"You young men just don't care about your health. It's easy to catch a cold these days. How can you walk around in the mountains? Fortunately, I met you today."
"Where did you catch this fish? It's so short and small, it looks good but is useless. There's no way it's enough to eat!"
Jing Li: “???”
Who is short, small, and useless? How does this person speak
The ox cart bumped forward. Qin Zhao sat in the cart holding the wooden barrel. He just responded softly when he heard the words.
Jing Li looked at him through the water.
I always wonder what's going on when this person smiled.
The farmer who brought them here was named Lin. He was the second child in his family and everyone in the village called him Lin Lao Er.
While waving his whip to drive the cattle, Lin Lao Er spoke to Qin Zhao in a hoarse voice: "But it's okay. You are so thin, you should eat some more! If you don't know how to cook, you can send it to me and let your aunt cook you some sweet and sour carp!"
Jing Li: “…”
"Thank you, Uncle Lin." Qin Zhao keenly held back Jing Li's tail that was about to splash water, and said calmly, "That's not necessary."
Lin Lao Er didn't care either.
He was obviously in a good mood today. He chatted with Qin Zhaodong for a while before finally letting him go and singing a little tune by himself.
Jing Li flicked his tail and swam to the edge of the barrel.
Although this farmer always wanted to eat him, he was nice to Qin Zhao after all. If it weren't for him, it would have been hard to tell how long the sickly man would have been gone.
Don’t be angry. Don’t be angry.
When he was tired, someone drove to pick him up. Bingyangzi was much luckier than him.
Jing Li quickly convinced himself not to care anymore and his attention was drawn to the outside world.
The edge of the barrel was not high, so he could just look out and see the scenery outside. They had now left the forest and came to a place similar to a plain.
There were some ridges on both sides of the dirt road, and many people were bending over to work in the fields.
Now is the spring sowing season. Farmers make their living by planting in spring and harvesting in autumn.
Jing Li had never been involved in farm work, but he knew that plowing, sowing, fertilizing, weeding, harvesting and threshing were all strenuous work. Therefore, the more remote the mountain village, the more strong men were needed.
And the one beside him...
Being so sick, he probably has no labor force. This may be the reason why others look down on him.
In a flash, Jing Li imagined the tragic experience of being unable to work due to poor health, being looked down upon by family members, and being pointed at by fellow villagers.
This is what is written in novels.
"Do you like looking at me so much?" the man asked softly, and Jing Li realized that he was staring at this man in a daze again without realizing it.
Country roads are always bumpy and the ox cart was shaking violently. Qin Zhao could only hold the wooden barrel tightly with his arms to prevent water from splashing out.
It looked like she was holding him in her arms.
He still looks at people like this...
This realization made Jing Li suddenly feel a little embarrassed. He swung his tail and was about to dive into the water, but he saw Qin Zhao suddenly stretch out a hand towards him.
Jing Li subconsciously wanted to run.
"Don't move." Qin Zhao whispered.
Jing Li paused, and then the other party's fingertips fell on his forehead.
Jing Li smelled the scent of medicine on the other person again.
The fragrance was very light, with a hint of the bitterness that is common in herbs, but it was not unpleasant.
Qin Zhao's expression was focused. He tilted his head slightly, stroked the smooth fish scales with his fingertips, fiddled with the thin and transparent dorsal fin, and finally reached the soft and cool fish tail.
Jing Li just lay there motionless and let him touch her. When he touched the tip of her tail, she subconsciously curled up and hooked his fingers around it.
His reaction obviously pleased Qin Zhao. Qin Zhao's eyes lit up slightly and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Qin Zhao looks very nice when he smiles.
It was as if the spirit that had been drained in the past had completely returned at that moment. The pair of dark and deep eyes hidden in the eyelashes reflected crystal light in the sunlight.
Jing Li was so stunned that he even forgot to swim for a moment. It was not until his body began to sink unconsciously that he came to his senses and quickly swung his tail to keep his balance.
"Pfft." Qin Zhao laughed out loud and poked the fish's tail. "You can't even swim. Are you really a fish? Why are you so stupid?"
Jing Li: “…”
That's because he's not used to being a fish yet!
Jing Li slapped Qin Zhao's fingers away and hid at the bottom of the bucket, shutting himself in.
No matter how good-looking he is, you can't say anything bad about him.
snort.
The speed of the ox cart was two or three times faster than walking, and soon the ox cart pulled them into the village.
The name of this village is Linxi Village. As the name suggests, there is a stream flowing in front of the village. In the past, villagers relied on that stream to do laundry, cooking, farming and watering.
The people of Linxi Village are simple and honest. Many people greeted Lin Laoer along the way. However, when everyone saw Qin Zhao in his car, they all stopped smiling and some even took a detour.
But Qin Zhao just lowered his head and concentrated on teasing the fish, not taking these to heart.
It is like an ancient well, calm and without ripples. No external objects can cause the slightest disturbance.
Until the ox cart stopped in front of a house.
Hmm... calling it a household is not quite accurate.
Linxi Village was not rich, but every household had a small courtyard and two or three houses. But what appeared in front of Jing Li was just a shabby little mud house.
There were large patches of peeling paint on the exterior wall, and the wooden door was ajar and would not close, so it would probably leak drafts in during the winter.
Jing Li retracted his head and glanced at Qin Zhao secretly.
Is this the kind of place he lives in
Qin Zhao got out of the car holding the wooden barrel and bowed politely to Lin Lao Er: "Thank you, Uncle Lin."
"It's okay, it's just a small matter." Lin Lao Er waved his hand, "I can't read a single word. If you hadn't written the complaint for me, I wouldn't have been able to get back the land that was forcibly occupied by my family. It's my duty to help you with this little favor."
Lin Lao Er helped him carry the herbs into the house. Looking at his bare house, he sighed again, "You still can't remember your name or where you came from?"
Qin Zhao shook his head: "I only remember that my last name is Qin. As for the origin of my name, I know nothing about it."
"Then don't you want to go further, to the big city to look for relatives?" Lin Lao Er said, "Qin Zhao, your uncle is not exaggerating. With your outstanding appearance and good literary talent, you are obviously different from us farmers. If there were someone like you in the nearby villages, the news would have spread far and wide. Why do we have to wait until now without any news?"
Qin Zhao placed the wooden barrel on the only table in the room, his expression still calm, his tone gentle and appropriate: "Thank you for your kindness, Second Uncle Lin, but I can't go far now. If I really travel a long distance, I'm afraid I won't be able to reach the city..."
"Oh, that's right, it's more important to take good care of your body!"
Jing Li leaned against the wooden barrel and listened to all of this, his tail hidden under the water swaying gently.
Qin Zhao is not from this village.
Knowing this, he was not surprised, but felt it was natural. Qin Zhao's temperament was far different from that of ordinary villagers. Even if he was not from a scholarly family or a wealthy family, he was at least educated.
As a foreigner and a sickly person of unknown origin, it is not surprising that he is ostracized by the villagers.
People are always xenophobic, let alone such a secluded mountain village.
After putting away the herbs, Lin Lao Er thought of something else: "By the way, did you know that the Chen family has been making a fuss about splitting up these days?"
Qin Zhao frowned: "Separation?"
"Yes." Lin Lao Er sighed, "Old lady Chen suffered a stroke a few years ago and has been unable to get out of bed. We hired several doctors but they were unable to help. The Chen family is a wealthy family in Linxi Village. Those young people have long been eyeing the family property, waiting for Old Lady Chen to die."
Um
What does this have to do with Qin Zhao
Jing Li was confused when he heard Lin Lao Er say, "You rented this room from Old Lady Chen. They want to split up the family, so I'm afraid you may also..."
"Anyway, you should pay more attention these days."
Qin Zhao lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then thanked him: "I understand, thank you for reminding me."
Lin Laoer was in a hurry to go home and did not stay long.
Jing Li waited until he left before sticking his head out to look around the room.
Just like what you see from the outside, the room is very simply furnished and you can see everything at a glance.
This is a small earthen house with two rooms. As soon as you enter the door, you will see the table where he is sitting and two chairs. Apart from that, there are only a few storage cabinets in the corners.
The right side of the door leads to the stove, next to which are several small medicine jars. On the left is a smaller room with no door, only a curtain hanging to block the view.
It should be the bedroom.
The air was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance, which was the same smell as Qin Zhao's body, and was very pleasant.
Qin Zhao was standing beside the stove with his back to Jing Li, bending down to open the herbs he had just bought.
What he bought was not the complete prescription prepared by the clinic, but several loose medicines. Qin Zhao skillfully sorted and prepared the herbs, and quickly divided them into several small portions and repackaged them.
He poured one of them into a medicine jar and soaked it in water. After doing this, he uncovered the big pot on the stove.
The aroma of food wafts over.
Jing Li instantly heard the gurgling sound in his stomach.
He had been in this world for three days and had not eaten anything.
It's not that there is no food. He has been drifting in the river for the past few days. For fish, the aquatic plants, shrimps and insects in the river can all be eaten.
But Jing Li's soul is still a human being after all, and he really can't convince himself to eat those things.
Therefore, he had been hungry for several days.
Jing Li looked at Qin Zhao eagerly as he picked up a piece of golden pancake and sat down at the table. He wagged his tail vigorously, and some water splashed onto the table.
Qin Zhao asked: "You want one too?"
Jingli's tail wagged even more happily.
Qin Zhao: "I gave you everything to eat. What should I eat?"
Jing Li paused.
Yes, Qin Zhao was a stranger without any support, and living in a place like this, his family must not have much to eat. Maybe they even had a problem with their own food, so how could they have any extra food to share with him
It was already a great fortune for him to be rescued, and he couldn't be so greedy anymore.
But... I'm really hungry...
The little koi's mood dropped visibly.
Qin Zhao tilted his head to look at the little koi in the barrel and found it quite interesting.
He felt something was wrong with the fish the moment he met it. It was something that ordinary fish could not do, such as running away and seeking help when being slaughtered. Moreover, it was clear that the fish could understand human language and interact with humans.
Could it be that he accidentally rescued a spiritual little fish
Thinking of this, Qin Zhao lowered his eyes, broke off a small piece of bread and threw it into the water.
Jing Li had sunk to the bottom of the water, but he couldn't help but swim up when he smelled the aroma of the pancake. He looked at Qin Zhao, then at the pancake floating on the water, and finally couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food and took a bite.
The pancake is made of millet flour.
The rice flour is not ground too finely, and you can taste the graininess of millet. When mixing the batter, I also added some chopped red dates, and steamed it in a pot. It is soft and hard enough to eat. Obviously, there is no seasoning, but you can taste the original sweetness of the grain.
Jing Li felt that this was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten.
The little koi chewed the food happily, its cheeks puffed up and its fins swayed happily.
"Eat slowly, there's more." Qin Zhao propped up his chin and said softly, "Eat a little fatter so you can put it in the pot."
!!!
Jing Li was so scared that he choked, his fins wiggled in pain, and he spit out a huge bubble.
Put it in the pot
This guy actually wants to eat him!
Qin Zhao broke off another piece of bread and threw it into the water, curling his lips: "Why don't you eat it?"
Jing Li shrank back and refused to touch it.
As long as you don’t eat, you won’t get fat and won’t be put into the pot.
Jing Li thought firmly.
Qin Zhao watched the little koi's reaction and became more certain that the little fish could understand him. However, he did not point it out, but reached into the water and gently pushed the floating pancake in front of Jing Li.
"Eat it." Qin Zhao said calmly, "I just lied to you. I don't like fish."
Jing Li didn't move at all, his whole expression revealing obvious distrust.
Qin Zhao withdrew his gaze indifferently, ignored it, and started eating.
Even the way he ate was very elegant. He chewed his food slowly and carefully, as if he was not eating an ordinary millet cake but some kind of delicious delicacy.
Jing Li watched...
Feeling even hungrier.
This guy is so good-looking, he shouldn't lie.
Jing Li swam up, picked up the noodle cake in one mouthful, and sank into the water. He quietly ate a piece of the noodle cake at the bottom of the water, and then floated up with a feeling of unsatisfied satisfaction.
Qin Zhao broke off another small piece and threw it to him, and Jing Li continued to carefully pick it up and take it to the bottom of the water to eat.
It seemed that as long as Qin Zhao didn't see it, he didn't count as having eaten.
Silly fish.
Qin Zhao lowered his eyes, hiding the hint of smile in his eyes.
Each person and one fish divided the palm-sized millet pancake.
Qin Zhao took another piece from the pot, and when he returned to the table, he saw the little koi fish tilting its head in the water, looking at him eagerly.
Qin Zhao said: "You can't eat any more, you will get sick."
I’m not full.
The little koi slapped its tail twice in displeasure and opened its mouth towards Qin Zhao.
Still want more.
Qin Zhao had no choice but to break off another small piece and give it to him.
…
In the afternoon, Qin Zhao started a low fire to boil the medicine, but he heard the sound of water splashing in the wooden barrel.
He walked over and saw small koi fish floating on the water, swimming back and forth, splashing around the barrel.
Qin Zhao asked: "What's wrong with you?"
Jing Li turned over the fish belly and patted its round belly with his fins in a wronged manner.
Continue swimming in circles.
Wow, I really ate too much...