Chapter 35: A Life Scarred by Fate

Qin Wan nodded softly, a gentle smile curling at her lips as she turned to face Gu Qingyi.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, her eyes took on the shape of crescent moons, and her smile looked even warmer.

Qin Wan stepped lightly forward, taking Gu Qingyi’s hand in hers, and said in a soft voice, “Brother Mu, it’s getting late. Let’s head back.”

Gu Qingyi couldn’t help but nod in response. “Alright, let’s go home.”

Hand in hand, the two of them walked into the fading light, their figures growing smaller until they disappeared down the path.

Eventually, they returned to their cozy courtyard.

Qin Wan gazed at the little yard in front of her, a look of delight spreading across her face.

She reached out and gently pushed open the small picket gate, calling out, “Mother, I’m home!”

A short while later.

“Wan’er? Is that you, Wan’er!” An anxious voice sounded from inside the house. An old woman with streaks of white hair and a hunched back slowly walked out.

She was short, her skin weathered like old tree bark, yet traces of youthful grace still clung to her features.

Time shows no mercy, carving deep lines into the old woman’s face, but her bright eyes told stories of hardship and loss.

Seeing her mother approach, Qin Wan rushed forward to support her, worry flickering across her face. “Mother, your health is so fragile. Why are you out of bed? You should be resting!”

The old woman patted Qin Wan’s slender hand with loving affection. “Wan’er, I just missed you. And besides, my health is holding up—don’t worry about me!”

Suddenly, the old woman turned to look at Gu Qingyi, sizing him up as if she were meeting a stranger.

With a bit of confusion, she asked, “Wan’er, who’s this young man next to you? Why do I not remember him?”

Qin Wan’s hand trembled slightly as she held her mother, pausing for a half step.

She explained patiently, “Mother, this is Brother Mu. He’s been living with us for a long time. How could you forget?”

The old woman gazed at Qin Wan like a child, then shook her head, looking lost. “I don’t remember. I can’t remember at all.”

Qin Wan stared blankly at her, her eyes darkening with sudden sadness.

It felt like something stabbed in her chest. Trying to steady herself, Qin Wan said, “Mother, I’ll help you back to your room to rest. I’ll check on you again later.”

“Brother Mu, let me take my mother back to her room first.” Qin Wan turned to glance briefly at Gu Qingyi.

“Go ahead.” Gu Qingyi nodded, and Qin Wan led the old woman back inside.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind rushed past, making the trees’ leaves rustle and howl. In no time, the leaves fell to the ground.

Another short while passed. Qin Wan stepped out of her mother’s room, looking so lost and hollow it was as if her soul had been drained.

She looked like she might collapse any moment.

Seeing this, Gu Qingyi hurried to her side to steady her, asking in a worried voice, “Wan’er, is Aunt okay?”

Qin Wan stared blankly at Gu Qingyi, stepped up on the porch, and all at once broke down, sinking onto the steps and bursting into tears.

Gu Qingyi froze at the sight, completely at a loss. He sat down beside her, asking, “Wan’er, did something happen to Aunt?”

With red, swollen eyes, Qin Wan turned to Gu Qingyi, her voice choking with sobs. “Brother Mu, my mother’s dementia is back. It hadn’t flared up in so long, but now it suddenly has! Right now, she can only remember me—everything else is just gone! What am I supposed to do?”

………………….

Qin Wan fought to control her emotions and slowly let herself sink back into heavy memories.

My mother was born and raised in Xiaoxi Village. Her name is Zhang Yurong, and she’s as elegant as her name suggests.

In her youth, her beauty was legendary in every village for miles around, and so many matchmakers crowded her doorstep you could hardly walk through it.

My father, Qin Yingjun, grew up here too. Like my mother, his looks matched his name—he was the most handsome young man in all the nearby villages.

Girls went crazy for him everywhere.

My parents met by chance. After getting to know each other, they found their interests matched and their feelings quickly grew.

Their bond only grew stronger until it was unstoppable.

With time, their love deepened, and they overcame countless hardships to finally marry, turning their story into a local legend.

Back then, everyone in Xiaoxi Village congratulated them, celebrating the golden couple that had finally found happiness.

But not everyone felt pure joy: those who had loved either of my parents but had lost their chance could only sigh and let go. I guess, that’s a form of love too.

Of course, my parents themselves were over the moon to finally be together.

For years, they dreamed of having a child.

But no matter how hard they tried, it was as if fate were playing a cruel joke—year after year, no baby arrived.

They sighed at life’s unfairness, but in the end decided that if they couldn’t have a child, at least they’d grow old together in peace.

Those days passed quietly and blissfully—with just one regret: they never had a child of their own.

But then, as they reached middle age, fate seemed to smile on them at last. My mother became pregnant with me.

My father was overjoyed—he told everyone he met that his wish had finally come true, desperate to shout it to the whole world. The neighbors all came by to celebrate with him.

In that moment, joy filled the entire village.

But happiness didn’t last. Life never follows a smooth path—sometimes, fate’s cruelty returns.

“Life is short and full of suffering. Fate brings the bitterest hardships to those with the hardest fate. A rope always snaps where it’s thinnest, and misfortune always seeks out those who already bear enough.”

Ten months later, I was born into this world.

My parents were ecstatic, especially my father, who spun around in circles with me in his arms, practically bursting with happiness.

Qin Yingjun shouted with joy, “It’s a daughter—I finally have a daughter! Hahaha!”

They named me Qin Wan, meaning I arrived late.

After that, the three of us lived a peaceful, happy life together.

But when I turned one, disaster struck our happy family. My father, full of excitement, decided to climb the mountain to hunt some wild game for a feast in our honor.

………………..

At dawn the next day, my father set off early.

My mother and I stood outside to see him off, reminding him, “Be careful and come home soon!”

None of us knew that this farewell would be forever.

My mother and I waited anxiously in the little cabin, hoping he’d come home safe—even empty-handed would’ve been fine.

But outside, a violent storm rolled in, thunder crackled, and rain poured down.

Right then, my heart tightened with a sudden sense of loss, as if something precious was slipping away from me.

Tears spilled down my face, unstoppable.

My mother watched the downpour, and a woman’s intuition told her something terrible had happened. Everything went black, and she fainted onto the floor.

The next morning, the rain had passed and sunshine filled the courtyard, with the calls of insects and birds all around. The path was still wet, and drops of rain clung to the trees.

The yard soon filled with villagers, their faces grave and heavy.

My mother lay in bed, her lashes fluttering as she slowly awoke and glanced at the crowd in confusion.

The group stood together, and on the ground behind them lay something covered by a white cloth, its nature unclear.

The village chief sighed, “Sister Yurong, there’s something I must tell you—you have to brace yourself. Yingjun met with an accident on his way home yesterday.”

The chief told my mother, “Yingjun caught a few wild rabbits and hurried back, but with the weather turning, he slipped and fell from the mountain. He died on the spot.”

“It wasn’t until the next day, when villagers went out, that they found him.” The others shook their heads, urging, “Please take care of yourself and don’t let the grief take over.”

“Impossible, there’s no way—my husband can’t be gone! You must be lying to me!” My mother, desperate, struggled out of bed and ran through the crowd to the thing hidden under the cloth.

She tore the cloth away, and the battered, unrecognizable body underneath was revealed.

My mother recognized him only by the bracelet on his wrist—the one she’d put on him that morning. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she knew the truth.

Her world shattered. Everything went dark and she fainted again, losing herself to the bed for another day.

The shock was too much; after that day, my mother’s mind collapsed completely.

From then on, she was often delirious—sometimes lucid, sometimes lost.

During her clear moments, she tried time and again to end her own life to follow my father! Each time, the neighbors sensed something was wrong and rushed over to save her in time.

If not for them, I would’ve been orphaned from that day on.

“Sister Yurong, if you keep trying to end your life, what about your daughter? You can’t let Wan’er grow up without parents, can you? Would you really be so cruel as to leave her alone in the world?” In the end, the respected village chief stepped in, patiently convincing her.

Reluctantly, my mother looked at me weeping at her bedside. Her heart softened, and finally she promised never to try again—that she would live on for my sake.

…………………..

After that, it was just the two of us, my mother and me. Life was hard, but with help from the kind villagers, we managed. Things eventually settled into a quiet routine. Early on, my mother’s condition was mild; she could still manage.

But that changed one night—I came down with a raging fever, and my mother had a sudden fit.

But that night, for some unexplained reason, she snapped out of it. She ran to my room, weeping and calling my name, knowing that if I didn’t respond, she could lose the last important thing in her life.

She called my name over and over, seeing I wouldn’t wake.

Suddenly, her mind cleared and she rushed outside like a madwoman, screaming for help.

The noise woke all the neighbors, and they all knew something terrible must have happened.

Everyone sprang out of bed and ran to our house.

The village doctor hurried in, his expression turning grave when he saw me unconscious in bed.

He felt my forehead and blanched. “This child is burning up! Quick, get a bucket of cold water and anything that can cool her down, now!”

Hearing his words, everyone scrambled to collect what was needed.

With their combined efforts, my fever slowly broke and I pulled back from death’s door that night.

After that, my mother was back to normal—but her dementia suddenly grew much worse, to the point that she could hardly remember anything.

No one knew what really happened. On that night, as my mother lay there, a voice sounded in her mind out of nowhere.

“Your daughter is fated to suffer this calamity. Do you understand what it means to go against fate?”

“I know! For my daughter’s sake, I’m willing to pay any price—even my own life!”

“You, too, have a hard fate. Then I’ll curse you to spend your life with dementia—everything you care for, be it people or possessions, you’ll forget. Even so, will you accept it?”

“Yes! Bring it on—I have no regrets!”

“Qin Wan, your mother traded her mind for your life. This time, I’ll spare you, and in time you’ll recover.”

Of course, lying in bed, I heard the same voice echo in my head.

Tears filled my eyes, but though I wanted to scream, I was too weak to move after my fever.

After that, my mother’s dementia only got worse. Sometimes she forgot everything around her—sometimes even what she was about to do herself.

But strangely, I was the only thing she never forgot.

……………….

From then on, I grew up much faster—a little adult out of necessity.

I had to take care of my mother, though at first I was too small to do anything but comfort her. There was nothing else I could do.

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Before I knew it, I was six. I finally started to help my mother. I was more mature than other kids my age because I wasn’t just living for myself—I had to look after her, too.

My mother gave me life twice, and deep down I swore I’d repay her no matter what.

Back then, I started chopping wood in the mountains, washing clothes, cooking meals, sometimes planting vegetables, and even helped adults fish in the river so we’d have more to eat.

Day by day, this was our life.

In the blink of an eye, I turned fifteen. Thanks to inheriting the best genes from both my parents, I grew up well.

At that age, I finally learned that in this world, there were two kinds of people—ordinary folks and cultivators.

But where we lived, mountains rose in all directions, isolating us from the outside world.

Our village, Xiaoxi, was like a little paradise: birds sang, the scenery was beautiful, and though everyone here was an ordinary person, through their hard work they’d built simple, happy lives.