I served as Li Bai's page.

On the day of the Spring Festival, everyone got up very early and changed into clean clothes.

Li Bai, Wu Zhinan, and the two children were the most idle. They would peek into the kitchen one minute and look at the table the next. When I was cutting meat, the two children watched me intently without blinking, so I would secretly slip a piece of meat into their mouths, and the two brothers would leave satisfied.

Li Bai's greatest talent was causing trouble. When he saw me going to the stove to light the fire, he insisted on doing so, resulting in the whole room filled with smoke that made it impossible for anyone in the kitchen to open their eyes. I finally managed to get him into the main room, where he spilled the wine that had just been poured for the sacrificial ceremony, and kept saying, "Ancestors, I'm so sorry, I'll refill your cup, please don't be offended."

At noon, after Brother Dazhi finished paying respects to his ancestors, we started eating. The table was laden with dishes, including meat and wine.

Li Bai stood up first and raised the first cup of wine to Dazhi's family: "Dazhi, Shuilian, thank you for taking in the five of us. If it weren't for your kindness, we don't know how soaked we would have been that day. You were so short of food, yet you still saved some for us. You are so kind. Thank you!" He then drank it all in one gulp.

The second cup was offered to Xiaoyong and Xiaoying: "Xiaoyong, Xiaoying, you reminded us that the Qutang Gorge might freeze early, but we didn't listen to you, which prevented you two from going home for the New Year. We are really sorry." After saying this, Li Bai drank it all in one gulp.

The third cup was offered to Wu Zhinan: "Brother, I am sorry for you, and even more sorry for my sister Yueyuan. I'm afraid your wedding cannot proceed as planned. I will punish myself with three cups." After saying this, Li Bai drank three cups of wine.

After drinking those five cups of wine, Li Bai was already a little tipsy. I quickly urged everyone to stop toasting each other, to drink if they wanted, and to eat more. Da Zhi and Xiao Yong kept urging him to drink as well, and by the end of the meal, they had finished the two jars of wine that Master Zhang had given them. Li Bai, Wu Zhinan, Da Zhi, and Xiao Yong were all drunk.

"Sister Shuilian, Sister Xiaoying, let's help them to bed to rest," I said.

"No, Yuehua, today is New Year's Eve, we can't sleep, we have to stay up all night to welcome the new year," Shuilian said.

"But they're all drunk, what are we going to do?" I asked.

"It's alright, I have some herbs to help with hangovers. I'll brew some for them to drink in a bit, and they'll be fine soon." Shui Lian said as she went to the kitchen, and soon brought out a pot of herbal soup.

I poured wine into the glasses of the four of them and said, "Have another drink, you four." The four of them actually raised their glasses, clinked them together, and stammered, "Happy New Year!"

Shortly after drinking the hangover remedy, the four of them became much more sober. Once they were sober, they didn't talk much anymore and all focused on eating.

It was past 2 p.m. when the New Year's Eve dinner was finished. After cleaning up the things on the table, Dazhi and Shuilian didn't go up the mountain to work anymore, and everyone climbed Goddess Peak together for once, which was a rare occasion.

On New Year's Eve, Li Bai visited Goddess Peak and was filled with many emotions.

After Lunar New Year's Eve, I went to the riverbank almost every day to check if the ice had melted, and I often ran into Wu Zhinan on my way back. I knew what was on his mind, but he just didn't say it.

Before I knew it, the Lantern Festival arrived. On this day, I saw Li Bai and Wu Zhinan sitting by the river, silently gazing at the Yangtze River covered with a thick layer of ice. I knew that their hearts had already flown back to Qinglian Town, while their bodies were thousands of miles away.

After the Lantern Festival, Wu Zhinan became much quieter, occasionally talking to Li Bai. I couldn't comfort him either, afraid of touching on his sore spots.

March has arrived, and the Yangtze River begins to thaw. Standing atop Goddess Peak, watching the river carrying large chunks of ice downstream is a truly magnificent sight. Even more exciting is that in just a few days, when the flowing ice shrinks or disappears, we can finally leave.

"The safest way to navigate the Qutang Gorge is when boats are coming down, which means the gorge is fully reopened and navigable," Xiao Yong said based on his experience.

"Just because there's no ice in this section of the river doesn't mean there isn't in other sections. We should wait until boats can pass before setting off," Dazhi added.

A few days later, one day we were hiking halfway up Goddess Peak when we suddenly saw a large cargo ship sailing down the Yangtze River. Excitedly, I rushed down Goddess Peak to the riverbank, waved to the ship, and shouted, "Sir, is it safe to sail now?"

The rowing noise was probably too loud, as the boatman didn't hear what I said. However, seeing me waving, he rowed the boat towards me. I repeated, "Sir, is it safe to navigate now?"

"Young man, a big boat is fine, but a small boat won't do. The ice in Qutang Gorge is too big, and a small boat is easy to capsize. But it's possible to go downstream on the Yangtze River." After saying this, the boatman continued on his way.

I don't know when, but Li Bai and Wu Zhinan were standing behind me.

"Young Master, did you hear that? Going to Yuzhou is not possible right now. However, going down the Yangtze River is possible," I said to Li Bai.

Li Bai looked at Wu Zhinan: "Zhinan, should we continue waiting, or go to Dongting Lake to take a look?"

Wu Zhinan was silent for a moment before saying, "Since we've already wasted time, and we've come all this way, let's go see Dongting Lake before going back."

Li Bai gave Wu Zhinan an exaggerated hug: "Brother, you understand me best. It's a deal then, we can set off for Dongting Lake tomorrow."

We returned to Dazhi's house, found Xiaoyong and his wife, and told them about our plan to go to Dongting Lake. Xiaoyong and his wife were a little hesitant.

I said, "Brother Xiaoyong, take us to Jiangling. Once we're there, we'll rent another boat, and you can return to Yuzhou. By then, the Qutang Gorge should be navigable. We'll give you an extra ten taels of silver."

"Okay, shall we leave tomorrow?" Xiao Yong agreed.

"Yes, we're leaving tomorrow. You guys go pack on the ship." I said.

Xiao Yong and his wife went to the boat on the riverbank.

I then summoned Dazhi and his wife, and said, "Brother Dazhi, we've been troubling you for months. We're leaving tomorrow to go to Dongting Lake."

When Qiangqiang and Zhuangzhuang heard that we were leaving, tears streamed down their faces: "Uncle Yuehua, will you come back?"

I reached out and wiped away their tears, saying, "Don't cry. When Uncle comes to the Three Gorges again, he will definitely come to see you and bring you lots of delicious food."

The two children stopped crying and started laughing: "Uncle, we've been waiting for you."

I took out thirty taels of silver from my pocket and handed it to Dazhi, saying, "This is the food money for the five of us for the next few months. Is that enough?"

Dazhi quickly waved his hand and said, "It's just simple food, grown on our mountain, and it didn't cost us any money, so why should we pay?"

"Brother Dazhi, you must accept this. If we eat it, your food rations will run out this spring. Take this money and buy some food; we can't let the children go hungry." I insisted on giving the money to Dazhi. Dazhi and Shuilian were so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

Thinking about leaving, Li Bai paced excitedly inside and outside the house, calling out loudly, "Yuehua, bring me a brush!"

I quickly prepared paper, pen, and ink for him on the table. Li Bai picked up his pen and wrote "Staying Overnight at the Foot of Wushan": "Last night at the foot of Wushan, the cries of monkeys lingered in my dreams. Peach blossoms flew over the green waters, in the third month I descended to Qutang Gorge. The rain and wind blew them away, heading south, I brushed past the King of Chu. On the high hill, I thought of Song Yu, visiting the ancient site, my clothes damp with tears."

After the ink dried, I pasted it on the wall of Brother Dazhi's main room.