I served as Li Bai's page.

"Now that you are leaving, it is uncertain when we will meet again. I wish you all the best." Li Bai then raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing the two jars of wine, everyone was a little tipsy. Li Bai was still not satisfied, so he asked Xuanmeng to fetch another jar of wine from the inner room.

It was past noon, and mist was gradually rising over Bai Zhao Mountain. The Taoist temple, situated atop the mountain, was slowly enveloped by the clouds and mist. Sitting on the platform, looking down the mountain, everything was a vast expanse of white, truly like a fairyland.

After Xu Ziyan and we finished eating, she brought out a chair and sat on the platform with Xiaoqian, enjoying the scenery while listening to Li Bai and the others' conversation.

When Li Bai drank, he always spoke without restraint. He grabbed Yuan Danqiu's hand and said, "Brother, you're leaving now, but do you know the bitterness in my heart? I felt so uncomfortable living in the Xu residence. Your sister-in-law's family didn't dare say anything because of her mother's authority. Although we have our own home on this mountain, I can't shake the suspicion of marrying into the family. I had planned to take your sister-in-law back to Longxi Courtyard after the wedding, but I didn't dare to ask her."

At this moment, Xu Ziyan stood up, walked over, and sat down next to Li Bai, saying, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just going back to your hometown, right? I'll go back with you. Tell me whatever you want; I'm your wife, and I'll listen to you."

Cen Xun said, "Your wife is very understanding and righteous. Brother Taibai, you don't need to worry too much about where you live. When it's convenient, take your wife on a trip around the world. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Brother is right. No matter where I am, I am still Li of the Tang Dynasty," Li Bai said.

No one expected that Li Bai would care so much about whether he would marry into the Xu family, and a moment of silence fell over the dinner table.

Standing atop the mountain, listening to their conversation, I couldn't find a way to comfort Li Bai. I took out the bamboo flute that Master Ziyang had given me and began to play it. I played Su Dongpo's "When Will the Moon Be Bright?" The flute's sound was low and gentle, seemingly containing a faint sorrow.

Li Bai gradually recovered from his silence and said, "The melody of this piece is quite good; it would be wonderful if it had lyrics."

I quickly said, "The lyrics are already given. Listen to them." Then I sang Su Shi's poem: "When will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in hand, I ask the blue sky. I wonder what year it is tonight in the celestial palace. I want to ride the wind and return, but I fear the jade towers and crystal palaces are too cold at such heights. I dance with my shadow, how can it compare to being in the human world? The moon turns through the red pavilion, shines low through the painted windows, illuminating my sleeplessness. There should be no resentment, yet why is the moon always full when we are apart? People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and this has been so since ancient times. I only wish that we may live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart."

As soon as I finished singing, Li Bai said: "This poem is so well written, especially the last two lines: 'May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles.' Just like how, although we are separated, our friendship will last forever."

Yuan Danqiu asked me, "Yuehua, you always seem to have a knack for saying classic things. Where exactly did you see them? Tell us."

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know. The Song Dynasty—have you ever heard of it? No, right? That's your future, our past. This poem was written by the great Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo; he was also your junior."

"The more you talk, the more confused I get. Who exactly are you?" Li Bai asked.

"I am Yuehua, your page. Young master, are you drunk?" I interrupted.

Master Ziyang said, "Regardless of this life or the next, our meeting is all predestined. Yuehua, please pour everyone some wine."

I filled everyone's cups with wine, and, emboldened by the wine, we recited poems and played music. For a moment, celestial music filled the summit of Baizhao Peak. Li Bai, in high spirits, danced, pointing his sword at the sky. What a joyous scene!

We drank until dusk, and then we had to say goodbye. Yuan Danqiu was going back to Songshan, Cen Xun was going back to Minggaoshan, and Master Ziyang was going back to Ziyang Cave on Xiancheng Mountain for secluded cultivation. Meng Haoran was going back to Lumen Mountain, and Li Bai reluctantly bid farewell to everyone.

Master Ziyang took my hand and said, "Yuehua, you actually have a great talent for Taoism. If you have nothing to do in Anlu, you can come to Suizhou to find me."

"Thank you, Daoist Master. Now that my young master has settled in Anlu, I will have many opportunities to learn from you." After I finished speaking, I bowed deeply to Daoist Master Ziyang.

Xiaoqian helped Xu Ziyan, and I helped Li Bai, as we walked down the mountain. Xuanmeng kept reminding us from behind, "Yuehua, you must come up and visit me often."

"Yes, Xuanmeng, we'll move to our new home after the Spring Festival. Then you can come eat down the mountain every day."

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it." Xuanmeng really is a child.

We arrived at the foot of the mountain, and the three of us worked together to help Li Bai onto the carriage and return to his home in Da'an Mountain.

Li Bai was heartbroken by the departure of his old friend. When he returned home, he kept looking for wine to drink, and Xu Ziyan couldn't do anything about it.

"Yuehua, Miss wants you to go to her room for a moment," Xiaoqian said as she entered my bedroom.

"What's wrong?" I stood up and walked towards Xu Ziyan's room.

Xiaoqian whispered to me, "The young master is drunk and acting crazy; he wants you to drink with him."

I went into the room, and Li Bai was pouring wine into Xu Ziyan's glass while saying, "Brother, cheers." Xu Ziyan looked at him helplessly.

I went over, helped Li Bai sit down, took the wine bottle from his hand, and handed it to Xiaoqian, saying, "Put the wine bottle away so the young master doesn't see it." Then I picked up the wine cup in front of Xu Ziyan and drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother, you've finished drinking, is that enough?" I turned the wine glass upside down for Li Bai to see.

"That's all, I'll pour you another one, brother, let's drink until we drop!" Li Bai stood up and asked, "Where's my wine bottle? Bring it to me."

"There's no more wine. Let's drink again tomorrow. It's time to go to sleep, or your wife will get angry," I said.

"If Madam is angry, then stop drinking and go to sleep." Li Bai stood up, staggered to the bedside, and collapsed onto the bed.

Xu Ziyan was both heartbroken and angry. While taking off Li Bai's shoes, she instructed Xiaoqian:

"Xiaoqian, go fetch a pot of water so your son-in-law can wash up."

"I'll go, Xiaoqian, you go back and rest. I'll take care of things here," I said.

I went to the kitchen and fetched a pot of water. After washing Li Bai, I saw that he had already fallen asleep. I said to Xu Ziyan, "Young Madam, you should rest too. You've had a long day. Young Master won't cause any more trouble."

"Yuehua, I find it hard to imagine how you managed to keep your young master company, who is such a heavy drinker." Xu Ziyan said.

"Young Madam, it's not as serious as you make it out to be. Young Master does enjoy drinking, but he rarely gets completely drunk. Today, he was a little sad because of parting with a friend, which is why he drank too much. Please forgive him, Young Madam."

"What's with all this talk about forgiveness? You've already married him, just get used to it."

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam. You should rest now. I'm going back to my room."

I returned to my room, lay on the bed, and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Thinking about Li Bai's situation in the Xu family and the infighting among the people there, I made up my mind that I couldn't let what happened tonight happen again, and I couldn't let Miss Xu be disappointed in Li Bai.