The little koi's smug look was barely concealed. Qin Zhao looked at the tip of his tail that was raised up and never fell down, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips.
Qin Zhao naturally wouldn't believe this explanation.
The little guy never touched his things, how could he suddenly run to play in the closet, and it happened to be yesterday. Besides, this little fish always looked justified when he got into trouble, so when did he ever worry about his blame
Not to mention how on earth a fish could have hidden such a large piece of clothing so deep in a ditch.
It seems there are no flaws, but in fact there are flaws everywhere.
I don't even know how to make up a decent excuse.
This silly fish.
Qin Zhao held back, and ultimately did not ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue.
The attitude of this little fish has already shown that something must have happened last night, and it doesn't want Qin Zhao to know. The little silly fish has spent so much effort to hide the truth, and it is estimated that there will be no results if we continue to ask, so let it keep it a secret for a few more days.
Who made it cute
Qin Zhao carried the little koi back into the wooden barrel.
Jing Li had no idea what Qin Zhao was thinking. Seeing that Qin Zhao did not continue to ask questions, he thought that he had already dealt with it and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to lie to anyone, but if people found out that he could transform into a human, he would definitely be chased away as a monster.
The little koi rubbed against Qin Zhao's fingertips.
He didn't want to be thought of as a monster.
I don't want to be driven away.
Qin Zhao had spent a lot of energy walking back. He didn't rush to wash the clothes, but put the clothes and other clothes to be washed into the wooden basin, and lay back on the bed to rest for a while.
I fell asleep as soon as I lay down.
Perhaps because of his amnesia, Qin Zhao's dreams are always very chaotic.
The same is true today.
Sometimes he dreamed that he was walking in layers of buildings, and the further he went, the harder it was to find a way out; sometimes he dreamed that he was standing on a nine-story tower, with thousands of lights and the richness of the world before his eyes.
But no matter what you see, the dream will eventually collapse and fall.
The air seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, making it hard for him to breathe.
Qin Zhao struggled and shouted in his dream, but at this moment, all the weight suddenly disappeared.
He opened his eyes and met a pair of clear eyes.
The young man lay on top of him and smiled at him. His eyes were curved like crescents, revealing a pair of shallow dimples.
"Is it you?" Qin Zhao stared at the young man in a daze and asked in a low voice, "Did you save me?"
The boy seemed not to hear him.
He tilted his head and said in a crisp voice: "It's time to get up!"
Qin Zhao was startled, and his consciousness was suddenly pulled out of the dream.
His chest felt like being hit by something, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a fish jumping around on his chest.
Qin Zhao: “…”
After finally seeing the boy's true appearance, he was interrupted by this little guy. Qin Zhao couldn't tell whether he felt depressed or helpless.
He grabbed the slippery fish by the tail and lifted it up: "What are you doing?"
Jing Li was jumping happily when his body suddenly hung in the air and he twisted his body in confusion.
Then I faced a face that looked... well, a little angry.
… I’m still so grumpy when I wake up.
He waved his fins, not knowing how to explain, when there was another knock on the door: "Qin Zhao, are you home?"
It was Li Dali's voice.
Qin Zhao was in a daze for a moment, then he remembered that he had indeed made an appointment with Li Dali to go to the village chief to sign the lease this afternoon.
If you want to rent land in the village, you need to find the village chief to act as a witness. You can't just say it in private.
Qin Zhao pressed his brows and put the little koi fish down: "Are you calling me to get up?"
Jing Li nodded, put his tail on Qin Zhao's fingers and patted them hard.
It was Qin Zhao who clearly said to change the way he called him, and now he has changed it, but this guy is still not satisfied with something.
—A certain fish didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way it called people.
"Sorry, I wronged you." Qin Zhao didn't bother with him. He rubbed the fish's sore tail and got up to open the door for Li Dali.
"So you are at home. I knocked on the door for a long time and thought you were out." Li Dali said.
Qin Zhao: "Sorry, I fell asleep."
Li Dali glanced into the room and half-jokingly asked, "Why are the doors and windows closed so tightly in broad daylight? Is there anyone in the room?"
"… "
Combined with the dream he just had, Qin Zhao actually felt guilty for a moment.
He quickly came to his senses and coughed lightly: "Of course not, I'll change my clothes and we'll set off now."
Qin Zhao didn't bring the little koi with him as he was just going to sign a lease.
They went to the village chief's house and explained their purpose.
The village chief is over fifty years old, has a beard, and looks very kind.
He seemed to have not expected Qin Zhao to come and rent the land, and kindly reminded him: "According to the village rules, the lease is for three years. It cannot be taken back without reason before the expiration date, nor can it be terminated in advance. The rent is paid at the end of June every year. If it is overdue, the owner can take back the leased land under the witness of the village chief. Do you understand all this?"
Qin Zhao: "Understood."
"Don't worry, Village Chief. I've asked this guy to think about it for several days, and he's very determined." Li Dali said, "I trust Qin Zhao's character, Village Chief, just agree."
The head of Linxi Village was a scholar before, but he failed the provincial examinations many times, so he returned to the village to become the head of the village. He was a fair person and handled things fairly, and he had great prestige among the villagers.
Seeing Li Dali's attitude, the village chief said nothing more and nodded: "Then I will write a lease, you wait."
"No need to bother." Qin Zhao took out a piece of paper from his arms and spread it on the table. "I have already written it. Please take a look, Village Chief."
The village chief took it and read it through several times, revealing a hint of approval. "I heard from the second son of the Lin family that you were helping people in the town copy books. Your handwriting is indeed good."
Qin Zhao: "Village Chief, you are too kind."
The village chief stamped the paper and asked Qin Zhao and Li Dali to put their fingerprints on it respectively, and the lease was then completed.
Qin Zhao asked the village chief about buying land and building a house.
The village chief thought for a moment and said, "There is some vacant land at the west end of the village. It happens to be close to your leased land. You can choose that place."
"You hire someone first, determine the location and scale of the building, and then come back to me."
Qin Zhao bowed to him and thanked him.
The village chief then said, "By the way, if you want to build a house in the village, you have to pay taxes based on the number of people in your family. You are the only one in your family now?"
Qin Zhao: "That's natural."
The village chief certainly understood his family's situation. He stroked his beard and said, "You have lived in the village for so many years, and now you have decided to settle down in the village. You are considered a member of our Linxi Village. The young men in our village at your age probably already have children. Don't you have any plans?"
Qin Zhao: “…”
Why are we suddenly talking about this
It was not the first time that the village chief had helped someone find a marriage partner. He said, "If you like a girl, just tell me directly."
"That's right." Li Dali also followed suit, "How many people will like you if you stand outside like this. Even if you can't afford a wife for the time being, why not find a husband first?"
In this era, there is a kind of fertile man named Shuang'er. Because he is not as strong as men and his fertility is not as good as women, his status is not high in this small mountain village.
If a family gave birth to twins, they would be lucky if they were not sold, but most of them would inevitably marry off early.
As for the bride price, it is naturally much lower than marrying a wife.
There are few people who marry in Linxi Village. If you go to poorer places, there are many people who cannot afford to marry a wife, so they can only choose to marry a husband and bring him home.
Qin Zhao had never had these thoughts before, but since he had a strange dream today, he has been a little uneasy. Hearing them say this, he thought of the young man in his dream again.
But he quickly calmed down and said, "Thank you, but I don't have any plans for the time being."
The village chief was polite and seeing that Qin Zhao had expressed his position, he stopped forcing it.
Li Dali, on the other hand, seemed to be hesitant to speak.
After the two men came out of the village chief's house, Qin Zhao wanted to go and see the vacant land that the village chief mentioned. Li Dali happened to be free, so he accompanied him and took him to see the two idle fields.
After a few days of absence, the weeds in the idle field had grown again. Only a small area had been plowed, and some tender shoots had sprouted in the ground.
"At that time, you hadn't said you wanted to rent the land, so I planted some corn here." Li Dali waved his hand and said, "You don't have to pay it back, just keep it and eat it yourself."
Qin Zhao said: "After the harvest, I will send half to your house."
"Okay." Li Dali did not refuse and added, "By the way, I still have a few bags of unused vegetable seeds. If you want them, you can go to my place and get them. They are cheaper than buying them in town."
"Thank you very much."
The two acres of land are of good size and not far from the stream, making irrigation convenient.
Qin Zhao went to look at the vacant lots that the village chief had mentioned, and after having a general idea in mind, he walked back with Li Dali.
On the way back, Li Dali glanced at Qin Zhao from time to time.
After he returned to the house last night, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the back looked like Qin Zhao.
Linxi Village only has such a small population, and Qin Zhao is tall and thin, so it is basically impossible to mistake him. And judging from the direction they were walking, it was indeed Qin Zhao's home.
But if that was Qin Zhao, then who was the other person he saw
Li Dali didn't see the man's appearance clearly at that time, he only remembered that he had very white skin, was thin and small, like a man.
He had never seen anyone like that in the village.
Li Dali had been curious all the way, and when he saw that it was time for them to separate, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Qin Zhao, did you leave the village last night?"
Qin Zhao paused and looked back at him: "Yes, what's wrong?"
"Then did you come back with... who last night?" Li Dali was different from some of the gossipers in the village. He always felt embarrassed to ask about other people's private affairs, so he just told the truth, "I saw someone last night who looked a lot like you, but I had never seen the person next to him..."
Qin Zhao's eyebrows twitched.
His heartbeat inexplicably accelerated, and even his voice became a little dry when he spoke: "You mean, you saw someone who looked very similar to me returning to the village with another stranger?"
Li Dali said: "Yes, but it was too dark at the time and I couldn't see it clearly."
That wasn't his hallucination.
There was indeed a person who went to the mountains in the rain to find him and brought him back home.
But after dawn, the man left without saying goodbye, leaving no trace.
Qin Zhao breathed a sigh of relief silently. Combining all the strange things that happened today, a vague guess emerged in his mind.
But he said nothing to Li Dali, just shook his head gently: "No, I went home before dark."
"That person you saw was not me."