I served as Li Bai's page.

Pingyang pulled my head down and whispered in my ear:

"Uncle, isn't this the aunt from the carriage the other day?"

"Yes, but we can't say we know her."

"Why?" the two children asked in unison.

"If we say it, it will embarrass your father. Can't you see he's in a good mood?"

"Alright, we won't say," Pingyang said.

I followed Li Bai and the other man into the living room, served tea to Liu, and said to Li Bai:

"Young Master, what would you like to eat today? I'll go to the market and buy it."

"Make your best dish and let your wife try it," Li Bai said.

"Alright." After saying that, I bowed to Li Bai and Liu Shi and walked out of the living room.

Pingyang and Boqin saw me walking out of the courtyard and ran after me, asking:

"Uncle, are you going to buy groceries? We want to go too."

"You guys stay home, I'll be right back," I said.

At this moment, Li Bai came out of the living room and called out, "Pingyang, Boqin, come to the living room and talk to Auntie."

"You two hurry up and listen to your father. You have to make Auntie happy." I said as I pushed the two children. Pingyang and Boqin walked towards Li Bai very reluctantly.

I went to the street, bought some vegetables, and carried a jar of wine back home. Li Bai was there with his two children and Liu Shi, writing and painting in the pavilion in the courtyard.

Pingyang saw me enter the courtyard, ran over, took the wine jar from my hand, and said:

"Uncle, Auntie's paintings are so beautiful!"

"Really? I'll go check on it after I've finished cooking," I said.

"Go see it now."

Pingyang followed me to the kitchen, put down her things, and urged me to look at Liu's painting. I followed Pingyang to the pavilion and saw Liu sitting in front of her painting, admiring it with undisguised pride. Li Bai stood behind her, stroking his beard and nodding with a smile, saying:

"The most vivid part of this painting is the dewdrops hanging on the flowers, some about to fall but not yet."

"Daddy, Auntie's flower painting is so beautiful. Can I have it?" Pingyang asked.

Liu picked up the painting and handed it to Pingyang, saying, "This is for you, consider it a small gift from your aunt. I'll paint another one for your younger brother later."

Boqin quickly said, "Auntie, I don't want to draw. Can you play with me?"

Madam Liu raised her hand and patted Boqin's head, saying, "Adults have their own things to do and don't have time to play with children. Go play by yourself."

Boqin turned away in disappointment and sat down by the pavilion, rubbing his little mouth on the stool. Li Bai, seeing his son's displeasure, went over and said:

"Son, shall I help you study?"

"Okay, Father, what books should we read?" Boqin asked Li Bai.

Li Bai led Boqin by the hand toward the study, saying as they walked, "Son, today I'll tell you stories from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*."

Seeing Li Bai leading his son toward the study, Liu said coquettishly:

"My lord, I'm not drawing anymore, I want to hear your story too."

"You and Pingyang come together, Yuehua, go cook."

"Yes, young master." I replied, nudging Pingyang. Pingyang understood and put away the painting, then said to Liu Shi:

"Auntie, let's go." He politely stood aside and waited for Liu to stand up before following her towards the study.

After they all left, I went to the kitchen and started cooking while thinking that the new wife Li Lie introduced to Li Bai was really not good. Luckily, I had seen her beforehand that day. I and my two children will have to be more careful in our actions and words in the future, otherwise, this family will never have a peaceful day.

I finished cooking lunch and it was already noon. I went to the study door and whispered:

"Young Master, Madam, dinner is ready. Please eat."

Liu stood up and said with some annoyance, "It's taken you so long to cook this meal. I'm starving. Let's go eat." With that, she strode out of the study and sat down in the dining room.

"Yuehua, serve me rice." Liu handed me the bowl, and I respectfully took it, filled it with rice, and carefully placed it in front of Liu. I then served rice to Li Bai, Pingyang, and Boqin one by one.

Li Bai said, "Yuehua has been with me for over ten years, like family. From now on, we'll do everything together, without any distinction."

"I understand, my husband. Some things that men should do, you still have to do. For example, earning money to support the family is your responsibility. And the things that servants should do, like these trivial household chores, are still Yuehua's responsibility."

Li Bai was speechless for a moment, so I quickly said:

"Madam is right, let's eat."

Pingyang and Boqin didn't dare say a word and buried their heads in their food.

After Liu arrived, everyone, including Li Bai, became very careful in their actions and words. The house was no longer filled with the loud laughter and noise of the past. Boqin looked forward to going to school, while Pingyang looked forward to accompanying me to Boqin's school every day, and then going to the market to buy vegetables.

Li Bai became somewhat irritable during these oppressive days. He often invited Lu Qian and Zhang Shuming to drink at Helan's Restaurant. At first, he could still go home to sleep every day, regardless of whether he was drunk or not. But later, he would not go home for ten days or half a month. He simply went on a journey with Zhang Shuming and Han Zhun.

That day, school was closed, and I was playing with Pingyang and Boqin in the pavilion when Liu Shi, sitting on a chair on the balcony in front of the living room, fiddled with the silver coins in her hand and shouted at me:

"Yuehua, your young master always gives your whole family living expenses whenever he goes out, right? From now on, have him give it to me, and I'll take care of the household expenses."

"Yes, madam, I will do as you say."

As we were talking, Li Bai pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in. Pingyang and Boqin saw Li Bai and happily ran over to him, hugging him and shouting:

"Father is back."

"You missed your father, didn't you? Look what he brought back for you!" Li Bai said, taking a cloth bag off his horse and placing it on the ground. A ripe pomegranate rolled out. The two children excitedly let go of Li Bai and squatted down to count the pomegranates.

I walked over and took the reins from Li Bai, saying:

"Young Master is back. He must have come back from Wutong Valley."

"You're the smartest kid," Li Bai said, glaring at me.

Liu stood up from her chair, went into the courtyard, and said to Li Bai:

"My husband is back. Did you find a job in Yanzhou?"

As Li Bai walked towards Liu Shi, he said:

"The current emperor has agreed to help, but there isn't a suitable position yet. He'll let me know when one becomes available."

"That would be a long time coming. Wouldn't it be better to go to Wenshang County? My brother is the magistrate there; he has the final say in everything."

"Madam, it's not as simple as you think. Let's not talk about this anymore. Yuehua, bring Madam a pomegranate."

I tied up the horse, took a pomegranate from my pocket, and walked towards Liu.

"Madam, please try this pomegranate. It's a genuine sea pomegranate, with an excellent flavor."

Liu took the pomegranate and handed it to Li Bai, saying:

"My lord, please explain this to me. You didn't even mention bringing back anything of value; all you do is bring back these useless things to appease me."

"Madam, this is a rare and precious pomegranate. If you don't believe me, try it." Li Bai used a knife to make a circle around the top of the pomegranate, removed the peel, and then used the knife to divide the pomegranate into four segments. He gently peeled them open, revealing the luscious pomegranate seeds. Li Bai took the spoon I handed him, took a spoonful, and fed it to Liu Shi. Liu Shi chewed it with great satisfaction.