Ch 45: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

“…You say that it’s not appropriate to deal with the Imperial Medical Institute now? Then let me ask you, how can you guarantee that no one in the Imperial Medical Institute harbors ill intentions?!”

“If you want to completely eradicate Chenhuan San, no one in this world can know the formula. All the imperial physicians who have ever been in contact with the formula must die—not a single one should be spared!”

“…Be obedient. After this last task is done, the world will be yours.”

…

Qin Zhao suddenly opened his eyes.

The room was silent, the light outside dim and shrouded in morning mist. His head ached as if being pricked by needles. He sat up, struggling with rapid breathing for a moment before he realized it.

“Why are you awake…” A soft, sleepy voice came from beside him, husky with drowsiness.

Jing Li was too sleepy to open his eyes. He fumbled for Qin Zhao’s hand, his cool palm covering the back of Qin Zhao’s hand. “Did you have a nightmare again?”

“Yes, just a nightmare.” Qin Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked in a low voice, “Did I wake you?”

“Mm…” Jing Li responded softly.

In the city, Jing Li often shared the bed with Qin Zhao and refused to sleep in the pond after they returned, taking up half of the bed without hesitation.

Qin Zhao turned his head. The boy had half his face buried in the pillow, frowning slightly with a hint of morning grumpiness.

The irritability and gloom in Qin Zhao’s heart suddenly vanished. He silently exhaled and leaned over to hug the boy beside him.

The boy snuggled into his arms. “Don’t be afraid; dreams aren’t real.”

“Mm, they’re not real,” Qin Zhao replied softly. “Sleep a bit more; it’s still early.”

“…”

Jing Li didn’t respond, seeming to have fallen back asleep.

xxx

“Be careful, make sure to cut it with the roots, and don’t damage the leaves!” The old gentleman Xue Ren sat in the courtyard, directing the two boys in harvesting herbs.

Qin Zhao brought out a cup of tea, placing it on the small table beside Xue Ren.

Xue Ren remarked, “It’s truly marvelous. This Qidong grass is hard to come by. Even with all my years of traveling as a physician, I’ve only seen one or two of these plants in the deep mountains near Jiangling, and I’ve never seen them grow so abundantly.”

The Qidong grass had fully matured by now, with large silver-gray leaves adding a bright touch to the corner of the courtyard.

Qin Zhao understood the implication in Xue Ren’s words and said, “If you want, sir, you can take some with you.”

Xue Ren beamed, “You’re very generous, Mr. Qin.”

After the Qidong grass was harvested, it needed to be dried for a few more days before it could be ground into powder and used as medicine. Qin Zhao borrowed a large basket from a neighbor and helped lay the herbs out to dry.

Just as they finished spreading the herbs, someone came looking for Qin Zhao.

“Qin Zhao, the people from the town who buy vegetables are here. Old Chen said you wanted to sell the vegetables from your fields. They’re waiting at the village entrance now; do you want to go check it out?”

“Thank you, but I…” Qin Zhao looked at Xue Ren.

The old gentleman waved his hand, “You go ahead if you have things to do at home. I plan to take a walk in the mountains this afternoon. I heard yesterday that there are a few uncommon herbs up there, so I’ll take my grandson to see if we can find any.”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Alright.”

He and Jing Li then left the house.

Before leaving, Jing Li made plans with Ah Yi, telling him not to come back too late and promising to take him to play by the stream later.

Qin Zhao, hearing this, couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.

As they left the courtyard, Qin Zhao asked, “Why do you go to the stream with him every day?”

“Ah Yi doesn’t like crowded places. He doesn’t have a good time in the city, so now that he can relax here, I just—”

Jing Li’s words were cut off because Qin Zhao gently pinched his waist.

Since Xue Ren arrived in the village and adjusted Qin Zhao’s medication, his health had been steadily improving. Now he could walk around the village without any trouble and didn’t need Jing Li’s support.

But Jing Li was still in the habit of holding onto him, just in case this frail man stumbled and hurt himself.

—It conveniently allowed a certain someone to take advantage.

Qin Zhao continued to knead the soft spot on Jing Li’s waist, maintaining a calm demeanor as he asked, “So, what were you saying?”

“I… I just…” Jing Li, feeling ticklish from the pinching, tried to wriggle away. “Ah Yi is a shuang’er, how could you even be jealous of a shuang’er?”

Qin Zhao replied in a calm tone, “But you aren’t.”

Jing Li was momentarily speechless. “…”

That’s true. He had been pretending for so long in the village that he almost believed it himself.

But he really wasn’t a shuang’er—he didn’t have the shuang’er’s red mole.

Jing Li said, “But I don’t like him that way…”

Qin Zhao casually asked, “Then do you like me?”

Jing Li: “…”

Now he understood. Qin Zhao wasn’t really jealous; he was just looking for an excuse to be affectionate.

How could someone be so childish?

Feeling his face grow warm, Jing Li slightly turned his head, then stood on his toes to kiss Qin Zhao on the cheek. “Is that okay? Don’t be mad…”

Qin Zhao’s lips curled into a small smile. “Barely acceptable.”

“Ahem.” A soft cough came from behind them, causing Jing Li to quickly push Qin Zhao away.

When they turned around, they saw Chen Yanan standing behind them, his face flushed, looking a bit uneasy. “Um, I was just passing by, passing by…”

Jing Li was even more embarrassed, his ears turning completely red under his long hair.

Qin Zhao asked, “You were just passing by my house?”

Qin Zhao’s small courtyard was at the far west end of the village, with no other houses nearby.

“I-I agreed with Grandpa Xue that I would accompany him up the mountain today!” Chen Yanan said loudly, sounding a bit flustered. “To help him gather herbs!”

Accompany Grandpa Xue up the mountain?

Jing Li started to realize something and squinted suspiciously.

Chen Yanan, not wanting to linger, mumbled something about “Grandpa Xue waiting,” and quickly made his escape.

Watching the chubby figure run off, Jing Li muttered, “I have a feeling he has ulterior motives.”

“Indeed, it’s quite obvious,” Qin Zhao added, “especially since he even wore new clothes today.”

Jing Li: “…”

The two of them still needed to head to the village entrance and couldn’t afford to delay any longer, so they decided to temporarily put the matter aside.

At the village entrance, several ox carts loaded with goods were parked by the roadside. A dark-skinned vegetable vendor was squatting by one of the carts, waiting. When he saw Qin Zhao approaching, he stood up and dusted off his clothes. “You’re the one selling vegetables?”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

The vendor looked them up and down.

The tall man before him had the appearance of a frail scholar, with a complexion that wasn’t particularly healthy—he looked like a sickly person. The young boy beside him was quite good-looking but also seemed small and frail, not like someone who could do much physical labor.

No wonder they were willing to sell their vegetables.

Typically, the town’s vegetable buyers would choose more remote mountain villages.

Vegetables have a short shelf life, and transportation costs are high. If the village was far from the town, the villagers wouldn’t be able to transport their vegetables to town every day and would have to cooperate with the buyers.

The restaurants usually decided what vegetables they wanted months in advance. When the harvest time came, they would hire someone to pick up the goods, making it a win-win situation for both parties. This way, they could ensure a stable supply of fresh vegetables every day.

Since Linxi Village wasn’t far from town, if a family had more vegetables than they could eat, they would just take them to town themselves, so they rarely wanted to sell them in bulk.

Only households where the men couldn’t work and the vegetables were at risk of rotting in the fields would consider doing business with them.

This was the season when most families’ vegetables were ripe for harvest, so the vendor was visiting various villages, trying to buy them up at a low price.

If he came across someone who didn’t know the market value, he could drive the price down even further.

The vendor had been in this business for many years and knew very well that scholars who spent their days reading and writing were usually the least knowledgeable about such things.

After thinking for a moment, the vendor said, “We have a standard price—two coins for five jin of cabbage and four coins for five jin of eggplant. We handle the harvesting and transportation, and we pay cash. How does that sound?”

Qin Zhao frowned slightly.

He knew that bulk buyers often offered lower prices, but…

Five jin of cabbage could sell for five coins in town, meaning the vendor’s offer was more than fifty percent below the town’s market price.

“Are you trying to rob us?” Jing Li said unhappily. “That’s way too cheap. Our vegetables are top quality.”

The vendor smiled kindly. “Times are tough, and prices in the nearby villages are lower than last year. You can go ask around if you don’t believe me.”

“This…”

Jing Li was uncertain.

He didn’t really know the market prices; he just felt that the offer was too low.

At this rate, selling all the vegetables from their two acres of land wouldn’t even cover the cost of one of Qin Zhao’s medicines.

But if they didn’t sell them, the vegetables would start rotting in the fields in about half a month. Even though some vegetables could be stored for a bit longer, they would only last another two or three months at most.

They definitely couldn’t eat them all.

What should they do…

The vendor had accurately judged their situation, and with confidence, he brazenly continued to persuade them: “Vegetable buyers rarely come to this area. If you don’t sell to me, you might not find anyone else to sell to. Didn’t you just say your vegetables are really good? It would be such a waste if they rotted in the fields.”

“Then… should we…” Jing Li nervously clutched Qin Zhao’s sleeve.

“We’re not selling,” Qin Zhao said calmly.

Jing Li was taken aback. “What?”

Qin Zhao squeezed his hand and repeated to the vegetable vendor, “We’re not selling. Let’s go.”

With that, he really did start to walk away, pulling Jing Li along with him.

“W-wait a minute!” The vendor hadn’t expected him to be so decisive and quickly called out, “How about I give you an extra coin per cart? No, make that two coins. Don’t be in such a rush; we can negotiate.”

The price he initially offered was well below the actual purchase price, so even with a small increase, he would still profit. But if he let them go, he wouldn’t make any profit at all.

Qin Zhao paused.

However, before he could respond, a voice suddenly came from behind them: “Add thirty percent to the price, or we won’t sell.”

Jing Li turned around and saw it was Ah Yi.

The vendor also looked back and, upon seeing the young boy, became annoyed. “What does a shuang’er like you know? If I add thirty percent, I won’t make any profit! Get lost!”

Ah Yi flinched slightly at the harsh words but still insisted, “But that’s the fair price. If you go any lower, it would be too low, wouldn’t it? Even in other villages, they wouldn’t let the price drop this much.”

Adding thirty percent would indeed bring the price close to the actual purchase cost, but that would leave the vendor with almost no profit for his trip.

The vendor was surprised that the boy knew the market so well but also felt it was bad luck to have run into someone so knowledgeable.

“At most, I’ll add three coins per cart, but I can’t go higher than that,” the vendor said.

Ah Yi protested, “You—”

Qin Zhao stepped forward, shielding Ayi, and calmly said, “Please leave.”

The vendor, still a bit reluctant but also a bit embarrassed, waved them off. “Fine, no sale then. What bad luck.”

He then climbed onto his ox cart and quickly drove away.

Jing Li asked, “Ah Yi, why did you come over here?”

Ah Yi replied, “That young master from the Chen family wanted to accompany Grandpa Xue up the mountain, and when I heard you were selling vegetables, I thought I’d come help.”

Jing Li: “…”

It seemed someone had made a wasted trip.

Ah Yi, oblivious to any issues, added, “I’ve done business in the county before. These small traders like to drive down the purchase price so they can make a profit on the difference.”

Jing Li said, “I see.”

Ah Yi looked a bit apologetic. “Sorry, I just wanted to help negotiate, but I didn’t expect him to just leave. What about your vegetables…?”

That was indeed a problem. If selling to buyers wasn’t an option, they’d have to find another way to sell the vegetables.

“We can trade the extra vegetables with the villagers or preserve them,” Qin Zhao said, gently ruffling Jing Li’s hair. “You worked hard to grow those vegetables. I don’t want to sell them off at such a low price.”

When Jing Li first started farming, it wasn’t easy for him. He would work from early morning until late at night, and his hands were nearly worn raw.

Qin Zhao felt pained just thinking about it.

“Or, if you want to take the vegetables to town to sell, I can help. I’m good at selling things,” Ah Yi offered.

Ah Yi indirectly chased away the vendor, feeling a bit guilty, so he said, “And doesn’t that young master from the Chen family have an ox cart? One cart can carry fifty jin, and we could sell everything by noon.”

Jing Li’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea.”

The three of them went home to discuss the details of selling the vegetables, and the plan was set.

Qin Zhao originally wanted to go with them, but Jing Li was worried that his health couldn’t handle it. Besides, they were going to start preparing the medicine the next day, and he needed to stay behind to help Old Master Xue with some of the herbs. So, the task of selling the vegetables was left to Jing Li and Ah Yi.

The next day, the two got up early, borrowed the Chen family’s ox cart, and filled it with vegetables to take to town.

Ah Yi was truly talented in business. He had everything planned out, from pricing, selling strategies, discounts for bulk purchases, and which vegetables could be bundled together.

Within an hour of arriving in town, they had almost sold out of the entire cart.

Jing Li was so busy the whole morning that he barely had time to catch his breath. After sending off the last customer, he finally took a deep breath and said to Ah Yi, “You’re amazing.”

Ah Yi smiled shyly. “Not really, you just learn by observing.”

He was gathering up the remaining vegetables on the cart—most of which had been damaged during picking or transportation. They weren’t good for selling, but they were still perfectly fine to eat.

Jing Li helped him clean up and asked, “Did you learn all this when you were young?”

“Yes,” Ah Yi replied. “My father and dad used to be herb merchants, so I picked up a few things. Later, they opened a pharmacy, and I learned how to run the shop, but…”

He seemed to recall something and lowered his head, looking a bit downcast.

Jing Li quickly said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay, very few people are willing to listen to me talk about these things,” Ah Yi said. “I want to be a doctor more than a merchant, but… no medical clinic would accept an apprentice like me.”

He smiled again, adding, “But now that I’ve met Grandpa Xue, I’ve learned a lot about medicine from him!”

Despite his shy nature, Ah Yi was always sunny and optimistic, and his smile was infectious.

Jing Li sincerely wished, “I hope your wish comes true.”

It will come true, Jing Li thought to himself. Ah Yi is such a kind person; he will definitely achieve his dreams.

That day, they made over a hundred wen from the vegetables they sold. Jing Li wanted to give Ah Yi twenty wen, but he adamantly refused. Jing Li, unsure of what else to do, asked Ah Yi to wait while he went to a pastry shop and bought a few pieces of sugar cake.

While Ah Yi was alone by the ox cart, a few figures suddenly approached, blocking out the light.

“We’ve already sold everything today, but if you’re looking to buy something—” Ah Yi started to say as he looked up. But when he saw the men standing in front of him, he paused. “Are you here to buy vegetables?”

The two men in front of him were tall and broad, wearing nothing but open-front coarse cloth vests, exposing their muscular chests.

“I heard someone was stealing business on this street, and it turns out it’s a shuang’er,” the taller man sneered. “Kid, don’t you know the rules of first-come, first-served? You set up shop here, and now you’ve taken all the business from us.”

Ah Yi timidly took a step back and said softly, “We asked when we got here, and they said it was okay to set up a stall here…”

“If you don’t know the rules, that’s fine. We’re here to teach you,” said the shorter man. “Rules are rules, after all.”

This half of the street was specifically designated for local vendors from the village to sell their goods. Technically, as long as they stayed within the designated area, they could set up shop anywhere. However, most of the vendors who came here daily had established their own territories over time, so they didn’t interfere with each other.

Newcomers were usually expected to set up their stalls further back to avoid taking business from others.

Since it was Jing Li and Ah Yi’s first time here, they weren’t aware of this unwritten rule.

The two men moved closer, and Ah Yi took a few steps back. “W-What do you want?”

“Of course, we want you to compensate us for our losses,” the shorter man said, eyeing Ah Yi up and down with a smile that made one feel uncomfortable. “We don’t want to make things difficult for a shuang’er. How about this—take us out for a meal as an apology, and we’ll let it go. How does that sound?”

“This…”

“What are you hesitating for? Afraid your man will find out?” The taller man also grinned and reached out to grab Ah Yi’s hand. “Your man let you come out and show yourself, so why care about him? You might as well find someone who treats you better, hmm?”

“What are you doing?”

Jing Li, seeing Ah Yi being harassed from a distance, ran over and pulled Ayi behind him. “Who are you? If there’s something you want, talk to me.”

“You?” The two men scrutinized Jing Li but didn’t see the characteristic cinnabar mark of a shuang’er, so they said, “Who are you? Stay out of this.”

Jing Li replied, “He’s with me. This is my business.”

“With you?” The shorter man squinted, displeased. “So, what? Are you his man?”

“I…” Jing Li hesitated.

In the village, he hadn’t felt the disadvantage of being a shuang’er so clearly, perhaps because Qin Zhao’s protection had shielded him from any discrimination.

But now that he was outside Linxi Village, he realized that the world was full of unfairness.

Ah Yi, standing behind Jing Li, nervously bit his lip and gently tugged at Jing Li’s sleeve. “Jing Li…”

“Don’t be afraid,” Jing Li reassured him, patting his hand before turning to the two men. “Yes, I’m his man. If you have an issue, take it up with me.”

Ah Yi: “…”

The two men exchanged a glance, clearly displeased with this response.

One of them said, “Fine, since you’re both men, we can talk this out. You two took over this spot, and the guys behind us lost all their business this morning. You need to compensate for that loss.”

Jing Li was about to respond, but someone behind him interrupted. “Why should he compensate you for your losses?”

The voice was clear and calm, with an undertone of authority that carried an invisible pressure.

Jing Li was momentarily stunned.

He turned around to see Qin Zhao striding towards them. Ah Yi was still clutching his sleeve, his face full of “I wanted to warn you.”

Jing Li: “…”

Qin Zhao didn’t even glance at the two men. He calmly said, “The rules for the street are clearly written. This half of the street doesn’t assign specific stalls; villagers can take spots on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to impose your own so-called ‘rules’ instead of following the official ones, that’s your business. But you can’t expect everyone else to follow them. Otherwise, what’s the point of having rules at all?”

The two men, who were illiterate, were left speechless by his words.

Qin Zhao continued, speaking slowly and clearly, “If the two of you insist on compensation, you can go explain the situation to the village chief. If the village chief agrees with your ‘rules,’ then compensation can be discussed.”

Their so-called “rules” were just an excuse to bully others, and they didn’t dare bring it to the village chief.

The two men, typical bullies, turned pale at Qin Zhao’s words and, not daring to argue with him, quickly walked away.

But after only a few steps, one of them slipped on a piece of fruit peel and fell, causing the other to stumble and fall as well. Before they could get up, a stray dog came charging out of the alley and bit the taller man who had tried to grab Ah Yi earlier.

“Stop biting! It’s going to break—!”

“Let go, you beast, let go!!!”

…

A commotion broke out at the street corner, with people scrambling to deal with the situation.

Ah Yi blinked in confusion. “How… how did a dog get here?”

“The heavens are punishing them, serves them right,” Jing Li muttered softly. Then, leaning closer to Ah Yi, he whispered, “When did he arrive? Did he see…”

“If you have something to ask, you might as well ask me directly,” Qin Zhao said, turning around to look at him, clearly exasperated.

Jing Li tried to maintain a calm demeanor as he walked over, taking Qin Zhao’s hand with a smile. “Qin Zhao, weren’t you supposed to be resting at home? How did you end up here?”

“I was worried about you two,” Qin Zhao replied. “Chen Yanan had to go to the private school today, so he brought me here.”

Jing Li hesitated, then asked, “So… how long have you been here?”

“Not long,” Qin Zhao replied calmly. “Just long enough to hear you say you’re his man.”

Jing Li: “…”