I served as Li Bai's page.

"Yuehua, wake up, go back to your room and sleep. I'm not going to talk anymore," Li Bai said, shaking me.

Li Bai shook me awake. I rubbed my eyes and said, "Young Master, aren't you going to continue? I'm going to sleep, I'm so sleepy." As I spoke, I walked towards the door, but I tripped on the threshold and fell. Li Bai quickly came out and helped me up, saying, "Are you really that sleepy? It seems it wasn't that I told the story badly."

Now I was fully awake and said, "Young Master, do you still want to talk? I'm willing to listen."

"I'm done talking, I want to sleep." After Li Bai finished speaking, he pushed me out and closed the door.

I returned to my room, completely wide awake, and sat down at the table to read Li Bai's poems again.

The next day, after lunch, Li Bai didn't go anywhere. He stayed in his room, sometimes reading, sometimes writing, and mostly just walking around.

"Young Master, are you nervous that Young Master Meng has invited you to dinner?" I asked.

"It's not that I'm nervous. Brother Meng said he wanted to introduce me to some people in Yangzhou's officialdom, and I just don't know how to respond," Li Bai said.

"That's easy. Your poems and articles are the best introductions. Maybe as soon as Young Master Meng mentions your name, everyone will know who you are," I said.

"If that's the case, then things will be much easier." Li Bai breathed a long sigh of relief.

Just as it was time for dinner, Ah Chao returned in his carriage. As soon as he entered, he called upstairs, "Young Master Li, your cousin's carriage has come to pick you up."

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there," Li Bai replied.

I instructed Li Bai to change into a white robe with blue lace trim, a blue ribbon around his waist from which hung a piece of mutton-fat jade. His hair was styled in a high puff, tied with a blue ribbon, and a long sword with a red tassel was slung across his waist. He looked both the scholarly talent and the dashing spirit of a knight-errant.

Li Bai and I went downstairs together. Ah Chao said, "Young Master Li, your cousin's carriage is waiting for you at the door. He will take you to Hongyun Winery."

"Brother Chao, aren't you and your family coming? Didn't we agree to treat everyone to dinner?" I asked.

"We won't go this time. My cousin invited some of his friends in official circles, so it's not appropriate for us to go. You and Young Master Li should go quickly." As he spoke, Ah Chao came to the door and called for a carriage to come over. Li Bai and I got into Meng Shaofu's carriage.

The carriage took us directly to Hongyun Winery, located next to Guanyiqian Street in the middle section of the South Gate Outer Street. When Meng Shaofu saw the carriage arrive, he came out to greet us, followed by several elegant young men.

As soon as Li Bai and I stepped off the carriage, Prefect Meng took Li Bai's hand and introduced him to the young gentlemen behind him: "This is Li Bai, the hermit of Qinglian Residence, your idol."

The young men clasped their hands in greeting and said in unison to Li Bai, "We have long admired your name, sir. It is an honor to meet you." Li Bai returned their greetings one by one. After exchanging pleasantries, they headed into the wine shop.

The prosperity of Yangzhou is unparalleled by other places. Take this wine shop, for example. It mainly consists of private rooms. Each private room not only allows people to drink and eat, but also has an independent stage. While drinking, guests can also enjoy the performances of singers and dancers.

Each private room was decorated in an elegant and luxurious style. The names of the rooms were also poetic; for example, the one we went into was called Elegant Garden.

Li Bai and I followed the crowd into the elegant garden. Several graceful maids came over and led us to our seats, their slender hands gently stroking the wine vessels as they poured a cup for each of us. Meanwhile, on the stage, courtesans were already plucking the strings of their instruments, and the entire garden was instantly immersed in the gentle and enchanting sounds of string and wind instruments.

We had just sat down when two more people walked in through the door. Meng Shaofu stood up to greet them: "Brother Zhang, Brother Zhao is honored to have you here. Come, let me introduce you."

"No need for introductions, this must be the talented scholar from Western Shu you mentioned, Li Bai." The two young men looked at Li Bai, who stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "That is indeed me. I dare not call myself a talented scholar; I am merely someone who has read a few more books."

The other young masters also greeted the two young masters. Judging from their eyes and attitudes, it was clear that these two young masters were people of great importance.

After the two gentlemen sat down, I gave Li Bai a wink. Li Bai understood, stood up, and said, "I thank you gentlemen for coming to meet me. We are strangers who have met by chance, but to be able to sit at the same table and drink together shows that we are destined to meet. Come, let us all drink this cup together." After saying that, Li Bai picked up his wine cup, clinked it with everyone, and drank it all in one gulp.

Meng Shaofu then stood up and said, "I am truly grateful that you gentlemen have given me this opportunity. I wish you all a bright future and continued success. Let's drink to this." With that, he took the lead and drank it all in one gulp.

I dislike the formalities at drinking parties, so I made an excuse to leave. I sat down to the side and focused on watching the performances of the courtesans and dancers.

The drinking session started off reserved but gradually relaxed, with everyone getting more and more enthusiastic. When everyone had had a few too many drinks, they learned that the two young gentlemen who had just arrived were sons of the Daotai (a high-ranking official), and they also particularly admired Li Bai's poetry and prose, revealing their admiration for him in their words.

The drinking party organized by Meng Shaofu quickly spread the news of Li Bai's arrival in Yangzhou. Every day, Li Bai led a group of literati and students on sightseeing tours, drinking and singing, and having a great time.

That day, Li Bai returned to the inn and asked me, "Yuehua, where is our money? Could you give me some? I don't have any money on me, it's inconvenient."

"Don't you usually not carry money with you? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Sometimes when you're not around, I need money but don't have any. Could you give me some? Yesterday, Young Master Wu's family came to me saying his mother was sick and urgently needed money. I wanted to give him some, but I didn't have any. Today I'm going to take some to him," Li Bai said.

I took a stack of silver notes from my pocket and handed them to Li Bai, saying, "Keep these safe. I can't hold my liquor, so it's really difficult for me to be by your side all the time. Use them sparingly."

"I know, and you don't need to be with me every day. I can take care of myself," Li Bai said, taking the banknote and putting it in his inner pocket.

Since giving Li Bai money, I've had more freedom. I spend most of my time at the hostel organizing Li Bai's poems, and sometimes I accompany Mu Mu and Sister Qinglan to stroll around town. Sister Qinglan's bound feet make her walk with tiny, hesitant steps, which is quite frustrating. Often, Mu Mu and I have already walked around the whole place, while she hasn't gone very far.

Although Li Bai would drink with his friends every day, he always made sure to return to the inn at night. No matter how late it was, we would always leave the door open for him. After returning, fueled by alcohol, he could still write poems and compose essays.

Before I knew it, I was in Yangzhou until mid-September. That morning, after I got up, I went to Li Bai's door, but I didn't hear him reading. I pushed the door open, but there was no one inside. The blankets hadn't been moved either.

I immediately tensed up and ran downstairs, where Sister Qinglan had already prepared breakfast.

"Sister Qinglan, have you seen my young master?" I asked.

"No, isn't she upstairs?"

"He's not here. Maybe he didn't come home last night."

Just as I was getting anxious, Ah Chao came out of the room and said, "Young Master Li told my cousin yesterday that he was going to Runzhou with some friends. Has he already gone? He didn't have time to come back and tell you. I'll ask my cousin when I go to the yamen later."

I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.