The next day, the scales on Jing Li's body did not fade away.
The crystal clear bright red fish scales are scattered at the corners of the eyes, the sides of the neck, and the waist. There are not many of them, but they look like some kind of glittering decoration, making the skin tone look even whiter.
Even Qin Zhao couldn't help but secretly kiss the scales at the corners of his eyes several times before getting up.
"You did it on purpose." Jing Li said angrily.
There was no other way. If the scales didn't go away, Jing Li couldn't go out and could only stay in the yard. Jing Li was bored and actually started to teach the little fish to swim.
That's right, teach the fish to swim.
"You have to wave your hands. If you don't move, you will sink. Get up, get up." Jing Li sat by the hot spring pool wrapped in a bathrobe, eating a fruit plate while watching his child splashing in the water.
Qin Zhao happened to see this scene when he returned to the yard. He was so frightened that his heart stopped for a moment. Then he remembered that his own baby was also a fish and could not be drowned.
Feeling helpless, he walked closer and saw a fish tail sticking out from under Jing Li's bathrobe, holding the fish cub at a distance to prevent him from getting into any accidents.
"Stupid fish, no fish can swim as badly as you."
Jing Li used his fish tail to hold up the kid's chubby body and said disdainfully, "It's all your dad's fault for feeding you too much. You can't even float."
"It's obvious that you're afraid that he'll be hungry, so you always secretly give him extra meals." Qin Zhao said calmly, standing behind Jing Li.
Jing Li shuddered all over, and the fish tail instantly turned back into legs, which he then wrapped in a bathrobe, covering himself tightly.
That poor fish tail was played with too much last night. Jing Li still feels scared when he thinks about it now.
Without anything to hold it afloat, the little fish spun in a circle like a ball, sank into the water, and sat down at the bottom of the pool.
He looked up in confusion, looking at his two fathers across the water.
It was as if he didn't understand why he suddenly sank.
Qin Zhao looked at the cute appearance of his cub and couldn't help but smile: "And the cub can't float because its limbs are not strong enough, it has nothing to do with being fat."
Jing Li slid into the water, fished the kid out of the water, pointed at Qin Zhao and said, "Did you hear that? It was your father who said you were fat, not me."
Qin Zhao: “…”
childish.
There was a small table next to the hot spring, and the fruit plate that Jing Li had just eaten was placed on it. Qin Zhao placed the food box in his hand on it and opened the lid.
Inside was a plate of mooncakes.
Today is Mid-Autumn Festival.
Jing Li swam over with the cub in his arms and asked, "Did the prefect call you over just to give you this?"
"No." Qin Zhao said, "He asked me what my plans were, whether I wanted to take part in the provincial examination next year, or whether I wanted to stay in the city."
Jing Li: "He probably wants to win you over."
"That's true." Qin Zhao rummaged through the mooncake box, picked out a piece, and leaned over to feed it to Jing Li's mouth.
Jing Li took it, but before he could take a bite, the kid in his arms couldn't sit still anymore: "Ah, ah!"
"Do you want it?" Jing Li deliberately waved the mooncake in front of the kid and looked inside when he opened his mouth. "You haven't even grown any teeth yet. Wait until you grow teeth before eating. Be good."
After saying that, he took a big bite in front of the fish baby.
The fish boy frowned and almost cried in anxiety.
Qin Zhao was already used to her husband bullying her son, so she just pretended not to see it: "The prefect asked me if I was interested in joining the government office as a staff member."
Jingli blinked.
A staff member is actually a legal advisor, whose main job is to collaborate with local officials in handling affairs and offering advice.
This was not a formal official position, but it was of high status, and usually only those who passed the imperial examination could take it. Even the county's Mr. Pei was a juren.
I have never heard of any rich man hiring a scholar as his aide.
Jing Li asked: "Did you agree?"
"No."
This answer was not unexpected. Qin Zhao paused and said, "The government office gives the legal advisor ten taels of silver per month, which is too little."
Jing Li: “…”
The reasons for rejection are so real.
The Gu Mansion paid the teacher 25 taels of silver per month, and each class lasted half a day, so he only had to go for half a month. Because Qin Zhao did not eat or live in the mansion, he would be sent some rice, grain and bacon from time to time.
And the snacks made by Mrs. Gu are delicious.
Thinking about it this way, Qin Zhao did suffer a loss by going to the government office.
only…
"The prefect probably doesn't know why you refused, right?" Jing Li asked cautiously.
"He doesn't know." Qin Zhao said, "I said I planned to use this year to review my lessons and prepare for the provincial examination. I have no time to take care of government affairs."
This answer is perfect.
Jing Li felt relieved and took another bite of the mooncake. Then he realized something was wrong and frowned: "What's the filling of this mooncake?"
Qin Zhao went back to change his clothes and replied, "I heard there are three kinds of fillings, egg yolk, fresh meat, and five kernels, but they look similar and I can't tell them apart. What did you eat?"
Jing Li: “…”
He is still very unlucky!
The scales on Jing Li's body fell off completely in the afternoon.
As dusk approached, the prefect sent someone to tell him that he wanted to gather everyone to reciting poems, appreciating the moon, and enjoying singing and dancing. Jing Li did not appreciate such literary activities, so Qin Zhao declined the invitation on the grounds of being unwell.
The two of them stayed in the small courtyard, soaking in the hot springs and playing with their baby, spending a quiet Mid-Autumn night.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, life returned to its former peaceful state.
After the little fish turned into a human, its growth rate became the same as that of an ordinary child. Considering Jing Li's situation, they guessed that raising him in fish form would make him grow faster, but the little boy liked to be a human, so the two did not intervene and just let him be.
Of course, Jing Li always felt that the reason why the fish cubs liked to maintain their human form was because they could eat more delicious food.
Qin Zhao continued to go back to the Gu Mansion to teach Gu Heng. Under his guidance, the young master of the Gu family gradually restrained his domineering temper and returned to the right path.
Although the changes are huge, they do not mean a complete overhaul.
Except for the first half month, Qin Zhao no longer restricted Gu Heng's leisure time. He played as much as he wanted and had fun as much as he wanted every day. However, both the way he treated people and his behavior were obviously different from the past.
He is polite but has not lost his edge, and is not at all pedantic or old-fashioned.
It can be regarded as a model of raising cubs.
Suddenly, many people in the city began to be curious about Qin Zhao's parenting skills. Jing Li also knew about this, and when Qin Zhao was feeding the fish at night, he excitedly said, "I heard that someone asked the bookstore owner to ask you to write a book on parenting."
"I can't write that kind of thing." Qin Zhao fed the kid a mouthful of porridge, wiped the soup dripping from his chest, and said calmly.
Jing Li propped up his chin and said with regret: "I heard that you can get a lot of royalties by writing for a bookstore."
Qin Zhao: “…”
Jing Li's topic changed quickly, and soon he turned to a new storybook that was recently published in a bookstore. It turned out to be about the story of a sickly scholar and Shuang'er's husband. Unfortunately, only a small volume was published.
Jing Li kept telling Qin Zhao that story throughout dinner.
Qin Zhao frowned slightly when he heard this.
Why... does it seem a little familiar
However, Jing Li didn't seem to notice anything wrong, so Qin Zhao didn't say much.
After listening to the story, Qin Zhao put down the spoon and commented: "Not bad."
Jing Li muttered softly: "I think it's pretty good."
Qin Zhao looked down at the kid who was groaning and grabbing his sleeve, and frowned: "We agreed that that was the last bite."
Little fish: "Woo woo..."
Qin Zhao: "No."
Little fish: "Hmm."
Qin Zhao: "... Then take one last bite."
Jing Li: “…”
People outside will never know how unsteady Mr. Qin, a well-known figure, was when it came to raising his own children.
If this person really wrote a parenting manual, the entire article would probably only have one word left.
Pet.
Jing Li was complaining in his heart, and Qin Zhao finally finished feeding him the last mouthful of porridge. The little fish gave Qin Zhao a kiss on the face contentedly, and was carried by Jing Li.
Qin Zhao took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them.
Jing Li held the baby and leaned against the back kitchen door. He watched Qin Zhao busy for a while and suddenly said, "Why don't we go hire someone?"
Qin Zhao tilted his head to look at him: "Don't you dislike this?"
"Just think of it as asking for help." Jing Li said, "I don't want you to be too tired."
The two have never reached a consensus on the matter of housework.
Qin Zhao felt that Jing Li was working hard to take care of the children at home, so he didn't let him do any housework and was even unwilling to let him help.
Jing Li felt that this was overprotection for him.
Qin Zhao has to go out to make money during the day, buy groceries and cook when he comes back, and clean the house in his spare time. How can he have so much energy
In the past, Jing Li would often secretly help sweep the floor and tidy up the study when Qin Zhao was out. But every time Qin Zhao came back and found Jing Li had done some work, although he would not say anything, he would definitely finish it in advance before he went out next time.
Finish the work first so that Jingli has nothing to do.
It's outrageous.
This tug of war lasted for half a month, completely diluting Jing Li's resistance to human trafficking.
If you think about it carefully, those children are meant to be bought and sold. Even if they don't buy them, there will always be someone else who will. If you can buy a poor child and treat him better, it can be a good thing.
Jing Li told Qin Zhao his idea, and the latter nodded: "I will go to the outer city tomorrow to take a look."
Jing Li: “Yeah!”
That being said, Qin Zhao actually had no intention of going to the outer city to buy someone back. That place was full of good and bad people, and coupled with the secrets of her husband and children, Qin Zhao did not intend to keep too many outsiders at home.
That's why he asked Gu Changzhou to help him find an follower.
They need someone to help with housework and child care, and they also need a guard who can protect their safety when necessary.
However, it has been almost a month since the Mid-Autumn Festival, why hasn’t Gu Changzhou given him a reply yet
Is it so difficult to find a guard who can take care of children
Facts have proved that the young man's habit of doing whatever he says has not changed. The next day, when Qin Zhao finished teaching and left Gu's house, he met someone head-on.
The man was dressed in coarse cloth, about thirty years old, with a tanned skin.
When he saw Qin Zhao, he said cheerfully, "You are Mr. Qin, right?"
"It's me." Qin Zhao said, "You are..."
"I am the manager of the Human Market. Mr. Qin asked someone to tell him that he wanted to find a servant. I have found a suitable person and brought him to Mr. Qin for a look."
The place where cattle and horses are sold is called the cattle and horse market, and the place where people are sold is called the human market.
Qin Zhao naturally had never asked anyone to go to the Human City, so those who could say so were most likely Gu Changzhou's people.
Qin Zhao glanced at him from head to toe, noticed the accessories on his waist, and asked, "You said you wanted me to take a look, where is the person?"
"I'm following you." The manager smiled and pointed to the dark alley beside him, saying to Qin Zhao, "Mr. Qin, come with me."
He led Qin Zhao into the dark alley.
The moment he walked into the dark alley, a breeze blew from behind Qin Zhao, and then a low voice sounded: "Mr. Qin, I'm here."
A young man appeared there out of nowhere.
Qin Zhao then understood what the manager meant by "follow".
He hadn't noticed anyone following him until this person showed up.
The kung fu is quite good.
Qin Zhao turned around and saw a young man in old coarse clothes kneeling on one knee, his thin figure completely hidden in the dark alley.
The steward stopped laughing and whispered, "This man is a lonely man. He has been trained since he was a child and has great martial arts skills. The master ordered him to make up an identity for him so that he can blend into the market and hide from others. What do you think?"
Qin Zhao frowned slightly and asked, "Can you do housework?"
"He knows a little bit." The manager said, "He has been disguising himself and mixing with all kinds of people over the years. He has worked as a domestic servant and waited on people, but he has no experience in taking care of children. These secret guards who have been trained since childhood are used to kill people. How can they have the chance to start a family and build a career?"
Qin Zhao: "It's okay, I can learn if I don't know how to do it."
"Then you are willing to accept it?"
Qin Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "Come home with me first. I still need to ask my husband what he thinks."
Manager: “…”
"Okay." The steward obviously didn't know Qin Zhao's identity, he just followed Gu Changzhou's orders. He said, "Take him back first, whether he accepts it or not, he will write me a reply, and I will report back to the master later."
Qin Zhao: "Thank you for your hard work."
The manager bowed to him and left the dark alley.
Qin Zhao stared at the young man who was still kneeling on the ground, frowning: "Have I... seen you somewhere before?"
The young man was silent for a long time, and Qin Zhao said, "Stand up and let me see."
The young man stood up slowly. He was slightly shorter than Qin Zhao, with a youthful and handsome face but a little dull. His appearance was the kind that could easily be overlooked in a crowd.
But he looks like a person who is very suitable to be a secret guard.
The young man raised his head and called in a low voice: "...Master."
Prince Rong once had a group of personal guards who were highly skilled in martial arts and were trained by him.
In addition to protecting the safety of Prince Rong, the secret guards are often sent to various places to help him handle tasks that are inconvenient for him to handle in person.
Youth is one of them.
Four years ago, Prince Rong went to Jiangling, and he stayed in the capital to carry out his mission.
The two sides lost contact since then.
After the mission was completed, the young man went to Jiangling to look for him, but he found nothing. The master, along with the accompanying carriages, guards, and other eleven secret guards, all disappeared without a trace.
"It's you." Qin Zhao pulled himself out of his memories and raised his hand to the young man's shoulder. "I remember you were only this tall a few years ago."
The young man's eyes turned slightly red.
Qin Zhao asked: "Have you been following Gu Changzhou all these years?"
"I have been with my master since I was a child. Without him, I don't know what to do. It was Master Gu who helped me." The young man said, "He asked me to keep my name secret in case of emergency."
Qin Zhao nodded: "That's quite far-sighted."
He patted the young man on the shoulder and said, "Do you know what I want you to do?"
"Take care of... take care of the princess and the young prince."
Qin Zhao was a little uncomfortable with the title and corrected it, "It means taking care of the Madam and the Young Master."
"Wipe your tears and come home with me." Qin Zhao said, "My nod now doesn't count. You have to pass my husband's test before you can stay."
The young man replied: "No matter what the test is, I will do my best!"
"..." Qin Zhao said calmly, "It's not as difficult as you think."
Jing Li was very surprised that Qin Zhao bought the person back so quickly.
He looked the young man up and down for a long time before he tilted his head and asked in a low voice, "He doesn't look like Shuang'er?"
"No." Qin Zhao took a sip of tea and said, "But the steward said that he had been a servant and served people. He worked quickly, had a good physique, and was very strong."
Jing Li said: "It sounds pretty good."
Qin Zhao continued, "His parents died when he was young, and he worked as a laborer in the human market, being beaten and scolded every day."
Jing Li sympathized: "That's too pitiful."
"More importantly, he's cheap." Qin Zhao said, "Just give him something to eat."
Jing Li's eyes lit up slightly.
So after a while, the young man moved into a small house in the front yard, holding the new quilt that Jing Li had found for him.
He still looked a little confused.
Where is the promised test