I served as Li Bai's page.

"Yuehua, don't worry, your young master will be fine," Sister Qinglan comforted me.

"I hope so. We've been away from Qinglian for so long, and the young master has never left me. I hope he can return safely soon," I said.

After breakfast, Brother Chao went to the yamen, and I played with Mumu in the alley. Not long after, it suddenly started to rain. Soon, the eaves and the alley were wet. I picked up Mumu and went back into the house.

"Sister Qinglan, the autumn rain in Yangzhou doesn't last for several days at a time, does it?" I asked.

"In previous years, at this time of year, once it rained here, it would take at least several days for the sun to shine again. It's what people call 'endless autumn rain,'" Sister Qinglan replied.

"I wonder if it's raining in Runzhou? Is Runzhou far from here, Sister Qinglan?" I asked, standing at the entrance of the hostel and looking into the alley.

"Runzhou isn't far from here, only two or three hours' journey. Are you still worried about your young master? Don't worry, he might be back this afternoon." Sister Chuang Lan said, handing me a stool: "Sit down and wait."

I sat at the entrance of the hostel for a while, but it got boring, so I went back to my room.

The day passed quickly, and it was evening again. Brother Chao returned from the yamen, and before he even entered the house, I stopped him and asked, "Brother Chao, did you ask? Did my young master go to Runzhou?"

"My cousin said he went to Runzhou. One of the young men he was drinking with was from Runzhou. That young man's mother was sick and urgently needed money, so Young Master Li went with him and several other friends," A-Chao replied.

Knowing that Li Bai was with his friends, I felt a little relieved. After dinner, I had no desire to play with Mu Mu and went back to my room early to read.

Just as Qinglan had predicted, the rain in Yangzhou had been falling for days on end. Finally, the rain stopped, but Li Bai still hadn't returned. I walked out of the inn to the alley entrance and saw the streets bustling with people and traffic, but Li Bai was nowhere to be seen. I quickly ran back to the inn, tidied up my room briefly, and went downstairs to say to Qinglan, "Qinglan, I'm going to Runzhou to find my young master."

"Yuehua, stay home and wait. You don't know anyone here, and you have no one to go with you. It's not safe for you to go out alone," Sister Qinglan said, trying to stop me.

"But I'm worried. I haven't been sleeping well these past two days. I'll still go look for it. Once I get to Runzhou, I'll try to find out more," I said.

"If you want to go, wait until tomorrow. Your brother Chao has asked for leave from the yamen to go with you. If you go out and Young Master Li comes back, we won't be able to explain it to him." Sister Qinglan wouldn't let me leave no matter what.

Just as Qinglan and I were arguing, Mumu ran back: "Uncle Li is back, but he's walking unsteadily. Go help him!"

Upon hearing Mu Mu's words, Qing Lan and I ran out and saw Li Bai walking towards the inn with his arms crossed in front of his chest, dragging his heavy steps.

I rushed over to help Li Bai up: "Young Master, what happened? How did you get yourself into this state?"

"Yuehua, I'm so cold." Li Bai was so cold that he could barely speak.

I helped him up and quickly returned to the room, laid him down, and covered him with all the blankets.

"Qinglan, could you boil an egg for me and make me a bowl of ginger soup?" I called downstairs.

"Okay, it's cooked, I'll bring it up for you," Sister Qinglan replied.

A short while later, Sister Qinglan came up with a boiled egg and a bowl of ginger soup.

"Young master, get up and drink a bowl of ginger soup, then cover yourself with the blanket to sweat it out. I'll use a silver coin to cool you down and see if that helps. Once you're warmer, I'll find a doctor to examine you." Li Bai obediently drank the bowl of ginger soup and burrowed into the blanket, covering himself tightly. Only his head was sticking out. I found a handkerchief, took out a silver coin, peeled a hard-boiled egg, leaving only the egg white, wrapped it in the handkerchief, put the silver coin inside, and gently rubbed it on Li Bai's forehead.

Li Bai was soon covered in sweat and his shivering had stopped. I went downstairs to the bathhouse to prepare hot water in a large wooden tub, then went back upstairs to dress Li Bai in thick clothes. I helped him to the bathhouse and said, "Young Master, a hot bath should make you feel better." After saying that, I closed the door and came out.

"Yuehua, please wash me, I have no strength," Li Bai called out.

I pretended not to hear and waited outside the door.

After taking a bath, Li Bai came out looking much more refreshed.

"Yuehua, I asked you to help me, didn't you hear me?" Li Bai said angrily.

"I didn't hear it. Mu Mu called me just now, so I went to check in the alley. I'm sorry, young master," I said.

"Hmph, come and help me upstairs." Li Bai said, putting his right hand on my shoulder and insisting that I help him upstairs.

After helping Li Bai back to his room and laying him down, I said to him, "Young Master, I'll go find a doctor to examine you."

"No need, I'm not cold anymore." Li Bai stubbornly refused to let me go out.

"Fine, I'm not going out. Why didn't you tell me you were going to Runzhou?" I said angrily.

"The situation was urgent, it was getting dark, and my friend was in a hurry to get back. We had already planned to go to Runzhou, so we decided to go with him. I'm sorry, Yuehua, I didn't take you with me. Don't be angry," Li Bai said.

"Then why did you make yourself sick again?"

"It rained those few days, and I drank alcohol and got caught in the rain, so I started feeling unwell yesterday. That's why I rushed back today."

"From what I've heard, you're not feeling unwell, so why aren't you coming back?"

"That's right, I haven't finished exploring Runzhou yet. My friends are still there."

"You were so sick you could barely walk, and they didn't even offer to see you off. Do they deserve to be called friends? Why didn't they call a carriage to take you after you got off the boat?" I asked Li Bai angrily and without any politeness.

"I'm out of money, I've run out of money," Li Bai said softly, glancing at me as he spoke.

"Young Master, what did you say? I gave you most of our money. And in just a few days, you've already spent it all." I paced angrily around the room, wanting to curse, but I didn't dare.

"Don't be angry, don't you still have some? Let's use it sparingly in the future." Li Bai said, reaching out to pull me, but I shook off his hand and angrily sat down on the stool. I didn't speak to Li Bai once until I went to bed.

In the middle of the night, there was a sudden knock on the door: "Yuehua, I'm so cold."

I got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Li Bai standing there, shivering all over. I quickly helped him back to bed and asked, "What's wrong? Are you cold again?" I brought the blanket I was using and covered him with it, but Li Bai was still shivering.

Not wanting to disturb Qinglan and the others, I went to the kitchen and boiled a bowl of ginger water. Just as I was about to take it upstairs, Brother A-Chao came out and asked, "What's wrong? Is someone sick?"

"My young master is sick. He caught a cold after being caught in the rain," I replied, picking up the bowl of ginger water and heading upstairs. Brother Chao followed.

I helped Li Bai drink the ginger water and said, "Tomorrow, I must find a doctor to take a look at you."