Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | A-Fu (阿福) |
| Species/Race | Human; native of Earth 52 55 |
| Gender | Male 55 58 |
| Affiliation | Zhou family 55 |
| Occupation/Role | Stone carver; former forcibly conscripted soldier 57 59 |
| Status | Alive and elderly at his last documented appearance 60 |
| First Appearance | Named in Chapter 55 55 |
Background / History
Childhood beside Qin Ming's Workshop
A-Fu was the son of Peddler Zhou and his wife, and the elder brother of A-Yuan. His family lived beside Qin Ming's stone-carving workshop during Qin Ming's stay on Earth. Qin Ming carved a stone carp for him and shared a meal with the family 55.
Bolder than his sister, A-Fu entered Qin Ming's courtyard almost every day, squatting beside the workbench to watch him carve. His questions ranged from unfinished sculptures to why Qin Ming never visited his family. Qin Ming occasionally answered him, explaining that his home was “very, very far” away 55.
When the Zhou family left the city ahead of the unrest, A-Fu gave Qin Ming a palm-sized bluestone carving depicting Qin Ming, himself, and A-Yuan. He asked whether they would meet again; Qin Ming promised that they would 56.
Conscription and Family Loss
A-Fu returned to the workshop more than ten years later, now in his early twenties. Rebels had forced him into their army, where he spent three years killing to survive while hoping to return to his family. After the rebels' defeat, he escaped home and found his house, land, and family gone 57.
A former neighbor told him that his parents and A-Yuan had died in a flood. His father had tried to lift his wife and daughter onto the roof, but it collapsed under the force of the water. His father's last cry had been A-Fu's childhood name 57.
Unable to sleep without seeing the people he had killed, A-Fu struggled with guilt and thoughts of suicide. Qin Ming fed him and listened without judgment. Seeing that Qin Ming had kept his childhood carving finally brought him to tears 57.
Memorial and a New Family
A-Fu asked to stay with Qin Ming. Together, they prepared a memorial for the Zhou family: Qin Ming carved statues of A-Fu's parents and both siblings, incorporating details supplied by A-Fu, including his mother's embroidery and work-worn hands 58.
They buried the four statues on a slope west of the city beneath a wooden tablet reading “Memorial Tablet of the Zhou Family.” A-Fu included the statue of his childhood self so that the family could remain together as they had been before their separation 58.
Afterward, A-Fu promised to care for Qin Ming in his old age. Qin Ming arranged his marriage to a diligent, dependable woman from a poor family. A year later, they had twins, whom Qin Ming named Zhou Ping and Zhou An'an, expressing the wish that they would be safe and sound 58.
At the twins' one-month celebration, A-Fu worried that they might grow to resent the world. Qin Ming advised him to raise them well, let them study, and teach them to be decent people 58.
Later Life
A-Fu kept his promise to care for Qin Ming. His family eventually occupied the neighboring house again, and his son Zhou Ping learned stone carving from Qin Ming beginning at age four. By adulthood, Zhou Ping's craftsmanship surpassed A-Fu's 59.
At Qin Ming's apparent death, A-Fu declared that he had always regarded him as a father. He held Qin Ming's hand through his final moments and later marked his grave with a piece of bluestone bearing the single word “Uncle.” Qin Ming subsequently watched the burial from the void before leaving Earth 59 60.
A-Fu named his grandson Zhou Nian and sent him to a private school rather than passing the carving trade down to him. He also preserved Qin Ming's workshop, refusing to sell it and promising to clean it every few days. He took Qin Ming's well-worn carving knife but left the displayed sculptures untouched 59 60.
Appearance
- Childhood: A little boy who regularly crouched beside Qin Ming's workbench; Zhou Ping later resembled him in being sturdy and bold 55 59.
- Return from war: In his early twenties, with a hunched back, stubbled face, sunken eyes, cracked hands, and old, tattered robes stained with dried mud 57.
- Old age: His knees had become stiff enough that he needed Zhou Ping's support to stand after kneeling at Qin Ming's grave 60.
Personality
As a child, A-Fu was bold, inquisitive, and persistent. Unlike A-Yuan, who watched from the doorway, he readily entered Qin Ming's courtyard and asked questions. Though his farewell carving was crude, he had clearly put care into making it 55 56.
War left him haunted by the deaths he had caused and by his absence when his family died. His return to Qin Ming exposed both his uncertainty about the future and his need for a place where his childhood was still remembered 57.
In adulthood, A-Fu expressed affection through responsibility: caring for Qin Ming, tending anxiously to his newborn children, and preserving the workshop after the funeral. His concern for his descendants also led him to seek Qin Ming's advice about parenting and choose schooling for Zhou Nian 58 59 60.
Abilities & Skills
Stone Carving
- As a child, carved a rough bluestone likeness of himself, Qin Ming, and A-Yuan 56.
- Continued the craft into adulthood; Zhou Ping eventually became a better carver than his father 59.
- Personally carved the bluestone grave marker bearing “Uncle” 59.
Military Experience
- Survived three years of forced service in a rebel army and escaped after its defeat 57.
- Described killing as necessary for survival; no named combat techniques or cultivation realm are documented 57.
- Qin Ming never taught A-Fu or his family cultivation 60.
Equipment / Items
- Stone carp — A childhood gift carved for him by Qin Ming 55.
- Bluestone family carving — His farewell gift to Qin Ming; remained on the workshop windowsill for decades 56 57 60.
- Qin Ming's carving knife — Taken from the workbench after the funeral; its handle had been polished smooth through decades of use 60.
Relationships
- Qin Ming — Childhood neighbor addressed as “Uncle,” later a father figure. Sheltered A-Fu after the war, helped memorialize his family, and arranged his marriage; A-Fu cared for him in return 55 57 58 59.
- Peddler Zhou — Father; died trying to save A-Fu's mother and sister during a flood 57.
- Peddler Zhou's wife — Mother; died in the same flood. A-Fu supplied personal details for her memorial statue 57 58.
- A-Yuan — Younger sister and childhood companion; died with their parents. Her likeness was buried beside theirs 55 57 58.
- Unnamed wife — Married through Qin Ming's arrangement; helped care for their household 58 59.
- Zhou Ping — Son and elder twin; learned carving from Qin Ming and supported A-Fu physically in old age 58 59 60.
- Zhou An'an — Daughter and younger twin; resembled A-Yuan in her quiet habit of collecting stone chips 58 59.
- Zhou Nian — Grandson through Zhou Ping; named by A-Fu and sent to private school 59.
Notable Quotes
“I'll bury myself here too.”
“The me from back then, with our whole family together.” 58
“Uncle, you have always been alone all these years, but in my heart, you have always been like my father. Pingping and An'an are your grandchildren.” 59