I served as Li Bai's page.

After I became a disciple of Abbess Baiyun, Li Bai and I would get up at the crack of dawn every day, ride horses from Lingguang Temple to Baiyun Nunnery, and practice swordsmanship and martial arts with Abbess Baiyun. We would return to Lingguang Temple when it was almost dark at night. We repeated this process, and under Abbess Baiyun's guidance, Li Bai and I made rapid progress in our swordsmanship.

Three months passed in a flash, and Li Bai, still not having formally become a disciple, grew somewhat anxious. He asked Abbess Baiyun, "When shall we go to see General Pei?"

"Li Taibai, don't worry. If I'm not mistaken, my senior brother will be coming to Baiyun Nunnery in the next couple of days," the nun said.

The young nun said, "Of course I'll come. Tomorrow is my master's birthday, and my uncle-master comes every year."

"Senior Sister, are you sure? It's Master's birthday, I'm going to buy some good food." I should call her Senior Sister Little Nun now, that's the rule.

Li Bai said, "Buy more, and bring back two more jars of wine."

I looked up at Abbess Baiyun and said, "Master, is it alright?"

"Buy it, they are all lay people, they drink, but we don't. But there's one thing we can't buy, and that's meat. Meat can't be seen in my nunnery."

"Yes, Master, I understand," I said.

"Without meat, what will we have to drink with? Yuehua, you should buy some better vegetarian snacks to go with your drinks," Li Bai said.

"Yes, young master, I'll do as you say."

I prepared myself, put on my backpack, mounted my horse, and rode towards the market at the foot of Lingguang Temple. Unfortunately, there weren't all kinds of cakes like there are today, so I bought more stone-ground flour and some fruit, and rode back to Baiyun Temple.

When I got back, I put down my backpack, took out some flour, went to the kitchen, kneaded a small ball of dough, put it in a bowl, and covered it with a lid.

"Junior brother, why are you kneading such a small lump of dough? Won't it go bad tomorrow?" the little nun asked.

"I'm the one who made the sourdough starter; I'll make you a cake tomorrow," I said.

"What's a cake? I've never had one," the little nun said.

"It's a type of pastry. I'll teach you how to make it tomorrow."

"Great, I've learned it. I can make it for my master often."

"Senior sister, you are so good to Master," I said.

"That's right. My master found me in the dense forest of General Mountain. I don't know who my parents are. My master taught me how to make fire and cook, and how to read and write. At that time, my master and I lived at my uncle's house. Later, my uncle went to the border, and my master and I came here. There was another nun in the nunnery then. Not long after we arrived, because we ate vegetarian food every day, my master went to the market and bought a piece of meat. Before the meat was cooked, the nun found out. In a panic, she scooped the meat out of the pot and rushed towards the back door. As a result, she rolled down the mountain with the meat and fell to her death. Only my master and I were left in the nunnery."

"No wonder Master was so averse to meat appearing in the nunnery, so that's why," I said thoughtfully.

"Yuehua, what are you thinking about? Stop dawdling, it's getting late, let's go back to Lingguang Temple," Li Bai said to me as he came into the kitchen.

"Young Master, I wasn't thinking anything. Let's go."

Li Bai and I bid farewell to Abbess Baiyun and the little nun, and rode our horses toward Lingguang Temple.

Along the way, I asked Li Bai, "Young Master, do you think Abbess Baiyun and her senior brother were lovers? Why didn't they end up together?"

"Yuehua, you're such a gossip. What's it to you? Just focus on improving your skills." After saying this, Li Bai's eyes filled with melancholy. He whipped his horse hard and galloped quickly toward Lingguang Temple.

I know I've said too much again; my words may have stirred up memories of his junior sister Zhao Feng in Li Bai.

When I returned to the gate of the Zen temple on the back mountain, Li Bai's horse was standing there, but Li Bai himself had disappeared.

I led the two horses to the stable, and as soon as I entered the Zen temple, Han Zhun walked over to me and asked, "What's wrong with your young master? He's locked himself in his room since he got back."

"He's probably too tired and doesn't want to be disturbed. Mr. Han, why don't you come with us to Baiyun Nunnery tomorrow? It's Abbess Baiyun's birthday, and I'll make a cake for you," I said.

"Okay, you're going too early, I'll come later," Han Zhun said.

The next day, Li Bai and I got up early as usual, rode our horses to Baiyun Temple, and found Abbess Baiyun already practicing swordsmanship under the banyan tree. Li Bai and I joined her. After we finished practicing, Abbess Baiyun said to me:

"Yuehua, you've been learning for three months now. Today, your teacher will test how well you've mastered lightness skill. Look, that morning glory on the banyan tree is in full bloom. Pick it and bring it to your teacher. You can't climb the tree; you can only use your lightness skill."

I looked up at the morning glory, which was twining around a branch about three people tall. I thought to myself that with my current skills, picking it shouldn't be a problem. I steadied my breathing and was about to leap upwards when, with a whoosh, someone jumped up from behind me and plucked the morning glory for me.

The man walked up to Abbess Baiyun, handed her the morning glory, and said, "Junior Sister, happy birthday."

The young nun exclaimed happily, "Master Aunt, you've come!"

With eyes full of affection, Abbess Baiyun shyly accepted the morning glory and said, "Senior Brother, it's been a long time."

"Here I am, aren't I? Your new apprentice?" he said, pointing at me and Li Bai.

"This is my disciple, Yuehua," said Abbess Baiyun, pulling me in front of Pei Min. Then she pushed Li Bai in front of Pei Min, saying, "This is your disciple, whom I accepted on your behalf. He's Li Bai, the talented scholar from Western Shu. His poetry is comparable to your sword dance."

Li Bai knelt down on both knees, bowed three times to Pei Min, and said, "Disciple Li Bai greets Master."

"I never agreed to take you as my disciple. Get up and let me see if we are destined to be together." Pei Min said, drawing his sword and beginning to wield it. Li Bai watched his swordplay and casually began to recite "The Road to Shu is Hard."

Abbess Baiyun asked me, "Where's your xiao (vertical bamboo flute)?"

I took out my bamboo flute and began to play, accompanying Li Bai's chanting. Li Bai and I were perfectly in sync; the music and chanting complemented Pei Min's sword dance. The abbess Baiyun applauded in admiration. Han Zhun happened to arrive and witnessed this scene, exclaiming, "Birds of a feather flock together! Li Bai, you should have been General Pei's disciple long ago!"

After Pei Min finished his sword dance, he announced, "Li Taibai, I'm accepting you as my disciple. I'll have to drink the apprenticeship wine, you know."

I quickly replied, "Yes, yes, you guys chat, my senior sister and I are about to go."

The little nun and I went to the kitchen, took out the starter dough we had prepared yesterday, put it into the flour, added a dozen or so eggs, kneaded the dough well, formed it into a ball, steamed it until cooked, took it out and cooled it, then placed apples, red dates and other fruits on top. The cake was done, and the aroma of the dough and fruit immediately filled the entire kitchen.

After the young nun and I placed the prepared food on the table, I put the cake in the center and stuck a red candle in the middle of it. I said to the young nun, "

"Senior sister, go and invite them over for dinner."

As my senior sister called out, the four of them walked in, chatting and laughing. After everyone sat down, I said:

"Today is my master, Abbess Baiyun's, birthday. Let's all gather together to celebrate."

Li Bai asked, "Yuehua, why did you make such a large pastry and put a candle in it in the center?"

"Didn't I just say? This is to celebrate my master's birthday. This pastry is called a cake, everyone listen to me."

I lit the candles and said, "First step in celebrating your birthday: let's all sing 'Happy Birthday'!"

"Everyone, sing along with me: Happy Birthday to You, just this one line. Let me demonstrate first," I said.

After I finished my audition, when I sang it a second time, they all knew it. We sang it together again and again, and everyone found it refreshing.

Li Bai said, "Yuehua, where did you learn that? It's quite interesting. From now on, we should all do this on our birthdays."

After singing the birthday song, Li Bai was about to raise his wine glass when I said, "The second step of the birthday celebration: the birthday person closes their eyes, makes a wish, and blows out the candles."

Master Baiyun closed her eyes, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, made a wish, and then blew out the candles. I took out the candles and said, "The third step of the birthday celebration: the birthday person cuts the cake."

I brought a small knife from the kitchen, and Master Baiyun took it and asked, "What do you mean by cutting the cake?"

"Master, it's you who cuts the cake into pieces and shares it with everyone."

"It's so simple, why didn't you say so sooner?"