Ch 20: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Qin Zhao sometimes felt that this little demon wasn’t here to repay a favor but rather to seek revenge.

Otherwise, how could it be that he couldn’t get a good night’s sleep day after day?

Qin Zhao wearily rubbed his forehead and sat up in bed.

The sun was already high in the sky.

Perhaps it was because he had been busy all day yesterday, combined with hearing the little demon speak human words right in front of him before bed, that Qin Zhao had an unusually restless night and slept in much later than usual.

Remembering that he still hadn’t fed the fish, Qin Zhao dragged his tired body out of bed.

After a quick wash and getting dressed, he went to the main room. The little koi fish was perched on the edge of the wooden bucket, wagging its tail energetically at him.

…It had recovered pretty quickly.

Qin Zhao casually rubbed its head and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll feed you now.”

He walked over to the stove, lifted the cover off the dishes set aside from yesterday, only to find that more than half of the red-braised pork he had saved was gone, and even one of the steamed buns was missing.

Qin Zhao: “…”

The little koi fish, under his gaze, sank into the water and let out a small burp.

Jing Li didn’t really want to resort to stealing food, but he had only eaten one piece of sugar cake and two small egg pancakes the entire day yesterday, with nothing from noon until night. When he woke up this morning, he was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back.

Yet Qin Zhao hadn’t woken up yet.

Thinking about how busy Qin Zhao had been all day yesterday, Jing Li hadn’t had the heart to wake him up and could only… fend for himself.

Fending for himself wasn’t that easy either; Jing Li was so hungry that he could barely manage to transform into a human, but he couldn’t retract his tail no matter how hard he tried. Fortunately, Qin Zhao hadn’t put out the fire in the stove the night before, so all he had to do was steam the meat and buns to heat them up.

He even made sure to leave some for Qin Zhao!

Jing Li hid at the bottom of the water, feeling a bit guilty.

Lately, his actions had become more and more bold. Would Qin Zhao start to suspect something?

But Qin Zhao didn’t show any sign of suspicion.

He reheated the remaining meat and buns, but only ate the buns along with a few pieces of potato, leaving the remaining meat for the little demon’s dinner.

After finishing the meal, Qin Zhao took the little koi out of the house.

In the mountain village, the farmers usually ate two meals a day, starting work in the fields first thing in the morning before coming back for breakfast. By this time, the meal was over, and many villagers were out for a walk or lying in their courtyards to digest.

As Qin Zhao walked through the village, some villagers even greeted him voluntarily.

The situation was completely different from before.

The mountain village was isolated, and although Linxi Village had a mix of different surnames, the nearby Huaixia Village was mostly populated by members of the Ge family.

But even in a village with mixed surnames, people who lived together for a long time often became related by marriage, and everyone in the village was considered kin.

Qin Zhao had helped the Liu family before, recently rented land from the Li family, and had seemingly reconciled with the Chen family, so word spread quickly. Naturally, the villagers no longer treated him as they had in the past.

Jing Li found this particularly moving.

When he first arrived in the village, people used to avoid Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao first took the little koi to the village chief’s house.

He hadn’t forgotten about yesterday’s plan to post a notice for hiring help.

But as soon as he reached the village chief’s doorstep, he unexpectedly saw members of the Chen family there.

The door to the main house was wide open, and several of the Chen family elders were gathered inside, discussing something. Chen Yanan was waiting in the courtyard, signaling to Qin Zhao with raised eyebrows.

Qin Zhao walked over and asked, “What are you all doing here?”

“It’s all because of my fourth aunt,” Chen Yanan said in a low voice. “They discussed it all night yesterday. My mother said that this almost led to a life-threatening situation and wants to report it to the authorities.”

Qin Zhao asked, “Will your fourth uncle agree to that?”

“He doesn’t have much of a choice. This is such a big issue that even the village chief can’t make a decision on it,” Chen Yanan replied. “Also, we’ve decided to split the family. Once my grandmother’s condition improves in a couple of days, we’ll start discussing it.”

Qin Zhao nodded. He didn’t want to meddle too much in other people’s family matters, so he refrained from making any further comments.

Jing Li, however, thought it was a good decision.

In the village, it’s customary not to split the family as long as the elder is still alive, and no junior would dare to bring it up. But with the grandmother having been sick for half a year, things escalated to the current situation.

Given the circumstances, it would be better for everyone to separate sooner rather than later.

Chen Yanan then asked, “Enough about that. What about you? What brings you here?”

Qin Zhao explained his intentions.

“You need to borrow an ox? We have one at home!” Chen Yanan patted his chest and said, “I know about the land you just rented. Once this situation here is resolved, I’ll have my mother help you plow it right away.”

But Qin Zhao shook his head. “That’s not appropriate.”

“What’s not appropriate?” Chen Yanan waved his hand dismissively. “My mother was just talking about how she didn’t know how to thank you. Helping you is the least we can do.”

The chubby boy was very sincere, but Qin Zhao didn’t agree so easily.

In the end, neither of them could convince the other, so they waited together outside until the Chen family finished their discussion. Chen Dasao was the last to come out, and before Qin Zhao could speak, Chen Yanan had already mentioned his idea.

Chen Dasao agreed without hesitation.

“It’s no big deal, Qin Zhao, you don’t need to be so polite with me.” After everything that had happened, even her way of addressing Qin Zhao had changed. “There were a lot of offenses before, and now you’ve saved my mother. It’s only right that we repay you.”

“You don’t have much land there. How about I take care of it for you this year? I’ll handle the plowing, planting, and harvesting for you.”

“That won’t do,” Qin Zhao firmly refused. “The Chen family has already done me a great favor. If we were to weigh the favors, the Chen family’s kindness to me is far greater.”

Jing Li knew that Qin Zhao’s refusal wasn’t solely due to the matter of favors.

Chen Dasao was a straightforward person living in this small mountain village, and raising her son alone was already challenging enough. Now that the Chen family was about to split up, her life would only get harder.

She also had to help Chen Yanan earn money for his studies, so Qin Zhao couldn’t take advantage of her kindness.

Chen Dasao was direct and said, “Then what do you suggest? I have to do something to repay you.”

Qin Zhao thought for a moment and said, “How about this? You help me with plowing and planting, and after the work is done, I’ll pay you fifty percent of the usual wages. How does that sound?”

Chen Dajie was still a bit hesitant, but seeing Qin Zhao’s determination, she finally nodded. “Alright.”

The Chen family still had some matters to deal with over the next couple of days, so Chen Dasao and Qin Zhao agreed that she would help him plow the land in three days.

They couldn’t delay this matter for too long, as once the family split, it was uncertain who would end up with the ox.

And so, the plan was set.

With the issue of the plowing settled, Qin Zhao took Jing Li and headed toward the western part of the village.

At the western end of the village, there were a few empty plots of land, one of which had already been fenced off. This was the area Qin Zhao had purchased and planned to build his house on.

Continuing further out of the village, they reached the two fields he had rented.

In the past few days, Qin Zhao hadn’t had time to tend to the corn seedlings, but they had grown significantly, and the germination rate was impressively high.

Li Dali had mentioned that these two plots had poor yields, but how could this be considered bad?

Qin Zhao didn’t know much about farming and planned to ask Li Dali about it another day.

He went to the stream to fetch water to irrigate the corn.

Jing Li was surprised to find that Qin Zhao wasn’t good at everything—at least when it came to irrigation, he seemed rather inexperienced.

First, he would fetch a bucket of water from the stream, place it at his feet, and then bend down to scoop water and sprinkle it onto the soil. He could only water a small patch at a time before needing to move the bucket forward.

Qin Zhao, lacking physical strength, was already sweating profusely and his lips were turning pale after just a few rounds of bending and lifting.

Jing Li: “…”

And he wasn’t even a fifth of the way done.

Jing Li, unable to watch any longer, leaped out of the fish basket and into the water bucket.

With a powerful flick of his tail, he splashed water precisely onto the waiting soil.

Qin Zhao: “…”

They exchanged glances, and the little koi fish tilted his tail upwards, clearly pleased with himself.

That afternoon, every villager who passed by the field witnessed an unusual sight.

Qin Zhao walked slowly through the field, carrying a bucket, with the little fish inside flicking its tail to evenly sprinkle water over each section of the soil.

The efficiency improved significantly.

The following days passed in peace once again.

Life in the mountain village was like that, with few major upheavals, revolving around the basics of daily life, all centered on making a living.

As promised, Chen Dasao helped Qin Zhao plow the fields and planted a few types of vegetables that were easy to manage.

Qin Zhao paid her twenty wen as agreed and then cooked a bowl of meat to bring to the Chen family as a token of thanks.

The Chen family’s elderly grandmother recovered very quickly this time, regaining consciousness the next day, and within a couple of days, she could even take a few steps.

Qin Zhao visited to check on her and took the opportunity to pay off the remaining rent.

However, since the new house wasn’t built yet, he would still need to stay in the small house for a while longer.

The Chen family, of course, no longer had any objections.

That afternoon, just as Qin Zhao was preparing to cook, there was another loud knock on the door.

He paused, turning to exchange a glance with the little fish in the bucket.

Both of them could see a deep sense of unease in each other’s eyes.

There was only one person who would knock like that.

Qin Zhao opened the door, and there stood Chen Yanan.

In that moment, Jing Li felt that it might be necessary for Qin Zhao to put up a sign at the door reading “Chen Yanan, Do Not Enter” to prevent any more bad news from being brought in.

But Qin Zhao, being exceptionally well-mannered, calmly asked, “What’s the matter this time?”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Am I really that annoying?” Chen Yanan walked in boldly, visibly displeased.

Qin Zhao hesitated but didn’t respond.

Chen Yanan didn’t seem to mind; in fact, he was in a good mood as he reached out to play with the little fish in the bucket.

He was met with a swift smack on the back of his hand by Jing Li’s tail.

“Hiss… This little fish, you’re so nice to Qin Zhao, but you’re so mean to me?” Chen Yanan still had no idea that the one who had splashed him at the creek before was the little koi.

He only knew that this fish was Qin Zhao’s pet, one that he always kept by his side and cherished dearly.

Chen Yanan said, “I even bought you something to eat last time, you ungrateful little thing.”

If Jing Li had been in human form, he might have rolled his eyes at him.

The chubby guy had bought him… a packet of fish bait.

It even included live worms!

The mere mention of this infuriated Jing Li.

Sensing the tension in the room, Qin Zhao stepped forward to intervene, “So, what brings you here?”

“I’m here to invite you to dinner in town!” Chen Yanan beamed with excitement. “I finally passed the teacher’s assessment, and today he even praised me in front of everyone for making such quick progress. It’s all thanks to you!”

The detailed annotations that Qin Zhao had made for Chen Yanan had indeed been a huge help to him.

Chen Yanan continued, “Come on, let’s go, I’ve already reserved a spot in town just for this.”

Chen Yanan had booked a table at the best restaurant in town. It was dinner time, and the restaurant’s main hall was almost full.

He gave his name at the counter and was led inside by the waiter.

“You haven’t been to this place before, right?” Chen Yanan grinned as he hooked his arm around Qin Zhao’s shoulder. “Actually, I’ve never been here either. This place isn’t cheap. I used my own allowance to reserve it, and after this meal, I’ll be eating plain buns for a month!”

Qin Zhao nodded, not saying much.

Since Chen Yanan had promised to treat him to this meal, Qin Zhao naturally didn’t feel the need to hold back.

They ordered three dishes, a soup, and a plate of pastries, spending over a hundred coins in no time.

Chen Yanan kept a straight face, trying not to show any hesitation, but inside, he was feeling the pain of every coin spent.

In contrast, Qin Zhao remained calm, not only eating for himself but also occasionally breaking off pieces of the pastry to toss to the little fish beside him.

Chen Yanan, already aware of Qin Zhao’s generosity when it came to feeding his fish, pretended not to notice and said, “Brother Qin, actually, the reason I invited you to dinner today is that I have a favor to ask.”

Qin Zhao didn’t even look up. “If it’s about annotating the second half of that book, the answer is no.”

“How did you know!” Chen Yanan cleared his throat and patiently explained, “I’ve been falling behind, and the teacher is already almost halfway through the book, while I’ve just managed to memorize the first part. At this rate, I still won’t be able to keep up with the lessons, Brother Qin, please help me.”

Qin Zhao took a sip of soup and calmly replied, “You grasp things quickly, you’re not lacking in talent, but in the past, you didn’t put your mind to your studies. If you follow the method I taught you and put in the effort, you’ll catch up.”

“The teacher at the private school lectures too quickly; I try, but I just can’t keep up.” Chen Yanan looked dejected. “I’m starting to think that learning from you would be faster than going to the private school. Hey, wait…”

Chen Yanan’s eyes lit up. “How about I just study under you? The annotations you made, the teacher even praised them as more insightful than his own. Why don’t you teach me?”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?” Qin Zhao gave him a helpless look. “I’ve never taken the imperial exams, nor do I hold any official titles, so how could I possibly teach you?”

In this era, to teach, one at least needed to be a xiucai—someone who had passed the first level of the imperial exams, but had not yet passed the provincial exams.

The teachers at the town’s private schools and academies, as well as the head of Linxi Village, all had the status of xiucai.

“How do you know you haven’t taken the exams?” Chen Yanan replied. “If you really haven’t taken them, then why are you so familiar with these books? I bet you must have taken the exams before—maybe you’re even a juren—but you just don’t remember.”

Chen Yanan continued to persuade, “Teaching is a great profession. Just at my private school, each student pays 200 coins in tuition every month, and they collect it twice a year. Even if you only teach five students, just think about how much you could earn! And that’s not even counting the rice and meat that the students’ families have to send to the teacher each month!”

Two hundred coins per student, five students would make it a thousand coins, and in half a year, that’s six thousand coins.

Jing Li nearly choked on the pastry in his mouth.

Is teaching really this profitable these days?

Qin Zhao still had some money on hand, but that was because he hadn’t started building the house yet. Once construction began, with material costs, labor, and all the furniture for the house, not a single expense would be small.

His savings might not last as long as he hoped.

And whether it was gathering herbs or copying books, neither was a stable source of income.

If he could really become a teacher…

Qin Zhao was deep in thought.

“Oh my, what a beautiful fish.” The waiter came over to refill their tea and happened to notice the little fish basket beside Qin Zhao. He asked, “Sir, are you planning to take this fish to Qing Mountain Town as well?”

Qing Mountain Town was a large town, quite a distance from here.

Qin Zhao replied, “No, why do you ask?”

The waiter continued, “You haven’t heard? There’s been talk everywhere lately. They say an official in Qing Mountain Town lost a koi that could bring good fortune, and now there’s a reward of a thousand coins for finding it. Fishermen in our town have been going to the river every day to catch fish, hoping to get lucky by finding a red koi to send to Qing Mountain Town.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Jing Li: “???”

Jing Li looked up in confusion, meeting Qin Zhao’s gaze.

The waiter added, “The notice is posted at the entrance of the street. You might want to take a look—this fish of yours looks a lot like the one in the drawing!”