Ch 80: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Three days later at dusk, the boat carrying Qin Zhao and his companions docked at the pier outside Jiangling Prefecture.

The bustling pier was filled with merchants and travelers, with numerous horse-drawn carriages waiting nearby for cargo and passengers. Qin Zhao disembarked first, renting a carriage and bringing both the driver and a boatman to help unload their luggage.

Jing Li sat by the shore, holding a basket and waiting.

“All right, once we’re home, I’ll let you out,” he murmured, patting the rim of a wooden bucket. The small fish egg inside gave a dissatisfied wiggle on the water’s surface, as though trying to jump out but not quite succeeding.

Over the past few days on the boat, the little creature had grown increasingly restless. Thankfully, the fish egg had no leverage to leap out of the bucket entirely.

Jing Li gently pressed it back down to the bottom of the bucket and covered it with the basket.

Qin Zhao approached him. “Get in the carriage. We’re heading into town.”

The cost of living in the prefecture was high, and renting the carriage alone had cost twenty wen. Jing Li paid the fare, and the driver cheerfully accepted it, flicking his whip to set the carriage in motion.

Qin Zhao wrapped an arm around his little husband, whose brows were knitted in concern, and said gently, “The expenses here aren’t like those in the village, as you’ve seen.”

“I know, it’s just…”

They were simply too poor.

The three hundred taels Qin Zhao had earned in the county had all gone toward purchasing their new house, leaving them with a debt of two hundred taels. Before setting off, Jing Li had counted what was left in their small savings—just eleven strings and three hundred and fifty-six wen.

With careful budgeting, that amount could last them barely three months in the prefecture, and that was without counting debt repayments or the cost of new furniture and household items.

Jing Li sighed, troubled.

Just when life had started to improve a little, they were back to square one.

Not wanting Qin Zhao to worry along with him, he changed the subject. “Are we heading straight home, or to an inn first?”

“Home,” Qin Zhao replied. “I’ve already made arrangements.”

“Arrangements?”

Qin Zhao didn’t elaborate, but Jing Li quickly understood what he meant.

After passing through a security check at the city gates, their carriage entered the inner city and stopped outside a residence.

The house was only a street away from the main road of the prefecture, in a quieter area flanked by residences on both sides, while shops were located on the adjacent street. The property bordered a lakeshore, with Jiangling’s lively night market visible across the water. Although the area was busy at night, the lake created a buffer, keeping noise at bay.

It was a perfect balance between convenience and tranquility.

The residence itself was also well-appointed.

The main gate stood open, and a man was polishing the red door. When he spotted Qin Zhao and Jing Li, he hurried over to greet them. “Mr. Qin, you’ve arrived! Our young master is waiting inside. We’ll handle the luggage for you—please go in and rest.”

Jing Li found the man’s face familiar, but before he could recall where he’d seen him before, Qin Zhao took his hand and led him inside.

At the entrance stood a beautifully carved stone screen wall, and after rounding it, they entered the front courtyard.

This courtyard was even larger than Uncle Yi’s, and people were busy moving potted plants around. Those moving the plants also seemed familiar to Jing Li, who tilted his head, pondering. Just then, someone strode out of the main hall.

“Brother Qin, you’re finally here.”

It was Fang Tianying.

Seeing him, Jing Li suddenly remembered that these were the same people who had gone to Linxi Village in search of the koi fish.

Fang Tianying walked over to them and said, “Good thing you arrived today. I’m heading back to town first thing tomorrow.”

Jing Li was confused. “Why are you here?”

“Master Fang came to the prefecture city half a month ago to negotiate business with a timber merchant and conveniently helped us purchase this residence,” Qin Zhao explained, frowning slightly. “But all this…”

“Oh, I was just keeping busy and did a bit of decorating,” Fang Tianying said casually. “These flowers were left by the previous owner, so I arranged them around the courtyard for you. I also had the servants clean the entire place, and we recently patched up the kitchen wall where it was peeling. I didn’t buy any furniture since I didn’t want to impose my tastes on you.”

Qin Zhao replied, “Thank you…”

Fang Tianying waved it off dismissively. “It was nothing, Brother Qin. We’re close; there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

“Let’s head to the inner courtyard,” he added. “There are a lot of people here, and we wouldn’t want Sister-in-law to bump into anyone.”

Fang Tianying still believed that Jing Li was pregnant.

He directed the servants carrying the luggage to follow, leading the couple around the main hall and through an intricately adorned doorway into the inner courtyard.

In the center of the inner courtyard was a lotus pond.

The pond had also been cleaned, with fresh lotus leaves floating on the surface and a few buds forming.

Fang Tianying remarked, “The previous owner used to keep fish in this pond, but they moved out and took the fish with them.”

Qin Zhao nodded.

They had looked at this house the last time they visited the prefecture, and Jing Li had admired this pond.

Inside, Fang Tianying’s servants had thoroughly cleaned the rooms. Although not all the furniture had been removed, the inner room still had a bed and a low stool.

Qin Zhao placed the basket by the door, then brought the stool from the inner room for Jing Li to sit on.

Fang Tianying took out a deed from his sleeve. “Oh, right, here’s the title.”

“You’re in luck,” he continued. “The previous owner happens to be friends with the timber merchant I was dealing with, and with a bit of persuasion, they gave me a fifty-tael discount.”

He added, “I also spoke with the merchant. If you need timber for furniture, go to him, and he’ll give you a discount.”

Fifty taels wasn’t a small sum. Although Fang Tianying downplayed it, Qin Zhao guessed there was more to it than just a favor.

The Fang family were seasoned business people, and having grown up around trade, Fang Tianying was naturally gifted in negotiation.

He was quite skilled at bargaining.

“Thank you,” Qin Zhao said, taking the deed. “I’ll repay the money I owe you as soon as possible.”

He only had the three hundred taels from selling the medicinal formula, and even with the fifty-tael discount, he still owed Fang Tianying one hundred and fifty taels.

Fang Tianying waved his hand. “Just focus on your studies, Brother Qin. There’s no rush for the money.”

As they were talking, a servant entered from the outer courtyard. “Young Master, everything is ready outside.”

“Alright, have them wait outside,” Fang Tianying instructed, dismissing the servant. Turning to Qin Zhao, he added, “Brother Qin, you should get some rest. I won’t keep you any longer.”

Qin Zhao asked, “It’s getting late. Why not stay for dinner?”

“Oh, no, no, I have plans,” Fang Tianying hesitated, glancing outside before leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper. “To be honest, I’ve arranged to meet some friends at the… uh, pleasure district. I’m leaving tomorrow and don’t know when I’ll be back, so I want to enjoy myself while I can.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Last time, Fang Tianying had made some offhand comment about brothels in front of Jing Li, nearly prompting Qin Zhao to write a letter of complaint to Fang’s father. But he had brushed it off as youthful banter, not thinking much of it.

It seemed, however, that he really…

Upon hearing this, Jing Li’s eyes lit up. “Take me—”

“Ahem.” Qin Zhao cleared his throat.

Jing Li: “…”

With a calm tone, Jing Li replied, “Never mind, have fun, and take care of yourself.”

Fang Tianying gave him a curious glance but said nothing more, turning to leave.

Left alone in the courtyard, Jing Li watched Fang Tianying depart. Then, feeling a pair of hands on his shoulders, he heard Qin Zhao’s voice: “Take you where?”

Jing Li froze, half of his body stiffening, and managed an awkward laugh. “Nowhere. I was just joking.”

Qin Zhao lightly toyed with a lock of Jing Li’s hair, brushing it back behind his ear and shaking his head. “You’re a father now; maybe you should be more mindful.”

With that, he turned to retrieve Jing Li’s fish bowl from their belongings.

“I’ll go rinse this out and refill it. I’m sure your little rascal has been feeling cooped up these past few days.”

Qin Zhao took the bowl and headed out. As Jing Li watched him draw water from the courtyard well, he couldn’t help but sigh with lingering apprehension.

Getting up, Jing Li opened the basket and peered inside, only for his expression to change drastically.

The small wooden tub that had once held the fish egg now contained only a bucket of clear water. The tiny, bright red fish egg was nowhere to be seen.

Where had his little rascal gone this time?!

“Just now at the dock, he was still in there,” Jing Li stammered, tugging at Qin Zhao with a voice trembling from worry. “I even checked before we entered the city gates. He was still there then!”

Qin Zhao gently patted his back, offering quiet reassurance. “Calm down. If he was fine on the carriage, he’s probably just slipped out somewhere in the house.”

“Don’t worry. The little guy is smart. If he’s still here, we’ll find him.”

The basket, woven from bamboo strips, wasn’t completely sealed, and the gaps were more than large enough for a small fish egg to slip through.

“But… that little rascal shouldn’t have been able to jump out,” Jing Li murmured, unable to wait another moment. He got up to search the courtyard, and Qin Zhao followed him out, but something made Qin Zhao pause as his gaze fell on the lotus pond in the courtyard.

“Wait, little fish,” Qin Zhao called, his eyes fixed on the pond.

Amid the layers of lotus stems, a vivid red lotus flower unfurled before their eyes.

Qin Zhao suddenly recalled the ever-blooming lotus pond at Yun Guan Temple.

Jing Li turned back, following Qin Zhao’s gaze, and froze in surprise.

Wasn’t that lotus still a bud just moments ago?

They slowly approached the pond, parting the thick lotus leaves, revealing a tiny, slender red koi darting around under the leaves, weaving through the stems.

Jing Li: “…”

Qin Zhao: “…”

The koi was pure red, with no other markings, and its scales weren’t fully formed. The shape of its fins and the vibrant hue of its body were unmistakably reminiscent of Jing Li.

The only difference was its size—it was as small as a finger, with a nearly transparent tail fin flicking excitedly, as though reveling in its newfound freedom.

But Jing Li felt no joy at all; after that momentary scare, he was ready to scold the little fish.

A slight tension settled in the air.

Sensing the scrutiny, the little fish finally paused in its playful darting, turning to look up at its two fathers. With a flick of its tail, it leapt out of the pond straight toward them.

Jing Li quickly reached out to catch it.

The little fish nuzzled Jing Li’s hand, and Jing Li nearly broke his stern expression, but he coughed lightly and said, “What did I just tell you about not running off? Don’t you remember?”

The little fish froze, then softly nudged Jing Li’s fingers again, noticing that Jing Li didn’t seem any less upset. It turned its head to Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao spoke sternly, “Your dad’s right. This is an unfamiliar place; what if we lost track of you? You can’t just—”

The little fish raised its head, giving him a pitiful look.

Qin Zhao: “…”

Diverting his gaze, Qin Zhao’s tone softened. “Just… don’t do it again.”