Ch 15: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Despite being in the water, Jing Li felt a chill down his spine, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Had Qin Zhao… already figured it out?

But why didn’t he ask earlier at home? Why wait until now?

The pastry shop owner noticed someone lingering in front of his shop for a while and called out, “Young man, want some pastries? Freshly baked sugar cakes, still warm, only five coins a piece!”

Qin Zhao acted as if he hadn’t heard, his gaze still fixed on the little fish in his hand, though his eyebrows raised slightly.

Jing Li instantly understood what he meant.

—No treats unless you tell the truth.

This was… a threat.

How could someone threaten a fish like this? Where’s the justice in that?

Jing Li tried his best not to show any sign of guilt, his eyes staring blankly at the man in front of him as if he didn’t understand what was being said.

Still playing dumb.

A trace of a helpless smile flickered in Qin Zhao’s eyes. He spoke slowly, “Yesterday, I locked the door from the outside before leaving. No one could’ve entered, and certainly, no one could’ve stolen a shirt from my place.”

“I know you understand. This is your last chance,” Qin Zhao said. “Do you know where that shirt is?”

The little koi stared at him, motionless.

The fish didn’t know.

Even if it did, it couldn’t say.

Qin Zhao held his gaze for a moment, then looked away, lifting the fish basket as he prepared to leave.

Jing Li was shocked.

He—he—he… he was really leaving just like that, not just bluffing?

How could he do this to a fish!

Qin Zhao took a few steps away, but then his sleeve was caught again.

He looked down to see the little koi hanging onto his sleeve, those clear eyes filled with obvious distress.

“Ready to talk?” Qin Zhao asked.

The little koi fell back into the water and nodded.

Qin Zhao kept his word, buying twenty-five coins’ worth of sugar cakes and two small bags of candied fruit, spending a total of forty-five coins.

Then he headed to the medical hall with the little koi.

The medicine Qin Zhao used was expensive, and in the past, due to financial constraints, he could only buy it in small amounts. Today, since he had the money, he decided to buy a month’s supply, saving him from frequent trips to town.

Jing Li had originally been curious about what illness Qin Zhao had, planning to remember the prescription and look into it later if the chance arose.

But to his surprise, Qin Zhao went to several different medical halls, buying only a few herbs at each one. The names of all the scattered herbs made Jing Li dizzy, and in the end, he couldn’t remember a single one.

The medical halls in town were far better stocked than those in the village, so why go through all this trouble? Could it be that this way was cheaper?

However, the cost of the herbs was indeed high. After buying them, Jing Li calculated in his mind that Qin Zhao probably had about twenty-two strings and seven hundred coins left.

They had already spent more than a string of coins.

They bought so many things that the backpack became quite heavy and cumbersome to carry. So, Qin Zhao hired someone from the town to transport the goods back to Linxi Village, while he walked back with the koi.

It had rained yesterday, but today’s weather was nice, and a walk along the mountain path was pleasant.

Before setting off, Qin Zhao found a roadside tea shop to rest.

He walked slowly, and it would take more than an hour to return to the village, so he needed to eat something first. Qin Zhao ordered a bowl of hot tea and took out the steaming white sugar cake to feed the little koi.

At five coins a piece, the sugar cake was already considered expensive in town.

But the high price was justified; the cake was made of rice, soft and chewy, and sweet but not overly so. Each piece was almost as big as half of Jing Li’s body.

Jing Li ate two pieces in one go and still felt like he could eat more.

Qin Zhao didn’t touch the sugar cake himself; instead, he took out a millet pancake from the backpack that he had brought from home and ate it with the tea.

As Jing Li swallowed the last bite of sugar cake, he paused.

He had almost forgotten that even though Qin Zhao made money today, most of it would go towards paying for the expensive medicine and building a house.

When all was said and done, there really wasn’t much money left.

And yet, he had been pestering Qin Zhao to buy him this and that.

Qin Zhao had bought such expensive sugar cake but didn’t even eat any himself…

Jing Li suddenly felt a bit guilty.

Half of the items in the backpack were things he had wanted, things Qin Zhao bought because of him. If Qin Zhao were alone, who knows how much money he could have saved?

He shouldn’t be so selfish—no one raises a fish like this, causing the owner to scrimp and save.

Noticing Jing Li’s gaze, Qin Zhao looked down and asked, “Still not full? You’ve already had two pieces, if you eat more, you’ll feel uncomfortable.”

No more, no more.

Jing Li shook his tail and backed away a bit.

He shouldn’t eat so much in the future.

He should help Qin Zhao save some money.

Of course, Qin Zhao had no idea what Jing Li was thinking and just assumed he was full. So he wrapped up the remaining sugar cakes. Since he didn’t like sweets, he hadn’t bought much.

These sugar cakes, along with the candied fruits, would last the little koi for several more meals.

After eating and drinking their fill, Qin Zhao set off with the little koi.

Qin Zhao felt light on his feet, his spirit better than usual.

This was actually a bit strange. In the past, after falling ill, his body would usually feel unwell for several days in a row, but today, there was no discomfort at all.

What exactly happened last night?

Qin Zhao glanced down at the little koi, who was dozing off in the fish basket, and quickened his pace.

It would be better to get back home sooner and “interrogate” this little guy.

Qin Zhao hadn’t fully figured out what had happened yesterday.

But his home was always kept meticulously tidy, and he distinctly remembered that the missing piece of clothing had still been in the wardrobe before he left home yesterday. This meant that something must have happened at home between the time he left and this morning.

And it must be related to how he inexplicably returned home last night.

This proves that the hazy memories from last night might not have been just a hallucination.

As for the connection between these events, and why the clothing went missing, everything would come to light once he found where that piece of clothing went.

And the only one who knows what happened last night is this little fish that likes to play dumb.

Qin Zhao, unusually impatient, managed to walk back to the village in just an hour. He was about to enter the village when he saw a familiar figure sitting on a rock by the stream, muttering to himself.

“Or instructing to control the subordinates, or demonstrating rituals to… to… serve the superiors, or spreading harmony to…,” Chen Yanan was stumbling through a passage from an old book he had clearly been studying for a long time.

When he got stuck, he scratched his head in frustration.

“Or instructing to control the subordinates, or demonstrating rituals to serve the superiors, or showing power to impose awe, or spreading harmony to disperse the winds and rains,” Qin Zhao walked up behind him and said calmly, “You got it wrong.”

Chen Yanan turned around and, upon seeing Qin Zhao, was astonished. “You know this too?”

Qin Zhao nodded.

Chen Yanan looked at him like he was some kind of oddity. “You can read, you know medicine, and you can recite this stuff too. What exactly did you do before? Were you a teacher at a school?”

Qin Zhao shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

He paused, then asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be in town studying today?”

“I got sent back,” Chen Yanan replied with a bitter face. “I just can’t memorize this passage. The teacher said if I don’t get it right, I shouldn’t bother coming back.”

“I don’t even dare go home…”

Qin Zhao asked, “Do you understand the meaning of the passage you were just reciting?”

Chen Yan’an shook his head and said, “I can’t even memorize it, let alone understand the meaning. Stop messing with me.”

“You’re wrong,” Qin Zhao said. “First, you need to read through the entire passage, then understand its meaning, and only then can you memorize it. You’ve been doing it backward, so of course, it feels difficult.”

Chen Yan’an raised an eyebrow and asked, “So, you understand it?”

“Of course,” Qin Zhao replied.

Chen Yanan asked, “Then can you explain it to me?”

Qin Zhao thought for a moment and started from the beginning of the passage, explaining it in the simplest and most understandable way.

“So that’s what it means,” Chen Yanan said, suddenly enlightened. He flipped to another page and pointed to a section, “What about this part? Do you understand this?”

He asked several questions in a row, and Qin Zhao answered all of them with ease.

By the end, the way Chen Yanan looked at Qin Zhao had completely changed.

“I always knew you were literate and could copy books, but I didn’t realize you knew so much,” Chen Yanan said, incredulous. “Are you really suffering from amnesia, or are you just pretending? How can you remember things so clearly?”

“Real amnesia,” Qin Zhao replied. “But I recently copied this Commentary on the Book of Documents for a local academy.”

“You remembered it after copying it just once?” Chen Yanan asked.

Qin Zhao was about to say, “What else would you expect?” but after thinking about it, he decided to reassure him instead. “Maybe I already knew it before and just remembered it after reading it again.”

Chen Yanan felt a bit comforted and asked, “Since you know so much, why don’t you take the imperial examination? If you pass, you’ll have a good life ahead of you.”

Qin Zhao calmly answered, “No money.”

Chen Yanan was speechless.

So this guy can’t even afford the registration fee for the exam???

Then again, he couldn’t even pay his rent before.

However, Chen Yanan had his own problems to worry about and didn’t have time to concern himself with others’ affairs.

He sighed with a frown, “Tomorrow is a rest day, but in three days, the teacher will test us on this passage. What am I going to do?”

Qin Zhao thought for a moment and said, “How about this, give me the book, and I’ll mark the difficult parts tonight. You can come by my house to pick it up tomorrow morning.”

Chen Yanan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Thank you, Brother Qin!” Chen Yanan quickly changed his tone, jumping off the rock. Suddenly, he remembered something and felt a bit embarrassed. “Uh… what I said to you before, I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry, and… please don’t take it to heart.”

“I won’t,” Qin Zhao replied nonchalantly. He took the book and said, “I’ll take my leave now.”

Chen Yanan nodded repeatedly. “Next time we go to town, I’ll treat you to a meal!”

The goods that were transported were collectively placed at the village entrance. Qin Zhao retrieved his backpack and soon returned home.

After unpacking and organizing everything, he returned to the table. The little koi was resting at the bottom of the water, and when it saw him approach, it obediently blew a bubble in his direction.

Qin Zhao wasn’t swayed by this and said calmly, “It’s time for you to keep your promise and take me to find that missing piece of clothing.”

Hmph, let’s find it, then.

The little koi flicked its tail and jumped out of the wooden bucket.

The missing piece of clothing wasn’t in the house.

With a splash, it dove into the canal and swam upstream. There was a section of the canal behind the house that was covered with stone slabs, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

A moment later, the little koi emerged, pushing a small bamboo basket.

Qin Zhao’s clothing was sitting inside the basket.

Qin Zhao picked up the basket and asked, “Why did you hide my clothes here?”

The little koi jumped into the basket, flopped around on the clothes a few times, and then jumped back into the house. It used its tail to nudge open a gap in the wardrobe and squeezed itself inside.

Qin Zhao frowned slightly, struggling to understand. “Are you saying… you were playing in the wardrobe yesterday, got the clothes dirty, and hid them because you were afraid I’d find out?”

The little koi jumped out of the wardrobe and nodded seriously, as if confirming his guess.

Qin Zhao’s face was full of doubt.

He took the soaked clothing and inspected it from top to bottom, but he couldn’t find any obvious signs of dirt.

Of course, he wouldn’t.

The water in the canal flowed directly from the creek, and while the current was slow, it was continuous and clean. The clothes had been hidden in the canal for the entire morning, so any dirt had long been washed away.

With that, all the evidence was destroyed.

The little koi proudly wiggled its tail.

Fish is just too clever.

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