I served as Li Bai's page.

At Mount Lumen, Li Bai and Meng Haoran spent their days and nights together, composing poems and drinking wine, becoming close friends despite their age difference.

That day, Wu Zhinan reminded Li Bai, "Brother Taibai, shouldn't we go to Dongting Lake? It's already June; Dongting Lake should be at its most beautiful now."

"Let me speak with Master Meng and see if he will come with us," Li Bai replied.

Li Bai approached Meng Haoran and said, "Master Meng, we've been staying with you for almost two months. All good things must come to an end, and we're planning to go to Dongting Lake. Would you like to come with us?"

"I'm not going to Dongting Lake. I'm going to Anlu this month. You guys go have fun. Send me any new poems you have so I can enjoy them," Meng Haoran replied.

After bidding farewell to Mount Lumen and Meng Haoran, we set off for Dongting Lake.

We took a horse-drawn carriage from Mount Lumen all the way to Jiangling. After getting off the carriage in Jiangling, there was a sudden thunderstorm and heavy rain. Summer rain can come and go in an instant. I clutched my backpack tightly and looked for a place to take shelter from the rain.

We came to the eaves of a house by the street, shook off our soaked clothes, and I said, "It's the season for floods. With such heavy rain, the Yangtze River is probably going to rise. If we want to get to Dongting Lake, we'd better hurry."

The heavy rain stopped after a while, and the sun shone brightly again. The three of us arrived at Jiangling Wharf and saw a large ship loading cargo. The deck was soaked from the rain, and there were no small boats around.

I walked aboard the large ship and asked the crew who were loading cargo, "Excuse me, are there any boats for rent at this dock?"

The boatman turned and looked at the dock, saying, "It rained heavily just now, and the boatmen were afraid of flooding, so they all went to take shelter. Where are you going?"

"We're going to Dongting Lake, and we want to leave today," I replied.

"Follow our cargo ship; it goes straight to Dongting Lake. We'll tie the cargo up and then we can set sail," the driver said, pulling on the rope.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and reached out to help the man pull the rope: "Okay, thank you, sir."

After helping my master finish his work, I turned around and waved to Li Bai and Wu Zhinan to board the boat.

"It's just the three of us, thank you, Master," I said.

"Young man, don't be so polite. It's not easy being away from home. You can go to the cabin at the back. We're about to set sail." The helmsman raised the sail, and the other helmsmen took their places, grabbed their oars, and began to row.

The three of us went into the cabin and sat down. Wu Zhinan kept sneezing.

"Aren't your clothes dry yet?" I reached out and touched his clothes, finding them still a little damp.

I took two sets of dry clothes out of my luggage and handed them to Li Bai and Wu Zhinan, saying, "You two should change into these; don't catch a cold."

"And what about you?" Li Bai asked.

"I dried them while I was working."

I stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck, basking in the scorching June sun over the Yangtze River. The rowers, shirtless, had dark, oily skin and rowed with all their might, their shouts echoing across the water.

"Are we still struggling to navigate this boat even though we're going downstream?" I asked.

The boatman replied, "When the boat first starts moving, we have to row hard. Once we reach the middle of the river, it will be easier. The Yangtze River has a strong current, which helps the boat move forward. We should reach Dongting Lake around dusk."

As they spoke, the boat slowly approached the center of the river. With the efforts of the boatmen, they adjusted the boat's position, and with the help of the water's flow and the wind, the boat sped downstream.

At this moment, Li Bai and Wu Zhinan, having changed their clothes, also came to the deck. Seeing the boatmen's bare chests, they were filled with envy. The wind was strong, billowing the sails. Fearing Wu Zhinan wouldn't be able to withstand the wind, I urged them both to return to the cabin.

"Let's go in. The master said we'll reach Dongting Lake by nightfall," I said.

"So fast, that's wonderful! We can finally see the vast Dongting Lake!" Wu Zhinan said happily.

The three of us entered the cabin. Remembering Meng Ning's instructions, I reminded Li Bai once again: "Young Master, Young Master Meng has invited you to Jinling. Many of his friends want to see you. What are your plans?"

Li Bai said, "Alright, you've already agreed for me, it would be embarrassing not to go."

I turned to Wu Zhinan and asked, "Young Master Wu, what's your opinion?"

"Going is fine. Once you reach Dongting Lake, it won't be far to Jinling," Wu Zhinan replied.

"It's still early, you two should rest for a bit. I'll call you when we get to the dock," I said.

"Take out the Book of Songs and let me see it; I don't want to sleep," Li Bai said.

I took out the Book of Songs from my backpack and handed it to Li Bai. Turning around, I saw Wu Zhinan leaning against the ship's railing, already asleep. I took out a thicker coat from my suitcase and covered him with it.

As I sat in the cabin watching the mighty Yangtze River rush by, I felt a little dazed.

"What are you thinking about? Staring blankly at the river," Li Bai asked when he saw me sitting there in a daze.

"Young Master, Mount Lumen is the best; time seems to stand still there," I said.

"How about I take you back? Master Meng would love for you to stay," Li Bai joked.

"I'm not going back. Wherever you are, that's where I'll be," I said angrily.

"Okay, don't be angry, I was just teasing you. I'm going to take you to lots of places," Li Bai said, reaching out to pat my head.

As Li Bai and I were talking, the boat suddenly rocked. Wu Zhinan woke up and asked, "What's wrong?"

I stepped out of the cabin and saw the boatmen rowing hard toward Chenglingji Wharf.

"We've arrived, the ship is docking," I shouted into the cabin.

Li Bai and Wu Zhinan emerged from the cabin.

After the boat docked at the pier, the three of us collected our luggage and disembarked. I found the boatman who had given us the ride and offered him three taels of silver, but he refused to accept it.

"I'm just giving you a ride along the way. If you want to see the beautiful scenery of Dongting Lake, you'll need to take a car to Yueyang City Tower first," the driver said.

"Thank you, sir. I'll go find a car now." With that, I stuffed the silver into his pocket.

The three of us, carrying our luggage, found a horse-drawn carriage at Chenglingji Wharf. I stepped forward and asked, "Master, how much does it cost to go to Yueyang City Tower?"

"One tael of silver. It's getting dark, get on the carriage," the driver urged.

The three of us got into the carriage, and it sped off.

"Master, can't you go slower?" I said.

"Young man, there are usually no carriages going to Yueyang City Tower at this time. It takes two hours round trip. When I came back, it was completely dark, and there was no light on the road. It's not safe," the driver said.

"That must be too much trouble for you, thank you." After I finished speaking, I sat in the carriage and held tightly to Li Bai and Wu Zhinan.

When we arrived at Yueyang Ancient City, it was already completely dark. We got off the carriage, I handed the fare to the driver, and the carriage sped off towards Chenglingji.

I shouted loudly from behind, "Driver, please be careful!"