Refining the Mountains and Rivers

With brilliant archery skills, the village head shot two arrows which sliced the wind and pierced the eyes of the two wolves. Their miserable cries filled the air as they died.

Other than suffering a bite on her arm, Cang Zhu was doing okay as she hid behind Qin Yu. On the other hand, Qin Yu's robe was drenched in blood.

I almost died because of two wolves…Qin Yu's heart clenched as he fainted into Cang Zhu's arms.

When he woke up, three days had passed. The village head told Qin Yu that he was brave for bringing his fiancee to the mountains to play just before they were going to get married. Luckily, the village head was passing by, if not, they would have been eaten by the wolves.

Cang Zhu cried tears of joy as she repeatedly thanked the village head. She then looked at Qin Yu worriedly, as if afraid that he would faint again.

Maybe it was because he had been running a high fever for the past three days, but when Qin Yu woke up today, his head hurt and felt like it was filled with paste. Everything in front of him looked blurry and he felt like puking.

The village head stood up, "He is awake now and there shouldn't be a problem. However, he will need to rest to recover. Luck was shining down on you. Don't try to fool around anymore. After you recover, we will arrange for the both of you to get married and tame your wild side."

Although his head was pounding, Qin Yu heard this very clearly and his eyes flashed. Memories flashed through his head all at once and he fainted once more.

……

My name is Zhao Quanfu and I am an orphan. When I was young, my parents died in an accident and the elders in the village brought me up. I have a fiancee called Ah Zhu. She is an orphan like me. The people in the village brought us together.

I am happy because I finally have a family and don't have to be alone.

Before our marriage, maybe because I was too excited, I did something stupid. I brought Ah Zhu into the hills to play. I wanted to pluck some wild flowers for her for our wedding.

We ran into wild wolves, but thankfully the village head saved us. I behaved as a man should and protected Ah Zhu with my life. This made those that were initially unhappy that Ah Zhu was marrying a scoundrel like me shut up. It was a pleasant surprise.

Of course, what I am most happy about is that I have finally recovered and we have set our marriage date! Although I have a scar on my face, Ah Zhu said that this is the image of a brave man. Every time she looks at the scar, she will remember how I looked as I protected her.

Ah Zhu is a wonderful woman. I promise to forever treat her well.

But…one thing I don't understand is that since I woke up, I often have dreams at night. However, when I wake up in the morning, I can never remember what I dreamt of.

……

Their marriage was simple as the both of them were orphans. The village head was voted by everyone to take the place of the elder and accept a bow from the newlyweds. He was smiling so happily at them and said that their parents were smiling at them from wherever they were.

On their wedding night, Zhao Quanfu dreamt again. As he dreamt, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His whole body trembled as he broke out in a sweat.

"Ahh!"

He shouted and sat up abruptly. Ah Zhu was awoken by him and immediately hugged him to comfort him, "Brother Quan, it's just a dream. Don't worry."

Zhao Quanfu panted as he slowly calmed down in his wife's embrace. However, his eyes were filled with alarm.

"Qin Yu? Who is Qin Yu? Why must I remember this name? And who was the woman in my dream?"

Although it was still a blur, this was something more.

In a blink of an eye, three months had passed. The newly built house was peaceful and everyone in the village praised them for being so loving.

Zhao Quanfu was hardworking and good at farming and hunting. Ah Zhu was nimble and her embroidery was recognized by all the women in the village. Their days were filled with signs of prosperity.

But every night, Zhao Quanfu was awoken by his dreams. Ah Zhu tried her best to console him but it was of no use.

Once again, Zhao Quanfu awoke in the middle of the night. Lying on the bed, one hand grabbed his head while the other hit his chest.

When he was finally awake, he told his wife the truth. There was always a voice in his dream calling the name 'Qin Yu'. There was also a woman that he had never seen before who kept appearing in his dreams.

He grabbed onto Ah Zhu's hands and looked anxious, "Ah Zhu, I swear that I have never done anything to let you down. I have no impression of this name and this woman at all. But I don't know why, the voice that calls out in my dreams as well as the shape of this woman is starting to become blurry. I feel extremely uncomfortable, as if my chest is about to split open."

Ah Zhu hugged him and tried her best to fill her gaze with tenderness, "I believe you, of course I believe you…Brother Quan, if forgetting this name and this woman makes you feel horrible then try and prevent yourself from forgetting. Maybe it can help you get rid of the nightmares."

When they woke up the next day, Zhao Quanfu, who had always been hardworking, did not take his farming tools and set off to work as he had always done. Instead, he went to the village head, Old Wang's house. He asked to learn carpentry.

From that day, Zhao Quanfu became the second person in the village to know how to carve. He was serious in his studies and improved quickly. When Old Wang passed away two years later, he smiled and told Zhao Quanfu that he was as good as him and could become a master now.

After finishing his duties in the fields and returning to eat dinner with Ah Zhu, as the sky had not yet turned dark, Zhao Quanfu placed his chopsticks down and headed into the back garden.

Behind him, as Ah Zhu watched him work, a torn look filled her eyes before she smiled and shook her head. Goodness. How could she be jealous of a statue. Thankfully, she did not show it in front of Brother Quan, otherwise it would make things difficult for him.

If he wanted to carve, he could. After all, that person in his imagination would not appear here in this isolated and deep village in the mountains. She would treat it as a remedy for him to clear his mind.

At this moment, Zhao Quanfu was holding onto a piece of wood as he sat in front of a table. He thought for a while before taking action.

His carving tools were given to him by Old Wang. Even though they had been used for many years, they were still highly effective in Zhao Quanfu's hands. As he moved, pieces of wood and shavings fell to the ground. Very soon, a woman's face appeared.

Although it was still rough and the features were not yet distinct, the face brought about a magnificent feeling.

As time passed, the statue in Zhao Quanfu's hands became about as big as a hand and was of a very realistic beauty.

The corners of her mouth were tilted up as her plump lips brought out a warm smile. Along with her carefully carved dark eyes, it made it look as if she was smiling at you.

Zhao Quanfu was stunned for a moment before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he was finally calm, he then turned and opened the door to the new wooden room in their back garden.

At this moment, the light was coming from the west and starting to fade. Numerous statues were sitting on the wooden shelves in the room. The shelves were now half-filled. Putting the piece he was holding onto a shelf, Zhao Quanfu spoke softly, "Qin Yu, is this your name? Although I don't know why I can hear your voice, you most likely want me to help you to remember this woman.

"Don't worry, I make a statue every day. Even if my memory is foggy on the second day, as soon as I close my eyes, I can make a statue identical to her. In this manner, I will never forget her. So, if this is your goal, you have already achieved it. Can you stop bothering me?"

That night, the nightmare that had been constantly bothering Zhao Quanfu finally disappeared.

It was from that day that Ah Zhu no longer wanted Zhao Quanfu to stop carving.

In a blink of an eye, the two had been married for ten years.

Their days were getting better. After the village head passed away, there were some people who even suggested that Zhao Quanfu take over. However, he rejected. But this seemingly perfect family also made the elders in the village sigh. Because after so long, they still did not have any children.

Some said that ultimately, Zhao Quanfu could not have a family. After the two of them passed away, their bloodline would end and it was the fate of their household.

Ah Zhu cried at night and the next day, Zhao Quanfu went to confront those that said it, which was something he hardly ever did. After that, no one brought this up ever again.