Ch 51: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

NEW NOVEL: The World’s Number One Resort

Jing Li quickly felt the benefits of his injured hand.

“…Open your mouth.” Qin Zhao scooped a spoonful of porridge, cooled it down, and brought it to Jing Li’s mouth.

The porridge was made of rice, with a few chopped vegetable leaves and a few drops of sesame oil, cooked until it was soft and palatable.

Jing Li swallowed it in one gulp, feeling warmth spread through his stomach.

He really did enjoy this feeling—doing nothing every day, with someone else taking care of everything for him and even feeding him.

How great would it be to be a pampered pet that eats and drinks without worry?

Qin Zhao chuckled softly and fed him another spoonful. “So, do you want to be a pet, or do you want to be my husband?”

Jing Li had accidentally voiced his thoughts but didn’t feel embarrassed. After seriously thinking for a moment, he replied, “Can’t I have both? Half and half!”

Qin Zhao paused for a moment, seeming to think of something, and then turned his head and lightly coughed.

Jing Li: “?”

“Half and half means…” Qin Zhao said slowly, “A pet by day, and a husband by night?”

Jing Li: “…”

He froze for a moment before realizing what Qin Zhao meant, and his ears instantly turned red.

This, this, this—how could this person say such suggestive things!

Jing Li glared at the person in front of him with shame and anger. To think he used to believe this person was proper and restrained, with no such thoughts at all!

“Alright, don’t be angry.” Qin Zhao quickly comforted him. “I was just joking.”

Jing Li: “Hmph.”

Qin Zhao: “Not eating anymore?”

Jing Li: “…I want to.”

After dinner, it was Jing Li’s routine time to study. With his hand bandaged like this, he obviously couldn’t write, so he took the opportunity to be lazy and let Qin Zhao read to him.

In fact, Jing Li had already learned quite a few characters by now.

After all, he had attended school for a few years in the modern world, so he had a basic learning ability. While he couldn’t achieve Qin Zhao’s level of photographic memory and vast knowledge, recognizing simple characters wasn’t too difficult for him.

As a result, after studying for a few months, unless he encountered particularly obscure characters, he had no trouble reading in his daily life.

Clinging to Qin Zhao to have him read aloud was just an excuse to act spoiled.

And now that he could speak, he could freely choose what to read, no longer having to listen to the boring and difficult scriptures Qin Zhao used to read when he was a koi fish.

“…The second one over there.” Jing Li pointed to one of the shelves at the top of the bookcase.

Their bookcase was large, almost covering the entire wall behind the desk. Most of it was filled with Qin Zhao’s medical books and exam preparation texts, with only a small section belonging to Jing Li.

That book, Records of Demonic Creatures, had already been tossed to the back, gathering dust, while the rest were storybooks Jing Li had picked up from the book market.

There was even a little incident when buying those storybooks.

When the bookstore clerk heard that Jing Li wanted to buy storybooks, he almost led him directly to the shelf displaying Secrets of the Spring Boudoir. Fortunately, Qin Zhao stopped him in time.

Luckily, Jing Li still hadn’t figured out the difference in the writing of the characters for “boudoir” and “examination hall,” so the secret was temporarily kept hidden.

Qin Zhao took down the storybook Jing Li had requested and turned around, only to see his little fish already lying in bed, wrapped in a blanket.

…He was fully prepared to listen to the story.

Jing Li had returned too late today, and by now, the sky was completely dark. Qin Zhao placed the oil lamp on the bedside table and handed the book to Jing Li. Jing Li quickly found the page they had been reading and pointed, “Start from here.”

The popular storybooks of the time mostly revolved around romantic and tragic love stories. When read in Qin Zhao’s serious tone, these stories lost any deep emotional impact and instead came across as rather amusing.

The first time Jing Li heard him read a storybook, he almost laughed himself off the bed.

But even so, Jing Li still couldn’t get enough of it.

“It’s just that there’s too little nighttime entertainment in the village. One has to find some amusement during the long nights,” Jing Li had said.

Qin Zhao had some objections to this.

Surely reading scriptures and practicing calligraphy also counted as ways to pass the time. If not, they could always enjoy some tea and moon-gazing together in the courtyard, which wasn’t without its charm.

On this matter, Jing Li and the ancient way of life couldn’t find common ground. He could only rely on Qin Zhao’s indulgence, and whenever Qin Zhao suggested doing these things, Jing Li would quickly smother him with kisses and hugs, coaxing him into reading storybooks instead.

“…The fox demon’s tail had unknowingly wrapped around Young Master Wang’s waist, the fine fur at the tip gently brushing along the hem of his robe. Young Master Wang’s face was flushed, and he could hear the fox demon whispering in his ear, ‘Why doesn’t my benefactor take a good look at me? Am I not beautiful enough?’…”

Qin Zhao couldn’t continue reading.

What on earth was this???

He had clearly told the clerk to find a story that wasn’t too inappropriate for his little fish, and this was what the clerk recommended?

Moreover, wasn’t the fox demon in this story a man???

Qin Zhao closed the book titled The Fox Demon’s Gratitude and rubbed his temples. “Little fish, let’s read a different one. This one is too—”

He turned his head to see that Jing Li had curled up in bed and was already fast asleep.

Qin Zhao: “…”

No wonder Jing Li hadn’t laughed at all today. He had thought he was improving at reading storybooks, but Jing Li had fallen asleep long ago.

It seemed he was truly exhausted.

Qin Zhao wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel helpless. He set the book aside and pulled the blanket over Jing Li.

As he moved, Jing Li groggily stirred. “Is it finished?”

“Mmm, it’s finished.”

Jing Li’s eyes wouldn’t open, and he mumbled, “Did the fox demon and the scholar end up together?”

“…” Qin Zhao replied with a straight face, “Yes, they ended up together and lived happily ever after.”

“That’s good…”

Jing Li mumbled in response, his head tilting to the side as he immediately fell back asleep.

Qin Zhao: “…”

Qin Zhao silently sighed, picked up the oil lamp by the bed, and returned to the desk.

…

The next morning, just after they finished breakfast, a farmer came to the door to collect straw.

Straw could be used as feed, but since Qin Zhao’s household didn’t raise pigs or cattle, it wasn’t very useful to them. This was the season when every household was clearing their fields to prepare for planting wheat, and nearby villages with pig farms took this opportunity to go door-to-door collecting straw.

Earlier, Jing Li had already negotiated the price with them: twenty-three wen for a cartload of straw, and the corn stalks from his fields could fill three to four carts.

The farmers who came were villagers from Huai Village downstream. Qin Zhao’s work on repairing the embankment had benefited them downstream, so the villagers from Huai Village were now very grateful to him. As soon as they arrived, they kept chatting with Qin Zhao.

“Qin Zhao, I had some misunderstandings about you before. I’m sorry,” said a dark, skinny farmer.

Jing Li found the man somewhat familiar and thought for a while before remembering that this was the same fish vendor who had once wanted to chop him up when he was in town!

The fish vendor gave a sheepish smile and said, “My wife is distantly related to the Chen family from your Linxi Village. I heard some rumors before, so I… Anyway, I’ve wronged you over the years.”

Qin Zhao shook his head. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Even in the past, he didn’t mind the villagers’ misunderstandings and exclusion. After all, he had needed help from others at that time, and some things were indeed hard to explain. Moreover, if it hadn’t been for this fish vendor, he wouldn’t have met Jing Li.

The earlier misunderstanding had long been written off.

Jing Li, watching these farmers from the back, felt a bit emotional.

It had only been a few months, and everyone’s opinion of Qin Zhao had completely changed.

How wonderful.

The farmers still had to collect straw from other households, so they didn’t stay long. They had already inspected the goods when they negotiated with Jing Li earlier, so they straightforwardly paid a deposit of twenty wen.

In front of them, Qin Zhao handed the copper coins to Jing Li and then led them to the fields.

As for Jing Li…

The little fish was still under a ban from doing any work as punishment, and he wasn’t allowed to set foot in the fields for three days.

Jing Li watched them leave, and the courtyard, filled with flowers and plants, suddenly felt empty, leaving him alone.

He had been going out to work every day lately, so now that he suddenly had nothing to do, he felt a bit unaccustomed to the idle time.

Before transmigrating here, Jing Li had never done any farm work and wasn’t even fond of occasional cleaning tasks; his only interest had been in tending flowers and plants. But after arriving here, he had done many things he never would have imagined before and found himself enjoying them.

Isn’t watching life gradually improve the most fulfilling and interesting thing?

Jing Li returned to the bedroom, took out a small box of hidden money from deep inside the wardrobe, and put the deposit he had just received into it.

There was already a modest amount of savings in the wooden box—not much, but enough to ensure they wouldn’t go hungry.

Jing Li counted it roughly, getting a sense of the total, and then put the wooden box back. Afterward, he pulled out an even smaller box from the foot of the bed.

Opening the box, he tipped out several strings of copper coins.

This was his private stash.

All of it was money he had saved up by working around the village or in town over the past few days.

Jing Li turned to rummage through yesterday’s laundry basket and found a pouch, from which he poured out some scattered copper coins.

He had earned fifty wen watering Uncle Lin’s crops these past few days, plus ten wen from cutting pig grass yesterday, totaling sixty wen.

Kneeling by the bed, he threaded the copper coins onto a string one by one. After stringing a full one hundred coins, he had a little more than ten left over.

Including yesterday’s earnings, he now had five strings of these coin bundles.

That amounted to a bit more than five hundred wen.

Jing Li, still a bit unsure, carefully counted them again, and the total was the same.

This should be enough.

Jing Li smiled in satisfaction and put the box back in its place.

He wanted to give Qin Zhao a surprise, and all the money in this little private stash was prepared for that purpose.

Now that the money was sufficient, there was only one final problem left.

How could he get Qin Zhao to leave for a while?

Meanwhile, Qin Zhao led the farmers to the fields to collect the straw. Knowing that Qin Zhao wasn’t in good health, the farmers didn’t let him do any work and took care of it themselves.

These farmers always worked together when collecting straw from nearby villages, coordinating smoothly. Some were responsible for cutting, while others handled the transport and loading. They worked quickly, and in less than half an hour, they had finished gathering all the straw from the half-mu of land.

There were some leftover vegetable roots and stems in the field, so Qin Zhao asked them to collect those as well and gave them away for free to feed their pigs.

In the end, they gathered four cartloads of straw from the half-mu of land.

After sending off the farmers, Qin Zhao pocketed the copper coins and headed back. Just then, he saw a broad figure walking toward him.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Qin Zhao vaguely felt that this person had slimmed down quite a bit since the last time he saw them.

As Qin Zhao was thinking this, the person noticed him too and greeted him, “Brother Qin, why did you go to the fields?”

“To sell the straw,” Qin Zhao replied.

“Oh, your corn is ready for harvest,” Chen Yanan nodded.

Qin Zhao asked, “It’s still early; are you heading to the private school this early?”

“I have a few questions to ask the teacher. I’m worried I won’t get a chance to ask them before class if I don’t go early.” Chen Yanan sighed as he said this, “My sister-in-law said your health isn’t fully recovered yet and told me not to disturb your rest.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

No wonder Chen Yanan hadn’t come to see him lately—it turns out he had been stopped.

That little fish was learning how to be overprotective.

Because of his life-saving grace, Qin Zhao had always treated Chen Yanan well and said gently, “I’m feeling fine now. If you have any questions, you can come to me on the next rest day.”

Chen Yanan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head. “This rest day might not work.”

Qin Zhao: “Why not?”

“The rest day three days from now is Mid-Autumn Festival. The scholars in town are organizing a Mid-Autumn poetry gathering, and all the students from our private school are required to attend.” Chen Yanan said with a bitter expression, “But I can’t write poetry at all…”

Qin Zhao understood.

The Mid-Autumn poetry gathering was a tradition among scholars. Although he had never attended one, he had heard about it. As for Chen Yanan’s poetry skills, Qin Zhao had tutored him a few times, and the results… well, they were less than stellar.

To put it bluntly, Chen Yanan had almost no talent for poetry.

Qin Zhao didn’t comment, but Chen Yanan suddenly grabbed his arm. “Brother Qin, you can write poetry, right?”

Chen Yanan’s eyes sparkled. “Would you like to come with me?”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Chen Yanan continued to persuade him, “Almost all the scholars in town will be attending the Mid-Autumn poetry gathering, and many of them are preparing for next year’s Tongsheng exam. The Tongsheng exam has limited spots, and it’s important to know your competition!”

Qin Zhao shook his head. “I need to stay home with my husband.”

It would be their first Mid-Autumn Festival together, and Qin Zhao didn’t want to leave his little fish home alone.

Besides, the little guy was so attached to him now that he wouldn’t want to be apart from him either.

“You can bring your family to the poetry gathering!” Chen Yanan said eagerly. “And the gathering is in the afternoon. After it ends, you can go to the temple fair in the evening—release lanterns, guess riddles. Isn’t that better than staying in the village for Mid-Autumn Festival?”

Qin Zhao felt a bit tempted.

Indeed, his little fish often complained that there wasn’t much fun in the village. If he could take him to the temple fair…

“That sounds good.”

Chen Yanan’s eyes lit up, but then he heard Qin Zhao say, “I’ll go home and ask if he’s willing.”

Chen Yanan: “…”

Aren’t decisions like this usually made by the head of the household? Why does this man have to ask his husband about everything???

Chen Yanan felt a bit helpless but didn’t say anything. He simply replied, “Alright then, discuss it with him and let me know later. I have to hurry to town, or I won’t make it in time.”

After bidding each other farewell, Qin Zhao headed straight home.

The courtyard was empty, and in the pond, a flash of red darted through the water.

The little koi lifted its head, and a red light flashed in the courtyard as it transformed back into a young boy.

Jing Li clung to the edge of the pond with his bare arms, most of his body still hidden underwater. From the waist down, he had no legs but a bright red fish tail.

Since he didn’t wear clothes when transforming back from a fish, he was too embarrassed to fully transform in front of Qin Zhao.

Jing Li’s long, slender fish tail gently splashed the water as he whispered, “You’re back.”

Seeing the scene before him, Qin Zhao’s steps faltered slightly, but he nodded naturally. “Yes, the straw sold for four cartloads.”

Jing Li didn’t think there was anything strange about his current appearance. He swayed his tail and added, “I just remembered something.”

“What is it?”

Jing Li beckoned him closer with a finger. “Come over here, and I’ll tell you.”

Qin Zhao walked over and squatted down slightly. Jing Li suddenly flicked his tail, leaping out of the water to give Qin Zhao a wet kiss.

With a splash, Jing Li fell back into the water, licking his lips. “I forgot our goodbye kiss, so I’m making up for it now.”

The boy’s long black hair spread out in the water, still dripping wet, with droplets sliding down his face, neck, and onto his delicate collarbone.

Having successfully ambushed Qin Zhao, the bright red fish tail behind him playfully flicked the water, its tip raised high.

Qin Zhao found it a little hard to breathe.

He averted his gaze and stood up. “By the way, Chen Yanan said that there will be a poetry gathering hosted by scholars in town three days from now, and he wants to invite me.”

Jing Li blinked, surprised. “Such a good thing?”

Qin Zhao didn’t catch the deeper meaning in Jing Li’s words and assumed he was agreeing. He nodded, “If you’re okay with it, we can attend the poetry gathering and then visit the temple fair together…”

“We?” Jing Li asked, confused. “Why us? Didn’t he invite you?”

Qin Zhao was even more puzzled than Jing Li. “You don’t want to go with me?”

“Of course not,” Jing Li replied confidently, grinning. “This is something you can enjoy on your own. Have fun, I’ll wait for you at home.”

Qin Zhao: “?”