Ch 30: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Jing Li swallowed hard.

He had never thought that Qin Zhao’s smile could be so intimidating. Jing Li watched as Qin Zhao walked over to him, placing his hand on the back of his neck.

He gave a gentle squeeze.

Jing Li felt a shiver run down his spine.

He looked up, managing to force a smile. “You… you came back so quickly…”

“Yes,” Qin Zhao replied, gently kneading the back of Jing Li’s neck as if he were holding a small kitten. In a soft voice, he asked, “Just now, you were saying, if you didn’t stay, I would do what?”

“You would… you would…”

Jing Li had initially intended to say that if he didn’t stay, Qin Zhao would follow him to the ends of the earth, pestering him until he agreed.

But he definitely couldn’t say something like that in front of Qin Zhao.

He didn’t want to end up being turned into fish soup at home.

The villagers were all still watching them. The two of them, one standing and one sitting, stared at each other as if no one else was around, looking very much like a perfect couple.

But the atmosphere between them wasn’t as harmonious as everyone imagined.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Jing Li lowered his head. “…I was wrong.”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow.

“It was I who pursued him,” Jing Li said in a small, aggrieved voice. “Qin Zhao saved me before, and from that moment on, I admired him deeply. I not only pestered him endlessly but even followed him all the way to Linxi Village, refusing to leave.”

The villagers suddenly understood.

No wonder. Besides, Qin Zhao didn’t seem like the type to do such a thing. And with his health, how could he possibly have chased someone across such a distance?

But the reverse scenario made more sense.

Qin Zhao was quite satisfied with this explanation. He let go of Jing Li and gently patted the back of his head.

This fish wasn’t just silly but also easily intimidated.

After boasting and having it backfire on him, Jing Li behaved particularly well for the rest of the night. He quietly watched as Qin Zhao read and wrote, without making a fuss or even getting sleepy.

Seeing how focused Jing Li was, Qin Zhao asked, “Can you read?”

Jing Li didn’t want to admit that he was basically illiterate, but after glancing at the unfamiliar ancient characters on the page, he honestly shook his head.

Qin Zhao found it odd. “You know about the Four Books and Five Classics, but you can’t read?”

But he quickly came up with a theory. “Could it be something you picked up from your previous owner? That Taoist monk who lived in Jiangling Prefecture?”

Jing Li shook his head again.

The knowledge he had was from his studies in the modern world. His memory of this era began the moment he arrived here, and as for his past, he couldn’t recall anything.

He didn’t even know the name of the temple or what the monk looked like.

“No matter,” Qin Zhao said, understanding the feeling of being unable to remember the past. He didn’t press further and simply added, “It’s some distance from here to Jiangling Prefecture. Once my health improves, I could accompany you there. Besides…”

Qin Zhao said softly, “I have a feeling that I might have been to Jiangling before as well.”

Jing Li blinked at him.

Just now, when Qin Zhao mentioned taking him to Jiangling, Jing Li was a bit hesitant.

After all, he was originally just a fish, and the old monk who raised him had already passed away. Even if he wanted to visit, it wasn’t something urgent.

But if it involved Qin Zhao, then it became something he couldn’t delay.

He was very eager for Qin Zhao to regain his memory.

“When can we go?” Jing Li asked.

Qin Zhao thought for a moment and said, “At the earliest… next April.”

The Tongsheng exam is divided into three stages: the county exam, the prefectural exam, and the academy exam. The county exam is held in the county town every February, while the prefectural exam takes place in the prefectural city in April.

The closest prefectural city to Linxi Village is Jiangling Prefecture.

It’s currently only May, so it’s nearly a year until next April.

“That’s such a long wait…”

Jing Li looked a bit disappointed, but Qin Zhao smiled and said, “If you want to go to the prefectural city, I have to first pass the county exam. Aren’t you worried at all that I might not pass?”

“Not worried at all.” Jing Li looked up at him. “My husband is so capable. The only thing I need to consider is whether you’ll win the top spot!”

The pen in Qin Zhao’s hand trembled, and the tip of the brush left a winding mark on the paper.

He turned to look at the person kneeling by the bedside, who was now gazing at him with a mischievous glint instead of that innocent expression, playfully winking at him.

…He was getting back at Qin Zhao for casually calling him “husband” during the day.

Although Qin Zhao didn’t quite understand what was going on in this little fish’s head, or why he thought calling him “husband” was a form of revenge, he had to admit—it worked.

Qin Zhao returned his gaze to the winding ink mark on the paper, his thoughts in turmoil. For a long while, he couldn’t concentrate on reading even a single word.

As the night deepened, Qin Zhao decided not to trouble himself any further and closed the book.

He deliberately splashed his face with cold water twice before returning to the bedroom. Jing Li had already moved his small wooden bucket onto the table, and the bright red little koi fish swam a couple of circles at the water’s surface, wagging its tail at Qin Zhao.

Seeing the fish now made Qin Zhao feel a bit uneasy. He casually said “Goodnight,” and then extinguished the oil lamp on the table.

The moonlight streamed through the window, filling the small room. The little koi floated to the water’s surface, its eyes fixed on the person lying on the bed.

After a moment, the little koi jumped out of the bucket.

By now, he could transform into human form with ease. The little koi first jumped onto the dry cloth laid on the table, rolling around a few times to dry off the water droplets on his body. Then, a faint red glow flashed across his body.

A human figure appeared in the room.

Jing Li grabbed the clothes nearby and slipped them on, then quietly crawled onto the bed. Just as he was about to slip under the covers on the side against the wall, a voice suddenly rang out in the darkness: “What are you doing?”

Jing Li was so startled that he jumped, hitting the back of his head against the white wall behind him.

The dull thud echoed clearly in the dark room, and Jing Li was in so much pain that tears welled up in his eyes. He clutched his head and collapsed onto the bed.

Qin Zhao immediately sat up, “Be careful, let me see—did it hurt?”

“Mm…” Jing Li’s face was buried in the pillow, and he responded with a muffled, aggrieved sound.

Qin Zhao gently felt the spot where Jing Li had hit his head. Finding no bleeding or swelling, he finally relaxed and asked, “What are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

“I…” Jing Li raised one eye from the pillow to look at him, his fingers clutching the blanket tightly, and softly said, “I want to sleep here.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Qin Zhao asked, “Why?”

“Because…”

Because hugging Qin Zhao was too comfortable.

Ever since Jing Li had turned into a fish, his body had been cold. Qin Zhao, on the other hand, had a body temperature that was just right—not too cold, not too hot. Hugging him felt just like holding a warm, cozy heater.

He couldn’t believe he only realized this at noon.

What a huge loss.

Qin Zhao didn’t respond immediately.

He sat on the bed, his profile deepened by the dim, moonlit shadows filtering through the window.

Jing Li gazed at him for a long time, then reached out to tug at Qin Zhao’s sleeve. “Qin Zhao…”

“It’s so cold in the water. Let me sleep here…”

“Husband…”

“…” Qin Zhao gritted his teeth. “Stop calling me that.”

Jing Li secretly chuckled to himself.

Who told this guy to tease him during the day? It turns out he’s even more easily flustered than Jing Li is. Jing Li’s gaze wasn’t hindered by the darkness at all, and he pretended to be surprised. “Your ears are turning red.”

Qin Zhao: “…Are you going to sleep or not?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll sleep! I won’t say another word!”

So, for the next few days, Qin Zhao had faint dark circles under his eyes, and his spirits seemed noticeably low. Lin Changzhong, seeing him like this, became genuinely concerned and even privately advised him to take it easy at night since his health was already fragile.

—Qin Zhao’s reputation was beyond saving.

In contrast, Jing Li, after getting familiar with the village over a few days, began to feel right at home.

Not only did he accompany Qin Zhao everywhere, but he also started helping out on his own—delivering meals to the villagers at the construction site or running messages to the neighboring households for Qin Zhao.

As he got to know the villagers better, Jing Li’s personality became more lively, and with his exceptionally good looks, he quickly became well-liked.

Every time he went out, he even received treats from the neighbors.

One day, after delivering lunch to the construction site, Jing Li was on his way home.

It was almost time for his midday nap, and he was yawning sleepily. As he rounded a corner, he noticed a figure he didn’t recognize standing in front of his house.

He paused.

It was a young woman.

She looked quite young from behind.

The woman was gently knocking on the door, and Jing Li blinked, not approaching immediately. Instead, he stepped back and hid in the alleyway.

Qin Zhao, thinking it was Jing Li returning, opened the door with a smile. However, when he saw who was standing there, his expression froze slightly. He quickly composed himself, politely asking, “And you are…?”

“I’m… here to deliver the clothes that Aunt He made for you,” the woman replied, blushing slightly at the smile Qin Zhao had just shown. She lowered her head nervously and took the clothes out of the basket she was carrying. “These are the clothes you asked Aunt He to make. Could you check if they need any alterations?”

Qin Zhao looked at her with a barely noticeable furrow in his brow.

Although there were no strict rules in the village prohibiting unmarried women from going out, it was uncommon for young, unmarried women to meet with adult men in private like this. Therefore, he didn’t recognize the woman.

As for why she was sent to deliver the clothes… Qin Zhao could pretty much guess the reason.

He didn’t say much, just took the clothes, quickly counted them, and then retrieved a string of copper coins from inside the house to hand to the woman.

Qin Zhao’s voice was somewhat cold: “My husband hasn’t returned yet. Once he’s back, I’ll have him try them on. If any alterations are needed, I’ll go find Aunt He.”

The woman’s expression seemed a bit disappointed, but she nodded. “That… that’s fine.”

Seeing that she hadn’t left yet, Qin Zhao asked, “Is there anything else?”

“No, nothing… I’ll be going now.”

Without waiting for a response, the woman turned and ran off.

Qin Zhao sighed softly, raising his voice slightly: “How long do you plan on hiding?”

Jing Li emerged from around the corner.

Back when Qin Zhao was sick and poor, the villagers didn’t think much of him, so despite his good looks, no one wanted to marry him.

But things were different now.

He had rented land, built a house, and showed great care for the husband he had just married. In a place like Linxi Village, a man like him was now considered quite a catch.

So what if he couldn’t do heavy labor? He could read, write, and knew medicine—he had plenty of ways to make money.

Jing Li rubbed his nose, feeling inexplicably displeased.

These people, now trying to catch his Qin Zhao’s attention, where were they before?

He walked up to the house, and Qin Zhao asked, “Why did you hide instead of coming over?”

The little guy wasn’t good at hiding his feelings at all; Qin Zhao had noticed him peeking around the corner from the moment he opened the door, clearly deep in thought.

Jing Li didn’t admit it, averting his gaze and mumbling, “I wasn’t hiding, I just got here.”

Qin Zhao looked at him for a moment but didn’t press the issue. He simply said, “Come inside and try on the clothes, see if any alterations are needed.”

Aunt He had done a good job—the clothes fit perfectly. There were long robes for everyday wear and shorter, more practical outfits for work, but Jing Li’s favorite was still the pomegranate-red outer robe.

Wearing traditional clothes was still a bit tricky for Jing Li, who hadn’t yet gotten used to how the ties should be fastened.

So Qin Zhao always helped him dress.

Those long, slender fingers expertly tied the waist sash, wrapping it around Jing Li’s waist a few times before securing it with a knot. Qin Zhao, being quite tall, had to bend slightly, his breath brushing against Jing Li’s ear, making it ticklish.

But Qin Zhao seemed completely unaware, adjusting the robe’s collar after tying the sash.

Jing Li’s skin was very fair, and the skin on his neck was so pale it was almost translucent, with faint blue veins visible beneath the surface.

Qin Zhao seemed completely unaware as he finished tying Jing Li’s sash and then adjusted the collar of his robe.

Jing Li’s skin was incredibly fair, so fair that the skin on his neck was nearly translucent, with faint blue veins visible beneath the surface.

Qin Zhao’s gaze lingered there for a moment, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret.

Jing Li had already figured out the pattern for maintaining his human form: as long as he soaked in water for an hour each day and ate and slept well, the fish scales wouldn’t reappear on his body.

It had been a long time since Qin Zhao had seen the beautiful sight of Jing Li with fish scales on his skin.

Qin Zhao was standing so close that Jing Li instinctively leaned back a little and spoke softly, “Qin Zhao…”

“Hmm?”

“That girl just now…”

Qin Zhao chuckled.

He straightened up, his tone slightly teasing, “I wondered how long you’d last without asking, and it hasn’t even been the time for a cup of tea.”

“I—I was just curious!” Jing Li’s ears turned a little red. “She seemed to be interested in you.”

Qin Zhao replied calmly, “But I’m not interested in her.”

“Why not?” Jing Li asked curiously, “You don’t like girls?”

Qin Zhao nodded without hesitation.

Jing Li was first surprised, then quickly understood. “That makes sense, you seem to like shuang’er.”

He still remembered that Qin Zhao had once wished for a husband.

There were no shuang’er in Linxi Village, so Jing Li hadn’t had the chance to fulfill Qin Zhao’s wish, but he had never forgotten his promise.

“No, that’s not right.” Qin Zhao looked down at him and gently said, “I don’t like shuang’er either.”

Jing Li blinked in confusion.

If he doesn’t like shuang’er, then why did he say he wanted a husband?

Wait, he said he doesn’t like women and doesn’t like shuang’er.

Could it be… Qin Zhao actually likes men?

Jing Li looked up at the person in front of him, suddenly feeling a bit troubled.

In the past few days, he had made an effort to learn more about shuang’er and knew that they didn’t have a high status in this era. On the flip side, if Qin Zhao took a liking to a shuang’er, it wouldn’t be too difficult to marry one into the household.

But now, if it turned out that Qin Zhao liked men…

Although men could marry in this era, what decent man would want to marry another man, especially in a small village where continuing the family line was so important?

This was going to be hard.

Where could he possibly find a man willing to marry Qin Zhao?