Ch 21: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

After the waiter finished speaking, he turned and went to serve tea at other tables.

For a while, the table was silent, with two pairs of eyes fixed on Jing Li.

The little fish swallowed the last piece of pastry in his mouth and shrank back nervously.

What are they staring at? Do they really want to send him to that town?

How could he be a lucky koi? He’s obviously so unlucky!

In the long silence, Qin Zhao was the first to snap out of it. He sighed and said, “Let’s eat first.”

“You still have the appetite to eat?”

Chen Yanan, now looking at the little koi fish as if he were staring at a thousand taels of silver, had eyes practically glowing. But after all, this was Qin Zhao’s fish, and no matter how valuable, it wasn’t his to decide.

Chen Yanan cleared his throat, “Brother Qin, should we go to the street corner to check out that notice? You did just recently find this fish, right? What if… what if it really is the one? Then you’d be set for life.”

Qin Zhao sipped his tea and calmly replied, “Let’s finish our meal first.”

Qin Zhao seemed completely unbothered by what the waiter had said earlier, eating at his usual unhurried pace, his demeanor as elegant as ever.

As for the little fish, he was convinced that he was just an unlucky little thing, so he continued eating without a care.

The only one who seemed anxious and uneasy during this meal was their host, who found no pleasure in the food.

Finally, after they finished eating, Chen Yanan hurried to settle the bill and dragged Qin Zhao to the street corner.

The bulletin board at the street corner was crowded with people, and a brand-new notice was posted right in the center. The crowd around it was holding koi fish, comparing them to the picture on the notice.

“Does mine look like it?”

“Yours doesn’t, mine does. Hah, mine is the real one, I’m heading to Qing Mountain Town tomorrow!”

“What a joke, your fish’s tail is white at the tip. You’d be sent back as soon as you arrive.”

“Yours isn’t the real one either! You dyed that fish black and red in a dye vat; it’ll lose color as soon as it touches water!”

The crowd was noisy, each person holding up their koi fish, trying to outdo the others.

Chen Yanan, relying on his larger build, managed to push his way to the front with Qin Zhao in tow.

Jing Li cautiously poked his head out of the fish basket to take a look at the notice.

He couldn’t read the words on the notice, but luckily, there was an illustration below the text.

The picture depicted a bright red koi swimming in the water, with its tail and head slightly raised, and its clear red eyes conveying a touch of innocence.

Jing Li tilted his head.

This fish does look quite cute.

When Qin Zhao looked down, he happened to see the little fish looking up in confusion. He couldn’t help but silently marvel at how skilled the artist was.

The artist had even captured the subtle expression perfectly.

Jing Li was still puzzled until he realized that both Qin Zhao and Chen Yanan were looking down at him, making him feel uneasy.

Hmm???

Does this picture really look like him?

Actually, Jing Li wasn’t sure what he looked like.

The last time he caught a glimpse of his reflection, it was… on the chopping block of a fish vendor.

Reflected in the blade of a knife.

At that time, things were urgent, so he didn’t get a clear look—he only knew he was a red koi, and that was it.

So he had no idea that the drawing was essentially an exact replica of him.

Seeing the reactions of the two people beside him made Jing Li a bit anxious. He tried to lift himself up to get a better look, but Qin Zhao gently pressed him back into the fish basket.

“Behave yourself,” Qin Zhao whispered. “It would be troublesome if you were discovered here. Do you want to be taken away?”

A fish worth a thousand taels would certainly attract a lot of unwanted attention if it were spotted on the street.

Jing Li immediately stopped moving.

Qin Zhao exchanged a glance with Chen Yanan, and the two of them quietly walked away from the notice board.

“Qin Zhao, what do you plan to do?” Chen Yanan asked.

By the time they finished eating, it was already dusk. Now, with the sky dimming, they were riding a bullock cart back to the village.

Qin Zhao held the fish basket in his arms, looking down at the little fish inside, without responding.

Chen Yanan continued, “I know you like this little fish, but think it over—it’s a thousand taels we’re talking about.”

Jing Li was still in a bit of a daze.

At that moment, his first thought was realizing just how valuable he was.

A thousand taels—he couldn’t help but feel tempted if he were in Qin Zhao’s shoes.

As he thought about this, Jing Li suddenly recalled what had happened when he first transmigrated into this world.

He hadn’t arrived directly at this town when he first came. He wasn’t sure where he was, only that he was packed in a clay jar, being transported to an unfamiliar place by several people.

Hmm… they seemed to have mentioned…

That he was a koi capable of bringing good fortune, and that a prominent figure in the city wanted to buy him for a thousand taels.

Jing Li still remembered that not long after those people had finished talking, the cart they were in overturned on the road. He escaped from the clay jar and fell into a small stream.

He drifted along for two or three days, and when he finally woke up, he found himself caught in a fish market.

Because of all the bad luck he encountered afterward, Jing Li had completely dismissed those initial conversations from his mind. And after arriving at Qin Zhao’s side, he never thought about it again.

Who would have thought that after all this time, it would come full circle?

Jing Li looked up, a bit worried, and gazed at Qin Zhao.

Would Qin Zhao send him away?

Chen Yanan kept pestering Qin Zhao, asking for his thoughts. Finally, Qin Zhao, feeling cornered, replied slowly, “The notice mentioned that the person who lost the koi was a certain Mr. Lu from Qing Mountain Town. After losing his beloved koi, Mr. Lu has been unable to sleep and has posted a large reward, hoping to retrieve it.”

“…Did you not notice anything strange about this?”

Chen Yanan looked up, bewildered. “What’s strange about it?”

“If it’s just an ordinary koi fish, why would Mr. Lu offer such a large reward?” Qin Zhao asked calmly.

Chen Yanan hesitated. “Well… the notice said it could bring good fortune, didn’t it?”

“Yes, good fortune,” Qin Zhao continued in his unhurried manner. “Since Mr. Lu is willing to spend a thousand taels as a reward, it means he believes this fish is worth more than a thousand taels. If this little fish is worth more than a thousand taels, why should I return it?”

“…Your logic is astounding,” Chen Yanan said, amazed. “How did you get so smart? Can you share some of that with me?”

Qin Zhao shot him a cool glance, and Chen Yanan promptly shut his mouth.

When they returned to the village, their homes were in opposite directions, so they parted ways at the village entrance.

“Are you really sure about this? The talk about good fortune could just be a lie made up by someone. Cash in hand is the most reliable,” Chen Yanan urged, still a bit unwilling to let go. “You don’t know, the wealthier people are, the easier they fall for these kinds of things. I have a classmate who’s from a wealthy family in town. Last time, he spent ten taels of silver on a broken stone because someone tricked him into thinking it was a protective charm!”

Qin Zhao was silent for a moment, then said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Chen Yanan sighed. “Alright, I’ll go along with whatever you decide. After all, the fish is yours, not mine.”

“But…” he suddenly remembered something, grinning mischievously, “you’ll need to convince me to keep today’s events a secret. What are you going to give me in return?”

Qin Zhao thought for a moment, then took out three bundles of coins from his robe and handed them to Chen Yanan.

Each bundle contained a hundred copper coins, so this was three hundred coins in total.

Chen Yanan was taken aback by Qin Zhao’s generosity and quickly pushed the money back. “Qin Zhao, have you struck it rich lately? Being so generous?! I don’t want your money; I want something else.”

Qin Zhao asked, “What do you want?”

Chen Yanan blinked and said, “Of course, it’s what we talked about at the restaurant today.”

Qin Zhao sighed and rubbed his temples. “I won’t give you the same detailed notes as last time, but if you truly want to learn, you can come to my place on your day off.”

Chen Yanan beamed. “Thanks, big brother Qin!”

He paused, then added seriously, “By the way, you should be more careful when taking the little fish out with you. If the news has already spread to the town, it won’t be long before the villagers hear about it.”

“You can trust me, but… who knows what others might think. Just be cautious.”

Qin Zhao replied, “I understand.”

With that, they went their separate ways.

Qin Zhao carried the fish basket home, placed the little koi back into the wooden bucket, and sat down by the table.

He raised his hand, letting it dangle over the edge of the bucket. The little koi obediently swam up and planted a gentle kiss on his fingertip.

Qin Zhao said, “Now you know how to please me?”

The little koi wagged its tail and swam up to give him another kiss.

Qin Zhao stroked its head and softly asked, “So, you originally belonged to someone else, but now you’re staying at my place, eating and drinking. What are your intentions?”

Jing Li felt incredibly wronged.

He only had memories from before he transmigrated, and as for the little fish’s past, he knew nothing. Until today, he didn’t even know who that Lu Yuanwai was.

The little koi anxiously swam back and forth in the water, nuzzling and kissing Qin Zhao’s fingers, desperately trying to be cute, worried that Qin Zhao might think he still missed his former owner.

Qin Zhao finally couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you trying to appease me?”

In truth, Qin Zhao wasn’t all that surprised by today’s news.

Qin Zhao was extremely clever, and after spending so much time with the little koi, he had already noticed a few things.

Ever since the little fish came into his life, everything had been turning for the better.

In fact, a few days ago, Qin Zhao had almost given up hope that the old lady from the Chen family would wake up. The fact that she did so quickly was nothing short of a miracle.

And when that miracle happened, the little fish was right by her bedside.

Coupling this with the time they found the Wushan Ginseng, along with various other details over the past few days, Qin Zhao had basically formed a solid theory.

This little creature really could bring good fortune.

As for what he had just said to Chen Yanan, that was just an excuse.

Chen Yanan might not know, but Qin Zhao did. This little fish had a mind of its own, could take human form, and if it wanted to leave, Qin Zhao wouldn’t be able to stop it.

So, whether or not they went to Qingshan Town wasn’t really up to him.

It wasn’t his decision to make.

Luckily, the little one didn’t seem eager to leave.

Of course, Jing Li had no idea what Qin Zhao was thinking. Seeing that Qin Zhao hadn’t responded for a while, he grew even more anxious, flapping his tail so hard that water splashed out of the bucket.

Qin Zhao gently pinched the little fish’s body, soothingly saying, “Alright, I won’t be sending you away for now. Just behave yourself.”

Really?

The little koi calmed down, raising its head high.

Its adorable expression made Qin Zhao unable to resist petting it a few more times before he continued, “However, if you want me to keep you, you’ll have to agree to one condition.”

The little koi stared at him without blinking.

“The notice said you’re a rare koi, capable of bringing good fortune and fulfilling people’s wishes.”

Enjoying the smooth, cool texture under his hand, Qin Zhao looked down at the little creature and softly said, “You’ll have to find a way to prove it to me.”