Jing Li was in a trance.
He... he is pregnant
Wasn’t that just a joke between him and Qin Zhao
How did it come true
The little koi slowly sank to the bottom of the water, its soft fins retracted and touched its belly which was much rounder than before.
Plumpy and soft.
When Jing Li maintained his human form, there was nothing abnormal about his body appearance, and his pulse was not obvious, so he and Qin Zhao never thought about it.
He has... an extra fish cub
Not to mention Jing Li, even Qin Zhao was distracted for a while. Even when he heard about Xiaoyu's life story just now, he didn't lose his composure like this.
Qin Zhao took a deep breath and asked softly, "Master, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
"Monks don't lie, so it won't be wrong." Jingchen said calmly, "This fish has a round belly. When I touch it with my fingers, I can feel something hard and smooth. It must be pregnant, and most likely already two months pregnant."
"It's been two months..."
That was when they got pregnant not long after arriving in the county.
Qin Zhao recalled that Jing Li's body was the most strange at that time. After consulting a book, he concluded that it was probably the unique breeding period of fish. The book said that the breeding period usually takes half a month to a month to end, but Jing Li finished it in just a few days.
However, at that time he only thought that Jing Li had cultivated into a human form and had a different physique from ordinary fish, but he never thought that the book also mentioned a way to end the breeding period early.
That is to impregnate fish.
So from then on, the little fish...
Qin Zhao: "I never knew..."
"Don't worry, benefactor." Jingchen smiled gently, "I see that this little fish is in very good spirits. As long as you take good care of it in the next few days, the fetus will be born safely."
Qin Zhao nodded: "Thank you, Master."
Qin Zhao sent Jingchen out the door, and when he came back, he saw the little koi still sinking to the bottom of the water, looking dazed and stupid.
He smiled and said, "Don't be in a daze. Come out and eat first. Aren't you hungry?"
After a while, Jing Li dressed neatly and sat at the table, asking Qin Zhao to help him wipe his hair. Jing Li touched his flat abdomen, still a little dazed, and murmured, "I will never talk nonsense again in the future."
Qin Zhao asked: "What do you mean?"
"It's all because I always talked about taking care of the baby." Jing Li sighed, "Now I really have to take care of the baby."
Qin Zhao couldn't help laughing.
He helped Jing Li dry her hair, tied it behind her head with a dark red hairband, and then hugged her from behind: "Don't you want to raise her?"
"Of course not, I just..."
It all happened so suddenly that he was not prepared at all.
But it was indeed very strange. Perhaps because he was used to teasing others in the county town, this time when he found out that she was really pregnant, he did not react as strongly as before, and did not feel the slightest resistance.
On the contrary... I find it very strange.
Perhaps it was because humans were born with the instinct to reproduce. Knowing that he and Qin Zhao were about to have a child together, the sense of fulfillment and satisfaction miraculously offset all the uneasy feelings.
Jing Li leaned in Qin Zhao's arms, and his restless mood gradually calmed down: "I'm just... very surprised and very happy."
Qin Zhao tilted his head and kissed Jing Li's hair, then slowly moved down along his arm and covered the back of his hand that was stroking his abdomen.
"Xiao Yu, I'm very happy too." Qin Zhao said softly, "You don't know how happy I am now."
It's not just because he learned that Jing Li was pregnant, but also because the truth was revealed and old friends were reunited.
Qin Zhao didn't believe in gods and Buddhas originally, but until today, he saw the cause and effect of fate, so mysterious, so... surprising.
He even felt that perhaps all the hardships he had experienced in previous years were for today.
"Okay, let's eat." Jing Li said, "I want to take good care of my baby!"
Qin Zhao: "Okay."
He let go of Jingli, opened the food box brought by Jingchen, and took out the vegetarian food one by one.
The food box had three layers. The top layer contained three small dishes, all of which were green and white. The middle layer contained a cabbage and tofu soup that was still steaming. The bottom layer contained a vegetable bowl filled with rice and... two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
Qin Zhao: “…”
He just felt that Jingchen's "congratulations" had a deeper meaning, and it turned out to be true.
Jing Li hadn't eaten much since he got on the boat in the morning, and he was starving now. He didn't even notice anything wrong with the vegetarian food and couldn't wait to start devouring it.
Qin Zhao just smiled and shook his head without saying anything.
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Jingchen sent Qin Zhao to the mountain gate.
The temple would send disciples down the mountain to buy things every day. However, cars could not be driven on the mountain paths, and it would take at least an hour to walk down the mountain to the town, so the disciples usually went out early.
Jing Li couldn't get out of bed at this time, but fortunately he was now a koi in front of outsiders, so he turned back to his original form and took a nap in the fish basket openly.
"Mingshan will take you to the post station in the small town at the foot of the mountain, where you can rent a carriage to the city." Jingchen said, "Although it seems that your trip to the city will be smooth, you still have to be cautious."
Qin Zhao paused and asked, "Master, what did you see?"
"But the road ahead is rough and there are robbers everywhere. It's not as peaceful as the donor's life in the mountain village."
Qin Zhao vaguely heard something from his words and said calmly, "There is only one road ahead. Even if it is rough, we have to go. As for the rampant robbers mentioned by Master, it is a blessing, not a disaster. If it is a disaster, we cannot avoid it. If there are really people blocking the road, we will get rid of them."
Jingchen was stunned.
He tilted his head to look at the man in front of him, and there seemed to be a hint of depth in his eyes.
Time is the most unpredictable thing in the world. It will change many things, enough to make a person fall from the clouds and become unrecognizable.
But some things will never change.
After a while, Jingchen whispered, "Donor, you are very insightful. I am just worrying too much."
The two had already reached the mountain gate, and a young monk in his teens was waiting at the foot of the stone steps.
Jingchen stopped and said: "I will take you here, please take care."
Qin Zhao glanced into the fish basket and saw that the little guy was sleeping soundly, so he said, "I have one last question."
"… Yesterday, Master said that he dreamed of an old friend coming to him. That old friend, he was referring to more than one person, right?"
Jingchen did not answer.
He clasped his hands together, performed a Buddhist salute to Qin Zhao, and chanted a Buddhist name in a low voice.
Qin Zhao smiled softly and said, "Master, please keep the fish tank for me. I will come back to get it later."
After he finished speaking, he turned and walked down the stone steps.
Jingchen stared at the figure for a long time. The cool mountain breeze outside the mountain gate in the early morning blew away a faint sigh.
When Jing Li woke up, they had already boarded the carriage to the provincial capital.
They had already traveled half the distance by boat, and it would take another two days by carriage from the town at the foot of the Yunguan Temple mountain to reach the provincial capital.
But now Jing Li's situation is special, Qin Zhao deliberately asked the driver to drive slower.
They stopped and walked along the way until the afternoon of the third day when they finally arrived at the provincial capital, Jiangling.
Due to its excellent geographical location and extremely developed commerce, Jiangling Prefecture is one of the most prosperous prefectures in the Central Plains.
There are many rules in the city, and carriages from outside are not allowed to enter the city unless under special circumstances. Qin Zhao paid the fare, was interrogated at the city gate, and had the official check the pass documents before he led Jing Li into the city.
Jing Li had never been to this place before, and Qin Zhao had no memory of it and didn't know the way. Fortunately, among the five candidates who guaranteed each other, there was Yan Xiu, who had come to the city to take the exam before.
Yan Xiu had already discussed with them which inn to stay in and how to find the way when they came to the city.
The two followed the direction Yan Xiu had mentioned and soon saw the inn.
"Brother Qin, here!"
The house where Chen Yan'an lived was on the second floor, and its window happened to face the main street. He saw Qin Zhao and Jing Li coming from afar and waved to them.
The two walked into the inn, and Chen Yanan and He Zhixing walked downstairs quickly.
Chen Yanan asked, "Why did it take so many days? Did anything go wrong along the way?"
He Zhixing also said: "Yes, I heard that there are robbers all over the road. We have been very worried these days. Brother Chen almost went to the government to report it."
The gate of the inn was not close, so they walked for half an hour. Qin Zhao helped Jing Li sit down beside him, and then he said slowly: "Something went wrong."
Chen Yanan became nervous: "What happened? Were you robbed? Are you not hurt?"
"What nonsense." Qin Zhao glanced at him and said calmly, "It's your sister-in-law who is pregnant."
Chen Yanan: “???”
Jing Li: “…”
He Zhixing said happily: "Congratulations, Doctor Qin!"
Jing Li felt helpless.
Qin Zhao looked calm, but he was actually quite sultry. These days, whenever he met someone, he would tell them that she was pregnant, and he wanted the whole world to know that he was going to be a father.
Chen Yanan didn't look happy, he just shook his head and sighed: "Qin Zhao is about to become a father, and I don't even have a wife. God is so unfair..."
Qin Zhao: “…”
Chen Yanan stopped him and said, "I don't care. You're treating me tonight. I want to have a good meal."
A meal in the prefecture is much more expensive than in the county. Jing Li frowned and wanted to defend himself, but Qin Zhao said calmly: "Okay, call them along as well. You can choose whatever you want to eat tonight, I'll treat you."
Jing Li: “…”
Does this person have too much money and nowhere to spend it? ?
It was still early for dinner, so Qin Zhao went to the counter to book a room and took Jing Li upstairs to rest.
The price of this inn is relatively cheap in the capital city. A single bed room costs 280 wen per night, but Chen Yanan and his group stayed in a room, which was quite cheap, 180 wen per night, which came out to only 90 wen per person.
Both types of rooms have free charcoal braziers provided, but the double room is smaller, has no shower, and the beds are just two wooden planks.
Of course Qin Zhao was reluctant to let Jing Li live in that kind of house.
On the other hand, the guest room he booked had a bathtub and a bed covered with soft mats. It was a bit expensive, but at least it allowed his little fish to sleep comfortably.
Qin Zhao helped Jing Li fill the hot water bottle and warm the bedding before he carried him to the bed and bent down to help him take off his coat, shoes and socks.
"Don't..."
Jing Li was not used to being served like this, and shrank his feet, but Qin Zhao held his ankles: "Don't move."
Qin Zhao helped him take off his shoes and socks, pulled the quilt over him and wrapped him up, and asked in a low voice: "Are you still cold?"
Jing Li and Qin Zhao looked at each other and said seriously, "Cold."
Qin Zhao: "I'll go to the store to ask for the bed and quilt."
"Don't." Jing Li pulled his sleeve, moved inward, and patted the empty bed beside him, "I won't be cold if you come up."
Qin Zhao chuckled.
He took off his coat, climbed onto the bed, and pulled her into his arms: "Like this?"
"Yeah!" Jing Li found a comfortable position in Qin Zhao's arms and lay down. He felt that the other party was hugging him cautiously and couldn't help laughing. "Why are you so nervous?"
Qin Zhao: "I'm nervous?"
"Yes, you have been like this since three days ago." Jing Li turned over in his arms and said nonchalantly, "I am not feeling uncomfortable at all. I eat and drink well, and I don't feel uncomfortable at all. You don't have to be like this."
"I..." Qin Zhao lowered his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize." Jing Li nuzzled Qin Zhao's shoulder. "I know you're worried about me, but I'm really fine. I promise that if I feel uncomfortable, I'll tell you right away, okay? Don't worry."
Qin Zhao stroked his hair and responded gently, "If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have brought you here."
They came to the city just to register, and now they have to make Jing Li travel with him.
"Why didn't you bring me along? Didn't you want to take me to the capital city to have some fun?" Jing Li said, "And if I hadn't come along, you wouldn't even know about your son's existence."
At this point, Jing Li paused: "Speaking of which, how many children will I have..."
He vaguely knew that in reality, koi could lay tens of thousands of eggs at a time, and at least hundreds or even thousands of them could be successfully hatched.
He shouldn't... give birth to so many children, right
Jing Li touched his flat belly and shuddered.
Qin Zhao could probably guess what he was thinking, and whispered to comfort him: "Don't let your imagination run wild, and... it doesn't matter even if that happens."
After all, they are all his children, and he will not abandon any of them.
"I'd better not. I finally have some money, but the baby will eat me up again." Jing Li muttered softly, "But the abbot said that I was born with only one egg, so maybe I will only give birth to one cub. I'm a koi, so quality is more important than quantity."
Qin Zhao burst out laughing.
I have never seen anyone talk about themselves like this. His Xiaoyu's way of thinking... is really unusual.
Jing Li felt tired before, but now he was not sleepy at all after lying down. The two talked for a while, and Qin Zhao suddenly asked: "How much do you remember about the past?"
"Before?" Jing Li asked, "Are you talking about what happened in Yunguan Temple?"
Ever since some of his memories were awakened in Yunguan Temple, Jing Li had a vague feeling that the koi that was hatched in Yunguan Temple was him.
But if he was really just a koi, why would he live in the modern world
And it seemed that because the little Koi was too young at that time, those memories, even though some of them have been awakened now, are still very vague, so vague that Jing Li cannot get any evidence from them.
Jing Li shook his head: "I can't remember..."
But Qin Zhao seemed to be extremely interested in this memory. He stroked Jing Li's vest and asked slowly, "Don't you remember anything at all? What about that... Prince Rong? The abbot said you liked him very much in the past."
Jing Li looked up at him, blinked, and vaguely understood something.
Is this person jealous again
"I don't like that Prince Rong!"
Jing Li said righteously: "These are just the abbot's one-sided words, you can't believe them. And you also heard from Chen Yan'an that the so-called prince has such a bad reputation among the people, he must be an ugly freak with a horrible appearance and a vicious mind. How could my vision be so bad? It's absolutely impossible!"
Qin Zhao: “…”