Chapter 10 Changfeng reported to his wife, "No trouble at all." ...

Jiang Mingxue returned to the clinic to help process the medicinal materials. The typhoon came suddenly, and many patients with milder symptoms had already gone home. Some who did not have time to go back or whose medicines were not fully prepared stayed in the clinic to wait.

"You're finally back!" Old Lin greeted them excitedly, as if he had seen a savior.

He was so busy all day that he was practically spinning like a top. What used to take him only a few minutes to prepare a prescription now took half an hour. If any of the ingredients were missing, he had to keep adjusting the prescription. He had to ensure the efficacy while also considering the cost-effectiveness. This old man was so tired that he wanted to quit.

Jiang Mingxue quickly comforted and coaxed Old Lin, letting him continue seeing patients, while she went to the pharmacy to organize the medicinal herbs.

The variety of herbs collected today was extensive; not only were the shortages replenished, but some new herbs were also introduced. She selected the herbs that patients urgently needed, using fresh herbs instead of dried ones, which proved to be more effective than the dried herbs.

I also took the opportunity to teach the apprentices about herbs. They have very little practical experience, and they can only see pictures of many herbs in books. Occasionally, they might be lucky enough to come across one or two rare plants. Being able to see so many rare fresh herbs in Haining makes the trip worthwhile.

The pharmacy door was open, and one could faintly hear Old Lin announcing to patients in the reception room: "Sorry to keep you waiting. We've run out of medicine these past two days. Our curator personally went up the mountain to collect the herbs. A young girl braved a typhoon to climb a cliff to pick Sichuan lovage. Not only did she injure her hands and sprain her ankle, but she almost fell off the cliff. She then carried the herbs back without stopping and didn't even have time to rest. She's still processing the herbs in the back right now, just in case it delays everyone's treatment."

After taking the medicine, the patient's pain improved, and he repeatedly praised, "Dr. Jiang is truly a benevolent doctor. It is our good fortune that there is Yuanhe Medical Clinic in Mengshan."

Old Lin laughed heartily, adopting a certain tone: "This is all we should do."

Jiang Mingxue's eyes twitched slightly. She wondered how Bai Dong had embellished the story, making Lao Lin exaggerate its merits to the outside world.

She's afraid to go out now, lest others discover she didn't sprain her ankle.

After Xu Yan divided the medicinal herbs into different containers, she leaned over and asked with a smile, "Sister Ming, I heard that you and your brother-in-law were showing off your love the whole time you were going down the mountain, holding hands, hugging, and almost kissing!"

Jiang Mingxue: "......"

It goes without saying who this "hearsay" came from.

Jiang Mingxue looked at the culprit: "Bai Dong, I won't bring you out next time."

"Ah... I was wrong, Sister Ming, I'll never blab again." Bai Dong clasped his hands together in prayer.

"Go to the backyard and plant these motherwort plants." Jiang Mingxue handed him a few herbs.

This was her "punishment," much gentler than Rong Chengzhou's punishment of standing in the corner. Bai Dong readily agreed and ran to the backyard to plant herbs.

Jiang Mingxue lowered her head and continued to sort out the rest. When she was collecting herbs, she had specifically picked some seedlings that had not yet grown and could be transplanted, hoping to bring them back and try to cultivate them.

These days, patients who have benefited from Yuanhe Medical Clinic have been coming to deliver steamed buns, rolls, and fruits and vegetables they grow themselves. Xu Yan was quite surprised after finishing a white radish, wondering how these farmers could grow vegetables that were so sweet and crisp without using any pesticides.

Jiang Mingxue initially thought it was because the farmers had rich planting experience, but after going up the mountain to collect herbs once, she suddenly realized that a large part of the reason was related to the climate of Haining and the soil of Mengshan.

Haining is nestled between mountains and water, with a mild and humid climate and fertile soil—truly ideal for agriculture. It's a pity that no young people are taking the lead, wasting such excellent soil resources.

If it can be successfully cultivated, it might be possible for individual households to grow it on a small scale and then sell it to medical clinics. This would be mutually beneficial and could alleviate some of the accounting problems to a certain extent.

However, the herbal garden in the Jiang family's backyard has been cultivated by a dedicated person since she was born. She has rich experience in collecting herbs, but very little experience in planting them.

Therefore, she needs to try it herself first before she can promote it to every household.

Jiang Mingxue paused in her movements when she thought of gathering herbs.

I wonder how Rong Chengzhou is doing up in the mountains. With such a strong typhoon, their training must be very difficult.

Out of concern, she sent Rong Chengzhou a message after dinner:

Have you finished training?

Thinking she would receive a quick reply like last time, she frequently picked up her phone to check if he had replied while organizing medical records under the lamp.

However, she did not receive a reply from him until she finished showering and lay in bed.

For the first time, Jiang Mingxue placed her phone next to her pillow, afraid of missing any messages from Rong Chengzhou.

In the darkness, she stared blankly at the ceiling, her body exhausted but her mind unusually clear.

I'm having trouble sleeping again.

When I close my eyes, all I can see in my mind is that lonely figure, swallowed up by the yellow sand, climbing the rugged mountain road against the wind.

Ahead lay a steep cliff, and behind us raging winds.

She had lost count of how many times she had turned on her phone screen, and even with the brightness turned down to the lowest setting, the WeChat interface remained blank.

No new messages.

There is no news of Rong Chengzhou.

Jiang Mingxue suddenly felt a little flustered.

It's already 1 a.m., have they not finished training yet?

Or did you see the message but don't want to reply?

She would rather have the latter.

Unable to fall asleep, and afraid of waking Xu Yan who was fast asleep, she got up and went downstairs to the yard.

The typhoon had stopped long ago, and even the cicadas were at rest late at night. The branches of the old locust tree swayed gently in the wind, scattering a shower of silvery raindrops across the ground. Only the rustling of the night wind through the grass enveloped the small courtyard in the gentle embrace of the night.

"Boom boom boom—"

A loud, piercing roar came from the sky.

Jiang Mingxue's eyes flickered slightly as she looked up at the sky.

As night fell like a thick ink, an airplane slowly emerged from behind the eaves of the courtyard, its signal lights like dancing sparks, weaving flowing trails of light across the dark sky.

It flew at a very low altitude, its roar sharp and piercing. Its tail trailed a faint white mist as it circled overhead like an eagle, round and round.

Could it be him?

She didn't know.

It could be a civilian airliner coming from across the coast, carrying passengers home, or it could be a dedicated logistics transport plane, or even a military aircraft patrolling at night.

Her gaze followed the plane's flight path until it disappeared under the eaves at the other end of the yard. Even after it was out of sight, she remained standing under the eaves, looking in the direction it had flown away.

Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a thin shirt.

Yan Ze stood beside her, looking up at the direction she had been gazing at: "If you're worried, I can accompany you to the air force base."

Jiang Mingxue smiled faintly, but Yan Ze, as always, could see right through her thoughts.

She gathered her clothes and slowly shook her head: "No need, I just have some insomnia."

“Their air force faces more dangers than non-dangers, so we can’t always go to the base to look for them.”

However, the typhoon was too strong today, and Rong Chengzhou was sending them off alone, which worried her that they might encounter danger.

"What about you?" Jiang Mingxue turned and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet so late?"

Yan Ze calmly withdrew his gaze: "Not sleepy."

Jiang Mingxue nodded, meaning she was also suffering from insomnia.

A gentle night breeze stirred the hair on my shoulders and slipped into my neck, leaving a slightly cool sensation.

"Yan Ze, haven't you ever thought about contacting your parents? I can help you."

“No.” His voice was icy, his amber eyes showing no trace of lingering affection. “They died when I was born.”

Jiang Mingxue sighed, knowing he was just saying things out of anger.

No one ever knew the origins of his parents. He always claimed to be an orphan, but what he saw and heard was nothing like that of someone who had never been raised properly.

"Alright then, you can stay and help me manage the clinic."

Yan Ze glanced at her, a subtle ripple in his eyes: "Can I stay here indefinitely?"

“Of course you can.” Jiang Mingxue smiled gently. “If you’re willing, Yuanhe Medical Clinic will always be your home.”

"Thank you, Dr. Jiang." A faint smile finally appeared on his lips, his eyes reflecting the cool moonlight.

"Don't mention it. I've never told you before, but you and Huaijing are actually very similar in personality. Sometimes I can't even tell you two apart. Just stay at the clinic and I'll take care of you like I would my own brother."

The moonlight quietly hid behind the clouds, and Yan Ze's brows furrowed slightly: "Okay."

"Alright, I'm a little sleepy." Jiang Mingxue took off his coat and handed it back to him. "You should get some rest too. Goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight."

The slender figure gradually disappeared from sight, but Yan Ze did not leave.

He held the shirt she had taken off in his hand; it still retained her warmth.

He took off the hollow bell pendant from his neck, which contained the crystal from the earring she had left behind when they first met.

He gazed for a long time in the direction she left, his cold face appearing somewhat sickly pale in the deep night.

He tightened his grip on the pendant, a dark glint in his eyes, and murmured softly:

"But sister, I don't just want to be your brother."

......

Jiang Mingxue returned to her room but still hadn't received a message from Rong Chengzhou. She probably wouldn't receive one tonight.

She placed her phone on the bedside table and drifted into a light sleep.

At four o'clock in the morning, the roar of the rotor blades tearing through the clouds suddenly subsided. The "Warhawk-18" patrol aircraft, which had just been circling over the hospital, returned after completing its mission and slowly landed on the runway of the air force base. Rong Chengzhou and co-pilot Xing Kaiyu worked together to complete a series of landing procedures. After the aircraft landed smoothly, it taxied to the apron.

Rong Chengzhou pushed open the cockpit door and walked steadily down the gangway, with Xing Kaiyu following closely behind.

The two men, dressed in dark green flight suits, removed their helmets and walked back.

Xing Kaiyu tucked his helmet under his arm and held up two numbers: "I haven't slept for 24 hours, I feel like I'm about to die from exhaustion."

Rong Chengzhou's face was cold and stern as he said ruthlessly, "I know first aid measures."

Xing Kaiyu: "...A cold-blooded and ruthless man."

They handed the patrol log to the communications officer, went to the flight equipment room to change out of their flight suits, and took out their personal belongings from the locker.

Xing Kaiyu immediately turned on the phone after getting it: "My dear phone, it was wrong of me to neglect you for twenty-four hours. I'll spend some quality time with you now—"

Rong Chengzhou gave him a cool glance, put his switched-off phone into his pocket, and walked out first.

Xing Kaiyu quickly followed: "Hey, why are you in such a hurry? My phone isn't even turned on yet."

The two left the equipment room and headed towards the dormitory.

Xing Kaiyu's phone was a bit slow to respond, and after a while, the message finally appeared. He called out to Rong Chengzhou, "Hey, Brother Rong, why did your wife message me? Didn't you tell her you were on a mission?"

Rong Chengzhou finally slowed down and turned his head to look at his phone, which showed Jiang Mingxue's profile picture and Xing Kaiyu's contact name.

[Sister-in-law]: Deputy Captain Xing, have you finished training? Has Chengzhou joined you yet?

The message was sent at 11 p.m.

Rong Chengzhou frowned slightly, took out his phone and turned it on, only to find that Jiang Mingxue had sent him a message around 7 p.m., but he had finished leading the team in training and then went on patrol duty, so he didn't have time to check his phone.

Because he hadn't replied, Jiang Mingxue went to ask Xing Kaiyu, but unfortunately, Xing Kaiyu was on patrol with her and neither of them had seen the message.

He typed on his phone:

Sorry, I was on a mission tonight and didn't check my phone.

Just as I was about to send the message, I glanced at the time and realized it was already 3:28 AM. She must already be asleep, and replying now might disturb her.

After standing there for a while and thinking it over, I decided to send the message anyway.

He had promised to reply when he saw the message, and that if he woke her up, he would apologize.

What if she needs to contact him?

“Brother Rong, that’s where you went wrong. How could you not inform your wife before going on a mission? You made her worry all night.”

While waiting for news, Xing Kaiyu angrily accused him.

Rong Chengzhou did not refute, but lowered his eyes in thought: "It is indeed my problem."

He only mentioned it once when he left Beicheng, and never spoke of it again after that.

Firstly, he felt it was unnecessary, and secondly, Jiang Mingxue might not be willing to listen to his report.

On the other side, Jiang Mingxue was half asleep, her phone was on silent mode, but she vaguely noticed a faint light and was instantly awakened.

She picked up her phone and finally received messages from Rong Chengzhou and Xing Kaiyu.

I breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, they were all safe.

[Jiang Mingxue]: It's good that you're alright. You've worked hard. Get some rest.

[CZ]: If you need, I can let you know I'm safe every day.

[Jiang Mingxue]: No need.

【CZ】: Okay, then I won't bother you anymore.

[Jiang Mingxue]: ......That's not what I meant. I was just worried about bothering you.

Half a minute later, the other party sent a message:

【CZ】: It's no trouble to inform my wife.

Jiang Mingxue felt a ticklish sensation in her heart, as if pricked by a tiny needle.

Rong Chengzhou seemed to really like these traditional Chinese formal terms of address: "mother," "wife," and "madam." They might sound a bit distant, like his own old-fashioned and conservative nature, but they made her feel respected enough, just like a couple in ancient times who treated each other with the utmost respect.

A wave of tenderness washed over her, and she replied: 【Okay.】

【CZ】: Okay, goodnight.

[Jiang Mingxue]: Good night.