The little monster did not disappoint Qin Zhao. During the remaining hours of the return journey, the little koi fish stayed at the bottom of the barrel with a heavy heart, not moving at all.
He didn't receive Qin Zhao's hint at all.
Qin Zhao turned his head to look at him from time to time and sighed silently.
Fool.
The ox cart was moving slowly through the mountains and fields. Just as it was about to leave the forest, Qin Zhao glanced out of the corner of his eye and suddenly saw a figure.
A teenager fell under a tree on the roadside and seemed to have lost consciousness.
He parked the bullock cart on the side of the road.
Jing Li also poked his head out.
The young man was about the same age as Chen Yan'an, with unkempt hair and a dirty face, looking surprisingly disheveled.
He was wearing a lavender gown. Jing Li couldn't tell what it was made of, but he knew it was very expensive. However, the expensive-looking gown was now torn in many places and covered in dirt, and even the embroidery patterns could no longer be seen.
Qin Zhao came up to him, bent down and sniffed his breath.
The breathing was fairly steady.
He pushed the other's shoulder: "Young Master, wake up."
The young man frowned and mumbled in his sleep: "Uncle Wang, stop making noise, let me sleep a little longer..."
Jing Li tilted his head.
Why do I feel like... I seem to have heard this voice somewhere before
Before Jing Li could figure it out, the young man finally opened his eyes in a daze. After seeing the person in front of him clearly, he grabbed Qin Zhao's hand and said, "Save me, save me, I can give you money..."
"..." Qin Zhao calmly pushed away the other person's hand and asked, "Who are you and why did you faint here?"
"I, I've been lost in this mountain for several days. I haven't eaten for many days. Can you take me home..." The boy cried out of breath.
Qin Zhao thought for a moment and reached out to help him up.
But as soon as the boy stood up, he cried out "Ouch" and fell down again.
Qin Zhao squatted down in front of him and reached out to touch the boy's ankle. The latter shivered and gasped in pain.
"It's dislocated." Qin Zhao said.
The boy was in so much pain that tears came out, and asked in a sobbing voice: "Then what should I do-"
Before he finished speaking, Qin Zhao suddenly exerted force with both hands, and there was a "crack" sound from his bones.
“Ahhh—”
Qin Zhao stood up and said calmly, "It's already healed. Try standing up."
"Couldn't you remind me before you did it?" The young man shouted at Qin Zhao with tears in his eyes.
Qin Zhao: "It won't hurt after I remind you?"
"That's... not really."
The boy stood up dejectedly and moved his ankle. Sure enough, the pain was gone.
Qin Zhao helped him onto the ox cart, covered the small wooden barrel containing Jing Li, and took out the oil-paper bag of steamed buns from the backpack and handed it to him: "Eat something first, we will be in the village soon."
Boy: “Thank you, thank you.”
The place where the boy was picked up was not far from Linxi Village. Less than an hour later, Qin Zhao's ox cart stopped in front of Linxi Village.
He said to the boy, "This cart is not mine, so it can't take you back. If you walk out from here, there is a post station nearby where you can rent a bullock cart to go back to town."
The boy blinked blankly: "How do you know my home is in town?"
Qin Zhao asked: "Is your last name Fang?"
"Yes." The young man said, "My name is Fang Tianying. Have you seen me?"
Qin Zhao was silent for a moment, then said, "I guess so."
Fang Tianying did not ask any more questions, but hesitated for a moment and said, "Can you... lend me some more money?"
Qin Zhao looked up at him.
Fang Tianying said, "I lost the money I had with me a few days ago. I wanted to walk back but got lost accidentally, which is why I ended up like this. I'll bring the money back when I get home. What's your name?"
Qin Zhao gave him ten cents for the fare, and exchanged their names with him before they parted.
The little koi poked its head out of the barrel and looked at the boy's back.
Not only Qin Zhao knew his name, Jing Li also remembered it.
Isn’t this the young master of the Fang family in this town
The last time the Fang family asked Qin Zhao to collect Wushan ginseng, they also went to Fang’s house.
This young master didn't know what he had done wrong, but he was beaten by his father and screamed miserably, just like the scream Qin Zhao made when he reset his ankle...
The Fang family is a well-known wealthy family in several nearby towns, so it is not surprising to have met the young master of this family. This is also the reason why Fang Tianying did not doubt it too much when he heard that Qin Zhao knew him.
However, Young Master Fang probably doesn’t want to know why Qin Zhao recognized him.
Jing Li sighed in his heart and didn't take it to heart.
A young master like Fang Tianying and a farmer like Qin Zhao are from completely different worlds, and it is impossible for them to have any intersection.
He still cares more about himself.
They returned to the village early, and it was not yet time for dinner. But eating only two meals a day was far from enough for Jing Li. He felt his stomach growling, and he lowered his head to search for food beside the wooden barrel.
The oil paper package that originally contained the steamed buns was thrown by the boy at the bottom of the ox cart and had been crumpled into a ball.
Jing Li: “…”
He clearly remembered that there were still three or four left!
Jing Li wants to fight with Fang Tianying.
Qin Zhao followed the little guy's line of sight and saw the crumpled oil paper bag. He touched the little koi's head twice and said gently, "Don't worry, I'll make you something delicious when we get home."
The little koi wagged its tail unhappily, but didn't make any more noise.
If there was meat, he would agree reluctantly.
The oxcart carrying bamboo had arrived at Linxi Village early, and the bamboo had been piled up on the open space west of the village. Qin Zhao first went to Lin Laoer's house to return the oxcart, and then went to Lin Changzhong's house.
They had agreed before they set out that they would contact Lin Changzhong first after the bamboo arrived.
Lin Changzhong had already checked the goods in advance and said to Qin Zhao, "Leave the rest to me. I will go to the village chief to write a notice tomorrow morning. It should not be difficult to hire people now that the spring ploughing season has passed."
Qin Zhao thanked him and then took the little koi back home.
The problem of building materials was completely solved.
At the same time, another issue that was resolved was that of President Qin Zhao being asked about koi.
Qin Zhao's trip was very effective. For several days afterwards, no one mentioned koi in front of Qin Zhao.
There is also a problem, that is, it is no longer convenient for Little Koi to go out with Qin Zhao.
Jing Li naturally understood this.
As long as the notice in the town was not removed, his safety would always be at risk. Besides, he had already caused Qin Zhao a lot of trouble and didn't want to embarrass him anymore.
The little koi was well-behaved and sensible in big matters. After returning from Shanglin Village, he no longer pestered Qin Zhao to go out and play.
Every day when Qin Zhao went out, he slept alone at home, without making any noise or making any noise, nor did he try to transform into a human form and sneak out to play like he did before. He just slept until Qin Zhao came back.
When Qin Zhao returned home that day, the little koi was sleeping at the bottom of the water as usual.
As the construction began, Qin Zhao became extremely busy these days.
Building a house in reality and drawing a blueprint are two completely different things. Even though the people in the village are not as particular as the wealthy families in the city, there are still many details that need to be agreed upon.
Qin Zhao was afraid that someone would come to his house and see the little koi, so he didn't dare to let anyone come to his house and had to go to the construction site in person.
As soon as he closed the door, he heard the sound of water behind him.
The little koi fish lay beside the barrel and wagged its tail at him.
His eyes were moist, clear and sparkling, and he looked full of energy.
Seeing Xiaoyu like this, Qin Zhao felt that all his fatigue from the day was washed away at this moment. He stepped forward and touched the little koi's head, saying, "You must be hungry. I asked someone to buy some sugar in town and I'll make you some steamed sugar cake later."
Sugar cake
Qin Zhao can even do this
Jing Li was a little surprised.
In fact, Qin Zhao never did it.
He didn't like sweets, and had never thought about learning how to make these pastries. It was just that he saw that Xiao Koi liked these pastries very much last time, and he couldn't go to the town to buy them all the time, so he thought about learning how to make them himself.
He asked a few familiar villagers in the village and soon found out that Li Dali's wife knew how to do this, so he went to her house to learn how to do it.
But he himself had no idea whether he could do it.
The rice has been soaked the day before, and then drained and pounded into powder and sieved. Add water to the sieved rice powder and stir it into rice paste, stirring while adding water.
This step is extremely troublesome, and if you are not careful the pastry will not be able to take shape.
Making pastries is a delicate job. By the time the rice cakes are put into the steamer and start steaming, it is already dark.
"It still needs to be steamed for another stick of incense. Eat something else to fill your stomach first." Qin Zhao broke off a piece of steamed bun and gestured to the little koi, but the latter shook his head and shrank back.
He doesn't want it.
He wanted to save room for the sweets and cakes.
Seeing him like this, Qin Zhao stopped forcing him and said, "It will probably take three or four days to build the house. I'll take you to see it when it's finished. I'll go to the nearby villages in a couple of days to find some carpenters. The things in this house all belong to the Chen family. We can't move them out. We have to build new ones."
He told the little koi in detail what he had seen and heard today and the next arrangements. The little koi listened very carefully and wagged its tail from time to time in response.
By the time the story was over, the rice cakes had been steamed.
Qin Zhao turned around and went to the stove to get some cakes. The little koi fish poked its head out to look at his movements expectantly, and suddenly heard a noise coming from the door.
The sound was not loud, as if someone was gently pushing the door from outside.
Qin Zhao naturally heard it too.
He put down what he was holding, walked over and opened the door. The house was quiet and empty. It was already late in the morning, with no stars or moon outside, and it was so dark that one could not see one's hand in front of one's face.
Qin Zhao frowned slightly, looked around but saw no one, so he closed the door again.
The little koi fish hid in the wooden barrel, only cautiously showing its two eyes.
He was more worried about being seen than anyone else.
Qin Zhao brought the steamed sugar cake to the table and said in a gentle voice, "There's no one outside, don't worry."
The little koi nodded and rubbed against Qin Zhao's fingertips as if seeking comfort.
Qin Zhao gently stroked his head, feeling helpless.
In fact, he had already thought of a solution to this problem.
The notice is looking for koi, and as long as the little monster is willing to transform into a human form, the problem will be solved.
But...
It was all his fault that he couldn't help himself and told the little monster the words he hated most about being deceived.
Since that day, the little monster kept his identity secret even more strictly. Not only did he not try to transform into a human form again, he even did not complain when Qin Zhao left him alone at home for a whole day.
He seemed determined to act like an obedient and well-behaved pet fish.
She was so well-behaved that Qin Zhao felt a little distressed.
He tried so hard to hide his identity that Qin Zhao felt that he was too mean to bully and test him in every way, and he couldn't bear to expose him again.
"Hold on for a few more days." Qin Zhao said, "Once our new home is built, we can move in."
He specially added a hidden channel in the pool that could lead directly to the outside of the house. He told Lin Changzhong and others that it was to ensure the flow of water in the pool, but in fact, it was so that the small fish could go outside the house through the hidden channel at any time.
With some water plants and rocks blocking the view, even if someone really entered the yard, it would be difficult to find the little koi.
Everything will be fine once we move.
Qin Zhao added, "I asked someone to make a new lock two days ago. It's finished today. I'll install it after dinner. Let's eat first."
It was Qin Zhao's first time making pastries, and he did a pretty good job. The white and glutinous pastries were cut into small cubes and sprinkled with chopped red dates. They looked just as good as those sold in town.
The little koi fish immediately perked up, raised its head high, and looked expectantly at the pastry in his hand.
Qin Zhao blew on the pastry in his hand to cool it down, broke off a piece and threw it to the little koi.
Before it entered the water, a little koi fish jumped up and caught it steadily.
The next second, the little koi fell into the water and the whole fish froze.
Under Qin Zhao's expectant and anxious eyes, the little koi's cheeks moved, and it swallowed the pastry with difficulty, but couldn't help but upset its stomach.
This is too... too sweet.
The next day, Qin Zhao got up early as usual.
After dinner last night, Qin Zhao really replaced the lock on the door with a new one and even locked the windows.
The original lock was brought by the Chen family when they rented it. It has been used for many years and is very rotten. I'm afraid an adult man could break it with force.
Although there has never been a precedent of trespassing in private homes in Linxi Village, Qin Zhao has always been cautious and used to being prepared.
He cooked and fed the fish first, then finished his own work, cooked a pot of porridge and rice, and added a few side dishes and packed them all together.
When people are hired to work in the village, in addition to wages, they are also provided with a meal.
These days, Qin Zhao would prepare the food at home and send it over, and then stay with them until the afternoon before going home.
Qin Zhao packed the food and made sure the windows were locked before saying goodbye to the little koi and leaving.
The little koi watched the door close in front of it and heard the new lock click into place. Its tail swayed behind it and slowly fell down, slapping the water.
He didn't show it in front of Qin Zhao, but the truth was, he didn't want to be alone at all.
It's so boring at home. Not only can I not see Qin Zhao, but I also have to worry about whether a cat will come to the door.
Jing Li really wanted to go out to the river with Qin Zhao as he did in the past, follow him around the village, watch him interact with the villagers, and see how he made his life better little by little.
But ever since the news about the koi spread, he never had such an opportunity again.
Jing Li suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
Being a koi is not good at all.
He doesn't want to be a koi at all.
The little koi blew a bubble in the water, turned its head and dived into the water.
Don’t think about it anymore, just go to sleep.
Anyway, as long as I have a good sleep, I will be able to see Qin Zhao again when I wake up.
Jing Li thought this in his heart, curled up in the corner of the wooden barrel, and soon stopped moving.
But he didn't sleep for long.
After an unknown amount of time, Jing Li suddenly heard a noise coming from outside the door.
The house was very quiet, making the footsteps outside particularly obvious, and one could clearly hear more than one or two people. Jing Li instinctively felt something was wrong, and floated to the surface quietly, staring at the closed door.
After a moment, a strange voice sounded outside the door: "Are you sure the koi is here?"