Ch 56: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Jing Li was extremely annoyed and wished he could immediately beat up that jerk knocking on the door.

“What is going on today? Did they all make an appointment? Do they know they’ll be struck by lightning for interrupting people at a critical moment?”

—He didn’t see anything wrong with him and Qin Zhao being locked in the room during the day for such indulgence.

“If it’s still Chen Yanan, I’ll definitely write a letter to A Yi complaining about him!” Jing Li said angrily.

Qin Zhao rubbed his nose affectionately against Jing Li’s cheek and whispered, “It’s probably not him.”

This time, the knocking wasn’t as rough as Chen Yanan’s earlier. However, since there was no shouting, it was hard to tell who it was.

The two of them delayed answering the door, but the knocking continued, as if the visitor was sure Qin Zhao was home.

There was no hope the visitor would leave on their own.

Qin Zhao silently sighed, pulled Jing Li up to a sitting position, and tidied up his loose clothes. “I’ll finish making that sign tonight.”

Jing Li’s ears turned a little red, but he didn’t want Qin Zhao to think he was too insatiable, so he didn’t dare to show too much anger.

Turning his head, he whispered, “Go open the door. I told you not to do it in the daytime…”

“Mm, it won’t happen again.” Besides, even he couldn’t stand being interrupted so often.

Qin Zhao bent down to kiss Jing Li’s lips, then turned and walked toward the courtyard.

When he first heard the knock, Qin Zhao felt that the visitor didn’t seem like a rude villager.

The knocking was neither rushed nor slow, with pauses in between, and was done with little force—much more refined than Chen Yanan’s.

Opening the door, Qin Zhao’s guess was confirmed.

It was the scholar Yan Xiu, whom they had previously met at the poetry gathering in town.

Compared to the Mid-Autumn Festival gathering, Yan Xiu looked much more haggard.

There were dark circles under his eyes, his beard hadn’t been groomed for days, and he hadn’t even changed his clothes. The originally exquisite and luxurious brocade robe was now wrinkled, and his hair was loosely tied at the back of his head, messy and unkempt.

Moreover…

“…Unlucky, truly unlucky.” Yan Xiu muttered as he wiped a small patch of fabric on his chest with a handkerchief, cursing incessantly.

If Qin Zhao wasn’t mistaken, that stain on his chest was most likely bird droppings.

Qin Zhao hesitated. “You…”

“Mr. Qin!” Yan Xiu finally realized the door was open. Seeing Qin Zhao staring at his actions, he gave an embarrassed smile. “There are so many birds in the mountains. Just now, as I was knocking on your door, several birds flew right over my head.”

Only then did Qin Zhao notice that there was quite a bit of bird droppings on the ground by Yan Xiu’s feet.

Qin Zhao: “…”

It seemed his little fish at home was truly furious.

Qin Zhao was about to ask about the visitor’s purpose when the latter suddenly took a step back and bowed deeply. “I have greatly offended you before; please forgive me, Mr. Qin!”

Yan Xiu’s attitude towards him was completely different from that of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Qin Zhao could roughly guess the reason behind this change and calmly replied, “If you came here just to say this, I didn’t take that incident to heart. You may leave now.”

As he spoke, he was about to close the door, but Yan Xiu stepped forward. “No, that’s not it!”

The smell on him right now was indescribably unpleasant. Qin Zhao subtly took a step back to avoid it, and Yan Xiu noticed this as well, embarrassedly withdrawing his hand. “I… I have another request.”

Despite his haggard appearance, Yan Xiu’s eyes were astonishingly bright. He urgently said, “I wish to become your disciple!”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Jing Li, who had just finished dressing and stepped into the courtyard: “?”

These days, quite a few scholars had indeed wanted to become Qin Zhao’s disciples.

The town was small, and news spread quickly.

Ever since Qin Zhao composed that poem, the scholars in town hadn’t rested, gathering every bit of information about him.

Qin Zhao not only possessed poetic talent but had previously taught Chen Yanan a few classic texts. His understanding of these texts even impressed Chen Yanan’s teacher—who was also Yan Xiu’s teacher—the scholar Song, who ran a private school in town.

Not to mention, Qin Zhao had once gone to the county seat to help the magistrate resolve a longstanding flood issue.

Once these accomplishments spread in literary circles, they piqued even more interest. With such achievements, whether Qin Zhao held an official title seemed far less important.

As for Qin Zhao’s mysterious origins and memory loss, the town’s scholars didn’t seem to care much.

A few years ago, there had been widespread warfare along the border, and many refugees fled from the north to this area. Qin Zhao could very well be one of those escapees.

Heroes need not be questioned about their origins—literary circles can sometimes be this simple.

Yan Xiu took out several strings of copper coins from his chest pocket, bowing deeply again, and sincerely repeated, “I earnestly request you to take me as your disciple!”

Qin Zhao stepped aside, avoiding Yan Xiu’s bow. “I lack sufficient knowledge to bear such a responsibility, Young Master Yan. Please leave.”

Yan Xiu had secured the top position in the county examination three years ago. Even though he ultimately didn’t pass the prefectural examination, he was still highly regarded in town. Regardless of his academic prowess, Qin Zhao was but a commoner who had never even participated in the county exam; he simply wasn’t qualified to take Yan Xiu as a disciple.

But Yan Xiu persisted. “What must I do for you to accept me as your disciple?”

“Then tell me, why are you so insistent on becoming my disciple?” Qin Zhao’s tone was indifferent. “In terms of age, we’re almost the same. In terms of official rank, I am even less than you, not to mention that you are already under Mr. Song’s tutelage. A teacher for a day is a father for life. You came here today without even informing your esteemed teacher, did you?”

Yan Xiu’s face turned pale in an instant.

In this era, there was no rule against having more than one teacher, but to take on a second teacher, one had to obtain the first teacher’s consent.

Yan Xiu was Song Xiucai’s prized student, and Qin Zhao did not believe that Song Xiucai would agree to let him take on another master.

Yan Xiu hesitated for a moment, unable to utter a single word.

Qin Zhao said nothing more to him and shut the courtyard door.

“Qin Zhao! I won’t give up! Just you wait—ah!”

Yan Xiu’s voice came from outside, but halfway through his sentence, there was a startled cry, as if he had lost his footing and tumbled down the stone steps in front of the bamboo courtyard.

Qin Zhao stood silently for a moment, turning to look at the young man sitting in the courtyard.

The young man quickly raised both hands, declaring innocently, “I did not secretly curse him in my heart!”

Qin Zhao: “…”

The young man’s ears were still red as he lay back on the bamboo chair, his body swaying gently with its motion.

Seeing Qin Zhao look in his direction, he awkwardly pulled at his collar, trying to cover the small red marks on his neck that Qin Zhao had just left with his kisses.

After countless experiments, Jing Li had finally learned not to reveal his true form at the slightest kiss. However, he always felt that Qin Zhao seemed somewhat regretful about this, insisting on leaving a few marks on him during their intimate moments.

…It was definitely intentional.

Thinking of this, Jing Li’s cheeks grew even hotter.

Qin Zhao’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he strode across the stone bridge, speaking softly, “Wait for me a moment.”

After saying this, he went straight into the house. When he emerged again, he was holding a piece of rough-edged paper.

Jing Li craned his neck to glance at the paper in Qin Zhao’s hand, catching a glimpse of some characters written on it.

A sense of foreboding welled up within him.

Qin Zhao quickly walked out of the courtyard and stuck the paper on the gate. Then, he closed the door and skillfully locked it from the inside.

Jing Li swallowed and instinctively shrank back. “What did you stick outside the courtyard?”

Qin Zhao replied calmly, “Can’t you guess?”

“I… I can’t guess…” Jing Li forced a smile, intending to get up and slip back into the house. But Qin Zhao, who usually appeared frail, moved with surprising swiftness, pressing him back onto the bamboo chair in an instant.

Qin Zhao leaned down, kissed his cheek, and said warmly, “I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time.”

“You’re saying wha—” Jing Li’s words were cut off as Qin Zhao captured them back into his throat.

The bamboo chair creaked and swayed in the courtyard. On the courtyard gate, the rough-edged paper was pasted, bearing four bold characters: “No Visitors Allowed.”

The village chief had long made up his mind about building a village school. He understood the importance of education, and now, with so many villagers bringing it up, the school would be built regardless of whether Qin Zhao agreed or not.

Now that he had Qin Zhao’s promise, he no longer had any concerns.

…

The day after the village chief visited Qin Zhao, the construction of the village school began in full swing.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was also time to sow wheat.

Jing Li was now much more skilled at farming than Qin Zhao. He knew exactly how to till the soil and scatter the seeds, teaching with precision.

“…Are you tired? Do you want to take a break?” Jing Li asked. “Why don’t we continue tomorrow?”

They had bought wheat seeds for one acre of land. As for the remaining acre, they had planted some winter vegetables, most of which had already sprouted and were growing lushly.

An experienced farmer could till and sow an acre of land in half a day. However, Jing Li was worried about tiring out Qin Zhao, who was still recovering. He frequently stopped their work so Qin Zhao could rest.

Qin Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead, shook his head, and pointed to the land that had yet to be sown. “There’s not much left. If we speed up, we can finish before sunset.”

“But—”

Jing Li wanted to persuade him further, but Qin Zhao ignored him and continued to till the soil with the hoe.

Qin Zhao had never done farm work before; he had only learned in the past couple of days. Despite this, his movements were already quite smooth. His rolled-up sleeves exposed a portion of his forearm, revealing faint muscle lines beneath the skin.

Jing Li frowned thoughtfully.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the two finally finished sowing all the wheat.

Dusk was approaching, and families around them had already ended their work and were heading home. Qin Zhao held Jing Li’s hand as they walked along the village’s cobblestone path. Noticing Jing Li seemed preoccupied, he tilted his head and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I was thinking…” Jing Li gave him a skeptical look. “Are you really not tired?”

Before they started sowing, they had agreed to take turns, one tilling the soil while the other scattered seeds. But throughout the day, Qin Zhao had mostly been the one tilling the soil, only taking short breaks when he could no longer hold on.

“Worried about me?” Qin Zhao replied honestly. “I’m a bit tired, but it’s not serious.”

These days, after exerting himself, his body was no longer as weak and powerless as before, nor did he run a fever.

Even so, his physical condition was still not as strong as that of an ordinary adult man. To recover quickly, just lying in bed and resting wasn’t enough.

Doing farm work was the best choice for now.

“I’m worried you’re being too eager,” Jing Li muttered softly.

Qin Zhao replied, “No worries, I know my limits.”

“And also…”

Qin Zhao asked, “What is it?”

Jing Li glared at him, his ears suddenly turning red. “You obviously can work in the fields all afternoon, so why do you always claim you’re out of energy every night???”

…Always just lying there and enjoying, leaving him to do all the work.

Qin Zhao: “…”

That was simply because his little fish was too adorable in those moments.

Qin Zhao didn’t dare to say this out loud. He cleared his throat and said, “I truly was lacking in stamina before.”

“…You’re lying!” Jing Li glared at him.

“I’m not lying.” Qin Zhao glanced at Jing Li’s expression and added, “But lately, I’ve regained a lot of my strength; it’s no longer an issue.”

“Oh, really.” Jing Li ground his teeth and snorted, “Then prove it to me. Tonight, I won’t move an inch!”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Jing Li: “…”

…He was so angry he lost his mind. What nonsense had he just blurted out?

Suppressing a laugh, Qin Zhao whispered, “As you command, my dear fulang. Your husband will surely prove it tonight.”

Jing Li was both embarrassed and annoyed, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself on the spot. Qin Zhao was about to tease him further when he noticed a figure standing in the distance in front of their house.

It was a young girl.

She seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen and was also a villager. She hadn’t noticed Qin Zhao and Jing Li’s return and was staring blankly to the side.

Following her gaze, Qin Zhao saw the newly constructed village school not far away.

The village chief had kept his promise and built the school next to Qin Zhao’s house, but not completely adjacent to it.

There was a small path between the school and Qin Zhao’s bamboo courtyard, lined with pine trees transplanted from the mountains to block out noise.

When Qin Zhao first built his house, he couldn’t afford to hire many workers. However, this time, the whole village contributed money and effort to build the school. Thus, in just five days, the small building for the school was nearly complete.

“Are you looking for me?” Qin Zhao held Jing Li’s hand as he walked forward, asking gently.

The girl was startled by his sudden voice. She turned around, meeting Qin Zhao’s eyes, her cheeks flushing red.

“I… I…” The girl struggled to speak, “I was waiting for you here to give you… these…”

After stammering, she shoved the bamboo basket in her hands into Qin Zhao’s arms and ran away without looking back.

Qin Zhao: “?”

The bamboo basket was quite heavy. Qin Zhao lifted the coarse blue cloth covering it and saw several strips of dried pork and a basket of eggs inside.

His brows furrowed slightly as he vaguely understood something. “This girl…”

He looked up and met Jing Li’s suspicious gaze.

Jing Li narrowed his eyes. “She waited here especially for you?”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Jing Li glanced at the bamboo basket in Qin Zhao’s hands. “And even brought you things?”

Qin Zhao: “…”