Chapter 38 Epimedium in the Long Wind.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Although his wife was a highly skilled doctor, she didn't seem to have much understanding of men's bodily instincts.

Or perhaps, it means that one has reached the extreme of being detached from worldly desires.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if he was being too lustful and his desires were running too far.

Rong Chengzhou reluctantly withdrew his hand and pulled the hem of his clothes back to its original position.

He was too impatient.

This shouldn't be the case.

Jiang Mingxue felt Rong Chengzhou's caresses in her sleep, and even felt comfortable, so she slept even more soundly.

A few kisses and hugs weren't enough to make her body flow into the sea.

Rong Chengzhou looked at her deeply for a few moments, then suppressed the desire within him and held her as they fell asleep peacefully.

--

In the days leading up to her wedding photoshoot, Jiang Mingxue diligently took care of her skin every night. To avoid breakouts before the shoot, she went to bed early and woke up early every day, and ate a light diet.

I originally wanted to lose a few pounds, but under Rong Chengzhou's supervision, I actually gained half a pound.

Seeing her like this, Rong Chengzhou suddenly regretted telling her beforehand.

Taking wedding photos was just a formality; he didn't want to burden her.

Jiang Mingxue disagreed, saying while applying a face mask, "Mom went to great lengths to arrange a photographer, I don't want to waste her efforts."

"By the way, have you decided what you'll wear for the photoshoot?" she asked.

Her dresses were carefully selected by Madam Rong; they were all the latest styles of the season, a total of seven or eight sets. Jiang Mingxue only chose two sets, since she only had one day.

Rong Chengzhou sat on the sofa, scrolling through something on his phone.

Hearing this, he looked up and saw her in the mirror: "There's a matching suit that you chose."

He was casual about his clothes, always matching Jiang Mingxue's preferences.

Jiang Mingxue smoothed the four corners of her face mask: "Then it should just be a regular suit."

Rong Chengzhou: "Well, I'm not picky, as long as you look good."

Jiang Mingxue thought for a moment, then turned to look at him: "Did you bring your military uniform home? Could we use it for a wedding photoshoot?"

"I brought a set of spring and autumn uniforms; you can take pictures if you remove the rank insignia."

"How about we film a movie like this? I want to see you in military uniform."

Rong Chengzhou hadn't considered taking wedding photos in military uniform before, but since Jiang Mingxue suggested it, he nodded and said, "Okay."

The wedding photos were taken in two outdoor locations. On the day of the shoot, Jiang Mingxue first got her makeup done in the photographer's trailer. This time, the makeup was much more complicated than when she tried on the wedding dress last time. Including the styling, it took a total of two hours.

During this time, Rong Chengzhou barely looked at his phone, patiently waiting on the sofa next to him.

"You have such a great complexion, it's like you're not wearing any foundation at all," the makeup artist praised as she worked on her makeup.

Jiang Mingxue smiled and said, "Thank you." There were two rings of light outside the mirror, making her skin glow.

As Rong Chengzhou watched the person in the mirror transform from a beautiful bare face to a radiant one with makeup, he didn't feel that time was passing slowly.

Jiang Mingxue, on the other hand, was sitting stiffly in front of the dressing table. Rong Chengzhou unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, inserted a straw, and handed it to her: "Drink some water."

Jiang Mingxue accepted it, maintaining her dignified demeanor: "Thank you."

After finally finishing her makeup and styling, Jiang Mingxue got up and moved around a bit, but she didn't dare to move too much because she was wearing a wedding dress with a long skirt and was afraid of stepping on it.

The outdoor scenes were filmed at a private castle estate, which included a lake, lawns, and a castle, basically covering all the filming locations.

Madam Rong originally wanted them to take the photos in other cities, but Jiang Mingxue only had one day off. She was even nervous about taking wedding photos, let alone traveling.

Fortunately, her friend's manor was luxuriously decorated and there were no random passersby in the photos, making it perfect for taking wedding photos.

"Come on, newlyweds, feel free to strike a pose you like that's intimate," the photographer instructed from the side.

The two stood side by side. They are not usually people who take many photos and are not good at posing.

Jiang Mingxue was struggling with what constituted intimacy when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to her side.

"Okay, not bad, let's take two pictures in this pose."

The photographer snapped many photos from different angles: "Smile, don't be so serious."

Upon hearing this, the two of them simultaneously raised the corners of their lips, their smiles mechanical and seemingly forced.

The photographer spent a long time taking pictures, but he was still not satisfied with them.

Looking at the photos on the camera, he asked, "Did you two just meet?"

Jiang Mingxue: "...We've known each other for a year, probably because we haven't taken many photos together."

The photographer sighed and said, "It's okay, I'll teach you how to pose. Just try to smile naturally."

"OK."

"The groom hugs the bride from behind around the waist, holding her hands with both hands... Yes, just like that."

"The bride tilts her head back, the groom tilts his head down, noses touching, and they smile slightly. Yes, stay in that position..."

"The bride tilts her head slightly towards the groom, and the groom looks at the bride... Yes, good, not bad."

"......"

The photographer taught them many poses, and an assistant recorded videos on the side. In addition to group photos, the photographer also took many solo photos of her. It took three hours to shoot just one outfit.

We had a quick lunch in the RV, then changed clothes to shoot the second set of photos.

The second outfit was Rong Chengzhou's military uniform. The filming locations at the manor were concentrated, but because the area was quite large, we still walked quite a distance.

Jiang Mingxue's white high heels were a little sore from walking, and she unconsciously slowed down when she followed the photographer to change locations.

"Let's take a break," Rong Chengzhou said to the photographer, pulling her wrist.

The photographer looked at the sky, somewhat troubled: "The light won't be good any later."

Rong Chengzhou said calmly, "It's alright, it's fine to shoot fewer pictures."

"Okay, let's take a half-hour break first."

"Um."

Jiang Mingxue looked at him and said, "I'm fine, I can hold on for a little while longer."

Rong Chengzhou led her to sit on the nearest carved wooden chair: "Wedding photos are just a process, don't force yourself."

Jiang Mingxue felt a warmth in her heart: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Rong Chengzhou: "Wait for me a moment, I'm going to get something from the car."

Jiang Mingxue: "Okay."

After settling Jiang Mingxue in, Rong Chengzhou walked towards the RV.

The weather is pleasant in late summer, neither too hot nor too dry.

The manor is located by the sea, where it is spring-like all year round. Jiang Mingxue, holding prop flowers, sat on a bench on the lawn, resting and enjoying the scenery.

Five minutes later, Rong Chengzhou returned carrying a bag, took out a pair of silver flat shoes, and squatted down on one knee in front of Jiang Mingxue.

"Stretch out your foot," he said calmly.

Jiang Mingxue was taken aback: "When did you bring this?"

Those leather shoes were in her dressing room. She usually wore casual shoes at the clinic, so she rarely wore them.

Rong Chengzhou lifted the hem of the wedding dress, grabbed her ankle with one hand, and took off her ten-centimeter high heels.

She lowered her head slightly and replied softly, "I read online that taking photos can be tiring, so I took a pair of spares from your wardrobe."

Jiang Mingxue's eyebrows twitched slightly as she remembered him looking at his phone that night; he had been researching travel guides.

This is truly rare for Rong Chengzhou, an elderly man.

Her lips curved slightly into a smile. She stood on tiptoe and tilted her head slightly: "Colonel Rong is so thoughtful."

Rong Chengzhou lowered his eyes slightly, put her foot down, and helped her put on the other foot.

The photographer, who was drinking water nearby, turned his head and happened to see this scene: in front of the white castle, the groom, dressed in a dark blue military uniform, had a detached expression but gentle movements as he held the bride's ankle. The bride sat on a carved wooden chair, her white dress flowing naturally across the chair, part of it draped over the green lawn. She looked at her husband with a playful smile and a sweet smile.

The photographer quickly put down the water bottle, not even bothering to close the cap, and raised the camera to snap a picture.

The bottle fell onto the lawn, spilling water all over the ground.

I took dozens of photos, and only stopped after Rong Chengzhou changed his shoes.

He pulled his deputy over to admire the photos he had just taken: "How about it? Aren't they the best of the day?"

The deputy nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! I feel it! It's like a knight helping a princess put on her glass slippers."

"Yes, not the typical prince, but a knight." The photographer exclaimed repeatedly, "Thank goodness, I can get this done."

The photos taken earlier were all pretty good, but they were basically carried by the good looks of the two people; there was no sense of harmony between them at all.

The photographer slapped his forehead: "I've got it! These two are perfect for candid shots, not posed ones. Their natural interaction is the sweetest!"

So the photographer stopped guiding them to pose and let them hold hands and go up the stairs, feed the fish in the pond, or even just sit down anywhere. They could take great photos instantly.

Thanks to the photographer's insight, the second outfit was shot in just an hour and a half, and a bunch of amazing photos were produced.

With the project successfully completed, Jiang Mingxue was finally able to take off her heavy wedding dress, change into lighter clothes, and lean back comfortably in the RV seat, feeling completely exhausted.

"If I had known that taking wedding photos would be this tiring, I would have only chosen one set."

The photographer, sitting in the passenger seat, said, "You can't just choose one set! All the photos you produced are from the second set!"

After the photographer finished taking the photos, he showed them the pictures on his camera. Jiang Mingxue smiled and said, "Thank you for taking such great photos for us."

Taking wedding photos for them was indeed a difficult task.

"Don't mention it. I was also wondering if you could show me this photo? There's an international photography competition at the end of the year, and I'd like to submit your wedding photos for the competition." The photographer turned around and asked hopefully, "I can waive all your makeup, clothing, and shooting fees for today!"

Money was a small issue for them, but Rong Chengzhou's identity was special. Before Rong Chengzhou could speak, Jiang Mingxue politely declined on his behalf: "I'm sorry, my husband's profession does not allow for public display, and I would also appreciate it if the photos you took today were not published online."

Before deciding to take military-style wedding photos, she had checked the PLA's internal regulations. She knew that soldiers must be properly dressed and wear their ranks in public, and that displaying them in a photography competition carried a certain risk of being leaked.

Her voice was gentle and her words were tactful, but her refusal was decisive and straightforward.

Rong Chengzhou couldn't help but turn his head and glance at her.

The photographer sighed regretfully: "It's alright. Protecting the privacy of military personnel is the most important thing. Don't worry, we won't send it to anyone without the client's consent."

Jiang Mingxue smiled and said, "Thank you."

Rong Chengzhou handed her a freshly opened bottle of mineral water. Jiang Mingxue took it, drank a couple of sips, and then handed the bottle back to him.

The man unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted his head slightly, and drank directly from the bottle she had just used.

"wait......"

Jiang Mingxue instinctively tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"What's wrong?" Rong Chengzhou asked her as he finished drinking the water and twisted the bottle cap.

Jiang Mingxue forced a smile: "...It's nothing."

She hadn't removed her makeup yet; there was still some lipstick on the bottle opening...

Rong Chengzhou nodded slightly: "We still have half an hour before we get home. Do you want to take a nap first?"

Jiang Mingxue: "Okay."

Lean back slightly, rest your head on the chair back, and close your eyes.

She was so tired after taking photos all day that she fell asleep as soon as she touched the backrest.

The journey was bumpy, and my head was shaking back and forth.

Afraid that she might not be comfortable while sleeping, Rong Chengzhou held her head with his left hand and let her lean on his shoulder.

Jiang Mingxue's head found a support and stopped swaying.

The photographer, who was looking at the photos in front, turned to show them: "Hey, this one too..."

Before he could finish saying "not bad," he was interrupted by the man in the back seat:

"Shh-"

A rare hint of tenderness appeared in the eyes of the stern-faced officer, and he deliberately spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing his wife on his shoulder:

My wife is sleeping.

The photographer immediately fell silent, turned around and saw this scene, and resisted the urge to take pictures of them with his camera.

I couldn't help but think that any frame of these two was sweeter than any deliberately posed wedding photo.

Jiang Mingxue slept the whole way, and was finally woken up by Rong Chengzhou: "We're home."

She rubbed her eyes and followed him out of the car.

She got home at 7 p.m. Luckily, she wore flat shoes for her second outfit, otherwise her feet would have been ruined.

After taking a shower, Jiang Mingxue went to the kitchen to brew medicine as usual. Rong Chengzhou pressed her shoulder and made her sit back on the bed: "It's okay to drink less for one day. You've had a long day. Get some rest."

Jiang Mingxue looked up at him: "But you only have a month left at home, I'm afraid you won't be able to finish a full course of treatment."

Rong Chengzhou replied to her nonchalantly, "Drinking one more time won't make a difference. It's already late, and you have to go to the clinic tomorrow, so get some rest."

Jiang Mingxue checked the time; it was almost ten o'clock, so she had no choice but to do as he said.

He took off his shoes and lay on the bed: "Okay then, I must drink it tomorrow."

Rong Chengzhou: "Hmm."

The photographer had just finished organizing and packaging the photos and sent them over for them to choose from. Rong Chengzhou took his tablet, unzipped the file, and leaned against the headboard to look at the photos with Jiang Mingxue.

These photos have already been selected by the photographer, eliminating some that are out of focus, poorly composed, or where the two people's expressions are not right, leaving a total of several hundred photos.

"so much......"

Jiang Mingxue leaned on his shoulder, staring at the endless thumbnails, and couldn't help but drop her jaw.

Rong Chengzhou nodded: "Indeed, quite a lot."

"We definitely won't be able to finish watching it today, let's just pick out a portion first."

Jiang Mingxue nodded and said, "Okay."

The two initially wanted to choose the first set of photos, but the photographer strongly dissuaded them, eager to edit the second set of photos and urging them to choose in reverse order.

Jiang Mingxue also preferred the second set, so she did as well.

The bedroom was brightly lit, and the couple snuggled together on the headboard, affectionately selecting photos.

Rong Chengzhou held the tablet and slid it along, while Jiang Mingxue gave the order.

"Next one... no, I think the previous one was better... which one do you think is the best?"

Rong Chengzhou chose the picture of her standing on the white spiral staircase, turning to look at him, smiling the most happily: "This one."

Jiang Mingxue also liked this photo: "But your face isn't fully in this one."

Rong Chengzhou had already long-pressed the photo to mark it: "It's okay, as long as you look good."

Like the photographer, they also loved the photo of Rong Chengzhou kneeling on one knee on the lawn to help her change her shoes the most, and they used it as the main image of that set of photos without hesitation, without even needing to edit it.

Jiang Mingxue sent the selected photos to the Jiang family group chat for the elders to see: "These are the wedding photos taken today; the photographer hasn't had time to edit them yet."

Grandpa Jiang had already gone to bed, and Su Yun was just about to get her beauty sleep when she saw her daughter's message. She immediately sat up in bed and read it with her father.

[Mom]: They're so beautiful! A perfect match, so lovely! [/rose.jpg]

[Dad]: A perfect match [/thumbs up]. Chengzhou looks so dashing in his military uniform.

Su Yun praised Mingxue in the group chat, then suddenly felt a little gratified: "Look, since Chengzhou came back, Mingxue has been sharing with us. She must be doing well."

Recently, my daughter has been sharing photos related to Rong Chengzhou in our group chat. Last time it was flowers she gave her on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), and this time it's their wedding photos.

Jiang's father nodded and said, "Yes, Chengzhou is a reliable and trustworthy child, and Mingxue has good taste. As long as she is happy, we can rest assured."

Shi Yunshu and Jiang Huaijing were doing something, and they didn't reply at the same time for half an hour:

[Yunshu]: Sister looks so beautiful in her wedding dress! Looking forward to the final picture! [starry-eyed emoji]

[Huaijing]: @Yunshu: Next time, let's take a photo in matching uniforms too.

Jiang Mingxue chatted with them for a while, told them not to spread the word, and then returned to the WeChat homepage.

Just as I was about to put my phone away, I saw a little red dot in the Moments section.

Clicking on it reveals a message mentioning someone.

She only saw that Rong Chengzhou had posted a status update 48 minutes earlier, which was the main picture of the military uniform wedding photo, two minutes earlier than when she posted the photo in the group, with the caption: "The wedding photo is late."

She saw it late; more than a dozen mutual friends had already liked and commented on it.

[Xu Yan]: Ahhhh, the photos are so dreamy!!

[Xing Kaiyu]: Just one word: Handsome!

[Ning Jialing]: Little Jiangjiang is so pretty!

[Yu Feijie]: If you're showing off your love so late at night, don't blame me for wishing you to have eight children in one pregnancy!

[Song Shaojun]: Hahahaha, that flying pig is so jealous!

[Pei Yichuan]: Brother, you've fallen for him.

......

There were also comments from both sets of parents and family members, a long list indeed.

Jiang Mingxue tilted her head and looked at his phone, which had received over a hundred likes in less than an hour. She couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you wait for the photographer to finish editing the photos before posting them?"

Rong Chengzhou spoke in a flat tone, his words blunt: "There's no way he can edit this photo anymore."

"..." Jiang Mingxue twitched the corner of her lips. This was the first time she had ever seen Rong Chengzhou so arrogant.

She lay back down in her seat, read the rest of the comments, and then gave Rong Chengzhou a thumbs up.

I just put my phone away and slid my head onto the pillow.

Seeing Rong Chengzhou still leaning against the headboard, he asked, "Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

Rong Chengzhou: "I'll send the photos to the photographer right away and then go to sleep."

Jiang Mingxue: "Okay."

Two minutes later, Rong Chengzhou turned off his phone and the light, and lay down with her.

He stretched out his long arms and pulled her into his embrace.

Jiang Mingxue leaned against his chest as usual and quickly fell asleep.

Rong Chengzhou held her soft body, his own body still stirring with restless desire.

But unlike the previous days, perhaps because he was tired today, he was able to suppress these thoughts with his self-control, and he didn't lose control like he did the other day. He even felt a little sleepy.

Rong Chengzhou rested his chin on Jiang Mingxue's hair and pondered for a moment.

Could it be because I didn't take my medicine tonight?

--

The next day, he took Jiang Mingxue to the clinic as usual, and then drove home.

Aunt Lian was cleaning the dining room and kitchen when Rong Chengzhou took off his shoes, walked into the dining room, and asked, "Aunt Lian, do you know where Madam keeps the medicine she usually brews for me?"

Jiang Mingxue always stored things herself without letting Aunt Lian interfere, but Aunt Lian saw them once when she was tidying up. After thinking for a moment, she pointed to the top cabinet in the kitchen and said, "It seems to be in the leftmost cabinet at the top."

Rong Chengzhou nodded slightly, glanced at the height of the cabinet, and frowned slightly.

This was a position that Jiang Mingxue could only reach by standing on a stool at least half a meter high. What kind of medicine could make her so cautious?

Out of respect, Rong Chengzhou usually wouldn't touch Jiang Mingxue's personal belongings, but recently he felt increasingly unwell. Although he knew Jiang Mingxue wouldn't harm him, he still wanted to know why the medicine was causing him to react this way.

Thinking of this, Rong Chengzhou reached out and opened the cabinet door, taking out the several bags of dried medicinal herbs one by one.

Jiang Mingxue carefully sealed each bag of medicine, and Rong Chengzhou opened them one by one.

He didn't read half of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" for nothing; he had seen every kind of medicinal herb in the book.

There were five bags of medicine in total. From left to right, they were red goji berries, deer antler with a hole in the center and black edges, white ginseng slices, brown cinnamon, and the last one, sealed the most tightly with two straps.

The first few ingredients were common medicinal herbs that Jiang Mingxue had told him about.

There were five ingredients in total, but she only told him about four.

Rong Chengzhou stared at the last unopened cloth bag, his eyes growing increasingly deep.

His intuition told him that this medicine was the key.

He raised his hand and slowly opened the tightly sealed rope, rolled up the edge of the cloth bag, and slowly revealed the medicinal herbs inside.

Inside the brown medicine bag, a large bundle of dried green leaves lay quietly.

The leaves are plump, thin with fine teeth, and have thorns along the edges.

This is the form recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica.

In addition, he also remembered the name and uses of this medicinal herb.

Epimedium: strengthens muscles and bones, and dispels wind and dampness.

Indications—

It nourishes the kidneys and enhances male virility.