A young man from Qingyun, three years older, is said to be destined for greatness.
Rong Chengzhou tossed and turned all night again last night, and Jiang Mingxue didn't get up until 10 o'clock the next day.
Since she was going home anyway, it didn't matter if she was a little late. Besides, today was the day Old Master Jiang was going to settle scores with her, so she couldn't be later.
It was almost midnight when they arrived at the Jiang family home. The Jiang family had originally planned to hold a formal homecoming banquet, but Jiang Mingxue did not want to attend two grand ceremonies in a row, so she simply held a family banquet at the Jiang family home, with only Jiang family members and Jiang family daughters-in-law and sons-in-law.
The couple arrived right at lunchtime, and Old Master Jiang couldn't very well not let them eat, so he held back until the luncheon was over before saying to Jiang Mingxue, "Mingxue, come to my study."
Jiang Mingxue was eating fruit on the sofa when she was startled by the shout.
Su Yun had been trying to liven up the atmosphere at the dinner table, and Grandpa Jiang had even given her face by smiling. She thought the matter had been smoothed over.
The melon in her mouth instantly lost its flavor. She swallowed it with difficulty and slowly replied, "Oh..."
He then turned to look for help from the people around him.
Su Yun looked worried and distressed, but she was helpless about Old Master Jiang's decision.
Shi Yunshu shook her head at her in distress: Sister, this one really can't be saved...
Jiang Huaijing peeled red grapes and fed them to Shi Yunshu, while stirring things up as if he didn't want to miss out: "Sister, brother-in-law, next time there's something fun like skydiving, invite us too, we've never done it before."
Jiang Mingxue: "......"
Be a gentle older sister; don't hit your younger brother.
Just when she was feeling utterly hopeless, a hand reached out and took hers. She was startled and looked up to see Rong Chengzhou.
The man stood beside her, broad-shouldered and with deep-set eyes: "I'll go in with you."
Jiang Mingxue nodded, feeling much more at ease: "Mm."
The couple entered the study together, and from the moment they entered, Old Master Jiang stared intently at their clasped hands.
His wrinkled forehead furrowed slightly: "Chengzhou, I'm just going to chat with Mingxue for a bit, I'm not going to hit her."
Rong Chengzhou stood up straight: "I know, Grandpa."
Then stand still, without moving.
Grandpa Jiang: "You guys..."
It makes it seem like he's abusing his granddaughter and needs his grandson-in-law to protect her.
Sensing his wife's nervousness beside him, he subtly increased the pressure, gripping her hand even tighter with his large palm.
Jiang Mingxue couldn't help but look up at him, and the couple smiled at each other the moment their eyes met.
"..." Jiang Xingquan, who had lost her husband, was forced to eat a mouthful of dog food. Not wanting to watch the two of them being so affectionate anymore, she simply let them be. "Fine, fine, listen if you want."
Thus, a trial for one person became a trial for two.
Grandpa Jiang: "Tell me, when did you start skydiving?"
Jiang Mingxue gave a vague answer: "When I was in school."
Grandpa Jiang: "Undergraduate or graduate school? Junior year or third year of graduate school?"
Jiang Mingxue: "So... in my second year of university..."
Old Master Jiang took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down, but his smile was still forced and carried a hint of gritted teeth:
“You were 19 when you were a sophomore in college, almost ten years ago. You really are my dear granddaughter.”
"......"
Jiang Mingxue knew she couldn't refute it, so she obediently lowered her head and remained silent.
The man beside her spoke first, his clear voice unusually deep: "Grandpa, Peipei went skydiving in her sophomore year because she was wronged."
Upon hearing this, both Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Mingxue's expressions changed.
Jiang Mingxue quickly pulled his hand, telling him to stop talking.
Rong Chengzhou stopped there and continued, "It was indeed our mistake to hide it from you, but there were reasons for it. Now that Peipei has received a first-class merit, can we offset her mistakes and forgive her this time?"
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once he did, Old Master Jiang remembered it again and started interrogating him: "And when did you find out?"
Rong Chengzhou had anticipated this problem: "A few months earlier than you."
Grandpa Jiang was so angry that he pointed his finger at them: "Fine, fine, you two were keeping it from us, weren't you?"
He looked around and searched the study before finally finding the dusty ruler under the coffee table.
This ruler was used to discipline Jiang Huaijing when they were young. One end was worn down and the paint was worn off, but it was never used to discipline Jiang Mingxue. Ever since Jiang Huaijing got married, this ruler has been thrown into a corner of the study and has never been taken out again.
I never expected to use it again on the day Jiang Mingxue returned to her parents' home.
Jiang Xingquan stood before the two men with a ruler in hand, his expression stern and authoritative. He said in a stern voice, "Since that's the case, you two will be punished together."
"Grandpa, Peipei is weak, you can hit me instead."
"Grandpa, this is my own mistake, it has nothing to do with Chengzhou."
The couple spoke almost simultaneously.
Jiang Xingquan snorted coldly and walked up to Rong Chengzhou: "Give me your hand."
Jiang Mingxue raised her voice and stepped forward: "Grandpa!"
Rong Chengzhou opened his free left hand, neither dodging nor flinching, and gave her a reassuring look.
Tell her not to worry.
How could I not worry?
She had seen her younger brother punished for making mistakes, and blood would seep through his clothes on the back.
The worst incident was because of Yunshu; I still have a scar on my wrist to this day.
She tried to stop her every time, but she couldn't.
This time, Rong Chengzhou was being punished in her place, so she certainly wouldn't allow herself to remain indifferent again.
As the ruler fell with a gust of wind, Jiang Mingxue's shoulders and neck trembled involuntarily.
She was never beaten as a child.
Just as the ruler was about to fall, she swiftly and decisively reached her hand above Rong Chengzhou. Rong Chengzhou's pupils dilated slightly; he hadn't expected Jiang Mingxue to do this.
Before he could raise his hand to stop her, her small hand, a whole section shorter than his, with delicate and smooth skin, had already completely covered his large hand, trying to shield him from the heavy blow of the ruler.
He quickly grabbed her hand and turned it 180 degrees, trying to make the back of her hand face up.
But the whole process took less than two seconds, and before they were even halfway through, the solemn and quiet study was filled with the crisp sound of a ruler hitting a hand.
The force was heavy and deep, indicating that a great deal of effort had been put in.
The couple panicked and looked down to check where the other had been hit.
However, no trace of punishment was found.
But the sound just now clearly came from hitting the palm of my hand.
Almost simultaneously, they all looked up at Grandpa Jiang's direction.
The old man's raised left hand trembled and went numb from the blow, and a red mark, neither wide nor narrow, quickly appeared on his wrinkled, withered palm, now hanging shakily downwards.
Jiang Mingxue turned pale and stared in disbelief.
The ruler didn't strike either her or Rong Chengzhou's hands; instead, it struck the other hand of the person wielding the ruler.
The old man's hands were always thin and bony, without any fat to cushion the impact. So, Mr. Jiang was very strict with himself, and the hard ruler didn't hit his hands, but his bones, which hurt more than twice as much as it did for a young person.
Jiang Mingxue opened her lips, then cried out in a trembling voice, "Grandpa..."
Rong Chengzhou frowned and went forward to check on the old man's condition.
Jiang Xingquan gasped in pain, her hand still unable to lower, but she smiled at the newlyweds before her and said with relief:
"Seeing that you are all willing to protect each other at all costs, I feel relieved."
Jiang Mingxue felt a lump in her throat; she hadn't expected that her grandfather was just bluffing and didn't actually intend to hit them.
If it was just to scare him, wouldn't it have been easier to just hit him on the desk or wall in the study? Why hit his own hand, and with such force? It's heartbreaking to see.
A vague sense of what was going on in her mind caused tears to well up in her eyes instantly.
She stepped forward, took the old man's still slightly trembling hand, and said, choking back tears, "Grandpa, why are you doing this?"
Jiang Xingquan put down the ruler and gently placed his wrinkled hand on Jiang Mingxue's hand.
Tears welled up in the old man's eyes: "I'm sorry, Mingxue, it's all my fault. I didn't know you jumped the skydive because you were wronged at home. I was too harsh on you back then, which caused a rift between you and your family, making you unwilling to be honest with us."
“You and Chengzhou are both good children. This ruler should not be used on your hands, but on me, the one who started it.”
The Jiang family's medical skills have been passed down through nine generations. Due to the rules of their ancestors, Yuanhe Medical Hall and the Jiang family's medical skills have always been passed down to sons only.
However, in the last century, Jiang Xingquan taught his younger sister medicine and practiced medicine without permission, which indirectly led to his sister being killed by feudal remnants on the grounds that women practicing medicine was unclean when she went out to practice medicine.
This is a thorn in his heart that he can never remove, so he has once again picked up the rules of his ancestors.
He wanted to make up for his mistakes and protect Jiang Mingxue, but he overlooked the fact that the situation was no longer what it was decades ago.
The grievances Jiang Mingxue suffered back then were all caused by her grandfather, who had outdated ideas and didn't know how to adapt.
Even though the misunderstanding was cleared up last year and both sides have forgiven each other, the Yuanhe Medical Clinic is now being passed down to the young girl for the first time.
But as Rong Chengzhou said, the hurt cannot be erased. The grievances Jiang Mingxue suffered were real and could not be repaid with a single stroke of his ruler.
He pulled Rong Chengzhou's hand over Jiang Mingxue's, placing their hands together: "Fortunately, you have Chengzhou now. A truly good lover should be a confidant to each other. In the future, talk to Chengzhou more about things you don't want to tell your family, don't always bear it all by yourself."
Jiang Mingxue nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down her face: "I will, Grandpa."
Rong Chengzhou solemnly promised: "Don't worry, I will protect Peipei."
Grandpa Jiang nodded with satisfaction: "I believe in you."
"Alright, you guys go out and play with Huai Jingyun and the others. I still have some things to do."
Jiang Xingquan released her grip and turned to walk behind the desk.
Jiang Mingxue watched as Grandpa Jiang slowly bent over to rummage through the bottom drawer of his desk, and she knew that he was once again thinking of his great-aunt who was forever stuck at the age of seventeen.
Let Rong Chengzhou wipe away her tears with a handkerchief, she took Rong Chengzhou's hand again: "Let's go out first."
The man nodded: "Okay."
When the two came out of the study, Jiang Mingxue's eyes were still slightly red.
Shi Yunshu and Jiang Huaijing waited at the door. They were quite frightened by the noise inside the study, but dared not barge in, so they could only stand outside and guard.
Fortunately, the sound only rang once.
When Shi Yunshu saw that Jiang Mingxue came out crying, she quickly took her other hand to check it and asked with concern, "Sister, did Grandpa hit you?"
Jiang Mingxue shook her head: "No."
Jiang Huaijing asked Rong Chengzhou, "Brother-in-law, did Grandpa hit you?"
Rong Chengzhou also shook his head: "No."
Jiang Huaijing and Shi Yunshu were both puzzled: "Then who was hit just now?"
Jiang Mingxue slowly exhaled, her voice still a little hoarse: "It's Grandpa."
Rong Chengzhou put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it tightly.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaijing and Shi Yunshu were both stunned for a few seconds, never expecting that the ruler was Jiang's grandfather's punishment for them.
They were all people who knew the inside story, and they could understand the reason after a brief thought.
The group stood outside the study in silence for a while before Jiang Huaijing casually broke the silence:
"Let's go, let the old man have some peace and quiet. We'll go play cards, four people at a table."
Rong Chengzhou wiped away Jiang Mingxue's tears, and she calmed down: "Okay."
The four of them sat in the living room at a square table. They weren't playing mahjong, but rather Guandan, a game popular in universities and companies across the country, because it could be played in pairs.
Rong Chengzhou had fought with his comrades in the army and knew the rules, while Jiang Mingxue and Shi Yunshu had learned them on the spot.
After learning the basics, they started playing cards, with the two couples chatting as they drew cards.
Jiang Huaijing knew that her older sister didn't interfere, so she asked Rong Chengzhou directly, "Have you decided where to go for your honeymoon?"
Rong Chengzhou: "I haven't decided yet. Do you have any recommendations?"
Jiang Huaijing: "It's best to find a less crowded place. We went to several cities in the US last year, but since you can't travel abroad, I can't recommend any specific cities."
The maid brought tea and placed it next to Jiang Mingxue, where it was easy to knock over if she raised her arm. Rong Chengzhou moved her teacup closer to him before asking, "Peipei, if you want to go abroad, I can apply."
The procedures for active-duty military personnel to travel abroad are quite complicated, but it is not impossible for them to go abroad.
Jiang Mingxue was struggling to play the cards. The rules of Guandan were quite interesting, but there were only two decks of cards on the table, and she couldn't hold them all.
Holding a deck of cards that were arranged haphazardly, she took a moment to reply to him: "No need to go abroad, there are many places in China that I haven't been to yet."
She received a Chinese education from a young age and had no desire for life abroad. She had been abroad for an exchange program for a while, but she still preferred life in China.
Rong Chengzhou nodded: "Then let's find a less crowded place to play in China first."
Jiang Mingxue: "Okay."
The general rules of Guandan are that teams of two play cards in order to score points and level up. If a partner is the first or second to play their cards, their team gets three points. If they are the first or fourth, they get one point, and so on. The team that scores 13 points first wins.
This was the first real confrontation between the two couples in the Jiang family. In order to win with his wife, Jiang Huaijing tried his best to be the first to play in every round, giving his wife a chance to play her card first.
Rong Chengzhou, however, had a different strategy. He had an excellent memory and could calculate what cards Jiang Mingxue was missing and what cards she had left.
When it was Jiang Mingxue's turn to play a card, he would not play it, giving her the opportunity to play.
When it's his turn to play first, he will deliberately play a card that Jiang Mingxue can follow up with.
In short, everything is based on the premise that Jiang Mingxue finishes playing all her cards first.
The two men with exceptional memories employed drastically different strategies, resulting in the Jiang siblings taking turns being number one, with Jiang Mingxue being number one more often.
On the other hand, Rong Chengzhou always ranked third or fourth, and he even seemed to enjoy it, showing no sign of displeasure.
Jiang Huaijing, holding a hand of cards, finally realized something was wrong and glanced at Rong Chengzhou: "Brother-in-law, you're making me look very childish."
One wanted to help his wife win and make her proud; the other was simply trying to appease his wife.
Both men love their wives, but they express their love in different ways.
One is somewhat immature, while the other is well-mannered and mature.
Before Rong Chengzhou could reply, Shi Yunshu immediately retorted, "You've always been childish."
Jiang Huaijing, feeling embarrassed, couldn't help but gently tap her forehead.
Jiang Mingxue couldn't help but chuckle: "Huaijing is still young after all, and your brother-in-law is five years older than you."
Jiang Huaijing's expression softened somewhat: "That's true."
Rong Chengzhou's expression turned somewhat serious. He reached down from below, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it hard.
Pingyou looked at her, the meaning of which was all too clear: You think I'm too old again?
Jiang Mingxue quickly looked back at him apologetically and apologized using lip reading: "That's not what I meant."
After a long pause at the card table, Jiang Huaijing asked, "Whose turn is it?"
Jiang Mingxue paused for a moment and said, "Oh, it's my turn."
She glanced at the card that Shi Yunshu had thrown down, and knew she could take it.
But her hand was being held by Rong Chengzhou, and she couldn't move it.
I tried pulling it out twice, but couldn't get it back.
Jiang Mingxue cleared her throat awkwardly: "I think I'll hold off for now."
Then it was Rong Chengzhou's turn. He also held the cards with one hand and decisively threw down two words:
"Not going out."
With their partner not playing a single card, Jiang Huaijing and Shi Yunshu, the husband-and-wife team, found it easier to coordinate their attacks.
Jiang Huaijing smoothly discarded a small card, and the turn of the cards passed to Shi Yunshu again.
Shi Yunshu didn't have many cards left in her hand, so she played a big one this time.
Jiang Mingxue couldn't win, so she had no choice but to continue attacking.
She didn't come out, and neither did Rong Chengzhou.
Even if they have a strong hand to beat, they won't play it.
The young couple on the other side easily won first and second place in this round.
Rong Chengzhou still didn't let go of Jiang Mingxue's hand, pinching her fingers again and again, as if it were more interesting than playing cards.
Just as they were about to draw cards, Jiang Mingxue glared at him, unable to contain herself any longer. She tried to pull her hand back forcefully, but the man wouldn't let go, silently asking her, "Am I old?"
Jiang Mingxue: "......"
She shook her head repeatedly and replied in a very low voice, "Not old, not old. A man three years older than me is like holding a gold brick. I just like men who are older than me."
Rong Chengzhou's expression softened a bit, but he still wasn't satisfied.
They still haven't let go.
"Sister, it's time to draw cards," Shi Yunshu reminded her from the side.
Jiang Mingxue, with one hand hanging down, said nonchalantly, "...Oh, okay."
Then start the game with your other hand.
Even after Jiang Huaijing and Shi Yunshu had both played their cards, Jiang Mingxue and Rong Chengzhou's cards were still stacked up, not arranged at all.
Jiang Huaijing finally couldn't keep up the act any longer and blurted out, "So, only the two of us are seriously playing cards, and you two are just here to flirt?"
Jiang Mingxue's face suddenly turned red: "..."
This is all because of talking nonsense.
She never dared to casually say that Rong Chengzhou was old again.
After Su Yun finished her afternoon nap, she came downstairs and saw two couples playing cards. She went down to watch for a while.
After resting in the study for two hours, Grandpa Jiang came out and played chess with Jiang's father.
The family chatted and laughed in the living room, enjoying a harmonious and happy time together.
They played cards until almost six o'clock, and there wasn't enough time to cook dinner back home, so they all ate dinner at the Jiang family's house.
There was fish for dinner, and just like at Songyunting, Rong Chengzhou used clean chopsticks to pick out all the small fish bones, put them in a small dish, and handed it to Jiang Mingxue.
Jiang Mingxue hadn't picked up a single piece of fish before Rong Chengzhou handed her the boneless fish.
Because she knew that Rong Chengzhou would handle it for her.
"Thank you." She smiled gently as she accepted the fish, then contentedly scooped out a spoonful and chewed it slowly.
On the other side, Jiang Huaijing, who was serving food to Shi Yunshu, also picked up a large piece of fish and carefully picked it up.
Rong Chengzhou had already started serving Jiang Mingxue soup, and even picked out the scallions and ginger from the soup.
Jiang Huaijing: "..."
He hasn't even finished picking out all the fish bones yet.
During the meal, Jiang Huaijing was so busy that he barely ate anything himself, preoccupied with comparing himself to Rong Chengzhou.
After picking out the last peppercorn, Jiang Huaijing finally lost his temper and said to Shi Yunshu:
"Next time they come on Saturday, we'll come on Sunday."
At the dinner table, a group of people were laughing heartily.
The homecoming banquet ended in a simple yet warm atmosphere. Jiang Mingxue had to go to work the next day, and Rong Chengzhou considerately didn't bother her too much. It wasn't until she finished her five days of work that he finally let his true nature show a little.
The honeymoon was ultimately decided on a sparsely populated island in the south, lasting for a week.
The island stands by the sea. It is a newly developed island that has not been discovered by many people yet. There is no human damage, and the water at the seaside is so clear that it can even be used as a mirror.
Jiang Mingxue's face slowly emerged from the clear sea surface, and she admired her makeup for the day.
I'm used to going out without makeup at the clinic, but this time, since it's a rare occasion for me to go out, I put on a full face of makeup.
"Rong Chengzhou, do I look good in my makeup today?" she asked as she took the photos.
On the calm, waveless sea, the girl's delicate features were reflected in the azure water, which became a natural mirror. She stood barefoot in the water, and her eyebrows and eyes were exceptionally clear in the reflection.
Jiang Mingxue was already a beautiful woman with a cool and aloof temperament even without makeup, but now that she's wearing makeup, she's even more captivating.
Rong Chengzhou's gaze involuntarily shifted from the sea surface to the person's face, and he said softly, "Hmm, good-looking."
Jiang Mingxue smiled broadly, her heart at ease as she lifted her wide skirt and stepped onto the warm sand of the beach.
Autumn on the island is not cold at all; it's just right to wear a long beach dress.
The sun was gentle, and the two strolled hand in hand on the beach. Jiang Mingxue spent the morning collecting many seashells and conches, planning to string them into bracelets and necklaces when she got home.
Rong Chengzhou followed behind her, carrying the bag for her.
The first day's itinerary wasn't too packed. We went beachcombing in the morning, rode jet skis in the afternoon, and were able to go back for a nap at noon.
Jiang Mingxue first went to the bathroom to wash off the sand from her body.
Just as I took off my skirt, the door suddenly opened from the outside.
Rong Chengzhou followed closely behind and walked in.
Now he doesn't even knock; he just pushes the door open and walks in.
-----------------------
Author's note: Will I ever be able to take this lunch break again? [bubble tea emoji]
50 RMB red envelope~
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