I served as Li Bai's page.

Carrying a lantern and braving the biting wind, I arrived at Helan's Restaurant. The manager saw me, came out to greet me, and said:

"Yuehua, have you brought Li Bai? He and Registrar Lu are in a private room upstairs."

I placed the lantern on the innkeeper's counter and headed upstairs to the private room. Just as I reached the door, Li Bai and Registrar Lu came out, supporting each other. Seeing me, Li Bai said:

"Is that Yuehua? Go pay for the meal and take us home."

"Yes, young master, you're drunk again, aren't you?" I whispered to Li Bai.

Li Bai held up a finger in front of me, making a two, and asked, "How many is this?"

I said, "Young Master, what are you doing with those chopsticks?"

Li Bai held up two fingers, looking them over from left to right, and finally said to Lu, the registrar, "Put down your chopsticks, we're not eating anymore, let's go home." The two of them staggered downstairs. I quickly helped them up and carefully led them down the stairs.

The innkeeper, seeing that the two were drunk, said to me, "Yuehua, I'll lend you my carriage to take them home. Just return it to me tomorrow."

"Thank you, innkeeper. I'll pay for today's drinks." I took out some silver and placed it in the innkeeper's hand.

The innkeeper instructed the waiter to bring the carriage to the inn's entrance. I hung the lantern on the carriage and helped Li Bai and Registrar Lu into it. Li Bai asked, "Yuehua, are we going back to Qinglian?"

"No, young master, we're going back to our home in Rencheng," I replied.

"Is it far? We have to take a carriage."

"It's not far, but you and Registrar Lu are too tired to walk. We'll take Registrar Lu home first, and then we'll go home ourselves."

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll take a nap," Li Bai said.

After escorting Registrar Lu home, I drove the carriage back home. Li Bai was already fast asleep in the carriage. As I drove the carriage into the courtyard, Xu Ziyan came out and said:

"You're drunk again." She said, walking towards the carriage. Seeing that Li Bai was asleep, she shook him a few times. Li Bai opened his eyes, looked at her, nudged Xu Ziyan, and then closed his eyes again.

I quickly said, "Madam, it's cold. Please go back inside. I'll help the young master in."

"Let me help you. He's so heavy, how can you lift him by yourself?"

"Thank you, Madam."

Xu Ziyan and I worked together to drag Li Bai into the bedroom. I brought a basin of hot water, and Xu Ziyan carefully washed Li Bai before letting him go to sleep.

The next morning, upon waking, Li Bai saw the carriage in the courtyard and asked me:

"Yuehua, are you going on a long trip? Whose carriage did you borrow?"

Xu Ziyan said, "You took the carriage back, have you forgotten? You won't listen to a word I say."

"I will do whatever you command, Madam," Li Bai said.

Xu Ziyan angrily turned around and went into the inner room.

"Yuehua, you heard that, I didn't make her angry," Li Bai said, spreading his hands across his face.

"You didn't make her angry, but you didn't listen to her either," I said.

"She's naive too. How can anyone control themselves at a drinking party? It's natural that she can't remember," Li Bai argued.

"Then why don't you try to appease him? I'm going to take the carriage and buy the groceries on the way." I jumped onto the carriage, cracked the whip, and the horse galloped away. Li Bai called after me, "Don't go yet, make him happy first."

"You decide what to do." I drove the carriage toward Helan's Restaurant.

When I brought the groceries home, I saw Li Bai and Xu Ziyan drawing and writing with their two children in the pavilion. Seeing me return, Boqin ran up to me and said, "Father is going to punish you by making you copy the *Tao Te Ching*."

"Why?"

"Dad said that when you went to pick him up, he went somewhere to play, which caused him and Uncle Lu to drink a few more cups, so he got drunk."

"Oh, Uncle understands. Uncle will go copy the book in a bit," I coaxed Boqin.

Li Bai and I went back to Rencheng for the Spring Festival. Li Bai had dinner parties almost every day, and Xu Ziyan was always worried about him, giving him countless instructions and reminders every time she saw him leave. After the Spring Festival, Li Bai was still as energetic as ever, but Xu Ziyan fell ill. I invited the best doctor in Rencheng to treat Xu Ziyan, but even so, after half a month, Xu Ziyan was still not fully recovered. Fortunately, a few days after the Spring Festival, Sister Lin returned, and under Sister Lin's careful care, Xu Ziyan slowly recovered.

When Xu Ziyan was ill, Li Bai kept quiet about going out and stayed by her side every day, asking about her well-being and showing concern. Xu Ziyan was so moved that she often burst into tears and said to Li Bai:

"My lord, I've dragged you into this. Go and do your work; I'm completely healed now."

"Madam, taking good care of you and the child is my responsibility. Before the New Year, Han Zhun and Zhang Shuming invited me to Mount Culai. I'll go see them and then come back," Li Bai said.

"Go ahead, and let Yuehua go with you. Return as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Madam." Li Bai bowed deeply to Xu Ziyan.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Bai urged me, "Yuehua, go and bring the horse over. I'll go get the luggage. Han Zhun and the others might have already arrived at Zhuxi."

As Li Bai and I rode our horses into the alley, Xu Ziyan stood at the gate with her two children, watching us intently. Li Bai kept turning back and waving.

I said, "Young master, don't turn around, or the two children will start crying."

Li Bai hardened his heart and lashed his whip at the horse's tail, galloping out of the alley. I rode after him on my horse.

When we arrived at Mount Culai, it was already afternoon. Li Bai led me straight to Zhuxi at the foot of Mount Ru. In the distance, we saw a stream flowing from the mountain ravine and heading west. On the flat plain surrounded by peaks, a wooden house stood alone, and on a distant hill, a gnarled pine tree echoed it.

"Young master, this should be Kong Chaofu's wooden house. Look, the door is open, which means there are people inside," I said.

"They should have arrived before me. Let's go take a look." Li Bai jumped off his horse and led it towards the wooden house. I also dismounted and followed behind Li Bai.

We arrived at the door of the wooden house. Li Bai peeked inside and asked, "Is anyone there?" No one answered.

"What should we do? There are no other wooden houses on this bamboo stream. We must not have gone astray," Li Bai said helplessly.

"Young master, let's wait here at the door. I don't believe that no one will come with the door open," I said.

I took the reins from Li Bai, led the two horses to the tree in front of the door and tied them up, then returned to Li Bai's side and pulled him to sit down at the stone table in front of the door.

"Yuehua, think about it carefully again. What did Han Zhun tell you? Are you sure you're meeting in Zhuxi?" Li Bai asked, looking at me with a questioning gaze.

"Young Master, I'm certain Mr. Han was referring to this place. My memory is spot on; if I'm wrong, then Mr. Han is mistaken."

"You little rascal, speaking ill of me in front of Brother Taibai, from today onwards, you're punished by cooking." Han Zhun led the other four out of the bamboo grove behind the house, looked at Li Bai, and said in unison, "Brother Taibai, you're late, tonight you'll have to punish yourself with three cups of wine."