Ch 46: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

After the earlier commotion, many people had turned their attention to them. Qin Zhao took hold of the cart and said, “Let’s leave here first.”

As the three of them walked through the market, Ah Yi whispered, “Did I cause trouble again?”

“Of course not,” Jing Li glanced at Qin Zhao’s expression and reassured him, “It was those people who were in the wrong, not you.”

“But if it weren’t for me…” Ah Yi hesitated, not finishing his sentence.

He didn’t understand the street’s unwritten rules. They had arrived early today, and there were still many empty spots on the street. He immediately noticed that the position they took was the best and led Jing Li to claim it. Who knew it would cause such an issue?

Ah Yi didn’t continue, instead asking, “Should we avoid coming back tomorrow? Those people will probably cause us trouble again.”

“Don’t worry,” Qin Zhao replied. “They likely won’t come back.”

Last time, when Li Hongyu secretly pulled out the seedlings from their fields, he ended up breaking his arm, which still hasn’t fully healed. Those two men today probably won’t get away unscathed either.

But Qin Zhao didn’t elaborate further, instead adding, “If you’re still worried, we can find someone to accompany you.”

Jing Li was puzzled. “Huh?”

Moments later, the three of them were seated in a small restaurant by the street. Qin Zhao sipped his tea leisurely while Ah Yi sat opposite, nibbling on the sugar cakes Jing Li had bought, his eyes bright with delight.

Amidst this harmonious atmosphere, only Jing Li was silently calculating expenses in his head.

Today, they had earned over 130 wen from selling vegetables. After buying 20 wen’s worth of sugar cakes for Ah Yi as a reward, Jing Li had spent the remaining money on some necessary household items, leaving his purse nearly empty.

Jing Li patted his now-deflated purse, feeling a bit pained.

Ever since taking charge of their finances, he’d become noticeably frugal. Eating out was much more expensive than cooking at home. Besides, they had more than enough vegetables at home. If they didn’t make meat, the money spent on one meal here could last them ten days at home.

All things considered, it felt like they hadn’t really made any profit today.

Making money is really tough.

“Sir, are you ready to order?” It was lunchtime, and the waiter was busy moving between tables, serving tea.

Qin Zhao replied, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”

“Alright,” the waiter responded, “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

Jing Li was shocked. “Is someone else coming?”

Three people eating was already expensive.

As if sensing Jing Li’s concern, Qin Zhao set down his teacup and said calmly, “Don’t worry, they’re here to pay the bill.”

Jing Li was speechless.

Ah Yi was confused.

A little while later, a broad, plump figure appeared at the restaurant’s entrance. The chubby young man scanned the room, quickly spotting where Jing Li and the others were sitting. He walked over briskly and, sitting down, immediately said, “The teacher let us out late again today!”

Jing Li silently glanced at him, then turned his head toward Qin Zhao.

He knew it…

Besides Chen Yanan, who else would be willing to come and pay their bill?

This guy didn’t even charge them for renting the ox cart today!

The private school in town had a different schedule from the academy. The academy usually held morning classes, including morning readings, and if the teacher was particularly strict, students had to get up before dawn.

But private schools were different.

Most of the students in private schools were from nearby farming villages and had to help with farm work at home in the morning. Classes usually started after 9:00 AM and went on until the afternoon. During busy farming seasons, class times were pushed to after noon.

Because of this, the private school had a short lunch break, lasting only about half an hour.

Qin Zhao nodded to Chen Yanan. “Let’s order.”

After the Chen family split up, Chen Yanan and his mother continued to live with old madam Chen in the small courtyard, while his other brothers each took a share of the property and land and set up their own households.

As for the portion that belonged to the fourth son, who had been driven away, it naturally went to Chen Yanan’s family.

So, after the family split, Chen Yanan and his mother were actually living better than before.

Chen Yanan didn’t hold back and called the waiter, ordering several of the restaurant’s popular dishes. As he ordered, he also asked Ah Yi what he liked to eat and what he avoided.

Jing Li had never seen the chubby young man being so considerate and attentive before, and it made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

During the meal, Qin Zhao mentioned what had happened at the market earlier that day.

“Someone bullied Ah Yi?” Chen Yanan frowned. “Why didn’t you come to me earlier? I would’ve taught them a lesson!”

Jing Li wasn’t sure if Chen Yanan could actually fight, but with his broad and heavy build, he certainly looked intimidating.

Qin Zhao said, “The troublemakers have already been dealt with. However, I’m concerned about them being left alone when selling vegetables in the coming days.”

Qin Zhao’s health still hadn’t fully recovered. While he could make the occasional trip to town, he wasn’t up for accompanying them every day.

Chen Yanan blinked, slowly understanding Qin Zhao’s intention. “You mean… you want me to take them to sell the vegetables?”

Jing Li could clearly see a few words in Chen Yanan’s eyes.

—What a great opportunity!

Qin Zhao nodded. “Yes.”

“But isn’t Young Master Chen attending private school?” Ah Yi, who never liked to trouble others, softly interjected, “Wouldn’t this affect your studies?”

Chen Yanan didn’t hesitate. “Of course not!”

Qin Zhao added, “So tomorrow, you can bring fewer vegetables. As long as you finish selling by 9:00 AM, it should be fine.”

The private school’s lessons started shortly after 9:00 AM, so if they finished by then, Chen Yanan would still be able to attend his classes.

Although that was the plan, Jing Li felt that even if they were a bit late, Chen Yanan wouldn’t mind at all.

After all, it meant spending more time with Ah Yi.

This chubby guy…

Ah Yi also agreed, “I understand. Thank you, Young Master Chen.”

Chen Yanan’s face inexplicably turned red. “N-n-not at all… it’s no trouble!”

After finishing their meal, Chen Yanan had to rush back to private school, while Qin Zhao led the two young men back to the village.

The three of them first returned the ox cart to the Chen family, then dropped Ah Yi off at his temporary residence, before Qin Zhao and Jing Li headed back home.

After they parted ways with Ah Yi, Jing Li finally asked, “So, was this whole thing planned with Chen Yanan today?”

“Yes, he came to me for help,” Qin Zhao admitted without hesitation. “He heard that Ah Yi was going to town with you and asked me to create an opportunity for him. His payment was treating us to a meal.”

“But you guys… isn’t this a bit… unfair?” Jing Li hesitated.

Qin Zhao asked, “Why unfair?”

“Well, Ah Yi doesn’t even like Chen Yanan. You guys doing this…”

Qin Zhao replied, “Aside from being a bit childish, Chen Yanan has a good character. If Ah Yi doesn’t have any feelings for him, he won’t do anything disrespectful.”

“That’s true, I suppose…”

“But you,” Qin Zhao stopped walking and turned to look at Jing Li, “don’t you think you owe me an explanation for what happened today?”

Jing Li was speechless.

He thought Qin Zhao had forgotten about it!

Of course, Qin Zhao hadn’t forgotten. He just hadn’t brought it up earlier because he knew his little fish was shy and didn’t want to embarrass him in front of others.

Qin Zhao watched him, his lips curling into a slight smile. “We were apart for just a morning, and suddenly my little fish became someone else’s man? What’s this—”

Jing Li quickly stood on tiptoe and planted a quick kiss on Qin Zhao’s lips. “Don’t say it! I was wrong, okay?”

Qin Zhao remained unmoved, smiling as he asked, “Is that enough?”

“I…”

Qin Zhao was always good at taking things further. The first kiss might be fine, but the second would require two, and by the third, it would have to be longer, slower, and altogether more rewarding.

But they were standing on a stone-paved path, and villagers occasionally passed by in the distance. Who knew if anyone was watching?

Jing Li glanced around, his ears turning slightly red. “There are still people around.”

Qin Zhao’s gaze darkened as he silently led Jing Li back toward their home.

As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, Jing Li was gently pushed against the bamboo gate. He was about to speak when Qin Zhao kissed him.

It was a deep, lingering kiss, leaving Jing Li feeling weak in the knees. Instinctively, he clung to Qin Zhao’s sleeve.

“Whose man are you?” Qin Zhao asked, lifting his head slightly to gaze down at him.

“Yours,” Jing Li, breathless and a bit dazed from the kiss, replied softly, “I’m your man.”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsatisfied, and kissed him again. “Not quite. Think again.”

His hands weren’t idle either. One hand tilted Jing Li’s chin up, while the other rested on his waist, slowly stroking.

The heat from Qin Zhao’s touch spread through his body, and Jing Li finally couldn’t bear the gentle torment any longer. A blush crept up his neck as his hidden fish scales reappeared.

Qin Zhao’s hand slid from Jing Li’s cheek to his neck, where he could indeed feel the cool, slick texture.

As soon as Qin Zhao touched it, Jing Li’s whole body shuddered.

“Ugh… you… you’re my man!” Jing Li’s eyes were red, his breathing rapid. “Don’t touch that…”

Qin Zhao chuckled softly, pressing a comforting kiss to Jing Li’s lips before letting go.

He couldn’t quite understand why the little guy was so sensitive—just a kiss or a touch would make him flustered. If they did anything more, how would he handle it?

Jing Li had no desire to find out.

He tugged at his collar, hiding the fish scales on his neck, feeling a bit aggrieved.

One day.

One day, he would gain control over these troublesome scales!

In the following days, Chen Yanan accompanied Jing Li and Ah Yi to the town to sell vegetables as they had agreed. As expected, the two troublemaking farmers never showed up again.

Jing Li asked around with the other farmers on the street and learned that one of the men had been bitten by a dog and had his leg broken, while the other had fallen sick, vomiting and having diarrhea through the night. Both were bedridden and recovering at home.

Those two had been bullying others in the market for quite some time, and the other farmers didn’t like them much. When they talked about what had happened, there was a bit of schadenfreude in their tone.

Without those troublemakers, Jing Li’s business flourished.

The vegetables from his farm were already better than most, with sweeter, larger cabbages, and cucumbers and radishes that were bigger and more robust. With Ah Yi’s business savvy, they attracted more and more customers every day.

Not only did they have no need to reduce the amount of vegetables they brought to town, but Chen Yanan even rented a larger cart from the village chief to transport more. They still managed to sell out before it was time for Chen Yanan to head to his lessons at the private school.

“I’m off to the private school now. Take care on your way back, sister-in-law, Ah Yi!” Chen Yanan called out to them after helping clean up.

Ah Yi nodded, “You be safe too.”

Chen Yanan’s face turned bright red, and after stammering for a moment, he hurried off without saying another word.

Watching his retreating figure, Ah Yi seemed puzzled. “Jing Li, is Chen Yanan’s stammering something he’s had since birth? If it’s congenital, there’s not much that can be done, but if it’s acquired, I think I’ve read about a treatment method in a medical book.”

Jing Li was silent for a moment before saying, “No need, he’s always been like this.”

Ah Yi blinked, a bit regretful. “That’s really a shame…”

Jing Li was speechless.

Unaware of Jing Li’s reaction, Ah Yi continued, “By the way, Grandpa Xue said that the Qidong grass should be fully dried today, and we can start making the medicine tomorrow. He briefly explained the process to me, and it’s quite complicated. We might need to stay home to help.”

If that were the case, they wouldn’t be able to come to town every day to sell vegetables anymore.

They had been selling for a while, and although business was good, they still had a lot of vegetables left to sell from their two acres. It would take a long time to sell it all.

Moreover, Ah Yi would have to return to the county after the medicine was made, which meant he wouldn’t be around to help anymore.

Jing Li was unsure of what to do and decided to discuss it with Qin Zhao when they got home. “Let’s head back first.”

Ah Yi nodded, “Alright.”

The two of them were driving the ox cart away from the market when they suddenly overheard a vegetable vendor by the roadside saying, “You need more than ten pounds of vegetables every day? That’s unfortunate; I don’t have that much left in my field, and I still need to keep some for my own family!”

Jing Li quickly pulled the reins to stop the cart.

The person talking to the vegetable vendor was a middle-aged man dressed in fine silk clothes, clearly from a wealthy family.

Jing Li got off the cart and walked over, soon recognizing the man.

Wasn’t this the steward from the Fang family?

The first time Jing Li had seen this steward, it was when Qin Zhao went to sell the Wushan ginseng to the Fang family. Later, because Qin Zhao had saved the young master of the Fang family, Fang Tianying, they had developed a friendship, and Jing Li also got to know the Fang family members.

The last time Fang Tianying came to Linxi Village to deliver furniture, this steward had come along!

“Steward Fang, are you looking to order some vegetables?” Jing Li asked.

The steward turned around and recognized him as well. “Aren’t you the husband of Mr. Qin?”

“Yes,” Jing Li replied. “We have extra vegetables at home. How much do you need?”

Before the steward could respond, a nearby vendor selling buns spoke up, “Steward Fang, you should buy from his family. Their vegetables are great. I’ve never tasted sweeter radishes!”

Both Jing Li and Ah Yi were very good-looking, and after doing business in the market for several days, many people on the street had come to know them.

With everyone chiming in with recommendations, Jing Li added, “If you’re not sure, you can come to our village and take a look.”

“Mr. Qin is a friend of my young master; there’s no reason for me not to trust you,” the steward said with a friendly smile, explaining, “The farmer who used to supply vegetables to our household had to return home because his mother is seriously ill, so I’m here looking for a new supplier.”

“We have a large family, and we need at least twelve to fifteen pounds of vegetables daily. If you’re willing to deliver them to our residence, we’ll pay the same price as the market rate.”

Jing Li exchanged a glance with Ah Yi and nodded, “We can do that.”

After discussing the delivery times, preferred types of vegetables, and other details, the steward left a deposit of ten wen and then took his leave.

As Jing Li put the deposit into his pouch, Ah Yi was surprised, “We were just worrying about what to do with all those leftover vegetables, and now… now it’s resolved? Jing Li, you’re really lucky.”

“Yeah… I guess so,” Jing Li responded with a forced laugh.

Ah Yi was still unaware of the koi luck, but Jing Li had already seen it in action more than once.

As the days passed, Jing Li gradually understood the significance of this luck. It didn’t make him rich overnight or solve all his problems. It wasn’t about getting something for nothing or receiving unexpected windfalls.

Its presence… was to create opportunities for him.

Just like how he wished for Qin Zhao’s illness to be cured, opportunities led them to the county town, where they met Dr. Xue and Ah Yi, and obtained the recipe for the antidote.

But throughout the process, they still put in a lot of effort.

Jing Li didn’t feel that having this good luck made all the hard work in between meaningless. On the contrary, the efforts they made for a better life and their relentless persistence in seizing opportunities were all necessary.

Today’s situation was no different.

If he and Ah Yi hadn’t worked so hard selling vegetables at the market for so many days, they wouldn’t have encountered the steward from the Fang family, and things wouldn’t have been resolved so easily.

Jing Li had now fully embraced this gift from heaven.

He didn’t explain much to Ah Yi, instead saying, “Could you accompany me to one more place?”

A little later, Jing Li brought Ah Yi to a bookstore.

Qin Zhao had taken him to a bookstore before, and the shop assistant there knew Qin Zhao and naturally recognized him too. But Jing Li didn’t want Qin Zhao to know what he was up to today, so he didn’t dare go there. Instead, he went out of his way to another, more remote bookstore in town.

“Are you looking for books on strange tales?” Ah Yi asked. “Do you like those kinds of stories?”

“Yes, I really like them,” Jing Li lied through his teeth. “But I don’t know many characters yet, so I wanted your help picking one out.”

Although Ah Yi was a shuang’er, he had been reading medical books since he was young, so he was naturally literate—much more so than Jing Li.

Ah Yi didn’t suspect anything and led Jing Li through the shelves of books. “Which kind do you want? A story about a fox spirit and a scholar?”

“Not that one. I’ve already read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. I want one that talks about how monsters cultivate to become spirits.”

Ah Yi blinked in confusion. “…Strange Tales?”

“Nothing,” Jing Li quickly changed the subject. “Can you help me find a book that talks about the process of strange creatures transforming into human form?”

After being kissed by Qin Zhao several times and having fish scales appear, Jing Li increasingly suspected that it was probably because his abilities were lacking. As a koi fish spirit, he had never really practiced cultivation after becoming human, which must be why his transformation was unstable.

He decided to find some books to study up.

“Hmm… let me look.” Ah Yi searched through the shelves for a while, then pulled out a book and carefully flipped through it for a moment. “How about this one, Records of Strange Creatures?”

Jing Li leaned in closer. “What does it say?”

Their heads were close together between the shelves as Ah Yi read the text aloud, “Look at this page. It talks about five methods for creatures to cultivate into human form. It also mentions that because their newly formed human shape is unstable, they need to—”

At this point, his voice abruptly stopped, and he quickly snapped the book shut, refusing to look further.

Jing Li, who had been intrigued by the content, asked urgently, “What happened? What did the book say?”

Ah Yi’s cheeks were slightly flushed as he whispered, “The book says that newly transformed creatures are unstable and need to—um, dual cultivate with a human to stabilize.”

Jing Li: “…”