I served as Li Bai's page.

Li Bai replied, "Make a copy and keep it with you. Give it to the girl named Pomegranate when you meet her; it won't be in vain that she worried about us."

"Yes, young master." I took the poem out of my bag again.

Li Bai saw this and said, "Put it back. I'll write it. Hurry up, so we can go to Baiyun Temple when we're done."

Li Bai wrote another poem, and after it dried, I folded it and put it in my sleeve. I then took my sword and followed Li Bai and the other two toward Baiyun Temple on Shimen Mountain.

The four of us arrived at Baiyun Nunnery. The young nun was picking vegetables in the garden in front of the gate. When she saw us, she stood up and said, "My master hasn't returned yet. You've made another wasted trip."

Zhang Shuming said, "Thank you for telling us, young master. We'll come again tomorrow."

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Shuming turned to look at Li Bai and Han Zhun, and said, "The nun isn't here, let's go back."

Li Bai hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, we'll come again tomorrow."

The four of us played on Shimen Mountain until after 5 p.m. before returning to the village. Wutongyu appeared quiet and peaceful under the setting sun. The occasional barking of dogs, along with the joyful sounds of villagers returning home, made Wutongyu seem like a paradise, making people reluctant to leave.

We had just reached the east entrance of the village when we ran into Shiliu carrying a bamboo basket and walking out of the village.

Zhang Shuming called out, "Shiliu, are you going to pick vegetables? It's getting dark, be careful."

"Uncle Ming, you're back! I'll just pick some vegetables from the field in front and head back right away."

I quickly said, "Mr. Zhang, you should go back first. I'll go keep Sister Shiliu company and carry her basket, is that alright?"

Zhang Shuming introduced Shiliu to his two friends: "This is Li Bai, this is Han Zhun, and that is Li Bai's page, Yuehua. Let Yuehua keep you company."

Just as we were talking, Zhang Shuming's eldest son, Xiaobao, ran over and said:

"Father, Uncle, you're back! Grandfather sent me to check if you were back."

Li Bai said, "We always worry the old folks. Yuehua, you go pick vegetables with Pomegranate Girl. We're going home."

"Yes, young master," I replied.

Zhang Shuming's eldest son, Xiaobao, also wanted to help Shiliu pick vegetables, so he stayed behind.

The three of us went to the vegetable garden and picked a basket full of vegetables. I carried the basket, and Shiliu held Xiaobao's hand. We returned to the village, and after seeing Shiliu off at her doorstep, I took out a poem written by Li Bai from my sleeve and handed it to her, saying:

"This is a poem my young master wrote yesterday when he saw the pomegranate trees in front of your house. He asked me to give you a copy; please accept it."

Shi Liu put down her basket, took the poem with both hands, examined it carefully, and said, "Was this written by Li Bai himself? It's so precious! I will definitely treasure it. His poems, like the man himself, are elegant and refined, pleasing to the eye and the soul."

"Thank you for your praise, Miss Pomegranate. He will surely be very pleased to hear it."

"I also want to thank your young master for giving me his calligraphy. When the pomegranates ripen, I will send them to you."

"Then we'll be waiting to eat your pomegranates!" I said.

"Pomegranate, who are you talking to?" At that moment, the door of Pomegranate's house opened, and an old man came out and asked.

"Dad, these are Uncle Ming's guests. He saw that it was getting dark and was worried that it wouldn't be safe for me to go home alone, so he and Xiao Bao escorted me back."

"Please invite your guest inside and have a seat. Don't let them stand outside."

"Master, we won't stay any longer. Our family is waiting for us to eat. Xiao Bao and I are leaving." I took Xiao Bao's hand and started to walk back. Shi Liu took half a basket of vegetables out of the basket and handed it to me, saying:

"Take them home to eat, they're fresh. If that's not enough, we'll go pick more from the field tomorrow."

"That won't do. If we want to eat them, we'll pick them from the field tomorrow," I said.

"My family can't eat that much, so the extra vegetables were meant for you. Here you go." Shiliu said, carrying the vegetables into the yard.

I carried the basket and led Xiao Bao back to the Zhang residence.

As soon as I entered the gate, Li Bai walked towards me and asked, "Why did you take so long?"

I handed him the basket and said, "We picked a whole basket full; half for her family, half for us."

Li Bai took the basket and asked softly, "Did you give that poem to Miss Pomegranate?"

"She gave it to you, and she praised you."

"What did they say?"

She said your poetry, like you, is ethereal and otherworldly.

After hearing this, Li Bai happily picked up his basket and walked towards the kitchen.

Han Zhun walked towards me and asked, "What are you two, master and servant, whispering about?"

"Mr. Han, you love gossip too? Miss Pomegranate said she'll send us some when the pomegranates are ripe."

"I'm going back to Lingguang Temple tomorrow, so I can't wait for the pomegranates to ripen," Han Zhun said.

Li Bai stepped forward and said, "We'll go with you to Lingguang Temple; it's closer to Baiyun Nunnery."

The next day, after breakfast, Li Bai said to Zhang Shuming, "Shuming, you go about your business. You don't need to stay with us. Yuehua and I are going to stay at Lingguang Temple with Han Zhun, so that your parents won't have to worry about us every day."

“That’s fine. Your parents are getting old and always worry about this and that. My private school can’t be closed for long. If you don’t like living at Lingguang Temple, you can come back here. It’s just one more person and one more pair of chopsticks,” Zhang Shuming said.

Li Bai replied, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

We bid farewell to Zhang Shuming and his family, led our horses, and walked with Han Zhun towards Shimen Mountain. Along the way, we would occasionally look back at Wutong Valley, imagining that pomegranate tree.

When the three of us arrived at Baiyun Temple, the main gate was tightly closed, with a lock on it. I walked around the temple, but didn't see anyone.

I returned to Li Bai and Han Zhun and said, "There's no one in the nunnery; perhaps the young nun has gone begging for alms."

Li Bai lingered in front of Baiyun Temple for a long time, then said to Han Zhun and me, "Let's go to Lingguang Temple and come back tomorrow. I don't believe we won't see Abbess Baiyun."

The three of us led the horse towards Lingguang Temple. When we arrived at the meditation hall behind the temple, it was almost lunchtime. We entered the hall, where two monks were cleaning. They greeted us.

"You're back. Master AI has been asking about you these past few days."

Han Zhun asked, "What does Master Zhineng need from us?"

"I don't know, it seems like they want to discuss some issue in the Tao Te Ching with Li Bai?" a monk said.

Li Bai said, "Then I'll go find him later."

"Isn't the Master of Intelligence a monk? He should be asking Buddhist questions, why is he concerned with Taoism?" I said.

"How ignorant! Buddhism and Taoism are interconnected in many areas. We should learn from the strengths of all schools of thought," Li Bai said, glaring at me.

Just then, three bells rang out above the Zen temple, and a monk said, "Let's go eat."

I led the horse to the stable, carried the luggage to the room, and the three of us followed the two monks toward the dining hall of Lingguang Temple on the front mountain.

Along the way, I asked a monk, "Do you offer prayers before meals at your monastery?"

"No, eating is eating. Only after eating can I go to the Mahavira Hall to do my homework. I cannot be absent," the monk replied.

"Every temple has different rules, so we really need to learn them properly," Li Bai said.