Ich verkaufe meine Kleidung und kaufe etwas Wein, den ich mit dir trinken kann

Kapitel 1

My name is Ye Qing, I'm 21 years old, and a third-year student in the Fine Arts Department of a normal university. I'm 172 cm tall and weigh 58 kg. I like quiet and don't talk much. In Qiao Na's words, I'm a bit withdrawn.

Jona is one of my roommates and one of my few friends. She's the complete opposite of me—enthusiastic, outgoing, and stylish.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the school is deserted. I woke up naturally and looked at the clock; it was already 12 o'clock. I quickly washed my face, ran my fingers through my hair, grabbed my bag, and wandered around the street.

To be honest, I don't like these days of family reunion. They always make me feel incredibly lonely, as if I'm the only person left in the world.

I slowly looked through each shop window, not at the items inside, but at the reflections of the passersby. Everyone there seemed to be in a hurry, while I felt like a wandering ghost, unsure of where to go.

As dusk settled, the temperature cooled slightly, no longer as scorching as during the day. Neon lights began to flicker, and one by one, the lights in the tall buildings came on. The faint sounds of laughter and chatter could still be heard. But not a single light shone for me, not a single door opened for me, not a single person waited for me…

The bright moon in the sky cast a soft silvery glow, stretching my shadow long and making me appear even more alone.

Then I saw an old man, his face covered in dust and his expression weary. In front of him lay a cheap plastic sheet, on which were displayed some small trinkets like jade pendants and gemstones. Perhaps it was the melancholy on his face, perhaps his tired figure, perhaps it was the vicissitudes in his eyes that drew me in. Or perhaps, it was just my own boredom…

Anyway, I went over, squatted down, and started carefully selecting items, even though I knew perfectly well they were all fakes.

He didn't have the usual eagerness of a businessman; he just silently watched me. For about ten minutes, maybe longer? I can't quite remember. I only know that he suddenly asked me in a low voice, "Do you really want to buy a piece of jade?"

I didn't say anything, or even raise my head; I just nodded slightly.

Then, a withered hand reached out to me—a very old mahogany box. He opened the lid, and I saw a jade pendant with a faint green glow lying quietly inside.

I took it out and saw that it was a Guanyin statue. The carving was very delicate; Guanyin's robes were flowing, and she held a willow branch in her hand. The lines were very smooth, and she sat serenely on a lotus platform. Her expression was very peaceful.

I immediately and inexplicably fell in love with it.

"How much?"

"You can decide how much to give."

I opened the bag and took out all the money inside. I grabbed a ribbon from his stall, strung the jade on it, and wore it around my neck.

The jade felt warm, like my mother's hand gently stroking my chest. My eyes instantly welled up with tears.

After saying goodbye to the old lady, I walked aimlessly down the street, tears silently streaming down my face—how long had it been since I'd thought of my mother? Five years? Ten years?

The blinding light shone on me, and I instinctively looked up, only to see a huge, dark shadow lunge at me, followed by the screech of screeching brakes. My body floated up, light as a feather. Finally, I could see my mother! A faint smile appeared on my face…

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 1: The Encounter - Chapter 2: Tarzan]

Pain. It felt like my whole body had been struck by countless hammers. I felt as if I had been torn into countless pieces, each piece groaning in agony.

"Water, water..." I groaned weakly. In my hazy state, someone leaned closer, and then clear water, like sweet dew, dripped onto my lips.

I don't know how much time passed before I gradually regained consciousness. I remembered the car accident. I didn't die? I opened my eyes, but what I saw was not the pristine white world I had imagined.

This was an extremely simple little wooden cabin. There were very few furnishings inside. And everything in the cabin looked strange.

"Is anyone there?" I called out softly.

The only response I received was deathly silence. The surroundings were so quiet it was as if no one lived there.

"Is nobody here?" I asked again, my voice already tinged with panic. What happened? Did the driver who caused the accident abandon me in this remote place instead of taking me to the hospital to evade responsibility?

Thinking of this, I ignored the pain in my body and struggled to sit up. I got off the bed barefoot—if these few planks of wood could even be called a bed.

The house was small, but it took me several minutes to barely move to the doorway. My foot was clearly broken. A rope and two planks were tightly binding my left shin.

These few minutes had exhausted most of my strength. I had to lean against the doorframe. When I pushed the door open, I couldn't help but gasp – there was a sheer cliff in front of me! An ancient pine tree stood proudly on the edge of the cliff, with mountain mists and clouds swirling around it.

Good heavens? What's going on? Before I could even recover from the shock, a white, hairy hand suddenly patted my shoulder.

"Ah—!" I screamed and turned my head, only to see a huge white ape (or something else? I'm not sure) standing next to me at some point.

When it saw me turn around, it bared its gleaming teeth and made a face that was neither a smile nor a threat.

"You, you, you stay away!" I was terrified, actually talking to a monkey. And it seemed to understand me, actually taking a few steps back, and extending a hand from behind its back—holding several unknown fruits. It then grinned at me ingratiatingly, showing its teeth and making a face—I guess that was a smile.

I nervously swallowed, but I absolutely dared not take the fruit from that furry hand to eat—even though I was really hungry.

I looked around and saw a wooden stick leaning against the door. So I quietly moved over and gripped the stick tightly in my hand, afraid that it would go berserk and attack me.

Seeing that I didn't dare to move, it whimpered and started waving its arms and legs. After spinning around in place a few times, perhaps on a sudden inspiration, it bent down, placed the fruits on the ground, and made a gesture as if to eat them.

How could I dare move? Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a faint sound of footsteps came from behind the wooden house. Overjoyed, without thinking, I immediately shouted, "Help! Help!"

Almost simultaneously, a white shadow flashed past me, hurtling towards the back of the house. It was that white ape! Oh no, could it be the legendary Yeti? The man-eating kind?!

Less than 10 seconds later, the white monster turned back, cradling a half-grown monkey in its arms, but unlike its snow-white coat, it had long, messy black hair and was ridiculously dressed in human clothes. Or rather, draped in a piece of cloth? A familiar-looking strip of cloth was tied around its waist—the same one I was wearing!

Upon closer inspection, oh my god! It really was a person! They looked to be either six or seven years old—I don't know much about children, so I really can't tell their age from their appearance. But it was definitely a person!!

He was staring at me coldly with his dark eyes, ignoring my terrified, astonished, shocked, and incredulous expression. With remarkable composure, he lightly leaped from the dead white ape to the ground. He picked up some fruit, stuffed it into my arms, smirked, gave me a mocking look, and then went inside without looking back.

I stared blankly at his retreating figure, my mind still reeling from all the information I'd just witnessed. Good heavens?! A little snowman? A wolf child? A wild child? My imagination started running wild. Seeing the enormous white ape standing before me, I suddenly remembered the famous movie *Tarzan*. A thought flashed into my mind, and my eyes lit up—yes, that must be it. He's an ape! Perhaps he was born with some kind of defect, so his family abandoned him in the wilderness. Then the monkey king found him and raised him as his own!

Lost in thought, the white ape approached, bent down, and picked me up. "Ah!" I involuntarily screamed, closed my eyes, and froze, all my muscles stiffening. I swear—all 36,000 hairs on my body stood on end at that moment!

It moved quickly and then gently placed me down—on the wooden bed I had just left?

I cautiously opened one eye, only to be met with a mocking gaze. I hadn't been seeing things; that "person" was indeed laughing at me.

Realizing that the giant ape meant me no harm, I tentatively tried to communicate with the little brat.

"Who are you?"