Ch 39: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Qin Zhao and Jing Li ended up staying in the county town.

Ever since the county magistrate learned that Qin Zhao might be able to help manage the floods, his attitude toward them had changed dramatically. Not only did he move them out of the shabby inn, but he also arranged for them to stay in a quiet little courtyard in the town.

Word quickly spread around the county that Qin Zhao was in poor health, so even the county office didn’t make him go to the yamen; instead, officials would visit him at home whenever necessary. If it weren’t for Qin Zhao’s insistence on not wasting resources, the magistrate might have even arranged for a few doctors to live in the courtyard with them—as if treating Qin Zhao as a fragile, precious treasure.

Despite these efforts, Jing Li couldn’t help but worry.

The river system in the downstream area was complex, and the time was tight. Completely solving the flooding problem was far more challenging than dealing with the situation in Linxi Village.

How could Qin Zhao’s health endure such a burden?

Jing Li brought a bowl of medicine and knocked on the study door.

There was no response.

He sighed and pushed the door open.

The small study was crowded with people. Qin Zhao sat calmly at the desk, while the officials from the county office stood respectfully around him.

Ordinary folk might feel intimidated when facing government officials, but there was no such hesitation in Qin Zhao’s demeanor.

He seemed to possess an innate nobility. He was gentle and courteous, neither servile nor overbearing, yet his every move exuded a confidence and ability to control the situation—as if he was born to be a leader.

Jing Li was momentarily lost in thought as Pei An pointed to the map in front of Qin Zhao and asked, “Mr. Qin, you suggest completely rerouting the river here? The scale of this project is beyond what most people can imagine. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider—”

Qin Zhao replied, “As I’ve said, in flood management, it’s better to divert than to block. Redirecting the flow here can reduce the water’s force.”

“But we only have half a month…”

“Qin Zhao,” Jing Li interrupted, clearing his throat, “it’s time for your medicine.”

He couldn’t contribute much to the discussions, so he took on the responsibility of preparing Qin Zhao’s daily medicine and reminding him to take it on time.

Qin Zhao paused mid-sentence and said to Pei An, “I’ve already explained the flood management plan. If the magistrate finds it unsuitable, then you might as well seek advice elsewhere.”

“No, no, no, where would we find someone else at this critical juncture?” Pei An quickly responded. “I’ll convey your plan to the magistrate right away and return tomorrow to consult with you again.”

Jing Li escorted them out of the courtyard.

When he returned to the study, Qin Zhao had finished his medicine and was resting with his eyes closed in the chair.

Jing Li walked over, displeased. “You promised to limit your meetings to two hours a day, but they always drag on much longer.”

Qin Zhao wearily rubbed his temples and chuckled softly. “What can I do? The county has its own considerations. It’s not like our village, where the only concern is disaster prevention.”

Jing Li asked, “What do you mean?”

Qin Zhao opened his eyes and pointed to the map in front of him. “They want to solve the flooding problem at the lowest possible cost.”

Jing Li understood.

It was all about money.

The relief funds allocated by the provincial capital were fixed, but how much of it was actually spent was another matter. The less spent, the more would end up in the county magistrate’s pocket.

It had always been this way, from ancient times to the present.

Qin Zhao sighed, “That corrupt official…”

Qin Zhao withdrew his gaze and looked at Jing Li. “What are you laughing at?”

“I’m laughing at the fact that you actually know how to curse,” Jing Li replied. “So is there a more cost-effective solution?”

“I only consider what is most beneficial for the people,” Qin Zhao said calmly. “By diverting and expanding the river channels, not only can we reduce the water’s force, but it will also aid in irrigating the downstream areas.”

Jing Li asked, “Do you think that corrupt official will agree to this?”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. It was clear that cursing had come naturally to him too.

“That depends on whether he values money more or his official position,” Qin Zhao replied.

“Well, I want his money,” Jing Li said with a wink. “He promised a generous reward.”

Qin Zhao chuckled. “Greedy…”

Qin Zhao still looked very tired, so Jing Li helped him to the bedroom to rest. “We’re out of medicine at home. Should I go buy some for you?”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Alright.”

Although Qin Zhao never told Jing Li what his illness was, he had never hidden the prescription from him. After all, they had often bought the medicine together in the past, so there was no way to keep it a secret.

Now that they were in the county town, and Qin Zhao was expending a lot of energy on flood management every day, the task of buying the medicine naturally fell to Jing Li.

After accompanying Qin Zhao to buy medicine so many times, Jing Li had memorized the necessary herbs and their quantities by heart.

There were five or six medical halls in the county town, with countless smaller herb shops. Jing Li decided not to go to the medical halls and instead visited a few herb shops, quickly purchasing all the necessary herbs—except for the last one.

As he walked out of the shop, carrying a bag of herbs, Jing Li muttered to himself, “They had this a few days ago… What’s going on in this county town? They don’t even have the same stock as the shops in the town. This is already the third shop.”

“Young man, are you looking for Xuanxian Grass?” a voice called out from beside him.

Jing Li turned to see an elderly man dressed in extremely tattered clothing. He was sitting on the stone steps in front of the herb shop, wrapped in a dark robe patched all over, with an old medicine box slung over his shoulder. His appearance was disheveled, but his eyes were bright and sharp.

Jing Li didn’t respond immediately, and the old man smiled. “The weather has been erratic lately, and many people in town have caught colds. Xuanxian Grass is in high demand and has sold out. You won’t find it in any of these herb shops or medical halls.”

Jing Li frowned. “How do you know what medicine I’m looking for?”

The old man replied, “I’ve been watching you for a while. You’ve gone to three connected herb shops and still haven’t found what you’re looking for. As far as I know, these shops are well-stocked unless you’re searching for some rare herb. The only thing recently sold out everywhere is Xuanxian Grass.”

Jing Li asked, “Do you know where I can buy it?”

The old man nodded. “I do.”

“Old man, are you spouting nonsense again?” The shop clerk came out and warned Jing Li, “Don’t listen to him, sir. This old man is a lunatic. He always claims to be some kind of legendary doctor who even treated the emperor.”

The old man interrupted indignantly, “Not the current emperor, it was the late emperor!”

The shop clerk waved him off. “Get lost! Stop bothering my customers!”

The old man was shooed away from the steps, but he didn’t seem upset. With a cheerful smile, he said to Jing Li, “Young man, if you want Xuanxian Grass, follow me. I know a shop that still has some.”

With that, he turned and began to walk away, not waiting for Jing Li’s response.

He had a noticeable limp, as if an old injury had affected his right leg.

Despite the old man’s eccentric appearance, Jing Li could sense that he meant no harm. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to follow.

The old man led him into a small herbal shop deep within a narrow alley.

As soon as they entered, they heard a young boy’s voice, “Grandpa Xue, where did you run off to again? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

A young, delicate-looking boy hurried out from the inner room, pausing when he saw Jing Li. He then asked nervously, “Are you… here to buy medicine?”

The boy was about the same age as Jing Li, with delicate and attractive features. Jing Li also noticed a small, bright red mole at the corner of the boy’s eye.

It was a distinct mark of a shuang’er.

The old man said, “My dear grandson, this young master needs Xuanxian Grass. Go and fetch it for him.”

“Ah… okay!” The boy nodded and hurried to the herb cabinet to search.

This herb shop was much smaller than the ones on the main street. The entire wall on one side was lined with herb cabinets, and the air was filled with a strong scent of medicinal herbs.

There was only a single table and a few simple chairs in the main hall.

The old man led Jing Li to a chair and had him sit down.

“My grandson is shy. Please don’t mind him,” the old man said.

Jing Li, having never met a real shuang’er before, wasn’t offended at all. Instead, he found the boy quite endearing. He turned his attention back to the old man and asked, “Is this your herbal shop?”

“No, it belongs to him,” the old man replied.

Jing Li was puzzled. “Him?”

“That boy’s entire family has passed away, leaving him to inherit this shop alone. I’m just staying here and teaching him some medical skills,” the old man explained simply.

He glanced at the bundle of herbs by Jing Li’s feet and asked with a smile, “Young master, who are these herbs for?”

“For my…” Jing Li hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “For my husband.”

His ears turned a little red after he spoke, but the old man didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he continued, “Your husband’s illness… has it been some time?”

Jing Li was startled. “You…”

The old man slowly said, “Nanxingzi, Guichi Grass, Huangteng, Dugui… Should I go on?”

He had listed the exact herbs Jing Li had bought today.

Jing Li asked, “Have you been following me?”

“Nonsense, who would follow you?” the old man scoffed. “I could smell those herbs the moment I walked in. Why would I need to follow you?”

Jing Li fell silent.

Noticing his expression, the old man continued, “Young master, though I don’t know where you got this prescription, forgive me for being blunt, but unless it’s absolutely necessary, you should avoid taking this medicine.”

Jing Li asked, “Why?”

“Although the ingredients in this prescription are common herbs, combined together, they form a… slow-acting poison.”

When Qin Zhao woke up, Jing Li was not in the room.

The courtyard was silent. Qin Zhao pressed on his aching temples and sat up.

It was just a trip to buy some medicine, so why hadn’t he returned yet?

Qin Zhao grabbed his clothes hanging by the bed, got dressed, and was about to head out to look for him when he noticed several herb packages stacked on the table.

They were indeed the herbs he needed.

Qin Zhao furrowed his brow slightly and stepped out the door.

The residence the county magistrate had provided for them was quite large, with an inner and an outer courtyard. The outer courtyard contained the study and the reception hall, while the inner courtyard housed the bedroom, kitchen, and other living areas. Stepping out of the bedroom, one would enter a small garden.

The courtyard had rockeries, green trees, and even a lotus pond.

Standing in front of the house, Qin Zhao softly called out, “Little fish?”

The calm surface of the pond rippled with a single bubble.

Qin Zhao: “…”

He walked over to the pond, crouched down, and saw the bright red koi hiding under a lotus leaf. “What are you doing hiding here?”

The little koi flicked its tail, not only refusing to come out but instead burrowing further in.

Qin Zhao said, “Come out. There’s mud at the bottom of the pond, and you hate getting dirty, don’t you?”

There was no response.

After a while, a small head poked out from between the lotus leaves, and a tiny voice spoke, “I’m thinking about something.”

Qin Zhao asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I… I can’t tell you right now,” the little koi said softly, flicking its fins. “I need to figure it out on my own first.”

Qin Zhao chuckled softly, still full of patience. “Can you come out and think?”

“No.”

Qin Zhao continued, “Then… can you tell me, and we can think about it together?”

“Also no.”

Still stubborn.

Qin Zhao sighed and didn’t press further. He went inside, fetched a chair, brought it to the pond, and sat down with a book. “Then I’ll stay here with you. When you’ve figured it out, you can come out, okay?”

The little koi didn’t respond. Its bright red tail flicked at the water’s surface before it dove back to the pond’s depths.

Qin Zhao really didn’t ask any more questions, calmly opening his book to read.

Jing Li watched him quietly from beneath the water’s surface.

Qin Zhao’s complexion was still pale, and even his hand holding the book looked weak and thin, as if he were very frail.

Jing Li’s mind replayed what the old man named Xue had told him.

“Don’t believe me? Then let me ask you: does your husband suffer from a deficiency in both qi and blood, constantly feeling weak? Does he have to take medicine every day, or else he’ll have a high fever and feel powerless?”

“Every medicine has some toxicity. Even common tonics, if taken over a long period, can leave toxic residues in the body. This medicine is no exception.”

“I’m telling you, it’s better to stop taking the medicine early, or the poison will reach his vital organs, and by then, there’ll be no cure.”

…

Jing Li didn’t know whether to believe him.

According to the old man, Qin Zhao’s frailty was due to the side effects of taking that medicine for so long. But if the medicine really had issues, why would Qin Zhao continue taking it?

Qin Zhao was highly skilled in medicine himself—if there were something wrong with the medicine, wouldn’t he be able to tell?

Or could it be… that he already knew but had no choice due to his condition?

Jing Li had always had an inexplicable trust in Qin Zhao. Qin Zhao always managed to handle everything well, so if he decided to take the medicine, it must be because he had no other choice.

Moreover, he had mentioned before that his prescription wasn’t something to be known by others, which was why he separated the herbs when buying them.

Clearly, he knew that this medicine had some special properties.

What kind of illness did Qin Zhao have that required such a harmful concoction for treatment?

Jing Li didn’t dare to ask directly.

Qin Zhao never wanted to talk about his illness, and Jing Li himself was hiding things from him, so he felt he had no right, nor did he want, to pressure him.

Besides, what if that old man was just trying to scare him with baseless talk? Telling Qin Zhao might only make him worry unnecessarily.

And what’s more, he had accidentally let someone else discover the prescription…

Qin Zhao would probably think he was useless, unable even to handle such a simple task.

The little koi blew a series of bubbles underwater.

He was a worried fish.

But even when worried, the little koi couldn’t find peace. Before long, it started raining, and Qin Zhao insisted on not leaving him outside alone, saying that if Jing Li wouldn’t come inside, he would stay out there with him.

In the end, Jing Li had no choice but to give in and let Qin Zhao carry him back inside.

“Are you sure I’m really clean? I still feel like there’s mud…” Jing Li obediently sat on the stool, letting Qin Zhao dry his hair.

Qin Zhao, amused, said, “I rinsed you three times, and you washed yourself twice. You’re definitely clean.”

Afraid of dirt, yet insisting on hiding in the lotus pond—this little guy.

Jing Li sniffed his hair and only detected the fresh scent of soap, finally feeling a bit more reassured.

Qin Zhao asked, “Have you figured out what you were thinking about?”

Jing Li lowered his head. “Not yet…”

“No rush. Take your time,” Qin Zhao said as he finished drying Jing Li’s hair and hung the towel back in its place. In a calm voice, he added, “As long as it’s not about whether or not you like me, you can take your time. I won’t pressure you.”

“I’m not deliberately hiding things from you, I just—” Jing Li abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

He looked up at Qin Zhao, his beautiful eyes blinking in confusion. “…Huh?”