Liu Guancen laughed heartily, his face like a peach blossom split wide open. How could he not be happy? Visiting Liu on a snowy night—how elegant and carefree. As one of the story's protagonists, his fame was certain to spread far and wide, and the story would be passed down through the ages. Naturally, his name would be passed down with it.
What was more, to be friends with a noble and refined gentleman like Xu Yi would surely bring him a reputation for virtue and refinement as well.
At that thought, he heard himself say, "Brother Wu, Brother Su has told a delightful tale about Xu Yi. Let me share one too. Some time ago, I went to the Xiang River to see Xu Yi. He was planting plum trees in front of his house. He'd already planted a whole hillside, and the blossoms were in full bloom. As soon as I arrived, two white cranes circled overhead. Xu Yi gave a sharp whistle, and the cranes danced down to land before him. I looked closely and saw that they were just ordinary birds, not demon pets. I never would have thought he'd trained them to be so obedient."
"When Xu Yi saw me, he smiled and said, 'It's been so long since I last saw you, Brother Liu. You came at just the right time. Let me introduce you to my wife and children.' I was startled and asked when he'd gotten married and why he hadn't told me. Xu Yi pointed at the plum blossoms covering the mountain and laughed. 'This is my wife.' Then he pointed at the two white cranes. 'These are my sons. Now that you've met them, Brother Liu, you'll have to bring a gift of greeting next time you visit.' At the