Leaving Home at Eighteen

"Leaving Home at Eighteen" (十八岁出门远行, or 十八歲出 門遠行; Shíbā Suì Chūmén Yuǎnxíng) is a short story by Yu Hua.

The narrator of the story is on a road traveling by foot, searching for an inn.

The people in the previous hamlet had told him to keep walking until he found one.

He eventually finds a broken down apple truck by the side of the road, and after offering the driver a cigarette, manages to hitch a ride.

The story concludes with the narrator finally crawling into the cab of the truck to find warmth as the night settles down.