Chapter 14 Changfeng listens to his wife.

When Rong Chengzhou put away his phone, his brows were furrowed even more deeply than before.

Xing Kaiyu's curiosity outweighed his sadness about leading the team in a 10-kilometer run. He tried to sneak a peek several times but failed, and finally couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Why are you talking like this? Did your wife dump you?"

Rong Chengzhou ignored him, standing under the basketball hoop, his eyes lowered in thought.

But after pondering for a long time, I couldn't come up with any conclusion.

He looked up at Xing Kaiyu, his voice deep: "Do me a favor."

--

Jiang Mingxue was much busier than usual today. In addition to seeing patients in the front hall, she also had to go to the backyard to check on Yan Ze in her spare time.

He was her student, and he fell ill because he was looking for her; she had a responsibility to take care of him.

At lunchtime, Jiang Mingxue carried a tray to Yan Ze's room, which included lunch and herbal soup.

Yan Ze was feeling much better after drinking ginger soup and taking fever-reducing medicine in the morning. Jiang Mingxue put the food on the bedside table and handed him a damp towel to wipe his hands: "Bai Dong said you haven't eaten since last night. Wipe your hands and eat something first."

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Jiang." Her voice was still a little weak because of her illness.

"Don't be shy, take your medicine after you finish eating, you'll feel better soon," Jiang Mingxue said softly as she sat by the bed.

Yan Ze picked up a bowl of porridge and slowly ate it with a spoon. His wrist was slightly bent into a cool arc. He ate very lightly, and even the sound of swallowing was hidden between his breaths.

Jiang Mingxue quietly observed his behavior.

"Knock knock knock—"

A knock sounded at the door, and Xu Yan led Xing Kaiyu in: "Sister Ming, Deputy Captain Xing is here."

Jiang Mingxue stood up and greeted him politely, "Deputy Captain Xing."

Xing Kaiyu swaggered in, carrying a lunchbox: "Good afternoon, sister-in-law!"

The sound was clear and loud, even drowning out the buzzing of cicadas outside the window.

Yan Ze frowned slightly.

It's so noisy.

Xing Kaiyu seemed to have just noticed that there was another man on the bed, and asked in surprise, "Hey, Brother Yan is here too."

"Oh dear, I didn't know beforehand. I only brought a meal for my sister-in-law. If I had known, I would have brought one for you too," he said, feigning concern.

Yan Ze held the bowl of porridge, his voice distant and cold: "Thank you, but no need."

Xing Kaiyu: "That's fine, as long as you have food."

After exchanging polite pleasantries, he turned his gaze to Jiang Mingxue, his face full of flattery: "Sister-in-law, this is what Brother Rong asked me to bring to you. He said you don't eat properly and are too thin, so he specially asked me to get some of your favorite foods."

Jiang Mingxue accepted it: "Please thank Captain Rong for me. He's gone to so much trouble."

"Why say thank you between husband and wife?" Xing Kaiyu emphasized the word "husband and wife," his eyes glancing intentionally or unintentionally toward the bed.

Jiang Mingxue didn't notice because she was looking down to receive the lunchbox, but the person who was supposed to hear it did.

Yan Ze lazily raised his eyes and looked back at him.

His amber pupils were clear and bright, meeting her gaze directly without the slightest fear or hesitation.

They stared at each other for a full minute before Xing Kaiyu finally looked away when he saw Jiang Mingxue sitting on the sofa, intending to eat in Yan Ze's room. He hurriedly advised, "Sister-in-law, let's go eat in the front. Dr. Xu is here too."

"Okay." Jiang Mingxue felt it didn't matter where they ate, but she still needed to take Yan Ze's pulse later to check on his recovery.

She looked at Yan Ze: "Ze, remember to take your medicine after you finish eating."

"Okay." Yan Ze casually withdrew his gaze, his expression softening slightly as he looked at Jiang Mingxue.

But as she turned to leave and the door slowly closed, her eyes returned to their usual lifeless state.

He turned and picked up the black medicine from that night. The water reflected his sickly face, and a hint of tenderness gradually appeared in his eyes.

This was specially prepared for him by Dr. Jiang.

But he didn't want to get better.

What should we do?

--

Jiang Mingxue went to the lounge of the clinic in front to eat, and Xu Yan had just sat down as well, so she ate with her.

Since the number of patients at Yuanhe Clinic increased, the clinic has been extremely busy, with staff on duty even at noon. The group of patients has hardly ever had lunch together.

Now that Yan Ze is sick again, he's even busier than usual.

After Jiang Mingxue sat down, she asked, "Deputy Captain Xing, have you eaten?"

"Sister-in-law, I already ate before I came."

Jiang Mingxue nodded: "Are you busy with training today?"

She asked casually, but Xing Kaiyu overthought it: "Captain Rong is quite busy, otherwise he wouldn't have asked me to deliver it for him."

Jiang Mingxue was speechless for a moment.

She didn't ask Rong Chengzhou.

After finishing her meal, Jiang Mingxue put away the lunchbox and threw it into the trash can.

Seeing that Xing Kaiyu still showed no sign of leaving, he asked in confusion, "Deputy Captain Xing, is there anything else?"

"Sister-in-law, I'm fine. The captain said you were busy today and asked me to come and see if I could help out," Xing Kaiyu said with a chuckle.

"Today is quite busy," Jiang Mingxue said, "but your troops are training very hard, how could I possibly add to your burden? It's alright, I can manage."

Xing Kaiyu insisted, adopting the air of a soldier standing at attention: "No, military orders are absolute, and the captain's words must be obeyed."

This is a big deal – whether he runs ten kilometers or five kilometers!

"..." Jiang Mingxue sighed helplessly, "Alright, then you can help me weigh the medicinal herbs."

Xing Kaiyu: "...Sister-in-law, I don't know how to do this."

"How about you help me disinfect the acupuncture needles and cupping set?"

Xing Kaiyu: "...Sister-in-law, I don't know how to do this either."

"Hmm..." Jiang Mingxue pondered deeply, "Then could you help me record the medical records?"

Xing Kaiyu: "Sister-in-law, I know how to do this job, but I'm afraid to..."

This is a matter of life and death; what if I remember it wrong?

"..." Jiang Mingxue fell silent. "Besides delivering food, what else did Captain Rong ask you to do for me?"

Xing Kaiyu scratched his head; he knew but dared not say it.

Bai Dong happened to come over: "Sister Ming, Yan Ze has taken his medicine. Why don't you go and take his pulse?"

"Okay, I'm coming right now..."

Jiang Mingxue was about to leave when Xing Kaiyu quickly stopped her, his right hand almost reaching the roof. "Wait—! Sister-in-law, I know how to do this!"

Jiang Mingxue, Xu Yan, and Bai Dong all looked at him simultaneously.

They can't weigh medicinal herbs, disinfect, or record medical records, but they can take a pulse?

Xu Yan: "Brother, listen to this yourself, does it make sense?"

"Deputy Captain Xing, when did you go for further training?" Jiang Mingxue asked.

Xing Kaiyu realized he had acted somewhat ridiculously, and he gave an awkward chuckle before putting his hand away.

He grabbed Xu Yan's arm and said, "What I mean is, I know Dr. Xu can do it. I can go with her and help you take care of your little brother Yan Ze."

His unusually affectionate address of "Yan Ze" aroused suspicion among the group. When did these two become so close?

As he spoke, he pulled Xu Yan toward the backyard. Xu Yan struggled to pull back: "Hey, hey, hey, let me tell you, my pulse diagnosis isn't accurate. I once diagnosed a man's pregnancy by taking his pulse."

"Then try your best this time and try to detect another pregnancy pulse."

"...?" Xu Yan rolled her eyes speechlessly. "Big brother, are you sick?"

“I’m not sick, it’s Yan Ze who’s sick. Let’s go, Yan Ze’s fever will rise again soon.”

Xu Yan was dragged away, while Jiang Mingxue watched them go upstairs and smiled silently.

Xing Kaiyu spent the entire afternoon at the clinic. Xu Yan told him that Yan Ze's fever subsided in less than half a day.

Jiang Mingxue asked incredulously, "Is Deputy Captain Xing really that good at taking care of people?"

Xing Kaiyu put his hands on his hips and said modestly, "Not at all, it's all thanks to Dr. Xu's excellent pulse diagnosis."

Xu Yan, who was standing to the side, twitched her lips.

She didn't even dare to say that she had grasped a fatal pulse this time.

"Alright, sister-in-law, I've completed my mission. I'm heading back to my unit now."

Xing Kaiyu achieved his goal and left satisfied.

As soon as she stepped out of the clinic, she took out her phone and sent a message to Rong Chengzhou: 【Done!】

【CZ】：[/OK.jpg]

Meanwhile, the other three, excluding Yan Ze, gathered together for dinner and praised each other:

Xu Yan: "My brother-in-law is so considerate. He arranged for someone to deliver food and sent helpers. Although he couldn't be there in person, he helped a lot."

Bai Dong nodded repeatedly: "Yan Ze is all better now, so our workload for tomorrow is much lighter. Thank you, brother-in-law, for this timely help!"

Old Lin chuckled, soaked the steamed bun in the porridge, and said, "It's good. I've judged it for your grandfather. This son-in-law is quite good."

Jiang Mingxue listened to everyone's chatter, somewhat lost in thought. Rong Chengzhou's men hadn't even shown themselves, yet they had already gathered everyone around her.

They were right, but something just felt off to her.

That evening, Rong Chengzhou sent her a message as usual to let her know he was safe:

【CZ】: I had an inspection mission today. I just got off the plane and everything is fine.

[Jiang Mingxue]: Okay, thank you for your hard work.

[CZ]: You've worked hard too. Has the student recovered yet?

[Jiang Mingxue]: I'm almost fully recovered, thanks to Deputy Captain Xing's help. And the food you had him deliver was delicious.

【CZ】: Okay, get some rest.

[Jiang Mingxue]: Good night.

Jiang Mingxue sat upright at the table, carefully flipping through their chat history from today.

Rong Chengzhou's reply remained as official and simple as before, and everything seemed to be normal.

Is she really overthinking things?

--

In the following days, Jiang Mingxue devoted all her free time to cultivating Dendrobium officinale. She divided the mature plants into several groups for control experiments, using different light conditions, humidification temperatures, different watering frequencies, and different types of fertilizers, and she also recorded the growth in detail every day.

However, Dendrobium officinale has a long growth cycle and still needs time. The seedlings of several other easy-to-cultivate medicinal herbs sent from Beicheng have been distributed to other households in Mengshan County. If they are well cared for, they can be harvested in a few months.

Rong Chengzhou has been very busy these past few days. Apart from checking in with Xing Kaiyu every day and having him deliver lunch, the two have had virtually no other contact.

Jiang Mingxue weighed herself and found that she had already gained 83 pounds in just five days.

If this continues, things will get really bad.

Fortunately, she will be returning to Beicheng soon.

A month can feel both slow and fast. More than twenty days have passed since they first arrived in Haining, and they will be leaving in the blink of an eye.

Before Jiang Mingxue could even begin to feel sentimental, Bai Dong came to tell her:

"Sister Ming, there's an outpatient appointment I need to make."

There are many elderly people with mobility issues in Mengshan, so we need to make house calls every two days. However, Old Lin is also getting old, so there was no precedent for making house calls until Jiang Mingxue came.

Jiang Mingxue asked, "Do you know what symptoms the other person has?"

Bai Dong said, "The main problems are lumbar disc herniation and knee arthritis."

"Okay, I understand."

Jiang Mingxue packed treatment tools and some medicinal herbs that might be needed into her outpatient medical kit and set off with Bai Dong.

The patient being examined was a retired Air Force veteran, over seventy years old. Due to long-term operation of fighter jets, which required maintaining the same posture for extended periods, he developed chronic lumbar disc herniation and arthritis in his youth.

The veteran lives alone and usually endures the pain. Recently, due to the heavy rains, his old ailment flared up, and he only called Yuanhe Clinic when the pain became unbearable.

Jiang Mingxue quickly examined the situation: "It's qi stagnation and blood stasis, and liver and kidney deficiency. I can relieve it by giving you a few acupuncture treatments."

"Okay, okay, thank you, young lady."

Jiang Mingxue held the silver needles, located several acupoints on the veteran, and gently inserted them.

The silver needles stimulate the acupoints to release endorphins, and the pain subsides within two minutes of the needles being inserted.

The veteran sighed repeatedly, "The things left by our ancestors are still the best. When I went to the hospital before, the doctors would always try to get me to have surgery. I'm an old man, how can I withstand such a ordeal?"

Jiang Mingxue did not completely agree: "Indeed, there are some unscrupulous doctors who deceive patients, but Western medicine also has its advantages. The two have different treatment philosophies and target different symptoms. At least in terms of speed of effect, it is something that traditional Chinese medicine cannot match."

Although she studied traditional Chinese medicine, she didn't blindly promote her profession.

"Indeed, young lady, you have a good point. No wonder my student recommended your clinic to me, otherwise I would have had to endure this old ailment again."

Jiang Mingxue sat on the stool waiting for the needles to be removed, and solemnly instructed, "You can't tough it out when you're sick. You still need to get treatment in time, otherwise it will leave you with a chronic condition."

"Yes, yes, yes, I can't cure this old ailment anymore. But there's nothing I can do. We fighter pilots often have to sit on the plane for more than ten hours at a time. Even an iron man can't take it. My comrades all developed a bunch of ailments before they even retired."

Thinking of something, the veteran said with a proud look, "Only my student is an iron man. He has been in the army for more than ten years, and his daily flight training time is twice that of others. Yet, his arms and legs are still strong and healthy, without a single problem."

When an old soldier lives alone for a long time, it's rare to find someone to listen to his ramblings, and once he starts talking, it's hard to stop.

Jiang Mingxue did not show any impatience, and listened attentively throughout, occasionally adding a few words: "Young people should also pay more attention to their health, as high-altitude radiation is also very harmful."

"Yes, that's what I've been telling him, but my student is so stubborn, he won't even listen to me. Oh, by the way, young lady, he's coming to see me later, could you please talk to him for me? He should at least listen to the doctor."

“Okay, I can give it a try.” Jiang Mingxue agreed. “But as you said, your students don’t even listen to their teachers, so they’re even less likely to listen to me, an insignificant person.”

"You're right," the veteran said, also feeling a bit uncertain. "Then what should we do...?"

Before he could finish speaking, a tall figure appeared at the doorway, bowing slightly as he stepped through the door frame. His back was straight, and his taut jawline softened a little.

Dark eyes looked over, and a familiar, deep, magnetic voice was like sandpaper gently rubbing against wood:

"I can disobey the teacher, but how can I not listen to my wife?"