Ch 66: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

The night before had been exhausting, and Jing Li truly couldn’t get up the next day.

Not only did he refuse to get out of bed, but he insisted on curling up in Qin Zhao’s arms. Every time Qin Zhao moved, Jing Li would frown in annoyance.

As a result, Qin Zhao had no choice but to laze around in bed with him.

It was already late in the morning, and Qin Zhao gently rubbed the furry little head in his arms, asking in a low voice, “Still not getting up?”

“Sleepy…”

The boy was bathed in the morning sunlight, his long, curled lashes trembling slightly. Frowning, he burrowed deeper into Qin Zhao’s embrace. “Just a little longer.”

Failed attempt to wake him.

Qin Zhao sighed helplessly.

But this time, they didn’t get to lie down much longer, as someone soon knocked gently on the door. “Young Master Qin, Jing Li, are you awake?”

It was A Yi’s voice.

A Yi was a very traditional shuang’er, always mindful of propriety. Even though they lived in the same house now, he rarely set foot in this side courtyard.

For him to come knocking, it was probably something important.

Qin Zhao could more or less guess the reason for his visit. Though he was reluctant, he could only gently set down the warm and soft boy in his arms, put on his outer garment, and go to answer the door.

“He’s still asleep,” Qin Zhao said in a lowered voice as he opened the door.

A Yi nodded and stepped back into the courtyard with Qin Zhao before speaking. “Young Master Qin, someone is here to see you. They’ve been waiting for about half an hour.”

Qin Zhao nodded. “I understand. Please tell them I’ll be there soon and let them know they can report back.”

A Yi’s eyes widened in surprise. “You already knew…”

Qin Zhao: “I knew.”

Coming to find him on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when the pharmacy was closed, it couldn’t be anyone else.

A Yi had more questions on the tip of his tongue but recalled Grandpa Xue’s teachings: not to be too curious about others’ affairs. He wisely decided to hold his tongue.

After sending A Yi off, Qin Zhao returned to the room to find Jing Li already awake.

Jing Li had rolled over in bed, a pale and smooth arm extending from under the soft, dark-colored quilt.

“Did A Yi need something from you?” Jing Li’s voice was thick with sleepiness, muffled as most of his face was still buried in the quilt.

“Yes,” Qin Zhao gently pulled him out from under the covers and spoke softly. “Someone came looking for me.”

Jing Li opened his eyes. “Who?”

It was the first day of the new year, and most shops on the street were closed. It couldn’t be someone coming to order medicine. And if it were someone from the village, they wouldn’t have come to the county town on New Year’s Day.

Who could it be?

Qin Zhao calmly replied, “The authorities.”

“County magistrate?” Jing Li immediately tensed up upon hearing those words. He threw off the quilt and sat up, kneeling on the bed. “What does that corrupt official want from you again? Is it about the Cold Dispelling Pill?”

Previously, Qin Zhao had been rewarded by the magistrate with medicinal herbs needed for an antidote after successfully managing a flood. That matter had been settled back then. Now, it wasn’t flood season, and this small county’s winter was so mild that it barely snowed, so it couldn’t be flood-related.

Since it wasn’t about flooding, the only thing that might have drawn attention to Qin Zhao recently was the Cold Dispelling Pill.

The pill had been stirring up quite a bit of commotion in the county lately. Although it had attracted some attention, in the end, it was just selling medicine, which wasn’t illegal, right?

“Don’t worry,” Qin Zhao reassured him. “I had a feeling he’d come looking for me sooner or later. Even if he didn’t show up today, I would’ve gone to the government office to find him.”

Jing Li asked, “What do you mean?”

“Get dressed first, or you’ll catch a cold.” Qin Zhao took some clothes and draped them over Jing Li, calmly helping him tie the sash before softly mocking, “If he’s ignoring a profitable opportunity, then he wouldn’t be a corrupt official.”

Jing Li suddenly understood. “He’s got his eyes on the Cold Dispelling Pill?”

“Yes,” Qin Zhao replied. “When he agreed to help us find the herbs earlier, I thought he was being unusually generous. But recently, I’ve begun to understand why.”

The medicinal herbs Mr. Xue needed were all extremely rare and expensive. Moreover, they had asked for enough to last three to four months. If these herbs were bought on the market, their value would easily exceed a thousand coins.

Yet, when they made the request, the magistrate agreed without even hesitating.

That didn’t fit the greedy nature of that corrupt official.

The only possible explanation was…

Jing Li said, “The county office is in collusion with the medicine merchants?”

“Yes,” Qin Zhao replied. “The government controls most of the county’s sources of medicinal herbs, and the medicine merchants rely on the government. Whether that reliance is voluntary or forced, the county office can easily acquire low-cost herbs and profit from them.”

Jing Li clicked his tongue. “And here I thought they were being genuinely generous. Turns out they’re just squeezing the people dry.”

Qin Zhao sighed softly. “It can’t be helped.”

The county was under the jurisdiction of Jiangling Prefecture, but Jiangling was over a thousand miles from the capital.

Such matters were beyond the reach of those in higher positions, and they wouldn’t intervene even if they could.

Jing Li asked, “Does that corrupt official want to do the same to us? If that’s the case…”

“Don’t worry, we have the upper hand in this situation,” Qin Zhao said, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen a day when the pharmacy is closed to secretly send someone to invite me.”

Jing Li blinked in confusion.

He looked especially adorable in his sleepy state. Qin Zhao lowered his head and kissed his lips gently, then explained, “Because he’s afraid of being seen.”

No matter how the county magistrate might collude with merchants in private, he still had to maintain his reputation among the common people and couldn’t be seen interacting too closely with businesses. The pharmacy usually had many people around, so he didn’t dare come to find anyone openly.

As for why they had the upper hand, it was naturally because only Qin Zhao held the prescription for the Cold Dispelling Pill.

The magistrate wanted to profit from it, so he wouldn’t dare provoke Qin Zhao easily.

When Qin Zhao and Jing Li arrived at the outer courtyard, they saw several plainly dressed men standing there.

A Yi, clearly unfamiliar with such a situation, didn’t dare leave and was nervously huddled in the corner, sorting through medicinal herbs.

Seeing Qin Zhao and Jing Li walk out, A Yi immediately ran over like he had seen his savior. “Young Master Qin, I passed on your message, but these officers… they refuse to leave…”

It was obvious the county magistrate wouldn’t come in person to see someone, so when Qin Zhao heard that someone was looking for him, he knew that the magistrate had sent a few officers to invite him. Qin Zhao had intended for A Yi to tell the officers to go back and report, and that he would follow shortly, but he hadn’t expected them to be so cautious and wait until now.

Qin Zhao spoke gently, “It’s fine. You go back to the inner courtyard. I’ll handle this.”

Jing Li tugged at Qin Zhao’s sleeve, and Qin Zhao reassuringly patted his hand. “Don’t worry, go on.”

The two boys left, still concerned. Qin Zhao stepped forward. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, officers.”

The men seemed a bit impatient from waiting, but when they saw Qin Zhao, they remained polite. “It’s no trouble at all. We were too early. My lord wishes to speak with you at his residence. We’d be grateful if you could accompany us.”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Very well.”

The men didn’t take Qin Zhao to the government office but led him in another direction, arriving at a secluded residence.

It was most likely the county magistrate’s private home.

The magistrate had already informed the gatekeeper in advance, so Qin Zhao wasn’t questioned or stopped. He was led straight to the study. The study was much larger than the one at the county office, and the whole residence was several times bigger than A Yi’s home. If not informed otherwise, one might think this was the home of a wealthy merchant.

The study was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood. Behind the desk was a row of bookshelves lined with brand-new books, likely untouched.

Qin Zhao withdrew his gaze and discreetly sighed.

Before long, the door to the room opened.

Qin Zhao bowed to the person who entered. “Greetings, Magistrate.”

The county magistrate appeared even heavier than he had been six months ago. Upon seeing Qin Zhao, he immediately beamed and said, “No need for formalities, Mr. Qin. The county greatly benefited from your help in managing the floods earlier, and we even received many rewards afterward.”

Qin Zhao lowered his gaze and remained silent.

The magistrate sat behind his desk and continued, “There’s no need to be so reserved, Mr. Qin. Please, have a seat. I invited you here today just to catch up. I’ve heard you’re now practicing medicine at a pharmacy?”

Qin Zhao replied, “I’m merely helping the owner look after the shop.”

“I see.” The magistrate pondered for a moment before adding, “A small pharmacy seems to underutilize your talents. I know a few owners of medical clinics in the city. Would you like me to make some introductions?”

“Thank you for your kindness, sir,” Qin Zhao said, “but I came to the county only to prepare for the local examination. I’m just staying at the pharmacy for a place to live. There’s no need to trouble you.”

“Local examination?” The magistrate was momentarily taken aback, then gave an awkward laugh. “Oh, right, there is that.”

He stroked his beard, looking thoughtful.

Qin Zhao, tired of the small talk, got straight to the point. “If there’s something you wish to discuss, sir, please feel free to say it directly.”

“You’re a straightforward man, Mr. Qin, so I won’t beat around the bush,” the magistrate said. “I’ve heard that you’ve recently developed a new medicine called the Cold Dispelling Pill, which is being sold in town?”

Qin Zhao responded, “Yes.”

The magistrate continued, “You may not be aware, but selling medicines in large quantities requires approval from the local authorities.”

“I’ve never heard of such a rule.”

The magistrate chuckled. “You’re new here, so it’s understandable that you’re unfamiliar with the regulations. However, regarding the sale of the Cold Dispelling Pill…”

Qin Zhao interrupted, “I was just about to discuss that matter with you, sir.”

“Oh? What do you wish to discuss?”

“I wanted to talk about a partnership in selling the medicine,” Qin Zhao explained. “I developed the Cold Dispelling Pill by chance, initially to help fellow students preparing for the imperial examination like myself. To my surprise, the pill has been very well-received. However, since I’m busy with my studies, I don’t have the capacity to produce enough pills, which has led to a supply shortage. I’ve heard that outside the pharmacy, the price of the pills has already skyrocketed several times over.”

The magistrate’s eyes lit up as he listened. “So, are you proposing a partnership with me?”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Exactly.”

Qin Zhao’s approach played right into the magistrate’s hands, and the magistrate could hardly contain his delight. Eagerly, he asked, “Tell me, how do you propose we collaborate?”

In fact, ever since Qin Zhao had created the formula, he had this plan in mind. So even if the magistrate hadn’t come to him today, Qin Zhao would have sought him out eventually.

To be honest, the profit from the Cold Dispelling Pill was quite substantial.

When they initially set the price at eighteen wen per packet, Jing Li thought it was too low. But after Qin Zhao further refined the formula and A Yi secured bulk orders for the ingredients at a discount, the net profit for each packet was now around ten wen.

This meant that the net profit for each pill was over one wen.

Currently, the pharmacy produced about fifty packets a day, yielding a daily net profit of at least five hundred wen.

However, this was not a sustainable situation in the long run.

Even aside from the toll this production pace might take on their bodies, once the imperial exams were over, Qin Zhao and Jing Li would leave the area. Would the pills stop being sold after that?

Obviously, that wasn’t an option.

Even without the intention of making money, the pill was effective, affordable, and truly beneficial to the people. Qin Zhao didn’t want to abandon it. But A Yi still had to manage the pharmacy, and they couldn’t keep troubling him indefinitely.

Thus, they needed to find another solution.

Turning the business over to the county magistrate was the best option.

Qin Zhao and the magistrate talked in detail for nearly two hours. By the time he left the magistrate’s residence, the sun was already high in the sky, and snowflakes had begun to fall.

On this morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Qin Zhao had been tangled up in bed with Jing Li for quite some time and hadn’t eaten anything before being summoned by the magistrate. Only now did he realize how famished he was.

But today, with most of the shops closed, he hadn’t been able to find a single place to buy food as he walked back.

With no other choice, he braved the wind and snow and hurried back to A Yi’s house.

Besides the pharmacy, there was a small side door that led into the house from the nearby street. As soon as Qin Zhao knocked, someone immediately opened the door.

“You’re back!” Jing Li greeted him with a bright smile and pulled him inside. “Come in quickly, we’ve been waiting for you!”

Qin Zhao asked, “For what?”

Jing Li didn’t answer, pulling him into the main room and letting him warm up by the fire before turning to head back out.

Moments later, he and A Yi returned with several plates of steaming hot dumplings.

Elder Xue laughed cheerfully from the side. “These two youngsters have been busy all morning. They didn’t let me sneak even a single bite. They insisted on waiting for you to come back before cooking the dumplings.”

Jing Li, with flour dusted on his hands and clothes, sheepishly rubbed his nose, which was immediately smudged with a bit of white flour.

Qin Zhao noticed that the dumplings on the plate came in various shapes.

Some were well-made—plump and round, with thin skins and plenty of filling. Others were misshapen, with some even having broken skins, the filling long lost somewhere.

…It was easy to tell which ones were made by his little fish.

“What are these?” Qin Zhao pointed to a plate of long, slightly flat dumplings.

Jing Li softly answered, “They’re fish-shaped dumplings.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Even Jing Li felt guilty after saying it.

A Yi had taught him how to make them, but no matter how hard he tried, Jing Li just couldn’t make the beautiful fish-shaped dumplings that A Yi did. Instead, they all ended up looking like squashed buns.

Qin Zhao wasn’t wrong—Jing Li’s craftsmanship was, indeed, difficult to describe.

But Qin Zhao said, “Not bad, very cute.”

With that, he took one of the more intact dumplings and ate it.

The dumplings had just come out of the pot but weren’t too hot. With one bite, the warm broth flowed down his throat, soothing his hunger and cold.

Jing Li asked nervously, “Is it edible?”

Qin Zhao chewed and swallowed the dumpling before smiling. “Yes, it’s delicious. Sit down.”

With that assurance, everyone relaxed and took their seats around the table.

Outside, snowflakes gently fell into the courtyard, quickly melting without a trace. Inside, the steam from the dumplings gradually disappeared amid the lively conversation and laughter.

Qin Zhao wiped the flour off Jing Li’s nose with his thumb. Jing Li glanced at the others and, seeing they weren’t paying attention, quickly kissed Qin Zhao’s fingertip.

“Thanks for all your hard work today,” Jing Li whispered. “Did the talks go smoothly?”

Qin Zhao calmly replied, “Yes, fairly smooth.”

“I gave the county magistrate a choice: to either buy our formula outright or to partner with us to sell the pills. He chose the former.”

“Three hundred taels. I sold the formula for the Cold Dispelling Pill.”

Jing Li froze mid-movement, and the dumpling he had just picked up fell from his chopsticks and rolled onto the floor with a soft plop.