for two days, no wonder he's tired. Bring him a basin of water to wash him and let him sleep." Li Bai picked up Bo Qin from my back and walked towards the bedroom.

Dinner was simple; I only made some noodles. After everyone finished eating and taking a shower, it wasn't dark yet, so they all went to bed to rest.

For the first time ever, Li Bai didn't get up early to practice swordsmanship or read. The whole family was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

I got dressed, went to the yard, and opened the gate. Li Shiwu was standing outside the gate with Aunt Liu and a middle-aged woman.

"Madam, you've arrived. Please come in." I reached out and helped my sixth aunt into the courtyard.

Li Bai and Xu Ziyan also got up and, seeing Aunt Liu, quickly invited her into the living room.

"Where have you been? We came looking for you the day before yesterday and yesterday, but you weren't here," Aunt Liu asked.

"They've never been to Rencheng before, so I took them to Beihu Lake for two days," Li Bai replied.

"Sixth Aunt, what do you need us for?" Xu Ziyan asked.

Aunt Liu pointed to the woman who came with her and said, "This is Sister Lin. She lives in the countryside of Rencheng. She came to the city to find work. I saw that your family also needed a nanny, so I brought her here for you."

Sister Lin stood up, bowed to Li Bai and Xu Ziyan, and said, "Master and Madam, I can do anything. The wages don't have to be high, as long as they are reasonable."

Xu Ziyan carefully examined Sister Lin. Seeing that she was dressed neatly and spoke clearly, she decided to keep her.

"Sister Lin, you should stay. There isn't much work to do at home. Just do whatever you can. You can take care of our daily needs, and Yuehua can focus on being the master's page and helping him organize his manuscripts," Xu Ziyan said.

"Yes, Madam. Thank you, sir and madam, for letting me stay."

Aunt Liu stood up and said, "That's good that things are done. Sister Lin, you stay here. Fifteen, we're going back."

"Sixth Aunt, have lunch before you leave. I'll have Yuehua make us some 'jumping fish'," Li Bai said.

"Diving fish, I've never heard of this dish before. Am I in luck today? Okay, Fifteen and I will eat and go home." Aunt Liu said and sat down again.

Li Bai has already named all the dishes, so I have no choice but to comply.

I helped Sister Lin make some breakfast in the kitchen, put it on the table, and after quickly eating a little, I said to Sister Lin, "Sister Lin, I'm going to buy fish. After the master and the others have eaten, please tidy up."

"Okay, go ahead."

I carried the basket into the yard, and Li Bai called out, "Buy a few more. When we pass by Aunt Liu's house, call Uncle Liu and his brothers and sisters over."

"Yes, young master, I'm going."

I went to the market, where there were many people buying and selling vegetables. I found a fishmonger, picked out a few larger ones, bought some seasonings, went to the fruit market, bought some fruit, carried it on my back, and walked into the alley with the fish in my arms.

When I arrived at my sixth uncle's residence, I went up and knocked on the door a few times. A servant from my sixth uncle's household opened the door for me.

"Yuehua, didn't the old lady and the fifteenth young master go to your place? Didn't you run into them?"

"I ran into them. My young master invited them to lunch and asked me to invite the masters and young ladies of the manor to come over," I said.

The servant went to fetch the Fourteenth Young Master, and I said to him, "Fourteenth Young Master, my master has invited the Sixth Master and all the young masters and ladies of the manor to my house for a meal of 'jumping fish.' Please come over when you're ready. I'll head back now."

"My father went to the yamen. We'll come over when he gets back," Li Shisi said.

"Okay, we'll wait for you to come and eat together." After saying that, I took my things and went home.

Sister Lin is indeed a very capable nanny, quick and efficient. As soon as I got home, she took the fish to the ditch to process them, and in no time, several fish were cleaned and placed on the table, with the condiments neatly arranged together.

I checked the time and saw it was still early, so I said to Sister Lin, "Sister Lin, why don't you rest for a while? Sixth Master will be back from the yamen some time from now."

"It's alright, I'll clear the table and set the table first, then we can eat as soon as the food is served."

"Sister Lin, you're such a diligent person," I praised.