The two returned home.
Qin Zhao held up his soaked umbrella under the eaves, and when he turned around, he saw that the bright red figure was no longer in the house. He shook his head helplessly and walked into the bedroom.
The young man lay on the bed with his entire face buried in the quilt. There were a few bright red scales on the back of his exposed hands, which were particularly conspicuous against his white underwear and skin.
Qin Zhao laughed out loud: "Get up and change your clothes."
The rain was heavy, and even though they held an umbrella, their clothes still got wet as they walked back.
"Wait... wait a little longer." The voice coming from under the quilt was unclear and sounded a little depressed.
Jing Li buried his head in the soft quilt, feeling that the other person was still standing behind him, he said in a muffled voice: "Don't look at me..."
"Okay, I won't look at you." Qin Zhao took out a set of clean clothes from the closet and placed it beside the bed. He couldn't help but touch Jing Li's soft head and felt the boy's body shudder slightly under his palm.
He stood up, took his clothes and left the bedroom.
After a while, Jing Li raised his head.
That pretty face was still slightly flushed, with some fine, bright red scales appearing at the corners of the eyes, adding a bit of charm to the face.
How shameful…
It's just a kiss, why did you get so nervous that you almost returned to your original form
Is there any hope for success
Jing Li touched the scales at the corners of his eyes in annoyance.
What's more troublesome is that he doesn't know how to change back.
“Woo…” Jing Li turned over in bed and pulled the quilt to cover himself.
The fish is autistic.
Qin Zhao changed his clothes and took out a herbal prescription from his original clothes.
This is the prescription that Mr. Xue gave him today.
This prescription lists six or seven kinds of medicinal ingredients.
Doctors always treasure their secret recipes very much and will not easily reveal the complete prescription, and Mr. Xue is no exception.
The prescription in Qin Zhao's hand was obviously not the complete version.
According to Mr. Xue, he had developed this prescription for some time, but because the herbs in the prescription were either extremely precious or extremely rare, he had never had a suitable opportunity to test the medicine.
If Qin Zhao could find all the herbs he wrote down, he would prescribe medicine for Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao took a quick glance, frowned slightly, put away the prescription and turned to go to the study.
When Jing Li finally got rid of the fish scales on his body and came to the study, Qin Zhao was reading a thick medical book.
Hearing him enter the room, Qin Zhao raised his head: "Recovered?"
Jing Li pursed his lips, still a little unsure of how to face Qin Zhao, and hurriedly changed the subject: "How is your search going?"
Qin Zhao didn't answer, but waved to Jing Li: "Come here."
The previous owner of this courtyard was probably a scholar who loved reading. He placed many books in his study, which made it convenient for Qin Zhao to find them.
There were several open medical books on the desk, and in front of Qin Zhao was a piece of rough paper, which was already densely written on.
It was all herbal medicine that he had just copied from a book.
Jing Li walked up to Qin Zhao and stood beside him, but Qin Zhao moved to the side, leaving half of his seat for him.
Jing Li: “…”
Qin Zhao raised his eyes and looked at him: "Sit down?"
The two looked at each other for a moment, and Jing Li sat down reluctantly.
The chair was a round chair with a backrest and armrests. The seat was wide, but it was still too tight to accommodate two adult men.
Jing Li's back was stiff, but he still couldn't avoid touching Qin Zhao's body.
The fresh scent of the herbs lingered around him, and he felt that the fish scales that he had hidden with great difficulty were starting to pop out again.
Qin Zhao naturally noticed his nervousness and smiled silently, but didn't say anything. Instead, he pointed to the prescription on the table: "I just looked at this prescription carefully. There are several herbs that should be available in this county, but..."
"Just what?" Jing Li's attention was immediately drawn away.
Qin Zhao said: "Most of the medicines here are precious herbs. Even if we can find them, I'm afraid we can't..."
Can't afford it.
"Why don't we just let Pei go and buy it?" Jing Li was not worried about the money at all. "Won't he reward us handsomely?"
"That's exactly what I meant." Qin Zhao said.
Pei An now almost agrees to Qin Zhao's every request, so it would not be difficult for him to exchange the reward for flood control for herbs.
Qin Zhao: "I'm not worried about being able to buy herbs on the market, but the problem is that some of these herbs are in short supply and are particularly rare."
If it was just a matter of money, the old man surnamed Xue would not have specially written a prescription and asked them to find the medicine. Wouldn't it be enough to just ask them to pay the money
The difficulty lies in the fact that some herbs cannot be bought with money.
Now even Jing Li was a little worried.
He frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Let Pei find them all."
Qin Zhao: “…”
Jing Li said, "You see, we are unfamiliar with the county town and have no official position, so it will be difficult for us to find medicine. Now that we have government officials to call on, why not use them? Isn't it much easier for them to find medicine than for us?"
Qin Zhao smiled and pinched his cheek: "You are quite clever about this."
Jing Li's expression froze, and he realized that he had unknowingly leaned completely on Qin Zhao.
He curled his fingers on his knees and tried to move away quietly, but Qin Zhao gently grabbed his waist.
Even though there was clothing between them, Jing Li felt as if he was burned by the warmth of the other person's palm and shuddered unconsciously.
The atmosphere became a little weird. Jing Li's heartbeat gradually accelerated, and the places where the other party touched felt so hot that they seemed to be burning.
"Qin, Qin Zhao..." Jing Li called softly.
"What's the matter?" Qin Zhao loosened his grip on his waist, but there was no sign of worry on his face. "Letting the government look for medicine is indeed the most time-saving and labor-saving method, but all this is based on the success of flood control."
He looked so serious as if this was just an ordinary discussion. Jing Li struggled to get his attention back to the main business: "Water control... There will definitely be no problem with water control."
"I don't think it's that easy." Qin Zhao said slowly, "If they still refuse to agree to my method..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside the yard: "Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin, are you home?"
Qin Zhao: “…”
Jing Li finally found a chance to get away and stood up: "I, I'll go open the door!"
The back view even looks like someone is fleeing in panic.
Qin Zhao looked at his departing back, feeling both angry and amused.
He runs pretty fast.
This little guy.
The person who came was Pei An.
He had no idea that the two people in the room were discussing how to use him just a moment ago. As soon as he stepped into the room, he couldn't wait to say, "Mr. Qin, the county magistrate has agreed to your idea and will send people to dig a canal tomorrow!"
Qin Zhao looked at Jing Li in surprise.
Why does he feel that... this little koi has become more and more powerful recently.
Jing Li wanted the flood to be solved smoothly, so Qin Zhao was forced to set off to the county town in person the next day. If he hadn't come in person, he might not have been left here, and the flood in Linxi Village would not have been solved so smoothly.
He wanted Qin Zhao to get better, so they met Mr. Xue in the county town and got a new prescription.
As for now, they were just worrying about how to advance the water control work, and Pei An brought good news.
But... although it was good news, it came at the wrong time.
Qin Zhao retracted his gaze and said calmly, "Didn't the county magistrate say yesterday that this would be a waste of money and effort and that he absolutely would not agree to it? Why did he suddenly change his mind today?"
"Your Excellency did not think things through yesterday. Today, I reviewed with you the cases of flood control in Guangdong and Guangxi in previous years, and found that when Guangdong and Guangxi controlled the floods, they used the method of diversion and diversion."
"With the original dossier, it is confirmed that this method is indeed effective. Your Excellency will naturally have no more concerns."
Pei An smiled and said, "Well, my Lord asked me to come and find you quickly to ask you about some final details of the construction."
Business was more important, and they still needed help, so Qin Zhao could only nod and say, "Sit down."
Pei An and Qin Zhao chatted for almost an hour.
Seeing that it was past dinner time, Jing Li sat under the eaves bored and looked inside the house.
Still chatting.
I'm so hungry.
His stomach growled, Jing Li rubbed it and sighed softly.
Inside the house, Qin Zhao suddenly stopped talking: "Why don't we just stop here today?"
Pei An: “?”
"This... This is not finished yet." Pei An asked, "Are you tired, sir? Why don't we take a break for a cup of tea first?"
Qin Zhao shook his head: "No, it's just that at this time, I should go cook for my husband."
No one can let his little fish starve.
Pei An's expression was blank for a moment: "You... cook?"
Qin Zhao: "Is there a problem?"
Pei An: "Shouldn't my husband be the one cooking?"
Qin Zhao: "My husband can't cook."
Pei An: “…”
Is this a question of whether or not
Who doesn't marry a husband to serve the head of the family? Why does this guy treat him like an ancestor
Pei An said helplessly: "It doesn't matter, I brought some followers outside, let them go to the restaurant in the city to buy some food and bring it back."
"Okay." Qin Zhao nodded and called out to the door, "Xiao Yu, come here."
Jingli walked in.
Qin Zhao said, "Lord Pei is going to send his followers to the restaurant in the city, you should go with them."
Pei An didn't dare to order the person Qin Zhao held in his heart around, so he said hurriedly: "No need, I'll let my followers directly-"
“… Order whatever you want.”
Pei An: “?”
Qin Zhao tilted his head to look at him: "Master Pei, do you have any dietary restrictions?"
“No…No.”
Qin Zhao nodded and said to Jing Li, "Go ahead. Be careful when walking. The road is slippery after the rain."
Jing Li blinked and read the implication of Qin Zhao's words from his eyes.
It would be a waste not to take advantage of the corrupt officials.
Jing Li said: "I know, I will be back soon."
Pei An called his attendant in and gave him a few simple instructions, then had him follow Jing Li away.
Qin Zhao watched Jing Li's back as he left before looking away: "Let's continue... Master Pei?"
Pei An came back to his senses: "It's okay, it's okay..."
I just feel a little sour in my teeth.
Jing Li quickly came back with the food, and the three of them ate and chatted in the main room in the front yard.
"Eat first, then eat the pastries." Qin Zhao said indifferently when he saw Jing Li picking up another piece of pastry.
Jing Li paused, said "Oh" and put the cake back: "I know..."
Qin Zhao put some food on his plate and said, "Be good."
Pei An: “…”
Is he air
Pei An was the legal advisor of the county government. Even the county magistrate had to be polite to him. He was respected wherever he went.
This was the first time he was completely ignored.
Did he provoke this person today
Pei An coughed lightly, forced a smile, and said, "Mr. Qin said before that he planned to participate in the scientific examination next year?"
Qin Zhao's originally gentle expression faded a little, and he nodded: "Yes."
Pei An said: "The county exam is the first test of the imperial examination. There are five sessions in total. Pei will set the questions and the county magistrate will preside over it. I wonder if Mr. Qin knows about it?"
Qin Zhao: "I know."
"Only those who pass the county exam can go to the prefectural capital to participate in the prefectural exam. In previous years, less than 30% of candidates in our county could pass the county exam. But with Mr. Qin's knowledge, it will definitely not be a problem."
Qin Zhao put down his chopsticks and took a sip of water: "Master Pei, if you want to say something, you might as well say it directly."
Pei An said: "It's nothing, but the county magistrate mentioned to me before that Mr. Qin is very knowledgeable. If he passes the imperial examination in the future and is willing to work in the county government, he will definitely be able to relieve the county magistrate of a lot of worries."
Qin Zhao's eyes moved slightly, and he shook his head: "My ambition is not here, Master Pei, there is no need to worry about it."
"It's too early now, Mr. Qin, there's no need to..." His voice paused for a moment, and he suddenly understood the implication of Qin Zhao's words, and his expression froze, "Mr. Qin is joking, why should Pei be worried?"
"No?" Qin Zhao said calmly, "Then just treat it as a joke."
There is usually more than one legal advisor in a county government, but there are also differences in the quality of legal advisors. Whoever is more knowledgeable and can provide advice and handle government affairs for the county magistrate will be more appreciated by the county magistrate.
It's not surprising that Pei An would worry about his position being threatened.
With Qin Zhao's promise, Pei An finally felt relieved and relaxed: "Mr. Qin is a straightforward person, I will make you my friend. After this matter is over, you only need to concentrate on preparing for the imperial examination. As long as you pass the Tongsheng examination, your name will definitely be on the list when nominating candidates for the provincial examination in the future."
The registration rules for the provincial examination and the student examination are different.
To register for the Tongsheng exam, one only needed a scholar and several fellow townsmen to guarantee and recommend him, and anyone could participate. However, to participate in the provincial exam, one had to rely on the recommendation of the county.
The provincial examination is held every three years, but there are so many students in the county that not everyone can be nominated to take part in it.
Pei An's promise was a great temptation to the students.
But Qin Zhao said: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Pei, but I probably don't need these."
"Why?" Pei An asked, "You don't plan to take part in the provincial examination?"
Qin Zhao said: "I remember that as long as you get the top three in the county exam, prefectural exam, and academy exam, you will be eligible to participate in the provincial exam without the need for the county government to recommend you."
Pei An: “…”
He was stunned for a moment, then he laughed: "Okay, very good, good!"
He said "good" three times in a row, and said: "I thought Mr. Qin had a gentle temperament, but I didn't expect that I was biased. This is the ambition that a scholar should have, so crazy and arrogant!"
Pei An raised his glass towards Qin Zhao: "I will use tea instead of wine to toast Mr. Qin and wish you success in the imperial examination!"
Qin Zhao raised his glass and drank with him.
Pei An put down his teacup and sighed, "A talent like Mr. Qin should not be buried in this small county. You don't know that today, I looked through the files with the county magistrate. The magistrate who was sent by the court to Guangdong and Guangxi to control the floods spent three months to come up with a way to divert the water."
"Guangdong and Guangxi are still grateful to that gentleman and everyone praises him. As for me, they just didn't meet Mr. Qin."
"If Mr. Qin were here, it could be resolved within half a month!"
Qin Zhao's eyes flickered slightly, and he looked at Jing Li and asked, "Master Pei, do you know the name of the man who controls the flood?"
"This... I don't know." Pei An said, "I just heard that the gentleman was the third place in the imperial examination selected by His Majesty. After successfully controlling the flood, he was recalled to the capital. Now he is the Minister of Works of the court. Why are you asking these questions, Mr. Qin?"
Qin Zhao thought for a moment and shook his head: "Nothing."
After the three of them finished dinner, Pei An continued to take Qin Zhao to the study to talk about diversion. When he was finally willing to say goodbye and leave, it was already very late.
Jing Li walked into the study room carrying the medicine.
Qin Zhao was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. When he heard his footsteps, he opened his eyes and said, "What are you doing? Come here."
Jing Li didn't move.
…It was this medicine that caused Qin Zhao to become like this.
But he didn't say anything. Jing Li walked over with his head down and put the medicine on the table.
Qin Zhao didn't hesitate at all and drank the medicine directly.
"Don't be like this. Not drinking will only make things worse." Qin Zhao saw what Jing Li was thinking and whispered, "Don't disbelieve me. Chen Yan'an has seen me like that. He still thinks I used to sell banned drugs and that the drugs ruined my brain."
He spoke this in a relaxed tone and even chuckled slightly, as if he had just remembered something interesting.
But Jingli couldn't laugh.
He couldn't imagine what Qin Zhao would look like when the poison took effect, and he didn't want to think about it.
Jing Li did not mention this again and said, "It's okay, just drink it for a few more days. When the county magistrate finishes the river reconstruction, they will be able to help you find medicine."
Just before Pei An left, Qin Zhao had already given him a list of the herbs he needed and asked him to help find them.
Pei An didn't know medicine, and the prescription was not complete. He couldn't see anything. He only knew that it was for Qin Zhao to treat illness, so he didn't refuse.
"Go to bed early." Qin Zhao stood up, but felt dizzy and almost fell.
Jing Li hurried forward to help him.
Qin Zhao was taller, with half of his body pressing on Jing Li. Jing Li couldn't stand steadily for a moment, and staggered to the edge of the desk.
It looked like Qin Zhao was holding her in his arms.
Jing Li wanted to help him up, but Qin Zhao didn't move and just hugged him quietly.
Qin Zhao turned his head and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice beside Jing Li's ears: "For the last time."
Jing Li: “What?”
Qin Zhao lowered his voice, with a hint of threat: "This is the last time. If you are so upset and unhappy in front of me again, I will kiss you every time I see you."
Jing Li's ears turned red, and he asked in a low voice, "Is it to divert attention?"
"No." Qin Zhao said, "It's a punishment."
After he finished speaking, he patted Jing Li on the back, let him go, and walked out the door: "It's late, go to bed."
The river channel renovation went smoothly.
Thanks to Qin Zhao's sufficient preparation in the early stages, the entire project took less than half a month and was finally completed before the flood season.
As for the herbs that Pei An promised to help find, those that could be bought directly from the pharmacy were naturally not a problem, but some of them were out of stock and could only be found by the county government writing a notice to offer a reward to the public, and it would take a while before they could be found.
Qin Zhao was mentally prepared and was not in a hurry.
All in all, they had been away from the village for almost a month. Now that the flood problem had been resolved, they planned to return to the village and wait for news.
Before leaving, Qin Zhao asked Pei An for something.
"How are we going to carry so many medical books back home later?" Sitting in the carriage arranged by the county magistrate, Jing Li flipped through the medical books that were almost piled up like a mountain beside him and sighed.
The small courtyard where they lived in the county town had a complete collection of books, and Qin Zhao moved back almost all the medical books there.
Qin Zhao said: "I have already written to the village chief in advance and asked him to find a few people to help."
Jing Li still didn't understand: "But why did you bring so many books back?"
Qin Zhao: "I have my own plans, you will know in the future."
Jing Li hummed and didn't ask any more questions.
Qin Zhao has always been very opinionated, and the decisions he makes will definitely not be wrong.
but…
"Do you really want to take the imperial examination?" Jing Li suddenly asked.
Qin Zhao paused while sorting the books and looked up at him: "Why do you ask?"
"I'm not upset, I just..." Jing Li's voice got lower and lower, and he whispered, "I'm a little worried about your safety."
Ever since he learned that Qin Zhao was poisoned, he became more concerned about Qin Zhao's identity.
He didn't believe that Qin Zhao would voluntarily take that terrible poison. Someone must want to harm him. In this way, it would be safest for Qin Zhao to stay in the village.
Although some people in the village still don't like Qin Zhao, at least the people in this small mountain village are simple and honest, and the villagers have no intention of harming others.
But it’s not like that outside.
They don’t know who Qin Zhao was in the past, let alone who wants to harm him. What if they run into him in the future
Qin Zhao has no memories, and he can't even be on guard against others.
"Xiao Yu, I did have the thought of escaping from the disaster." Qin Zhao said, "I stayed in Linxi Village for the past three years not entirely because of my serious illness. I knew nothing about my past, but I instinctively felt that the outside world was full of crises and insecurity."
"So I stayed in the village for the past three years, didn't make enemies with anyone, and just wanted to live a peaceful life like this."
"... But you should know me well enough by now. I am not someone who is willing to stay like this forever."
Jing Li looked at Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao's tone was still light when he said this. The hard work these days made him look even thinner, and the color on his face that had finally returned had faded away completely.
He was leaning against the car window, his profile made deep by the sunlight, and his skin was so white that it was almost transparent.
He was still as weak, pale, and frail as when Jing Li first saw him.
But he had indeed become different.
Qin Zhao lifted the car curtain and looked into the distance through the small car window: "I want to leave this place, I want to know my life experience, and I want the person who made me like this to pay the price."
"You understand me, don't you?"
Jing Li certainly understood.
That is Qin Zhao's innate nature.
That is a proud character that cannot be worn away by years of injuries.
"Besides..." Qin Zhao lowered the curtain and said leisurely, "Didn't we participate in the imperial examination just to raise some small fish? The county magistrate, that dog official, used the excuse of finding medicine for us, but he didn't give us any money until the last penny. If I don't think of a way, how can I raise my small fish?"
Jing Li: “…”
How can he be so difficult to raise