Chapter 37

"Li Bai?"

Xia Zui looked at the little girl before her. The child was adorable, yet what she had just said was truly startling. Xia Zui had originally only intended to send letters to her own late relatives; she hadn't expected this child to ask to send a letter to Li Bai right off the bat.

What ambition! A true "big sister" in the making!

"You like Li Bai?" Xia Zui asked with a smile.

Tang Fu’s round little face immediately sank. "I don't like Li Bai at all!"

"Why did he have to write so many poems? I can't memorize them all, I really can't!"

Watching the little girl’s eyes well up with tears, Xia Zui felt completely at a loss. "..."

Oh, dear.

"Don't cry."

Tang Fu wiped her own tears. "Regardless, I have to write to him. I want to tell him to stop writing poems."

Xia Zui replied, "Well, it’s not that it can't be done, but..."

Ning Yiming looked at her. "But what?"

Xia Zui pursed her lips. "This space-time mailbox can deliver letters to Li Bai, provided you know the address and the time. However, the moment the recipient receives the letter, a space-time divergence occurs."

"In other words, from that moment on, a new timeline is derived; things here won't change."

"Do you understand?"

Tang Fu’s little face scrunched up. "No."

Xia Zui sighed. "It means that in another timeline, there is another version of you. Every different choice you make creates a different space-time."

"For instance, the future you might be a doctor, or a singer, or an office worker, or even an astronaut."

"So, if you write a letter to Li Bai, the only thing that will change is the future of the Li Bai in the timeline that receives the letter."

"The Li Bai in our current timeline will not receive the letter."

"Ah!" Shu Hu said with his mouth agape. "I get it! It means if you write the letter and Li Bai stops writing poems, we still have to memorize them! But the 'us' in another timeline won't have to!"

Xia Zui scratched her head. That wasn't quite the logic, but it wasn't exactly wrong either. Besides, there was no guarantee Li Bai would even listen to them!

Tang Fu was clearly hesitating. If she wrote the letter but still had to memorize the poems, was it even worth it?

After fretting for a while while twisting the hem of her shirt, she decided.

"Scan the code!"

Tang Fu pouted. "I want to save the 'me' in another timeline!"

*Wuu wuu wuu*, Tang Fu in the other timeline, you better remember my kindness. It was I who saved you from having to memorize poems!

Xia Zui scanned the code for her, then retrieved a piece of stationery and an envelope from behind the mailbox. "Go ahead and write; I'll help you fill in the address." The child probably had no idea where Li Bai lived.

Tang Fu took a pen out of her schoolbag and pasted the paper against the wall to write, surrounded by the other elementary school students watching curiously.

"Write it like this: 'Respected Uncle Li Bai'!"

"Yes, yes, that's how you write a letter!"

"Oh, tell him to write fewer poems, and wish him good health at the end."

"How do you write 'health'? I forgot!"

"Like this, like this! I'll write it!"

Xia Zui watched them bustling about while she quietly searched online for Li Bai's address.

The address seemed a bit vague, so she simply filled in: "Hanlin Academy, Chang'an, Third Year of Tianbao."

The third year of Tianbao was exactly when Li Bai left Chang'an, likely his most despondent period. Xia Zui didn't know much about history, but a letter required an address, and who knew how many places Li Bai had been in his life? This would do; it would at least give Li Bai a reason to smile upon receiving a child's letter.

Since it was possible to send letters to historical figures, Xia Zui quietly took out a sheet of paper and began to write one herself.

About ten minutes later, Tang Fu let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the fully filled-out letter.

"Here you go!"

Xia Zui took the letter and, without looking at it, placed it in the envelope. "Alright, go ahead and drop it into the mailbox."

Tang Fu held the letter with both hands, muttering, "You better not be lying to me. If you are, I'm calling the Bureau of Industry and Commerce!"

Xia Zui: ...

After the envelope was dropped in, Tang Fu exhaled and looked at Xia Zui with wide eyes. "Will I get a reply tomorrow?"

Xia Zui nodded. "Yes."

"Great! I'll come back to get the reply tomorrow!" Tang Fu said happily. She then looked at the magic wand with longing.

Just then, a voice rang out from nearby: "Still not home! The food is getting cold!"

Ning Yiming shuddered at the sound. He turned stiffly to look at his mother, who was leaning out of a window in the distance. "Ahhhhh! Help! My mom is going to beat me!"

He grabbed his flute and ran home.

The other students were suddenly reminded of the days they’d been scolded, and they hurried home as well.

Tang Fu said reluctantly, "You can't run away tomorrow, I'm coming back to find you."

With that, she pulled out her phone watch and snapped a photo of Xia Zui. Now this person couldn't escape—if she had lied to a child, she would report her to the police!

Xia Zui: ...

Once the children had all left, Xia Zui ran to a nearby shop. "Give me a world map. Oh, and boss, do you know where there's a print shop?"

***

Chang'an.

With his pack on his back, Li Bai walked step by step along the road out of the city. He was no longer the high-spirited youth he once was. The imperial order to "bestow gold and send him away" had left him filled with indignation and disappointment.

"Qinglian Jushi!" A shout made Li Bai pause. He looked back. The man calling him was a servant of a Hanlin scholar.

The servant stepped forward. "My master told me to bring this letter to you; he said you dropped it."

Li Bai took the letter. He touched the envelope, feeling puzzled. The paper was fine and delicate, and the characters written upon it were strange, yet for some reason, he could understand them.

The servant left after delivering the letter, muttering to himself about how his master had seen it dropped at the Hanlin Academy. Li Bai watched him go, then looked at the strange letter in his hand. The envelope was so peculiar, yet the servant hadn't seemed to notice anything odd.

Strange, truly strange.

He shook his head slightly and carried the letter out of the city.

That night, after finding lodging, he sat down to examine the letter. The characters on the envelope were still difficult to identify, yet he understood them perfectly.

It was addressed to "Li Bai, Hanlin Academy, Third Year of Tianbao." It was indeed for him.

Li Bai felt the envelope for a while before taking out the letter. The paper was thin but sturdy, with red lines printed on it. Under the flickering candlelight, Li Bai stroked his beard as he read. The characters were a bit crooked, and some were missing strokes, but he paid it no mind.

[Respected Uncle Li Bai:

Hello!

I am Tang Fu from the future. The "future" is a long, long time after you. I am currently in the sixth grade of elementary school. I am writing to you abruptly, and I hope I am not disturbing you.

How are you lately? I would like to ask you for a favor, if I may.

Could you please stop writing poems? We really can't memorize them all. From "Quiet Night Thought" to "Seeing Off Meng Haoran for Guangling," we have endured countless days and nights of memorizing poems.

I really hope you won't write any more poems!

You have left behind so many poems that you are called the "Poet Immortal." Oh! Right! I don't know if this letter can reach you, but if you see it, could you please write back to me?

Hmm... if you don't write so many poems, I will definitely like you very much, just like my teacher likes you!

Finally, I wish you good health! And stay happy.]

After finishing the letter, Li Bai’s brows suddenly relaxed, and he laughed heartily. "The future?"

"Poet Immortal!"

The smile on Li Bai's face gradually faded. He had spent his life seeking to fulfill his ambitions, yet he had only written countless poems in Chang'an without ever being truly utilized. Who would have thought that in later generations, he would be called the "Poet Immortal"?

No wonder the characters on this letter were so strange, yet he could understand them—they were from the future.

He smiled to himself. *Well then, I shall reply!*

Li Bai found brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. As the candlelight flickered, his heart felt much lighter. Seeing the handwriting, he knew the sender must be very young, and he felt a surge of tenderness.

It was just that the idea of people in the future still having to memorize his poems felt amusing—he never imagined his works would circulate for so long.

However, stopping his poetry was impossible; he would have to disappoint his little friend.

He wrote at length, putting down his brush only when he was finished. Li Bai sealed the envelope, wondering how he might send it, when suddenly, the letter on the table vanished before his eyes.

Li Bai was stunned, then laughed loudly. "What a joy tonight! I must have a drink! Such a strange event deserves a poem!"

***

"What were you doing over there? The food is ready and you still haven't come back!" Di Mei said to Ning Yiming.

Ning Yiming put away his schoolbag. "Just... just bought a flute."

Di Mei closed the door and walked toward the kitchen. "You want to learn the flute?" She glanced at the flute in his hand; it didn't look like much. "How much did it cost?"

Ning Yiming lied quietly. "Ten yuan."

"Mom, I bought it for you. I want to hear you play!"

Di Mei chuckled. "I don't know how to play. If you want to play, you do it yourself. Alright, come and eat."

Ning Yiming placed the flute on the sofa. After finishing his bowl of rice, he probed again, "Mom, I really want to hear you play. Can you try for me?"