Ch 29: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

In the afternoon, Qin Zhao carefully sorted and packaged the medicinal herbs he had bought from the town.

Now that money wasn’t as tight as before, he made sure to buy more herbs each time to avoid frequent trips to town.

Jing Li was lying on the table, watching him skillfully sort the herbs.

He found it very strange.

Today, Qin Zhao still bought herbs from several different pharmacies, purchasing a few types from each and then mixing them himself at home. Jing Li noticed that Qin Zhao never bought the same herbs twice from the same pharmacy.

This gave him the feeling that Qin Zhao didn’t want anyone to know what kind of medicine he was buying.

The more Jing Li thought about it, the more curious he became, so he quietly called out, “Qin Zhao…”

Qin Zhao looked up. “What is it?”

“What kind of illness do you have?” Jing Li asked.

Qin Zhao paused in his movements and looked at him.

Jing Li felt a bit guilty under his gaze and blinked, “I… I’m just curious. You’ve been taking so much medicine, but why are you still like this? What kind of medicine are you taking, exactly?”

Qin Zhao replied, “Are you asking why I buy medicine that way?”

Jing Li had always been bad at hiding things, and when Qin Zhao took him to the pharmacies today, the confusion in Jing Li’s eyes was obvious.

But after leaving the pharmacy, he hadn’t asked anything.

Qin Zhao had wondered how long he could keep his curiosity to himself. It seemed two hours was his limit.

Qin Zhao averted his gaze and calmly explained, “Because I don’t want anyone to know my prescription.”

This matched Jing Li’s suspicions.

But he still didn’t understand why Qin Zhao would want to keep it a secret. Was the prescription so rare and secretive that Qin Zhao didn’t want anyone else to know? Or was it…

“I don’t want anyone to know about my illness,” Qin Zhao continued without hiding anything. “Experienced doctors can deduce the illness from the prescription, but my condition is rather unusual and it’s not convenient to let outsiders know, as it could cause trouble.”

Jing Li didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

“Silly, I said it could cause trouble if people found out. Aren’t you afraid of trouble?” Qin Zhao asked with a smile.

“I’m not afraid,” Jing Li replied. “Besides, I’m not really an outsider anymore, right?”

The little fool was fully committed to his role as a husband.

Qin Zhao’s expression froze for a moment, then he smiled softly and patted his head. “You’re right, you’re not an outsider.”

Jing Li’s eyes sparkled. “So, can you tell me now?”

“No.”

Jing Li: “…”

How could he be like this?

Qin Zhao didn’t say anything more.

He quickly finished sorting the herbs, poured them into a medicine pot, and started brewing a dose. When he turned around, he saw that Jing Li was still lying on the table. His long, pale fingers were playing with the scattered roots on the table, boredly rolling them between his fingers.

Qin Zhao called to him, “Little Fish, go take a nap.”

Perhaps due to his illness, Qin Zhao had a very healthy routine and would take a short nap every afternoon when he was home.

Having spent so much time with him, Jing Li had also picked up this habit and would start feeling sleepy around this time.

But he just rubbed his eyes, not lifting his head, pretending not to hear.

Qin Zhao, knowing full well what was bothering him, smiled helplessly. “It’s only been one day and you’re already not listening? Aren’t you afraid I’ll send you away?”

“Not afraid.”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow, but Jing Li turned his head and blinked at him playfully. “I’m your husband now; why would you send me away?”

There was a hint of pride in his tone.

The implication was clear: now that they were a couple, Qin Zhao couldn’t just abandon him.

Qin Zhao, intrigued, teased him, “But even after marriage, we could still get divorced.”

Jing Li retorted, “Then I’ll go tell the village chief that you’re abandoning your husband and child, that your character is flawed, and he shouldn’t support your imperial examination.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Qin Zhao wasn’t sure whether to call him silly or clever.

He hadn’t yet expressed his intention to the village chief about wanting to participate in the imperial exams.

The first stage of the exam, the “Tongsheng Exam,” is held every February, and he had already missed it this year. The next opportunity to register would be at the end of the year.

To apply for the Tongsheng Exam, a candidate needs several fellow villagers and a scholar as guarantors.

The guarantor’s role is to vouch for the candidate’s character. If the candidate cheats during the exam or commits other legal infractions, the guarantor would also be implicated.

Therefore, the guarantor must be particularly concerned about the candidate’s character.

In Linxi Village, the only scholar is the village chief, so if Qin Zhao wanted to apply for the exam, he would have to seek the village chief’s help.

But… wasn’t his reason for taking the imperial exams to support this little fish?

Did this little guy mix up the sequence of events?

Moreover…

“Abandoning your husband and child?” Qin Zhao’s eyes held a hint of amusement as his gaze slowly lowered.

After saying that, Jing Li realized there was something wrong with his statement. Seeing Qin Zhao’s look, he quickly covered his stomach. “What are you thinking? I was just saying it. I’m not…”

His voice grew quieter, the last few words barely audible.

In truth, Jing Li wasn’t entirely sure whether he was or wasn’t.

But he knew for sure that before arriving in this world, he was definitely a normal man. His appearance hadn’t changed much, so if his physical structure hadn’t changed either, then he shouldn’t be a shuang’er.

Yes, definitely not.

“…So you’re not?” Qin Zhao’s eyes flickered, feeling an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

He didn’t particularly care about the fish’s gender, but given what Jing Li had just said, he naturally assumed that this little guy was indeed a shuang’er.

But if not, it didn’t really matter.

Without further discussion, Qin Zhao walked over to the table, grabbed Jing Li by the collar, and lifted him up. “Go to sleep first; we can talk later.”

“Later?” Jing Li was skeptical. “How do I know you’re not just brushing me off?”

Qin Zhao looked at him calmly.

After a brief stare-down, Jing Li averted his gaze, feeling guilty. “I get it…”

Qin Zhao was usually gentle and polite, but when he fell silent, his sharp eyes had a certain intimidating quality that could make people uneasy.

Jing Li didn’t dare to ask more questions. He was about to grab his small wooden bucket from the low cabinet when Qin Zhao pulled him back again.

Jing Li turned around and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Zhao let go and explained, “The villagers don’t usually take naps, and it’s right around noon now. If someone comes looking for me and you don’t have time to change back to your original form, what if they see you?”

Jing Li thought he had a point.

After thinking for a moment, he tentatively suggested, “Then… how about I squeeze in with you on the bed? I promise I won’t push you off!”

Qin Zhao remained unperturbed. “Alright.”

The wooden bed wasn’t very big, but fortunately, Jing Li’s frame was small. With the two of them lying on it, there was enough room with a bit to spare.

However, Jing Li seemed very concerned about not crowding Qin Zhao and kept pushing himself closer to the wall, making his already small figure seem even more petite.

Qin Zhao looked at the wide gap between them on the bed, almost like a chasm, and couldn’t help but laugh. “Come closer, isn’t the wall cold?”

“No, it’s not,” Jing Li replied, hugging the blanket, his eyes looking up at Qin Zhao.

Jing Li’s eyes were naturally bright and beautiful. With the slight redness at the corners due to sleepiness, they gave off an innocent and well-behaved look as he gazed up at Qin Zhao from that angle.

He had only taken off his outer robe for sleeping, and the inner garment he was wearing was still Qin Zhao’s. The collar was clearly too large, revealing a broad view of his pale, porcelain-like chest from Qin Zhao’s vantage point.

…Qin Zhao felt like all his self-control was being tested to its limits in just this one day.

He turned over, forcing himself not to look any further.

The room was especially quiet in the afternoon, and soon the sound of breathing behind him became steady, indicating that Jing Li had fallen asleep. Qin Zhao’s eyes closed slightly as his thoughts began to settle.

But after a short while, a cool arm draped over his shoulder.

Qin Zhao: “…”

He inhaled softly and tried to push the arm away. But instead of moving, Jing Li mumbled something in his sleep, sounding annoyed, and then half his body rolled over onto Qin Zhao.

The cool breaths brushed against Qin Zhao’s ear.

Jing Li was now completely asleep.

Ever since he had become a fish, his body had always been cold. Half-asleep, he sensed something warm beside him and, without thinking, latched onto it.

He wrapped himself around it, as if clinging to a warm bundle.

Qin Zhao finally realized that keeping the little guy out of his bed was indeed a wise decision.

For the entire afternoon, Qin Zhao couldn’t sleep a wink.

It was far from restful.

Since Qin Zhao had gone to town that day, he hadn’t gone to the construction site in the morning to help with the work, and he couldn’t manage to make lunch for the villagers who were helping either.

So the meal was postponed until the afternoon.

By dusk, Qin Zhao had packed up the food, but before he could ask Jing Li if he wanted to come along, he noticed that Jing Li was already waiting obediently by the door.

Jing Li had been eager to check on the progress of their new home, and now that he could go out freely, there was no reason to refuse.

Qin Zhao took him along to the west side of the village.

The pace of construction in the village was astonishingly fast. After just one day, the main house in the courtyard was already roofed. At this rate, they would only need to move a bed inside to start living there.

A few villagers were digging irrigation channels, and Qin Zhao called out, “Uncle Lin, it’s time to eat!”

Lin Ershu looked up when he heard the call and saw Qin Zhao. “Is that you, Qin Zhao?”

His gaze then fell on Jing Li, standing beside Qin Zhao, and he paused for a moment.

He had been present when that incident happened the day before, so he had naturally heard about Qin Zhao’s “husband.” But with so many people crowding around Qin Zhao’s house yesterday, he hadn’t been able to get a look.

So, he hadn’t seen what Qin Zhao’s “husband” looked like.

But asking anyone who had seen him only led to the same conclusion: beautiful.

The villagers weren’t very educated, with a limited vocabulary. After racking their brains, all they could say was that Jing Li was “good-looking.”

Lin Ershu had originally thought they were exaggerating, but now, seeing Jing Li in person, he finally understood.

Indeed, he was good-looking, and not just ordinarily so.

Not to mention within Linxi Village, even in all the people he had met throughout his life, aside from Qin Zhao, he had never seen anyone as good-looking as Jing Li.

In that brief moment, everyone else also put down what they were doing and looked over at Qin Zhao.

The little husband, feeling embarrassed from being stared at, held the food container and hid behind Qin Zhao.

“Well, well, didn’t you say you weren’t getting married when I asked earlier? And now, what’s this? Hiding a beauty away in your golden house, huh?”

The group sat around on stone blocks and bamboo stools in the courtyard, chatting and eating heartily.

Qin Zhao was generous; he had prepared solid meals for them, with a few side dishes, including a scrambled egg, which was so luxurious that it was hard to believe. After all, in some less well-off households, even when hiring help, they wouldn’t offer any side dishes, just some plain porridge.

As this was said, Qin Zhao was in the middle of moving the eggs from his bowl into Jing Li’s. He paused at the remark but then calmly replied, “He’s new to the village and still getting used to things. I planned to introduce him to everyone later.”

“What’s there to get used to? The more he comes out, the quicker he’ll settle in!”

“Exactly, you should bring him out more often to meet people. We’re all neighbors here, and it’s good to help each other out.”

Qin Zhao nodded, “I will.”

The group continued to chat and eat. Suddenly, someone remembered something and said to Qin Zhao, “By the way, there’s a spot in the canal that’s tricky to handle. You’ll need to take a look and decide before it gets dark.”

Once the sun went down, they wouldn’t be able to see anything on the construction site, so they had to make the most of the daylight.

Qin Zhao nodded in agreement, set down his bowl and chopsticks, and followed the person to check on the issue.

With Qin Zhao gone, only the men who were working and the solitary little koi were left to eat.

Jing Li, worried he might say something wrong and give himself away, felt strangely nervous and kept his head down, eating quietly without looking up once.

But he couldn’t avoid someone trying to strike up a conversation.

Lin Ershu was always a bit outgoing. Seeing that Qin Zhao had left, he scooted closer to Jing Li with a cheeky grin, “Now that Qin Zhao’s not here, why don’t you tell us, how did you two meet?”

“Yeah, when did you meet? We never heard anything about Qin Zhao having an eye on a dual-soul.”

“…And you’re not from the nearby villages, right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

Everyone chimed in with questions, leaving Jing Li a bit flustered.

He stammered, “I… I’m from quite far away, not from this village. I met Qin Zhao… maybe a few months ago. He saved me.”

The villagers were mostly straightforward people and didn’t question the truth of his words.

Lin Ershu then asked, “So, did you come here to repay a debt of gratitude?”

Jing Li responded with a “Well, not entirely.”

“What do you mean?”

“Actually, it’s because…” Jing Li glanced over at Qin Zhao’s direction and then, steeling himself, said, “It’s because Qin Zhao was so devoted to me. He pursued me persistently for several months. I was moved by his sincerity, so I agreed to be with him!”

…

For a moment, there was a stunned silence around them, and everyone had a look of surprise on their faces.

Who would have thought Qin Zhao was like that?

Once the story started, it was easy for Jing Li to keep going. He sat up straight, speaking earnestly, “Yes, I didn’t want to stay at first, but Qin Zhao was so sincere. He even said that if I didn’t stay, he would—”

“And what would I do?” A voice suddenly came from behind.

Jing Li turned around, and Qin Zhao was standing there, smiling gently at him.

It was a very warm smile.