I served as Li Bai's page.

We ate potatoes and warmed ourselves by the fire. Our clothes dried quickly. Looking outside, it was already dark. The rain was gradually lessening, but the wind was getting stronger. The temperature in the mountains was very low, and no one dared to leave the stove. Even getting up to go to the toilet made us shiver with cold.

"Brother Dazhi, would it be convenient for me to brew two doses of traditional Chinese medicine?" I asked.

Shui Lian said, "Take it out, I'll go brew it for you."

"No need, Sister Shuilian, I'll go by myself." After saying that, I took two doses of Chinese medicine and followed Dazhi to the kitchen.

I lit a fire, poured the medicine into the pot, and slowly simmered it over the stove. Watching the fire, I kept thinking that I hoped Wu Zhinan's illness would get better soon, and that the weather would improve so that I could persuade them both to go home.

I brought the brewed Chinese medicine to Wu Zhinan: "Young Master Wu, please drink it while it's hot."

Wu Zhinan took the bowl and coughed again.

"Didn't you get enough rest? Take your medicine and go to sleep. I've already made up the beds for you," Shui Lian said.

After Wu Zhinan finished his medicine, I helped him to the bed in the inner room. Dazhi came over and said, "The three of you can stay in this larger room; there are two beds in it. Xiaoyong and his wife can stay in the smaller room."

"Thank you, Brother Dazhi. I'm sorry to have bothered you." I said gratefully.

After helping Wu Zhinan to bed, I returned to the fireplace. Qiangqiang and Zhuangzhuang were so sleepy they could barely keep their eyes open, but they still wanted to play with me. Dazhi and Shuilian had to coax and shove them into bed. Xiaoyong and Xiaoying couldn't stay awake any longer and went inside to sleep as well, leaving only Li Bai and me in the main room.

"Young Master, Young Master Wu's illness is unpredictable, and I'm afraid something might happen to him, and I won't be able to explain it to Miss. The weather will be better tomorrow, so let's go back," I said to Li Bai.

"That's what I was thinking too. Tomorrow morning, when boats can sail on the river, I'll have Xiaoyong head back."

Li Bai and I warmed ourselves by the fire for a while longer before going inside to prepare for bed.

Upon entering the house, Young Master Wu was already asleep.

"Young master, wear something warmer to sleep, it's cold in the mountains." We both took off only one layer of clothing, and lay down on the bed back to back, lost in thought.

"Uncle Yuehua, get up and build a snowman with us!" Qiangqiang's shout hit me like a ton of bricks. I jumped out of bed, put on my coat, and went outside: What a heavy snowfall!

The entire Goddess Peak was covered in snow, a silver-white wonderland, with snowflakes still drifting in the sky. I rushed out of the mountain pass to the riverbank, but the small boat was frozen solid, covered in snow, and the river was covered with a thick layer of ice; we couldn't go any further today. I slumped down on the ground, dejected.

At this moment, Li Bai also arrived at the riverbank. Seeing that the river was covered with a thick layer of ice, he said, "It is truly the will of Heaven!" He then took my hand and led me up the mountain valley.

Wu Zhinan was surprised to see so much snow when he woke up: "How could the weather change so suddenly? It was fine the day before yesterday, and the temperature wasn't low either. Why did it snow so heavily last night?"

"The weather turned cold much faster this year. In previous years, the ground here would not freeze until the end of the twelfth lunar month, but this year it's a whole month earlier," Dazhi said.

"Brother Dazhi, what does 'freezing' mean?" I asked.

"Every year in the depths of winter, some sections of the Three Gorges freeze over, especially the Qutang Gorge, where all boats are unable to pass until spring when the ice and snow melt," Dazhi explained.

"Is there no other way to get through?" Li Bai asked.

"No, that's why winter is the hardest season for us mountain people. Families who are better off usually prepare for the New Year as soon as the Mid-Autumn Festival is over. Poor families have no choice but to rely on the mountains for their livelihood," Shui Lian replied.

Li Bai and Wu Zhinan were instantly taken aback and didn't know what to do.

Wu Zhinan said, "What should we do?"

I could only try my best to comfort them. I let them build a snowman and have a snowball fight with the two other children to distract them.

However, every morning when I woke up, it was either snowing heavily or lightly, and the ice on the river was getting thicker and thicker, so there was no problem walking on the ice along the riverbank.

Although Li Bai and Wu Zhinan were preoccupied, they couldn't resist the allure of the frozen Wuxia Gorge. The red leaves covering the Goddess Peak peeked out from under the snow, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene. We spent the day traversing the deep valleys of Wuxia and returned to a farmhouse for the night.

Time flew by, and more than a month had passed. The snow had long since stopped, and apart from the icicles hanging on the trees, the snow on the ground had melted long ago. However, the ice in the Yangtze River was still thick and had not melted. Li Bai and Wu Zhinan went to the riverbank almost every day to check on it.

The Spring Festival is just two days away, and Dazhi's family is preparing for this traditional festival. Since there are no flights, they can't buy anything even if they have money, so they can only try to trade their own produce with other people.

That day, Dazhi packed two baskets of potatoes, caught three ducks, and two chickens, preparing to go out.

I asked, "Brother Dazhi, where are you going to pick one?"

"I'm going to the Zhang family's place on the other side of the mountain to exchange some meat and rice. They slaughtered a pig yesterday."

"I want to go too," I said.

Qiangqiang and Zhuangzhuang each grabbed one of my hands and said, "I want to go too!"

"You shouldn't go. It looks close, but it's actually quite far. If you go out in the morning, you won't be back until the afternoon," Shui Lian said.

"Don't worry, we're fine anyway, let's go." After saying that, I took the duck from Dazhi's back and carried it on my own.

Li Bai looked at me curiously: "Yuehua, I didn't expect you to know how to carry a backpack."

"Young Master, there are many things you can't imagine." After saying that, we followed Dazhi down the mountain, and Li Bai and Wu Zhinan followed as well.

Zhangjia was really far away. We went down the mountain and then up the mountain again, and had to cross several mountain passes. We were carrying heavy things, so no one was in the mood to play. By the time we arrived at Zhangjia, it was already noon.

The Zhang family was a large, wealthy family in the mountains, with a grand house and a large, bustling household. Entering the Zhang family's gate, one saw the courtyard filled with hanging cured meat, and two freshly slaughtered pigs lying on the chopping board.

Seeing us enter, Mr. Zhang came forward: "Dazhi's here. What are you planning to buy this year?"

"Master Zhang, I'd like to exchange some rice and meat." After saying that, she placed potatoes, chicken, and duck in front of Master Zhang. Master Zhang looked at them and called over a servant to take the items away.

At this moment, Master Zhang noticed Li Bai and Wu Zhinan: "These two young gentlemen are quite distinguished; are you together?"

"They stayed at our house because the Yangtze River is frozen over and they can't leave," Dazhi said.

"Oh, come on, let's have lunch first, then get your things." Master Zhang pulled Li Bai's hand and walked towards the hall.

"Master Zhang, we have too many people, let's not eat anymore, let's go back and eat," Dazhi said.

"It'll be almost dark by the time you get back. Don't worry, I'll just ask them to make more if needed."

We followed Master Zhang into the hall, where he treated Li Bai and Wu Zhinan like honored guests, bringing out fine wine for the three of us to drink.

We had the best meal we'd had since entering the Three Gorges at the Zhang family's house. After a hearty meal, Li Bai, in high spirits, wrote two calligraphy pieces for Master Zhang: "Highly respected and virtuous, a guest feels right at home."

Master Zhang was overjoyed and tried to persuade Li Bai and Wu Zhinan to stay.