I served as Li Bai's page.

"As long as there's enough wine, I'll punish myself with six cups," Li Bai said.

Kong Chaofu, Tao Mian, and Pei Zheng stepped forward and greeted Li Bai one by one.

Zhang Shuming said, "That day I went to Rencheng, intending to invite you to come with me to Brother Taibai's house. However, I met Registrar Lu on the street and learned that my sister-in-law was ill, so I returned to Wutongyu and only arrived yesterday."

"Is your sister-in-law feeling better?" Han Zhun asked.

"Alright, thank you for your concern," Li Bai replied.

Kong Chaofu said, "Let's all come inside and chat. What do you think of the little wooden house I prepared for you?"

Everyone followed Kong Chaofu into the house. The spacious hall was filled with furniture made of wood. Behind the hall was a small courtyard planted with bamboo, and on both sides were rooms separated by wooden boards.

"There are eight rooms in total, one for each person. What do you all think?" Kong Chaofu said.

Zhang Shuming first entered the first room, looked around, and said, "Great, I'll stay in this one."

The rest of us each chose a room, and I went to the last one. Inside, the room was fully furnished with blankets and pillows. Looking out the simple window, I saw rolling mountains, their pines and cypresses lush and green. It was springtime, and several peach trees with buds swayed in the breeze on the westward-flowing stream. It was as if a celestial beauty had fallen to earth, and we were incredibly lucky to encounter it.

I was so captivated by the beauty before me that I unconsciously sat cross-legged on the table by the window, gazing out the window.

"Yuehua, what kind of skill are you practicing?" Li Bai asked as he walked in.

I glanced back at Li Bai, jumped off the table, and said, "Young Master, this place is too beautiful, even more beautiful than Yingyang Mountain Residence. Let's stay here for a long time."

"I don't know if I'll be staying long, but I'll be staying here for a while. Enjoy the beautiful scenery. When you've had your fill, go cook some food." Li Bai said as he walked out.

"What a waste of time to eat! This is such a spoilsport!" I said angrily as I followed Li Bai into the hall.

"Yuehua, these two rooms over there are the kitchen and dining room; I'm leaving them to you." Kong Chaofu finished speaking and laughed heartily, leading Li Bai and the others outside. As he left, he turned back to me and said, "Let me know when the food is ready."

I went into the kitchen and glanced around. There was rice, oil, and salt; several pieces of cured meat hung near the window; and two unopened bags of flour sat in the corner. Had they brought the whole house here?

I cooked the rice, then boiled a piece of cured meat and steamed it on top of the rice in a bowl. Looking out the window, I saw some lush green vegetables, so I picked some and stir-fried them into two bowls. After the rice was cooked, I went outside, but they were nowhere to be seen. I searched around the house, then went to a pine tree on the opposite hillside and shouted towards the bamboo stream, "Time to eat!"

The valley echoed, "Time to eat!" Startled, I immediately shut my mouth and didn't dare to breathe.

At that moment, the valley replied, "You're back." The figures of Li Bai and his six companions emerged from the distant mountain hollow.

When they came up to me, I asked Kong Chaofu, "Mr. Kong, how did you find this place? You didn't even dare to speak loudly."

"Isn't this better? It saves you from having to travel all that way to find us for a meal," Kong Chaofu replied.

I had just placed the dishes on the table when Li Bai said, "Wait, we're eating outside tonight. Take the food to the stone table in the bamboo grove outside."

Following Li Bai's instructions, I set out the food on the stone table in the bamboo grove, and then placed wine cups for the six people, filling them with fine wine. The six famous figures from Donglu smelled the aroma of the wine, swallowed their saliva, and had already downed a cup before even sitting down.

The six of us toasted and drank, and after several rounds of drinks, as dusk began to fall, I said:

"It's cold, let's move inside to eat."

Li Bai said, "Hang up the lanterns and eat here. Today is the fifteenth; the moon will come out soon. This way, drinking will be more poetic."

The others echoed Li Bai, unwilling to go inside to eat. I had no choice but to take out two kerosene lamps, hang them on the bamboo, and find some sturdy logs to light a bonfire in an open space a little away from the bamboo grove. Everyone immediately felt much warmer.

Pei Zheng walked to the campfire and circled it twice, then said, "This is a great idea, Yuehua, you're truly talented."

"Don't you even know who taught you? Yuehua, play another tune," Li Bai boasted.

I took out my bamboo flute and stood by the campfire, playing Su Shi's "Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?" Upon hearing this, Li Bai said:

"I haven't heard this piece before. Let me write some lyrics for it."

"No, young master, someone has already written the lyrics. I'll sing it for you."

I cleared my throat, straightened up, and began to sing: "When will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in hand, I ask the heavens. I wonder what year it is tonight in the celestial palace. I long to ride the wind and return, yet I fear the jade towers and crystal palaces are too cold at such heights. I dance with my shadow, how can it compare to being in the mortal world? The moon turns through the red pavilion, shines low through the embroidered windows, illuminating my sleeplessness. There should be no resentment, yet why is the moon always full when we are apart? People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and such things have always been imperfect. I only wish that we may all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart."

All six people stood up at the same time, especially Li Bai, who was so surprised that he couldn't speak.

"Yuehua, who exactly are you? To sing such beautiful verses, with such profound meaning, is beyond our reach," Li Bai said.

"I was just singing a poem written by one of my predecessors, who, like you, is a literary figure whose name will be remembered for generations," I said.

Li Bai walked to the campfire and looked at me. By then, the moon had risen into the sky, and its bright light filtered through the leaves dancing in the breeze, casting dappled shadows.

Li Bai exclaimed, "Such beautiful moonlight, such poetic moonlit scene and bonfire, your predecessors have already written about it."

"Young master, should I not have sung his lyrics and disturbed your enjoyment?" I said in a low voice.

"How could that be? This shows that learning has no end, and we still have much to learn from your predecessors. If we dare not write about the moonlight, we can write about other things; if we dare not write poetry, we can still practice swordsmanship," Li Bai said.

Tao Mian said, "Yes, Brother Taibai is right. We cannot stand still just because someone has surpassed us; what we should do is strive to catch up."

Han Zhun said, "Let's not talk about Yuehua's senior anymore; I'll present a piece for everyone."

"Great!" everyone exclaimed in unison, clapping their hands.

Han Zhun stood up, walked to the campfire, picked up two bamboo sticks from the ground, held one in each hand, raised them upwards, and tapped them together, recounting the great achievements of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, praising Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) to the point of being almost mythical, all while adding the rhythmic beat of the bamboo sticks. I casually remarked:

"Isn't this Shandong Kuaishu (a type of storytelling performance)?"

Everyone looked at me and asked, "Yuehua, what did you say?"

I added, "Mr. Han's performance style is similar to Shandong Kuaishu, which we perform in our area."

Li Bai asked, "Where is your place located?"

I was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer Li Bai's question.