Jing Li was quick and just one hit was not enough to quell his anger, so he swung his tail quickly and slapped Chen Yanan several times in a row.
The water splashed on Chen Yanan's face, and the latter couldn't open his eyes at all, and couldn't see what hit him. He only heard a splash, and when he came to his senses, the water surface in front of him returned to calm, and there was no shadow in sight.
"Did you see that? What was that just now?!"
The place on his face where he was hit was still burning with pain. Chen Yanan was terrified and trembling with fear. Qin Zhao pressed his eyebrows helplessly and stretched out his hand to him: "Come up first."
Chen Yanan didn't dare to stay in the water, so he quickly grabbed Qin Zhao's hand and rolled to the shore, hiding his short and fat body behind Qin Zhao. "Did you see it clearly just now? What the hell was that thing?!"
"No." Qin Zhao glanced at the bright red fish tail that flashed by the reef and lied without changing his expression, "I was scared and didn't see anything."
Chen Yanan looked at him as if he had seen a ghost.
Does this person look frightened at all
But he couldn't care about that now. Chen Yan'an was shaking wetly, "No, it can't be a water ghost. I heard that there is a kind of water ghost that can transform into a beautiful woman and lure people into the water, so that they can never get out. Will I be targeted by a water ghost?"
Qin Zhao: “…”
Chen Yanan didn't notice that his expression suddenly became indescribable, and collapsed: "You have copied Buddhist scriptures, please teach me, what should I do now!"
"..." Qin Zhao forcibly pulled away Chen Yan'an's hand that was holding his arm, and said calmly, "Go home and fast for seven days, and recite scriptures for an hour every morning. Go."
"This... Will this work?" Chen Yan'an was skeptical. Seeing the other party's confident expression, he said, "I believe you this time, but you must not bluff me. If I get caught by a water ghost, you will be the first one to be caught!"
He said this tremblingly and ran away in a hurry.
Qin Zhao stood by the water in silence for a moment before he said, "Everyone has left, why aren't you coming out?"
The little koi swam out from behind the reef.
He floated on the water, his tail raised high, looking up at Qin Zhao.
A smile appeared on Qin Zhao's lips: "Why, are you still waiting for me to praise you?"
Jing Li wagged his tail proudly.
He didn't want to do this, but who made that person speak so nasty words just now? Qin Zhao just had a good temper and was not angry at all, so he was bullied by these people.
Qin Zhao could endure it, but he was unwilling to endure it.
Qin Zhao bent down and put his hand into the water. The little koi rubbed his fingers obediently.
"He may be small, but he has a bad temper." Qin Zhao touched his head and whispered, "Thank you."
You're welcome.
Jing Li shook his fins at him.
"It's just..." Qin Zhao paused, as if hesitating for a moment, and then said, "Just scare him, don't tease him next time."
Jing Li stopped moving, looking somewhat displeased.
If I don't fight back, am I just going to let that guy bully me
Qin Zhao didn't explain any more. He put the wooden barrel into the water and let the little koi swim in.
He walked back holding the little koi.
"Yan'an is not a bad person. There are just some misunderstandings between him and me." Qin Zhao said slowly on the way back.
Jing Li snorted in his heart, turned his back to Qin Zhao and sank into the water, his tail swaying unhappily.
"Listen to me." Qin Zhao said, "Three years ago, I was stranded here, and it was Chen Yan'an who rescued me from the river. That young man saved my life."
Jing Li was stunned.
Qin Zhao: "At that time, I was seriously ill and bedridden. Thanks to the Chen family for taking me in and taking care of me. They later rented the old house to me so that I could stay in the village."
So that's how it is.
But why now...
"It's already a great act of kindness for them to take in a stranger of unknown origin," Qin Zhao said. "Good deeds can only last for a while, but not forever. Ultimately, I was wrong in this matter."
The Chen family was a well-off family in Linxi Village, but they were not as wealthy as the wealthy families in the town. They rented the old house to Qin Zhao at a price far below the market price, which was a help to Qin Zhao, but also invisibly damaged their own interests.
But in this world, life is not easy for ordinary people and everyone has their own difficulties. Who would be willing to help an unidentified stranger endlessly
Jing Li understood the implication of Qin Zhao's words and calmed down under the water.
Qin Zhao noticed the little koi's gaze and smiled softly: "Life can't always go smoothly, I don't think there is anything shameful about asking for help. If someone is willing to treat me kindly, I will be grateful and will definitely repay them in the future, but if they are unwilling, this is understandable and I won't force it."
"How can I take the other party's kindness for granted?"
He spoke this in a steady tone. Jing Li looked at him through the water. His handsome face was so pale in the sunlight that there was not a trace of blood.
Jing Li never thought that Qin Zhao's thoughts would be so clear.
He once thought that Qin Zhao was indifferent by nature and didn't care about the opinions of others, but the facts proved that this was not the case.
He actually sees it more clearly than anyone else.
How many people in this world can truly remain calm in the face of praise or criticism and be able to adapt to other people's situations? If Jing Li had fallen to this point, it would be impossible for him to have no grudges in his heart.
But Qin Zhao did it.
His tolerance is not about keeping quiet, nor is it about being cowardly. Behind this sick body lies a strong mentality and way of dealing with things that others can hardly imagine.
"As for Yan An..." Qin Zhao showed a trace of helplessness on his face, and said softly, "I just found out recently that the room I live in was originally prepared by Chen's grandmother for him to study."
The little koi suddenly understood.
Chen Yanan is still a teenager after all, and his emotions are all shown on his face.
He rescued Qin Zhao three years ago because he was kind-hearted, but after he rescued him, this man occupied his house and stayed there for three years. Anyone would be angry.
But he refused to speak directly and kept everything in his heart, which made him feel more and more resentful towards Qin Zhao.
This... this is really a misunderstanding.
Qin Zhao said: "I just learned about this not long ago, but I was too ill at the time. Even if I knew about it, I couldn't move out of the house immediately. And if I explain this to Yan An now, it seems a little..."
He is so ungrateful after getting an advantage.
Jing Li thought to himself that if it were him, he would probably be even angrier.
Qin Zhao: "I know you can understand. That boy is not a bad person by nature, but he is a bit rude. You should be patient and give in to him in the future."
Jing Li was blowing bubbles under the water, still feeling a little unwilling.
Even if Chen Yanan and the Chen family had done Qin Zhao a favor, that was not a reason for him to speak rudely and insult Qin Zhao.
He is just a fish now, why does he think things so clearly
It’s not okay to bully Qin Zhao.
The fat boy deserved to be beaten.
Qin Zhao naturally didn't know what he was thinking. He carried Jing Li back home, glanced around the house, and sighed slowly.
"Now... what should I do?"
In the next few days, Qin Zhao also became busy.
When the weather was good during the day, he would go into the mountains to pick some herbs. Fortunately, the medicine boy had promised him a price increase, so the income was considerable. The rest of the time he would continue to organize the books on hand at home.
However, Qin Zhao’s medicine cannot be stopped, so it is still not easy to achieve their goal.
That evening, Qin Zhao sat by the door, sorting and classifying the herbs he had collected over the past few days.
This is a delicate job. First, you have to remove the dirt on the herbs, then pick off the parts that are unusable or damaged when picking, and finally sort them into different categories. Those that can be used directly as medicine are put into one category, and those that need to be dried or baked are put into another category, and then they are tied up separately with rattan.
Jing Li finally understood why Yao Tong was willing to raise the price for Qin Zhao.
Ordinary farmers would not handle the herbs so meticulously. For those mountain farmers, they only need to recognize which herbs the doctor needs. As for how to handle them after picking them, and which ones can be used and which ones cannot, the medicine boys will sort them out.
This person... really knows a lot.
The sunset glow in the distance was like fire, casting a layer of warm light on Qin Zhao's profile.
Those hands were very beautiful, with long fingers and distinct knuckles. They were obviously not the hands of labor, but they were not weak like those of ordinary scholars.
It was a pity that it had lost its color and looked so pale that it was almost transparent.
The small wooden barrel was placed at his feet. Jing Li looked up at him quietly in the water, feeling a little worried.
This person hasn't had a good rest for several days. Can his body take it
Qin Zhao tied up the last herb and put it in the backpack, then picked up Jing Li and went back to the house. "I'm going to the neighboring village to deliver the medicine. I'll feed you when I come back. Be good and wait for me at home."
The little koi fish gently wagged its tail.
The mountain doctor in the neighboring village sends his apprentices to collect the medicine every half month. Now the time has not come, so if he wants to sell the medicine, he can only go there in person.
Qin Zhao placed the small wooden barrel on the table beside the windowsill, picked up the backpack and went out.
No matter how uncomfortable he felt, he kept his back straight when he walked. The breeze blew across his pale blue clothes, making him look even thinner.
Jing Li watched his back disappear from his sight before he looked away.
Jing Li has been feeling complicated these days.
In Qin Zhao's opinion, even if the Chen family had not recently split up, he would have found a chance to return these items to their original owners. But if this had not happened, Qin Zhao could have first recovered his health, saved up enough money, and then come to thank them and clarify the misunderstanding.
Instead of what I am doing now, looking for ways to make money everywhere and almost exhausting myself.
These... are all his fault.
Qin Zhao treated him too well these days, making him forget that he was born with bad luck and only brought bad luck to those around him.
Otherwise, why did Qin Zhao live well in Linxi Village for three years, but after coming here, he had to face the situation of being driven out
He didn't believe it was a coincidence.
Jing Li shook his head to stop himself from thinking about it anymore.
Now is not the time to think about these things. What he should do now is to find a way to help Qin Zhao make money.
And he already has an idea.
Qin Zhao knew that he would be bored if he was alone, so when he wanted to go out, he would put Jing Li next to the window with the widest view so that he could see outside.
This makes it convenient for him to go out.
Jing Li took a deep breath in the water, jumped out of the water and jumped off the windowsill.
There are drainage ditches next to every household in Linxi Village. Jing Li jumped on the ground a few times, jumped into the ditch with ease, and floated downstream.
This ditch leads all the way to the stream, and Jing Li has walked through it several times in the past few days.
He knew that at the bottom of many streams, lakes and rivers, there were actually treasures hidden. The constant flow of water would wash away the valuables dropped by passers-by to the bottom of the river. The more villages gathered like this, the more valuable things there were.
Jing Li has been trying his luck in the stream these days.
If he could find something valuable, Qin Zhao wouldn’t have to work so hard anymore.
Although... I've been out for several days and haven't found even a single penny.
The unlucky guy is still the unlucky guy.
Fortunately, the little koi knows its luck well. If it can't find it, it will go look somewhere farther away. If it keeps looking, it will eventually find something good.
He couldn't let Qin Zhao work hard alone.
The little koi was swimming quickly in the ditch and was about to cross the ditch and enter the stream.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes.
Before Jing Li could see clearly what it was, he instinctively jumped up and avoided it.
The little koi fell back into the ditch and looked up.
A chubby, round orange cat lay beside the ditch, licking its wet front paws, its pupils fixed in the direction of Jing Li.
Jing Li: “…”
Then, the orange cat arched its back and pounced forward with a meow.
“—Aaaaah!”
Jing Li cried out, but no sound came out. He turned around and swam into the stream.
But no matter how fast the fish swam, it was nowhere near as fast as the cat. The orange cat quickly caught up and slapped the little koi with its sharp claws.
Fortunately, Jing Li's flexibility was much better than that of ordinary fish. He once again narrowly avoided the cat's claws and his vision suddenly opened up.
The little koi fell into the stream with a splash.
…Are you okay
The little koi floated up from the bottom of the water and looked around with lingering fear, but there was no trace of the cat.
That was a close call.
Jing Li breathed a sigh of relief.
He had always been afraid of cats when he was a human, let alone now that he had become a fish, which was his natural enemy!
He didn't find the money, but he found a cat. He is worthy of it.
Jing Li thought helplessly, and suddenly felt the water flowing beside him. Before he could react, the fish's body suddenly tightened and instantly left the water.
He turned around blankly and met a pair of round cat-like eyes.
He was being held in the orange cat's mouth.
Ahhhh—
As night fell, an orange cat, holding a bright red koi in its mouth, ran into the forest outside the village.
Jing Li was held in the cat's mouth. The orange cat's two sharp fangs just clamped his body tightly, making him unable to move.
The only part of the fish that could move was its tail, hanging limply, and its entire body was shaking constantly.
He originally thought that no matter how unlucky he was, he would get nothing at most. Who would have thought that there were people in this small mountain village who kept cats!
Why is he committing suicide...
The orange cat walked deep into the woods before putting down the fish in its mouth.
But Jingli didn't move again.
The little koi fish lay quietly on the ground, even its gills stopped moving, as if it had lost consciousness.
The orange cat fiddled with the fish's body with its claws, then moved closer to sniff it curiously, as if it didn't understand why the little fish, which had been struggling desperately just now, suddenly stopped moving.
Jing Li seized the opportunity, swung his fish tail hard, and hit the orange cat's eyes hard.
The orange cat cried out in pain, and when it opened its eyes again, the little fish in front of it had disappeared.
Jing Li was so frightened that his whole body was shaking, and he struggled hard to move deeper into the woods.
But he had been dehydrated for too long and was frightened, so his physical strength was at its limit and he soon didn't even have the strength to struggle.
The grass behind him moved, and the little koi curled up under a blade of grass, its tail tip trembling with fear.
It’s over, it’s over. I’m definitely going to die this time.
Qin Zhao, where are you...
Just then, the grass was pushed aside and that familiar face appeared in his sight.
"It's you." Qin Zhao said.
He was just about to go back to the village when he saw a ginger cat carrying a fish into the woods. He didn't see the fish clearly, but he was worried, so he followed to take a look.
It turned out to be my own stupid fish.
Qin Zhao squatted down and held the little koi in his palm: "Didn't I tell you to stay at home? What's going on?"
Jing Li didn't have the energy to respond to him. He just rubbed his head gently against his fingertips. The whole fish curled up and trembled in Qin Zhao's palm.
I feel so wronged.
Qin Zhao realized that the little koi was a little dehydrated, so he picked him up and prepared to leave without delay.
Before standing up, he subconsciously glanced around, but was stunned.
Where Jing Li had been hiding just now, a few grass leaves of special shapes were covered with water droplets, lying quietly in the grass.
"This is… "
A look of surprise appeared in Qin Zhao's eyes.