Ch 11: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

In a small mountain village, secrets don’t stay hidden for long. By last night, word had already spread throughout the village about the unpleasant situation between Qin Zhao and the Chen family.

It was clear that the Chen family no longer intended to rent their house to Qin Zhao, leading many villagers to quietly speculate about what Qin Zhao would do next.

Li Dali, who had received a favor from Qin Zhao, wanted to help him out. However, when he merely mentioned to his wife the idea of tidying up the small house in the backyard to rent it to Qin Zhao, she scolded him thoroughly. After that, he didn’t dare bring up the subject again.

Now, hearing what Qin Zhao wanted, Li Dali asked in surprise, “You want to rent a field?”

Qin Zhao replied, “Yes.”

Li Dali was taken aback. Everyone knew that Qin Zhao was infamous in the village for being sickly. Just gathering herbs in the mountains would nearly cost him his life; he was not someone who could handle even the slightest farm work.

So why the sudden change, wanting to rent land?

Thinking back to yesterday’s events, Li Dali suddenly thought of a possibility: “You’re not planning to build a house in the village, are you?”

Linxi Village had its own rules. Outsiders were allowed to live in the village, but they couldn’t simply build private houses—they could only do so through leasing.

Unless they had a land contract or rental agreement.

With a land contract, they would have to pay land taxes, which would make them almost like a local villager.

Therefore, the first thing outsiders looking to settle permanently in the village did was to either buy or rent a piece of land from a local.

After all, for these farming households who relied on agriculture, even considering the land tax, renting land was much more economical than renting a house.

This was how Li Dali’s wife’s family had moved to Linxi Village.

Qin Zhao didn’t hide anything and nodded. “Yes.”

Li Dali looked at Qin Zhao, feeling a bit curious.

Renting land to build a house involved significant expenses, and it was said that this man spent all his money on medicine and could barely afford to eat.

So where did he get the money to do this?

Half-jokingly, Li Dali asked, “Have you been lucky lately and found some money?”

Qin Zhao shook his head. “No.”

Though he said that, he couldn’t help but glance at the fish basket in his hand.

Since they had left the Chen family, the little fish had remained at the bottom of the water, refusing to interact. From Qin Zhao’s angle, all he could see was the bright red dorsal fin.

… Still sulking.

However, it did seem that ever since the fish came into his life, his luck had improved significantly.

And if it weren’t for this little fish helping him find rare herbs, he wouldn’t even have been able to afford the deposit to rent the land.

So maybe saying he’d gotten lucky wasn’t entirely wrong, Qin Zhao thought to himself.

Li Dali had only been joking, so he didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he said, “But I’d still advise you to think it over for a few more days.”

Being an honest man, he explained, “To tell you the truth, those two acres of mine aren’t that good. The yield has been low for years; otherwise, I wouldn’t be renting them out as idle land, would I?”

Qin Zhao replied, “But right now, yours is the only idle land in the village.”

Land is always in high demand, especially in a village that relies on farming. As long as there are enough hands to work it, the more land, the better.

As for whether the land is fertile or the yield high, those things are important, but they don’t matter as much as having no land to farm at all.

Moreover, as long as one is diligent, planting half the land with grains and the other half with vegetables can not only solve the problem of feeding oneself but also provide surplus produce to sell in town.

After a few years of this, the rent wouldn’t be a big deal anymore.

Li Dali naturally understood this. If someone else had come to him to rent the land, he might not have hesitated so much.

But this was Qin Zhao.

… Could this sickly man really work the fields?

Li Dali didn’t ask further but said, “I rent my land annually. Including taxes, the rent for each acre is three dou of wheat, due in late June of the following year.”

Linxi Village primarily grows wheat. The winters here aren’t too harsh, so wheat is usually sown in the fall and matures by late June of the following year.

The land tax is also due around that time.

Li Dali continued, “It’s only mid-March now, so considering that you saved my life before, I won’t charge you extra rent for these three months. Take a few days to think it over, and if you decide to rent, we can go to the village head and sign the contract.”

Qin Zhao bowed slightly. “Thank you.”

“No need.” Li Dali waved his hand. “I just don’t get what you’re planning. Are you really going to work the fields?”

It wasn’t just Li Dali who didn’t understand—Jing Li couldn’t figure it out either.

Qin Zhao working in the fields was a scene he couldn’t even imagine.

Could this man even lift a hoe?

Moreover, Jing Li had initially thought that Qin Zhao was staying here only because his health was poor and he couldn’t leave temporarily.

He figured Qin Zhao was renting a house here to recuperate, planning to leave and investigate his past once he recovered. So why was he now looking to rent land and build a house?

Could it be that Qin Zhao had decided to settle down in this village and wasn’t planning to continue searching for his identity?

Jing Li looked up at Qin Zhao from the bottom of the water, unable to guess what the man was thinking.

Sensing Jing Li’s gaze, Qin Zhao lowered his head to look at him.

Jing Li hadn’t expected him to suddenly lower his head and, startled, quickly swam to the bottom of the bucket, hiding in a corner without saying a word.

He still wasn’t over his anger!

His little movements didn’t escape Qin Zhao’s notice, who quietly smiled to himself.

Li Dali happened to see Qin Zhao’s smile and was puzzled: “…”

What exactly was so funny?

“I’ll figure out the farming situation myself,” Qin Zhao said. “Three days from now, I’ll come to sign the rental contract.”

Seeing how determined Qin Zhao was, Li Dali didn’t push further and agreed with a nod.

After all, his land was currently idle anyway, and he was already too busy with the land he was actively farming.

Just as Qin Zhao was about to leave, he noticed some green onions growing in Li Dali’s yard. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Are these green onions for sale?”

Li Dali continued chopping wood and casually waved him off. “It’s just a few green onions. They grow back after being cut; we can’t even finish them all ourselves. If you want some, just cut a few—no charge.”

Qin Zhao thanked him, bent down, and cut a handful of green onions.

When he got home, Qin Zhao placed the green onions on the stove, then took out and stored the medical supplies he had used. Finally, he emptied the fish basket and gently placed the little koi back into the wooden bucket.

The little koi swam to the bottom of the bucket, curled up in a corner, and remained silent, clearly still upset.

Stupid Qin Zhao hadn’t even made up with him before coming home.

He was definitely running away from home tonight!

Qin Zhao lightly tapped the water’s surface and asked, “Still not willing to talk to me?”

Jing Li didn’t respond.

“What exactly is the matter? Are you upset because I didn’t come back in time to save you?” Qin Zhao paused, then softly asked, “Or are you unhappy because you saw that little cat getting close to me?”

Jing Li was startled.

The little koi fish visibly trembled, its fins twitching uneasily.

Qin Zhao understood. “So, you’re jealous.”

Not jealous!

Jing Li shook his fins in protest.

Qin Zhao might not have meant much by those words, but Jing Li was human in spirit—he knew full well what being jealous implied. Right now, he just couldn’t change back into human form, so he was staying with Qin Zhao, which was technically a landlord-tenant relationship. What tenant gets jealous of their landlord? Especially over a cat?

Why would he be jealous of a cat? How embarrassing!

“Alright, I understand.” Qin Zhao reached into the water, gently stroking his head to comfort him. “I didn’t realize my little fish cared so much about these things. I’ll be more mindful and won’t get close to other animals. How does that sound?”

My little fish.

Jing Li’s heart fluttered.

Qin Zhao spoke with such warmth and sincerity, as if he was making a genuine promise, not just saying it because Jing Li was a fish.

This was too unfair…

Jing Li stared at Qin Zhao’s face, feeling a bit breathless.

Qin Zhao had a natural talent for soothing others. His voice was soft as he continued, “Don’t be mad anymore. How about I make you some scallion pancakes?”

Scallion pancakes!

Jing Li had already felt tempted when he saw Qin Zhao picking the scallions earlier. Now, hearing him mention scallion pancakes, Jing Li’s stomach growled in response.

The little koi had an appetite that outpaced any other fish and got hungry quickly. Even though he didn’t move around much, he was always thinking about food. The village’s two meals a day couldn’t satisfy his needs.

With both beauty and food on offer, Jing Li couldn’t stay angry any longer.

“Not angry anymore?” Qin Zhao stroked him for a while and, seeing no resistance, withdrew his hand slightly, letting his pale fingers rest on the edge of the wooden bucket. “If you’re not mad, show me.”

The little koi hesitated for a moment before swishing his tail and gracefully leaping out of the water, giving Qin Zhao’s fingertips a gentle kiss.

Smack

With a gentle sound, the little koi fish landed back in the water.

This gesture had become a familiar routine between them. Since the little koi couldn’t speak, it had to rely on these actions to express its feelings.

For example, when Qin Zhao reached out his hand, if Jing Li was in a good mood, he would swim over and give it a kiss, showing affection.

But if he was in a bad mood or didn’t want to, he would lightly nibble at Qin Zhao’s finger.

Jing Li did this just to show that he wasn’t angry anymore, nothing more.

The little koi fish’s face felt a bit warm as he hid in the water, silently thinking.

He didn’t notice that Qin Zhao was also a bit lost in thought.

His fingertips still tingled with the damp, tingling sensation left by the kiss, and Qin Zhao gazed down at the tiny glistening droplets of water that remained, unsure why his heart had fluttered a moment ago.

But… the feeling was rather pleasant.

Qin Zhao didn’t dwell on it further. He gently patted Jing Li’s head, then stood up and walked to the stove to start kneading the dough.

He finely chopped the scallions, mixed them into the dough, and then placed the dough in a pan to fry over low heat.

A plate of scallion pancakes was soon ready, and Qin Zhao brought it to the table, only to find the little koi fish already asleep in the water.

…It made sense. After all, he had been chased by that stray cat across half the village today and must be exhausted.

But even in his sleep, the little koi fish couldn’t resist the smell of the scallion pancakes, his tail unconsciously swaying as if he were about to wake up.

Qin Zhao chuckled to himself and turned to place the scallion pancakes back on the stove to keep them warm.

He decided to let it eat when it woke up.

Yesterday, to help diagnose Chen Family’s grandmother, Qin Zhao had made a special trip to see Doctor Ge. In addition to discussing her medical history, he also inquired about the sale of Wushan ginseng.

Doctor Ge worked quickly, and by yesterday morning, he had already spread the word that the Wushan ginseng was for sale. Several medical clinics in town were interested in buying it.

Although the final buyer hadn’t been decided yet, the deal was practically sealed.

This was why Qin Zhao felt confident enough to discuss renting land with Li Dali.

In reality, both Jing Li and Li Dali were overcomplicating the issue of building a house. Qin Zhao had only two reasons for doing so.

First, he no longer wanted to rely on others for shelter. Second, now that he had some money, it was natural to improve his living conditions. Why continue living in a cramped little house?

And…

If this little fish truly brought him good luck, it wouldn’t be fair to keep it in a small wooden bucket.

He needed to build a courtyard with a pond for his little fish.

Qin Zhao gently poked the little koi fish, who was now floating belly-up on the water’s surface, asleep, as he thought to himself.