Chapter Text
A truck with things drove up near a small house. Workers got out of it and began to get furniture out of it. A few meters away from them, a young girl was standing and talking about something with a woman.
“So, Miss Yang, I hope you like it in our quiet village,” the woman said and raised her eyes to «Miss Yang.»
“O no, call me Ksu!” waving her hands, the girl frantically blurted out. In response, she received a sweet smile from Ms. Li, which made her smile involuntarily. Glancing around the area around her, she said: “ Here. Quite calmly. This is exactly what I was looking for.”
Indeed, it was extremely peaceful here. Children played tag and threw the ball, the old people calmly sat on the benches and talked about their young years. It seemed that life in this village stood still and remained quiet and measured forever.
“Yes it is. Mostly young families or old people live here. Young people are trying to get out of here faster.”
“So, how much I understand it, you would like to immerse yourself more in history, right, young lady?” tearing Ksu away from reasoning, the woman asked.
“Oh yes!” turning away from the cute picture, the girl answered. “I would like to know more about your legends and life. My family and I arrived in this country not so long ago and then I did not have much time and desire to be interested in all this… But, times are changing, right?”
“Ohoho, of course, of course, ” said the woman. “There are temples nearby. You can go and see, it is steeped in history. Just take some treats with you, the inhabitants of the temples love them.”
“ Inhabitants of temples? ” Ksu said thoughtfully. Slightly bowing her head, she said: “ Well, I will do so, thanks for the advice!”
“ What are you, what are you. I'm just very glad that you showed up here. We did not have enough doctors for a long time, but here from a big city with good experience… We were lucky!” Ms. Li said with a laugh.
“ I will try not to disappoint you .. ” the girl answered embarrassedly. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks. She is not often praised like that.
“ Well, I won't bother you. Make yourself comfortable, if anything, I live across the street. ” the woman said at last and went her own way.
“ Good bye, have a nice day,” said Ksu at last and turned to the house.
At last. Her own home. Where she can do whatever she wants. She will arrange the furniture as he wants and so on… With a dreamy sigh, Ksu noticed that the movers had already finished carrying things and went on further orders.
Entering the room, Ksu looked around in admiration. Everything is as she wanted. Gladly running her eyes over the furniture, the girl jumped onto the sofa in a big way. You can't tell by her, but she was tired on the way here. It would be okay to drive 10 hours by car, but she had to find a way to this village for several hours since the driver could not adjust his navigator.
Despite all the problems, she is finally here. In her apartment, with her belongings and memories. Closing her eyes, Ksu sighed with relief.
After lying there for about half an hour, the girl slowly got up and the bed and began to disassemble the boxes. She put her clothes in a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. Numerous books, which Ksu could not part with, began to stand on the recently purchased shelves.
While rummaging through the boxes, the girl found her drawing supplies. Brushes, paints, small canvases, sketchbooks … She did not plan to get everything out of the box, since there is simply nowhere to put these things, but she took out a notebook with pencils.
And then a brilliant idea came to her mind. Those temples that Ms. Li spoke about. They can be a great place to relax, as well as to start her exploration of the history of this place.
Amazed at her thoughts, Ksu began to quickly put things in her bag. As she understood, it takes about half an hour to walk to that te
Since the road is not close, so you need to bring something to eat and water as well .. Exactly. On the way, you need to buy any treats .. Ksu did no know exactly who Ms. Li meant by «temple inhabitants», but you need to be prepared for anything.
After collecting her things, the girl decided to change. The dress she was wearing now was not very suitable for a hike in the woods. After rummaging in the dresser, Ksu pulled out pants with a T-shirt, as well as a sports jacket. Quickly pulling on her clothes, the girl grabbed her bag and headed out of the house.
Walking a little through the village and asking the residents, she came to something. Namely, the inhabitants of the temples meant the monkeys that live there. They are not touched and they bring them all kinds of offerings, as they are a manifestation of some .. Spirit. She didn't really get the point, but she didn't think too much about it, everything has its time. She thanked the people for telling her all this, Ksu continued on her way.
Going into the nearest and probably the only large store in this village, the girl took some water for herself and took fruit for offerings. The seller said that now is the season of peaches, so Ksu took a little more of them so that after coming home, she could taste them. The store's assortment slightly surprised her. Peach-related products were everywhere. Drinks, sweets, scented candles, and the like. Is there some kind of cult of this fruit? Or the villagers just love them, and she's paranoid again.
Something like shoving everything she bought into her little bag, she looked up at the mountain. And there she has to climb. Taking a deep breath, the girl headed for a winding path that, according to residents, should lead her to a cluster of temples.
After only 10 minutes, Ksu was tired. Maybe it was not a good idea after a long road to drag around in an incomprehensible place to look at completely ugly temples, but if it were not for impulsive decisions, she would not be herself. But even in such situations, there were some positive features. For example this… It was insanely beautiful.
Everything around literally bloomed and smelled. Thick foliage rustled softly over her head, creating a soothing atmosphere. Many plants on earth attracted insects with their beauty. But one flower still stood out strongly against their background. Although she was not particularly strong in floristry, it should be called … Chrysanthemum, right? A large yellow flower swayed calmly in the light gusts of wind. After thinking for a few seconds, Ksu took out a notebook and pencil, sat down on the grass next to a flower, and began to draw it out on paper with sharp movements. Before that, oddly enough, she saw flowers only in flower shops, well, or in pots. But they were strikingly different from that. From him breathed a certain .. Freedom? A strange comparison for a flower, but that was the only thing that came to her mind.
After spending about 15 minutes sketching, Ksu shook herself off and got up from the ground. Having looked at the drawing and at the flower itself for the last time, the girl, satisfied with the work, continued on her way, looking around.
But it didn't last long. She was told a year ago that her stamina is just awful and needs to go in for sports, but then the girl simply dismissed this thought and threw it into a distant box. At that time, Ksu could not think about anything other than work. Numerous patients who, at every opportunity, accuse you of all problems, from relatives who promise you that you will pay for everything and .. Unsuccessful operations....
Quickly shaking her head and sending her thoughts about work to hell, the girl looked around again. She came to this village to rest, work at a calm pace, and culturally enlightened, so thoughts about her past work are superfluous. After walking a little more, the Ksu of the herd noticed that the trees began to thin out and bushes began to
Fill most of the road. On some of which berries even grew, and beckoning to themselves with their scent.
Of course, Ksu did not take risks and try them but noted for herself that no matter how much she went, the environment was insanely beautiful.
Therefore, the girl wondered what will happen when she reaches the temples? Will they amaze her even more or, on the contrary, will they disappoint her? Without thinking much about it, she continued on her way.
Finally, after 20 minutes of walking, Ksu made it to her destination. Breathing hard, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. It seems that the jokes of her friends about the fact that she will not be able to climb the hill have ceased to be jokes. But what she saw looking up .. Startled her.
A small cluster of temples made of stone blocks, which were decorated with numerous ribbons and some kind of amulets. Also, almost every temple had stone statues of a monkey, which, despite their slightly abandoned appearance, looked amazing. Slightly immersed in her thoughts, the girl did not notice how someone began to crawl out from behind the trees. Namely, little monkeys.
"It seems that these are the inhabitants of the temples, ” a slight smile appeared on Ksu's face. Looking around, the girl noticed a dish standing at the temple and headed towards it.
At this time, the monkeys looked at her with curiosity. Of course, people often come here, and they looked for her for the first time. Having looked at each other, the monkeys continued to observe the girl.
“I hope you enjoy my… offering,” Ksu said and slowly began to put the fruit on the dishes.
The monkeys cheered up at the sight of fresh peaches and began to approach the girl more willingly. She tried not to make sudden movements, so as not to inadvertently frighten them off. Realizing that Ksu was not dangerous, the monkeys eagerly attacked the lying fruits.
The girl watched with childish curiosity as these small animals eagerly eat the fruits she brought. Inside her, there was a warm feeling, which then grew into a faint smile. Slightly moving away from this group, Ksu sat down on the steps of the nearest temple. The rays of the setting sun shrouded everything in a yellow-red color, making things even more beautiful.
Taking out her notebook, the girl quickly began to sketch the surrounding area. These temples, trees, monkeys. It seemed that the muse came down to her and gave her inspiration. And so, one after another, she makes many sketches of temples and small animals, diligently drawing each line. Fully immersed in drawing, the girl did not notice at all how one of the monkeys approached her and bent down to look at the drawing.
“ Like it? ” said the girl with a slight smile, fully aware that she was talking to the monkey.
And then something happened that she certainly did not expect. The monkey looked at a notebook with drawings for a few seconds and then shouted something, grabbed it, and rushed somewhere into the thicket of the forest.
“ Wha … hey, give it back! ” the girl screamed and jumped up from the steps on which she was sitting. Looking where the monkey ran, Ksu rushed after her. No, of course, she has a whole bunch of notebooks, but she didn't want to lose everything she did because of some monkey.
The animal jumped quickly from tree to tree, holding a notebook in its teeth. The girl can barely keep up with him, seeing only her tail. After a few minutes of running, she was about to give up, but at that moment the trees ended and Ksu found herself in a small clearing. Breathing deeply, she tried to catch her breath. Taking a last deep breath, the girl looked around the area around her. To her surprise, a temple stood on top of a small hill. He was… More than those that were lower, and more beautiful… But despite this, he looked more abandoned? Has everyone forgotten about him?
Having asked this question, Ksu walked a little through the clearing, looking for that very monkey with her eyes. Although it was not possible to find her, on the steps leading to the temple, the girl noticed her notebook and hurried to pick it up until another monkey took him away.
Lifting it and shaking it off, she raised her eyes to the statue standing next to her. A bird was sitting on it and .. was looking at it with curiosity? No, some kind of nonsense. It's just a bird, what another paranoia. Despite all the oddities in her behavior, she was very beautiful. Her plumage shone gold in the rays of the sunset, and the red and green tips of the feathers gave her image a contrast.
“ Can I..” again catching herself thinking that she was talking to an animal, the girl turned a page in her notebook. Sitting down on the nearest pillar, the girl began to sketch the bird with light movements.
The bird, it seems, understood the desire to draw it, because it did not fly away and tried to keep one pose, although this sometimes did not work out.
“You would make a good model,” Ksu said, looking at the bird with a smile, drawing another line in the drawing.
From time to time, raising her eyes to the bird, the girl drew its outline on paper. By the time she finished, the sun was almost over the horizon.
“That's all,” Ksu said, drawing the last line in the drawing.
“You're doing pretty well,” said a voice over her head.
Quickly raising his head, she saw a guy hanging over her, who was looking with interest at the drawing she had drawn. In a surprise, the girl screamed and the notebook flew to the ground
“You scream as if you saw a demon,” he said with a smile on his face, leaning on his tail.
Wait, tail? What the hell ... Thoughts frantically rushed in her head and did not want to gather into a single whole. What could a person forget in the practice of an abandoned temple late evening? And why does he look so strange? Dressed up as someone?
There was a guy in front of the girl. He was dressed .. Strange. A yellow shirt, a scarf, something like armor ... Realizing that she was looking only at his body, she was embarrassed and looked up at her face. It also surprised her a little. Light blond hair fell on his face, thick dark eyebrows, and... Golden eyes. She could rest that they exuded some kind of light. But what attracted her more was that the area around her eyes was slightly different and slightly darker than the other skin. And only now did she understand. It was wool.
“Well, so be it, I am Sun Wukong, a sage equal to the sky, will allow you to capture my beautiful face,” Wukong said, folding his arms over his chest and standing on a pedestal standing next to him.
“ Who?...” the only thing that the girl could produce because she did not understand what was happening at all.
There was a deathly silence. The only thing that interrupted her was the sound of crickets and grasshoppers. Are they in some kind of comedy movie? It flashed through her head.
“Well, with a sense of humor, of course, you are so-so,” Wukong said, rolling his eyes and putting his hands on his hips.
“ Yeah. Yes. Of course … ” the girl said nervously, slowly taking a step back, nervously looking around she said: “ You… Um .. Mr. Wukong .. Or whatever you are. Do what you were doing, but I think .. I'll go… ”
And then she ran with all her might into the forest. There were several thoughts in her mind about what had just happened. Either it's some guy who likes to be dressed up as a monkey, or she's hallucinating. Exactly. It's a hallucination.
She probably never ran so long and fast in her life. All the way blood was pounding in her ears and it seemed to her that this old guy was chasing her. Only at the foot of the mountain did the girl stop and barely even out her breathing. Her lungs were vomiting from wrong breaths and she tried to bring her back to normal. Her legs began to shake, as did herself. Raising her head, Ksu looked around to see if that strange guy had appeared. Not finding him, the girl wiped the sweat on her forehead with relief.
Well, this is an adventure. Going to unfamiliar places is a bad idea… Already about to go home, Ksu decided to check her bag and was stunned. Notebook. He fell there. Turning her head to the side where the temple was supposed to be, a slight chagrin appeared on her face.
But after a second, it disappeared. Who needs her notebook. Surely this guy didn't even notice him. And Ksu will come there tomorrow afternoon and pick him up. Yes, a great plan.
Having decided everything for herself, she turned around and slowly trudged to her house. Well, in the morning the whole body will ache, you need to take a bath as soon as possible and go to bed. Trying to put aside thoughts of the boy, she thought. But his eyes … Were they golden?
At this time, Sun Wukong calmly watched the situation from a nearby tree. He was holding a notebook that this strange girl had dropped. Of course, she was shocked that she met him in person, but not run away because of it. Moving his gaze to the leaf, Wukong looked again at the images of himself in the form of a bird. And she draws well…