Ch 100: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

“This… what’s going on here?”

Jing Li was startled by the baby that suddenly leapt toward him. He instinctively looked up to see Qin Zhao and Xiao Yue standing by the window, their faces both wearing guilty expressions—one more so than the other.

Jing Li: “…”

It was a rare clear day after the snow, and Jing Li had been building a snowman in the courtyard. Who would have thought that the little fry would suddenly run toward him crying, stepping right onto his freshly made snowman and ruining it?

…It was heart-wrenching.

Jing Li stared at the remains of the snowman for a moment, mourning its loss, before bending down to pick up the crying baby.

The little fish fry immediately wrapped its arms tightly around Jing Li’s neck, sobbing pitifully.

Children at this age were either silent or unstoppable when they cried. Jing Li patiently tried to comfort the baby for ages, but it had no effect.

Since there were guests in the house, Jing Li was worried that the baby’s emotional outburst might accidentally reveal its true form. He shot a glare at the two “culprits” who had caused the baby to cry before carrying the little one into the inner courtyard.

Once they were back inside, the little fish fry calmed down quite a bit and soon cried itself to sleep. It lay in Jing Li’s arms with its eyes closed, tear-streaked lashes still clinging to droplets, looking unbearably pitiful.

After finally lulling the baby to sleep, Jing Li couldn’t help but yawn softly.

He hadn’t slept well the previous night, having stayed up late taking care of Qin Zhao.

Deciding not to fight his drowsiness, Jing Li lay down on the bed with the cub in his arms, dozing off in the warm sunlight of the winter day.

When Qin Zhao entered the room, this was the scene that greeted him.

The room was warmed by the heated kang bed. Jing Li hadn’t covered himself with a quilt, lying on his side with his back to Qin Zhao. His body curled slightly, and his thin frame revealed the delicate outline of his spine through his clothing.

Qin Zhao approached quietly and wrapped his arms around Jing Li from behind.

The boy stirred groggily, still half-asleep. His voice was soft and drowsy: “Did Master Xiao leave?”

Qin Zhao replied, “Yes, he left.”

Jing Li shifted inward slightly, asking in a quiet voice, “Did you really invite him to stay last night?”

Qin Zhao froze.

His little fish was getting smarter by the day.

“No,” Qin Zhao admitted. “He decided that on his own.”

The fish fry in Jing Li’s arms was still sound asleep. Jing Li rested his chin against the baby’s soft hair, the corners of his lips lifting slightly in amusement. “Guessed it.”

“Oh? How did you guess?” Qin Zhao asked.

Jing Li replied, “With your temperament, if you wanted someone to stay at the manor, you’d have told me in advance.”

Qin Zhao nodded. “That’s true.”

“But…” Jing Li rubbed his eyes, clearly exhausted. His voice was muffled as if he were on the verge of drifting off. “In a situation like that, you can’t just turn someone away at the door, so I made the call myself.”

“Still, I asked Ah Qi to keep an eye on him last night.”

Qin Zhao’s voice was gentle. “You did the right thing.”

Last night’s situation had been handled perfectly by Jing Li, even better than Qin Zhao had expected.

Since moving to the prefectural city, Qin Zhao could clearly sense Jing Li’s growth.

But he also felt a twinge of heartache.

Qin Zhao nuzzled against the side of Jing Li’s neck and softly asked, “Why didn’t you ask me who he was?”

There was no reply.

After waiting for a while, Qin Zhao realized that the boy in his arms was breathing steadily and evenly—he had already fallen asleep.

Qin Zhao couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

It seemed that this little guy likely hadn’t slept at all last night.

Pulling up the blanket, he covered the two nestled figures snugly and closed his eyes as well.

Xiao Yue’s visit seemed like nothing more than a brief interlude in their otherwise peaceful lives. Jing Li never brought up the guest’s identity afterward, as though he didn’t care about it at all.

However, because of Qin Zhao’s relapse, the young husband had unceremoniously grounded him at home once again.

That morning, while the family was having breakfast, Ah Qi came to report that someone had arrived at the door.

At this hour, there was only one person who might visit—the young master from the Gu family.

Jing Li, who was feeding porridge to the little fish fry, paused and set down the spoon. The baby, dissatisfied, tugged at his sleeve in protest.

“Let him wait in the study,” Qin Zhao instructed. Noticing the faint displeasure on Jing Li’s face, he asked with a smile, “Unhappy?”

Jing Li frowned. “Why does he keep coming over every day? Doesn’t he know you’re still recovering?”

“I was the one who agreed to it in the first place,” Qin Zhao explained. “In a few days, he’ll be sitting for the county-level exams. As his teacher, it’s only right for me to help him review.”

Although Qin Zhao hadn’t been able to visit the Gu family to teach due to his illness, he hadn’t completely neglected Gu Heng’s studies either.

Over the past month, Gu Heng had been reviewing on his own, noting down any questions he had, and visiting Qin Zhao every few days to clarify them. The young master, once arrogant, now behaved more obediently toward Qin Zhao than he did toward his own parents.

His efforts hadn’t been in vain. Before the Lantern Festival, Qin Zhao had finally given his approval for Gu Heng to participate in this year’s county exams.

With only a few days left before the exams, Gu Heng was growing increasingly anxious, practically clinging to Qin Zhao in a desperate last-minute effort.

Jing Li, on the other hand, thought Gu Heng was overthinking it. This was his first time sitting for the county exams, and he had only studied for six months—there was no need to be so nervous. After all, the county exams didn’t have a limit on the number of attempts; failing once simply meant trying again next time.

From what Jing Li knew, many young scholars took the county exams as a way to build mental resilience, without expecting to pass right away.

But Qin Zhao could understand why Gu Heng felt this way.

Since becoming Qin Zhao’s student, Gu Heng had distanced himself from the other idle rich young masters in the city. This didn’t sit well with them. Though they didn’t dare provoke him openly due to his family’s status, they were quick to mock and ridicule him behind his back, eagerly waiting for him to fail.

Youth naturally cares about saving face.

On the surface, Gu Heng seemed indifferent, but deep down, he was stewing with frustration.

When Qin Zhao explained this to Jing Li, the latter finally understood. “Then why did you agree to let him take the county exams this year? Wouldn’t it be better to wait another year?”

“If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t have agreed,” Qin Zhao replied. After a pause, he continued slowly, “Besides… I likely won’t be able to teach him next year.”

Jing Li asked, “Why not?”

Qin Zhao said, “After the autumn examinations, we’ll be heading to the capital.”

Jing Li froze for a moment.

The autumn examinations referred to the provincial exams. Qin Zhao was already a recipient of the xiao sanyuan title (top rank in three consecutive local-level examinations), and unless something unexpected happened, he would take part in this year’s provincial exams at the examination hall. If he passed, he would become a juren and would then be required to prepare for next year’s metropolitan exams in the capital.

Jing Li nodded, saying, “That’s true.” He lowered his head and continued feeding the little fish fry porridge, though his gaze darkened slightly.

Qin Zhao didn’t notice the subtle shift in Jing Li’s expression. He simply took a handkerchief from the table, wiped his fingers, and chuckled lightly. “There’s no need to worry. Don’t forget who taught him.”

After breakfast, Qin Zhao disappeared into the study, staying there the entire morning. Jing Li, having lulled the little fish fry to sleep, called Ah Qi to come watch over the child before changing into clothes suitable for going out.

Ah Qi asked, “Are you heading out? Should I accompany you?”

“No need,” Jing Li said, waving his hand. “I’m just taking a casual walk. I’ll be back soon.”

“And Mister Qin—”

“He’s teaching Young Master Gu right now, so there’s no need to bother him. I’ll be back before they’re done.”

“Understood.” Ah Qi nodded and asked no further questions, quietly pushing the door open to enter the bedroom.

Since Ah Qi had joined their household, things had indeed become much easier. Even better, the young man was well-mannered, only tending to his assigned tasks without ever overstepping boundaries.

It was a shame that such a good person, already at a mature age, had neither married nor started a family and was stuck serving in a household like theirs.

What a pity.

As Jing Li walked out the door, he made up his mind: once the little fish fry grew a bit older, he would have Qin Zhao let Ah Qi go with some money to return to his hometown.

It was only a few days past the Lantern Festival, and the prefectural city was still bitterly cold.

The moment Jing Li stepped out, a chilly wind hit him, making him shiver and quickly pull up the hood of his long coat.

A wonton vendor by the street noticed him and greeted warmly, “Xiao Li, what brings you out today? Is your Mister Qin feeling any better?”

“He’s the same as before; it’ll take time for him to recover,” Jing Li replied with a smile.

Jing Li and Qin Zhao had lived on this street for over half a year, and most of the neighbors knew them by now.

It wasn’t just because of Qin Zhao’s growing reputation.

Jing Li had always been restless by nature. Back when the weather was warmer, he often took the little fish fry out to play nearby. The baby, unafraid of strangers and born with such good looks, was naturally adored by everyone.

As Jing Li strolled along the street, many vendors and passersby greeted him warmly. It wasn’t until he left the street that no one recognized him anymore.

This was one of the differences between the prefectural city and the countryside.

In the mountain village, where the population was sparse, everyone from nearby villages knew one another well. It wasn’t uncommon for families to have known each other for generations. But in the prefectural city, with its large and transient population, most people were strangers aside from immediate neighbors. Even someone as renowned as Qin Zhao might not be recognized when walking the streets.

Yet Jing Li preferred the atmosphere of the prefectural city.

Perhaps it was because he had once lived in the modern world, but the kind of life in the mountain village—where everyone had no secrets—felt uncomfortable to him. In the prefectural city, he could live his own life without the burden of hiding secrets or worrying about others’ gazes. It was much more freeing.

The city was vast, with carriages and sedan chairs lined along the streets waiting for passengers. However, Jing Li wasn’t willing to spend money on such luxuries. Fortunately, it was close to noon when he left, and with the sun shining overhead, the walk didn’t feel too cold.

After about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, he stood before a modest-sized bookstore.

Jiangling Prefectural City was divided by a river into East and West districts. Jing Li lived in the East, where residences were concentrated, while the West housed bustling night markets, gambling dens, and taverns. The two districts were connected by several stone bridges, and the bookstore Jing Li visited was located at the western bridgehead.

Though not on the main street, the bookstore was on a well-trafficked route to the night market, making its location ideal.

Yet despite this advantageous location, the shop seemed to lack business today. It stood empty, the front counter by the door unstaffed, and the wide-open doors made the quietness inside all the more striking compared to the lively streets outside.

Jing Li pulled his collar tighter, carrying a small package of tea snacks he had picked up along the way, and stepped into the bookstore.

The store was filled with the musty scent of old paper and ink. Scanning the room, Jing Li noticed that many of the shelves were half-empty. Neatly stacked books were piled in the corners, some even tied up with coarse twine.

He frowned slightly.

Walking over to one of the piles, he reached into a stack of opera and storybooks and accurately pulled out a familiar cover.

This storybook was thinner than most others, with a plain blue cover free of illustrations and only the title printed simply on the front.

Dream Notes: Volume One.

In the bustling prefectural city, most bookstores no longer sold handwritten books, favoring printed copies instead.

This era’s regulations on book printing and publishing varied by province. Jiangling had dozens of bookstores, but only seven or eight were licensed to publish books.

This particular bookstore was one of them.

Publishing a book in the prefectural city required the bookstore owner to review the manuscript, then submit an application to the local authorities in charge of such matters. Once approved, they could purchase an official publication number and proceed with mass printing.

The processes of obtaining a number, printing, and binding all came with expenses.

To minimize costs, many new books intentionally limited the content of the first volume. If the sales met expected profits, the second volume would typically be richer in content.

The Dream Notes in Jing Li’s hand was a prime example.

With only a first volume, the book was not only thin but also bound in the simplest fashion, unable to afford an artist for a beautiful cover. Among the colorful storybooks, it looked rather unremarkable.

Jing Li opened the first page, immediately spotting the author’s name written in the bottom-right corner.

Zhao Li.

At that moment, someone lifted the curtain separating the inner room and stepped out. Seeing a customer, they hurried over and asked, “Are you here to buy a book, sir? What kind are you looking for?”

Jing Li removed his hood, turned to the person with a smile, and said, “Boss Chang, it’s me.”