I served as Li Bai's page.

After spending the night at Baidi City Wharf, Xiao Yong approached me the next morning and said, "Young man, based on my observation of the solitary rock west of Baidi City yesterday, the Qutang Gorge might freeze earlier this year. Are you still going?"

"Really? Then let me ask my young master." I told Li Bai and Wu Zhinan what Xiao Yong meant.

Wu Zhinan said, "It's not very cold yet. It won't freeze for another ten days or so, so we'll continue on our way."

I looked at Li Bai, but Li Bai lowered his head and didn't say anything.

"Then let's keep going," I said to Xiaoyong.

After Xiaoyong and his wife finished packing, our boat sailed back into the Yangtze River.

"Everyone, please sit in the cabin. The river is flanked by sheer cliffs hundreds of meters high, and the widest part is less than a hundred meters wide. The current is rapid, and the river is full of reefs, making it the most dangerous place to sail," Xiao Yong said. Xiao Ying came out of the cabin to help Xiao Yong steer.

Soon, the small boat entered the rapids, bobbing up and down, chasing the waves. The three of us sat in the cabin, holding onto the gunwale. Wu Zhinan was so agitated by the rocking that he started to vomit, and Li Bai held him tightly, afraid that he might be thrown off the boat.

After passing through the gate, the water began to calm down. Everyone came out of the cabin and stood on the deck. Facing us was the beautiful and secluded scenery of Wushan. We had entered the Wuxia Gorge.

The boat glides across the river, traversing this natural art gallery. The Wuxia Gorge is long and deep, with towering peaks and layered mountains. The green mountains on both sides are continuous, forming a screen of peaks. As the boat travels through it, sometimes a mountain looms ahead, seemingly blocking the way, only to suddenly turn around and reveal a hidden paradise. Due to the short hours of sunshine and high humidity within the gorge, it creates a natural spectacle of rising clouds and mist.

Xiao Yong slowed the boat down to a crawl, and it felt as if we were strolling along the gorge. Li Bai recited Li Daoyuan's poem "The Three Gorges" in a loud voice: "For seven hundred li along the Three Gorges, the mountains on both banks are continuous, with hardly any gaps. Layer upon layer of cliffs and peaks obscure the sky and block out the sun; unless it is midday or midnight, the sun and moon are not visible."

As for the summer floods that inundate the hills, making navigation upstream and downstream impossible. Sometimes, when a royal decree is urgently issued, one can depart from Baidi in the morning and arrive at Jiangling in the evening, a distance of 1,200 li. Even riding a galloping horse or riding the wind would not be faster.

In spring and winter, the clear streams and green pools reflect the surrounding scenery, while strange cypress trees grow on the steep cliffs. Hanging springs and waterfalls cascade down the slopes, creating a scene of pristine beauty and rugged grandeur, full of charm.

On clear, frosty mornings, when the forests are cold and the streams are still, the long, mournful cries of gibbons often echo through the valleys, lingering and fading away. Hence, the fishermen sing: "The Three Gorges of Badong and Wuxia are long, the cries of gibbons bring tears to my clothes."

Wu Zhinan was so captivated by the beauty of the Wu Gorge that he became incoherent: "Only by sleeping amidst the green mountains and clear waters of this place can I have no regrets in this life."

I quickly stopped him, saying, "You jinx! Say it: 'Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!'"

He quickly did as I said, and everyone burst into laughter.

The boat moved slowly across the river. As we approached the foot of Goddess Peak, the weather in the canyon suddenly changed, and a light drizzle began to fall. Xiao Yong docked the boat at the foot of Goddess Peak, and our group began to walk up the mountain.

Climbing to the top of Goddess Peak, one can see up close that the peak resembles a young woman with a full figure, beautiful face, high nose, cherry lips, round chin, and shoulder-length hair. She sits upright, seemingly deep in thought, holding two ancient pine trees in her hands, as if wishing to preserve the spring scenery forever.

I imitated the goddess's pose, sitting close to her, and asked Li Bai, "Young master, who is more beautiful, me or the goddess?"

Li Bai stared at me blankly, speechless for a long time.

Wu Zhinan retorted, "Yuehua, you're more beautiful than a goddess when dressed as a woman."

I stood up, tied my hair back, and said, "I was just kidding."

Li Bai, regaining his composure, said, "You can't joke like that again. I thought it was real."

We spent quite some time exploring Goddess Peak, but the mountain winds grew stronger and the rain intensified. After descending the mountain and returning to the boat, we found the river shrouded in torrential rain and mist, the small boat rocking violently in the strong winds.

"Let's get off the boat and find an inn to stay in. The boat can't move in this weather," Xiao Yong said.

"Alright, make sure the boat is securely fixed. Let's go check if there's an inn in that mountain hollow over there," Li Bai said.

I packed my things, then wrapped my backpack inside my clothes and held it in my arms as I followed Li Bai and the others into the mountain valley.

We arrived at the top of the mountain valley but didn't see any inns. Instead, we spotted a farmhouse with smoke rising from its roof. In front of the house stood a tall banyan tree, sheltering the family like an umbrella. We hurriedly ran to the tree and shook off the rain.

Xiao Yong stepped forward and knocked on the door. A child's innocent voice came from inside: "Who is it?" Then the door creaked open. Two little boys stood in front of the door, one about ten years old and the other about seven or eight.

I stepped forward and asked, "Little brother, where are your parents?"

"My mom and dad went up the mountain to work and haven't come back yet," the older boy replied.

I turned to Li Bai and the others and said, "His parents haven't returned yet, so let's wait under the banyan tree."

At this moment, Wu Zhinan started coughing violently. I helped him sit down under the banyan tree. Because his clothes were soaked by the rain, he was shivering from the cold. I searched my bag and found a fleece-lined cloak belonging to Li Bai, and wrapped it around him.

Not long after, a man and a woman carrying two baskets of potatoes came from behind the ravine. The little boy immediately ran out of the house and shouted, "Dad, Mom!"

"Qiangqiang, who are they?" the little boy's father asked.

"I don't know, they knocked on our door," Qiangqiang replied.

"They probably came here to take shelter from the rain," the little boy's mother said.

The little boy's father approached us: "You've come to take shelter from the rain, haven't you? Come inside."

Xiao Yong replied, "We came here for sightseeing, but it's raining heavily and our boat can't leave. We'd like to ask if it's convenient for you to stay the night?"

"That's convenient. We happen to have two empty rooms. Please come in," the little boy's father said.

I helped Wu Zhinan up and followed them into the farmhouse.

"My name is Dazhi, this is my wife Shuilian, our eldest son Qiangqiang, and our youngest son Zhuangzhuang. You can call them that," the little boy's father introduced.

I quickly introduced all of us to him. He noticed that Wu Zhinan was coughing incessantly and that all of our clothes were soaked. He brought out a stove from the kitchen with burning wood inside and told us to warm ourselves around it. He also found some clothes for us to change into.

Sitting around the stove, I felt much warmer. I said, "I don't need to change. You guys go change. I'll dry in a bit." In the end, only Wu Zhinan changed his clothes at our insistence.

"Dad, the potatoes are steamed, we can eat them now!" Qiangqiang called out.

Shui Lian moved a table to the stove, placed a large basin of potatoes on the table, and put a large bowl of salt next to it.

"Let's make do with this. We don't have much else in the mountains, but we have plenty of potatoes," Shui Lian said.

"This is already very good, thank you." I said, reaching for a potato, peeling it, and handing it to Wu Zhinan.

Li Bai, mimicking me, peeled a potato and popped it into his mouth: "Mmm, delicious, so pink and tender." He then peeled another one, and I told him to dip it in salt: "This one's delicious too, salty and flavorful. It's just a pity there's no wine."

I glared at him.