Chapter 4 Changfeng I thought you wanted me to be so polite.

It's no exaggeration to say that the clinic has few rooms; even elderly people like Jiang Mingxue have to share a room with Xu Yan due to their irregular schedules.

Mosquito coils were lit in the house at night, which reduced the number of mosquitoes considerably, but her symptoms of acclimatization were quite severe this time. The anti-allergy and anti-rashes ointment she applied yesterday had little effect, and she scratched several of the rashes on her body while sleeping, causing a burning and stinging pain at the open wounds.

I didn't sleep well all night, so I got up at around 4 a.m.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the bitter scent of herbs permeated the damp air, along with the faint fragrance of cucumbers from the vegetable garden.

Jiang Mingxue quickly washed up, then drew a bucket of well water to water the medicinal herbs and vegetables in the yard. She then boiled the remaining water and poured it into a thermos for later use.

Around 5:30, Lao Lin from the branch had already prepared breakfast. Although she didn't have a good appetite, Jiang Mingxue ate her first meal after arriving in Haining so as not to waste the old man's good intentions.

There weren't many patients in the morning, and Jiang Mingxue still had time to discuss the medical situation in Mengshan County with Lao Lin after finishing her consultations. Lao Lin was a distant relative of Grandpa Jiang, and he was almost seventy years old this year. His medical skills were undoubtedly excellent, but due to his age, his energy was not quite up to par.

While Jiang Mingxue humbly sought advice, she didn't dare to overwork Lao Lin. After briefly learning about some things, she let him take a nap while she herself sat down to look at recent medical records.

"Ah—! Help! There's a pervert!"

I was only halfway through watching when I suddenly heard Xu Yan scream from the backyard.

Jiang Mingxue immediately put down her medical case, asked Yan Ze to watch the clinic, and hurried to the backyard.

Below the cement staircase was a simple bathroom with no door, only a curtain that Jiang Mingxue had temporarily hung up the day before.

The curtain wasn't long enough, leaving a gap at the top, allowing a clear view of the interior from certain positions and angles.

Xu Yan stood at the door with a change of clothes in her arms, her eyes red with anger. She pointed at the middle-aged man on the roof of her neighbor's house diagonally above and accused, "Sister Ming, he's the one who spied on me while I was taking a shower!"

The lighting was poor under the stairs. Xu Yan was afraid of the dark, so she sacrificed her lunch break to take a shower. But as soon as she took off half of her clothes, she looked up and saw a dark-skinned man standing on the roof, spying on her. The young girl had never experienced anything like this before, and she jumped up in fright.

After hearing the general situation, Jiang Mingxue immediately sent a message to Bai Dong to block the door next door to prevent the peeping tormentor from escaping.

The middle-aged man, clutching a farm tool as tall as himself, stammered and desperately denied in broken Mandarin, "I didn't, I didn't! I had no idea anyone was taking a bath!"

"Of course a thief won't admit to being a thief!" Xu Yan's voice trembled with anger. "I never expected you to look so honest, yet do such a despicable thing behind my back!"

"How dare you slander people like this!"

"Then explain why you were standing on the roof right when I was taking a shower!"

"...Fine, I won't argue with you. You accuse me of spying, but you'd better provide evidence!"

"I..." Xu Yan was speechless. She looked around but couldn't find a single camera, so she couldn't produce any evidence.

She had been pretending to be strong and confronting the pervert, but now, without even any evidence, a surge of grievance welled up inside her, and tears streamed down her face: "Sister Ming, you have to believe me, I really saw him standing there looking at me..."

Jiang Mingxue patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Yes, I believe you. Sit over there and wait for me. I'll take care of it."

"Okay, okay." Xu Yan nodded while crying.

Seeing Jiang Mingxue felt like finding a pillar of support. Although she knew she would most likely suffer in silence, Xu Yan still felt inexplicably at ease because she knew that there was nothing their teacher Jiang couldn't solve.

After calming Xu Yan down, Jiang Mingxue lifted the curtain and walked to where Xu Yan was changing clothes. Looking up, she could indeed see a corner of the neighbor's roof through the crack. She certainly believed Xu Yan, but…

Jiang Mingxue roughly measured the distance and angle, then stepped out from behind the curtain and asked the man on the opposite rooftop, "Can we come in and take a look at your house?"

Her tone was calm, and the middle-aged man readily agreed: "Of course!"

Xu Yan was initially resistant, but since it was Jiang Mingxue's suggestion, she did as she was told. The two of them went to the man's house and went upstairs.

On the open roof, several large plastic sheets were laid out, covered with golden corn kernels. There was a gap that hadn't been covered yet, which was exactly where Xu Yan had grabbed the man earlier.

"I went up to the roof to dry corn. I had no idea someone was taking a shower. I have a wife and children at home, and I'm too busy with farm work to have time to peep at someone else showering!" the middle-aged man explained, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Jiang Mingxue observed the footprints in the corn pile and the wooden rake on the ground. The corn in the sack that hadn't been dried was still slightly damp. As he said, he was indeed drying corn, but that didn't contradict his act of spying. He could easily use drying corn as an excuse to spy on others.

Compared to a strange man, Jiang Mingxue would naturally prefer to help her own people, but she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she pulled Xu Yan to stand around the man's position and repeatedly looked down, including squatting, standing up, bending over, and standing on tiptoe.

After trying it once, Xu Yan looked at Jiang Mingxue in disbelief: "How...how could this be..."

She could clearly see through the gap in the curtain that the man was looking in her direction, so why couldn't she see anything inside the bathroom when she went up to the roof and looked down?

Jiang Mingxue explained to her, "From a physical point of view, it's because your line of sight just passes through the top edge of the staircase door frame, forming an effective viewing angle, while his line of sight is completely blocked by the door frame, creating a blind spot. In other words, these two positions form an asymmetrical field of vision, which is why you can see him, but he can't see you."

She studied science in high school, and physics was one of her best subjects, often ranking first in her grade. She estimated the height and angle of the two positions in the bathroom and roughly knew the result. However, theory cannot be used as conclusive evidence. The victim is Xu Yan, and only by letting her see the result in person can her doubts be dispelled.

Xu Yan opened her mouth, then asked softly, "Then wouldn't I be wronging him...?"

Jiang Mingxue squeezed her hand and stepped forward: "Sir, I'm sorry. We misunderstood you just now, but it's understandable that a young lady would be afraid and worried when she's out and about. I hope you can understand. We will replace the curtain with a new one to prevent such misunderstandings from happening again in the future."

The simple, middle-aged man was also a reasonable person: "It's alright, it was my oversight. Before, only Lao Lin lived there, and I was afraid something might happen to him, so I would check on his house from time to time. I forgot that you two girls had moved in. I will be more careful in the future. If you need any help with installing the curtains, just let me know."

Xu Yan apologized again, and the two shook hands and made peace. Jiang Mingxue then had another male apprentice, Bai Dong, send some blood-nourishing herbs and vegetables as an apology.

"I'm sorry, Sister Ming, I've caused you trouble." After this incident, Xu Yan also reflected on her own problems. In addition to her panic at the time, part of it was also her prejudice when she first came to the remote mountain village.

“No, you did nothing wrong.” Jiang Mingxue’s expression was unusually serious. “When a girl is alone in a foreign country, the best way to protect herself is to assume the worst of strangers. No one did anything wrong in this matter, especially you. You must always be on high alert, no matter when or where. Don’t worry about causing me any trouble. I’m the one who brought you here, and I have an obligation to ensure your safety. I’m only afraid that you won’t tell me if you encounter any problems, understand?”

Xu Yan had been interning at the clinic with her since her junior year of college. After graduating from college, she resolutely chose to stay at Yuanhe Clinic as an intern pharmacist. At only 22 years old, how could she know the complexities and intricacies of society? Since she respected her as her teacher, she could not only teach her medical skills.

"I understand, Sister Ming." Xu Yan nodded emphatically, feeling extremely fortunate to have Sister Ming as her teacher.

"Alright, go upstairs and rest for a while. You don't need to get your medicine today. I'll go and fix the curtains. You can come down and take a shower later. I'll keep an eye on things for you."

"Okay!"

Unable to find a large, solid curtain, Jiang Mingxue found a smaller one and sewed it together. Then she found a roll of wire, folded several bundles of wire in half, hung them up, made a few hooks with the wire, and moved a stool over to stand on.

Just as she was about to hammer a nail into the top of the door frame, she realized that it wasn't high enough; her arm was still three centimeters short when she stretched out. That's why she didn't hang it from the top yesterday.

She tried again on tiptoe, but it still didn't work, so she gave up and leaned against the wall to go down and find Yan Ze.

As soon as she looked down, a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly appeared in her line of sight. It took the nails and hammer from her hand. The fingertips had a thin layer of calluses and were somewhat rough. They tickled when they brushed against the back of her hand.

These hands were unlike those of Yan Ze and Bai Dong. She looked up in surprise. The man's profile was strong and distinct, reminiscent of a solitary mountain ridge on a snowy plain. His dark eyes were calm and sharp. He still had a stern face, which always made people involuntarily back down. Jiang Mingxue subconsciously stepped back, but forgot that she was still standing on the stool. Her left foot slipped and she almost fell.

She quickly grabbed the wall to steady herself, and when she looked down, a strong, lean hand was wrapped around her waist, just an inch away from touching her.

Those hands, honed through years of training and piloting fighter jets, had distinct knuckles and prominent veins. Even after missing, their expression remained unchanged; they naturally withdrew their hammers and continued hammering nails into the wall.

It seemed to him that helping someone up was just a matter of convenience, and not helping them up was even less of a concern.

Jiang Mingxue still thanked her.

Rong Chengzhou nodded slightly in agreement. After finishing the top two nails, he asked her where else was needed.

Jiang Mingxue tiptoed to point out the location to him, but his response was always lukewarm.

Jiang Mingxue was pleased with this indifferent attitude. After all, the only real thing between the two of them was their marriage certificate. As long as they didn't reveal their secret in public, the less they interacted in private, the better.

He took over the rest of the nails, and Jiang Mingxue had a short break. She belatedly realized that Rong Chengzhou could easily reach the top of the door frame without standing on the stool, and even his elbows could be bent loosely.

She felt a sudden sense of disappointment. She looked down and measured the height of the stool and the three-centimeter gap between it and the top of the door frame, and then mentally estimated her own height.

The stool was about 30 centimeters high. She was 1.62 meters tall with shoes on, which means Rong Chengzhou was at least 192cm tall.

"His height is 1.94 meters."

Just as she was deep in thought, a cold voice came from above, disrupting her train of thought and catching her red-handed.

"..." Jiang Mingxue smiled awkwardly, relying entirely on her psychological qualities and work experience in handling difficult patients over the years to maintain a relaxed tone, "Hmm, it's quite high."

Was her action that obvious?

After the top two nails were driven in, Rong Chengzhou casually hung the curtain up. Jiang Mingxue quickly picked up a hammer, stood on a stool, and said, "I can do the rest myself. Thank you for your hard work."

"Um."

Rong Chengzhou didn't try to take it from her, but stepped aside without going far.

A moment later, Jiang Mingxue finished setting up the curtain and even made a manual lock on one side. She nimbly jumped off the stool, dusted off her hands, and looked up at her work with great pride.

Remembering that Rong Chengzhou hadn't left yet, she asked, "I forgot to ask earlier, why did you suddenly come over?"

Rong Chengzhou shifted his gaze from the creaking stool beneath her feet, which looked like it might fall apart at any moment, and looked down at her slightly: "Didn't you say that the dressing should be changed every day?"

Jiang Mingxue: ...I've accidentally dug a hole for myself again.

She coughed lightly: "I almost forgot, come with me."

The two walked to the examination room in the front yard. Jiang Mingxue sat behind the examination table and gently untied the gauze bandage. The wound had scabbed over and there was no sign of infection or suppuration.

She took the herbal juice that Yan Ze had prepared, cleaned the wound again, then supported Rong Chengzhou's arm with one hand and used the other hand to apply ointment with a small scraper.

Her hands were still a little cold from washing them with cold water, but his skin was hotter than she had imagined. The sudden touch of his forearm was a shock to her senses, a clash of hot and cold. It was the same action she had performed yesterday when applying medicine, but today, knowing that the person in front of her was her fiancé, every cell in her body seemed to awaken and scream with unease.

She told herself to treat him like a normal patient to avoid making a mistake when applying the medication. However, the rash on her neck suddenly became unbearably itchy, and she couldn't help but let go of his arm and lightly scratch it through his clothes.

"I'm sorry," Jiang Mingxue apologized.

"It's alright." Rong Chengzhou nodded and waited for her quietly.

After the itching on her neck subsided, Jiang Mingxue quietly took a deep breath, quickly prepared herself mentally, and was about to lift his forearm again when Yan Ze suddenly walked over and extended a slightly thin hand: "Dr. Jiang, Bai Dong needs to see you. I'll take care of things here."

Jiang Mingxue felt instantly relieved and agreed without hesitation: "Okay, thank you for your hard work."

She handed the scraper to him and said to Rong Chengzhou, "Something has come up with my student. I'll go take a look."

"Um."

A pair of sharp eyes silently took in her every move, and beneath her thick eyelashes, her dark pupils remained calm as still water.

Jiang Mingxue went to the pharmacy and found Bai Dong, asking, "Bai Dong, Yan Ze said you wanted to see me?"

Bai Dong looked bewildered: "No, Sister Ming, I didn't see Aze at noon."

Jiang Mingxue realized what was happening and replied vaguely, "Oh, maybe he misheard. You go ahead and do your thing."

Yan Ze was an apprentice she took on by chance a few years ago. He just turned 25 this year. He studied financial management in college but insisted on learning medicine from her. Although he was a latecomer to medicine, he was the smartest and most quick-witted of the three students. She probably saw that Yan Ze was not feeling well and gave him an excuse to slack off.

No wonder she personally mentored her students.

Jiang Mingxue felt very gratified.

She took a quick look around the pharmacy, lingered for a while before leaving. In the examination room, Yan Ze had already applied the medicine to Rong Chengzhou and was bandaging him.

The timing was perfect.

Jiang Mingxue stood aside waiting, and when she looked up, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a dark blue hem flashing past the entrance of the clinic.

She went over to check and found that there were two air force pilots wearing dark blue air force uniforms and military caps standing on either side of the clinic's entrance, standing at a standard military posture under the midday sun.

Upon closer inspection of the faces under the hats, they were all teammates who had come with Rong Chengzhou yesterday.

Xing Kaiyu looked straight ahead and chuckled, "Hello, sister-in-law, we meet again."

He maintained a steady posture while greeting her, only twitching the muscles on his face.

Another airman then greeted her with the same gesture.

Jiang Mingxue looked puzzled: "It's so hot, why don't you go inside?"

Xing Kaiyu kept a straight face: "The captain won't allow it."

"Why?"

Fearing harsher punishment, the two remained silent: "Sister-in-law, it's hot outside, you should go inside quickly."

Seeing that they were unwilling to talk, Jiang Mingxue had no choice but to go back and ask the people involved, "Why did you make them stand outside?"

Rong Chengzhou had just finished bandaging his wounds when he pulled down his shirt sleeves and meticulously fastened his cufflinks: "They said the wrong thing yesterday, this is their punishment."

Jiang Mingxue wasn't stupid; of course she knew it was because of her. These two were the most enthusiastic instigators yesterday, but actually, they didn't say anything particularly presumptuous; it was just that young people like to joke around.

Jiang Mingxue knew it was inappropriate to interfere with his decision without his consent, but looking at the scorching sun outside at 38 degrees Celsius, she couldn't help but say, "It's so hot today, and they're still wearing thick military uniforms. Isn't this punishment a bit too harsh?"

Rong Chengzhou straightened his cuffs, unconcerned: "I gave them a choice, and they chose it themselves."

"Huh?" Jiang Mingxue asked suspiciously, "Then what is the other option?"

Rong Chengzhou put on his regular coat and military cap, and the gold rank insignia with two bars and three stars on his shoulders gleamed.

With his eyes lowered, he spoke in the calmest tone and the most indifferent words: "A 20-kilometer field training exercise with a 40-pound load."

Jiang Mingxue: "......"

No wonder they volunteered to stand outside as punishment; what's the difference between having a choice and not having a choice at all?

She stopped trying to persuade them and just poured two cups of herbal tea that she had made at noon, hoping to make them feel better. But the two of them didn't dare to accept it without Rong Chengzhou's orders.

Jiang Mingxue had no choice but to look at Rong Chengzhou. Fortunately, he still gave her face and nodded in agreement.

The two were so grateful that they wanted to kneel down before her.

"Thank you, sister-in-law! You are truly our savior!"

"A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude, sister-in-law. Just for this cup of tea you offered today, my brother and I will follow your lead from now on, and we'll go through fire and water for you..."

"Have you finished drinking?" Before he could finish expressing his loyalty, he was interrupted by his cruel boss, "If you're finished, keep standing."

"...Sister-in-law, let's keep trying."

Jiang Mingxue was willing but unable to do anything, so she reluctantly took the cup and put it back.

Since she didn't want him to interfere with her career, she naturally couldn't interfere with his training methods.

Jiang Mingxue put aside her desire to help others and returned to the clinic.

Rong Chengzhou straightened his clothes, took out a packet of mint leaves and catnip spikes from his pocket, and handed it to her: "It's a local remedy. Just boil it in water and drink it."

Jiang Mingxue paused for two seconds before realizing he was referring to the rash on her body. The fact that he was bringing it up now meant he'd noticed it yesterday, even though she'd hidden it so well that even Old Lin hadn't noticed.

She gratefully accepted it: "Thank you. The army is so busy, and you still went to the trouble of preparing this for me." Rong Chengzhou turned and walked out: "It's not as busy as you think."

"...Then you should take a good rest."

Jiang Mingxue really didn't know how to chat with her unfamiliar marriage partner.

As if sensing her concerns, Rong Chengzhou said in a deep, cold voice, "Don't worry, I won't bother you often. But now that you've come to Haining, if I ignore you, they'll notice something's up."

Jiang Mingxue felt somewhat ashamed: "That's not what I meant..."

A very faint smile appeared on Rong Chengzhou's lips; he did not delve into the matter further.

"I'd also like to apologize for what happened yesterday. Those guys are used to being wild in the army and don't know any boundaries when they speak. If they said anything that offended you, I apologize on their behalf."

"You're too kind. I didn't think they offended me at all. There's no need to apologize to me," Jiang Mingxue quickly said.

The man suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at her, and slowly said:

"I thought you wanted me to be so polite."