Chapter 1 Changfeng Last July 11th, we just got our marriage certificate. ...
I entrust my will to the long wind, and thus I soar to the heavens.
/
"Sister Ming...why don't we go back?"
On the second day of her medical tour in Haining, Jiang Mingxue's arms were covered with rashes.
Having spent so much time in the northern part of the city, arriving in this humid and hot southernmost region was a nightmare; my whole body was screaming in protest. On my very first night, I started feeling dizzy, vomiting, and had an upset stomach, plus I got bitten several times by venomous mosquitoes.
Now her arms are covered with red spots, and it's hard to tell whether they are mosquito bites or rashes. Even someone as calm and composed as Jiang Mingxue can't help but frown slightly.
Several apprentices accompanied her, Xu Yan being one of them. Her reaction wasn't very strong, but she still couldn't escape the mosquito bites in the middle of the night.
She endured the itch and opened the medicine packet, turning it over and over but not finding the anti-itch ointment they always carried when traveling.
"Oh dear—" Xu Yan belatedly slapped her forehead. "It's all my fault. I ran out of medicine last time. I was thinking of bringing a bottle with me when I left yesterday, but I was so busy with other things that I forgot."
"I'm sorry, Sister Ming." Xu Yan felt increasingly guilty as she spoke. "It's all my fault. I'll go and get you a new one..."
Jiang Mingxue pursed her lips slightly, not blaming her, and glanced at the time: "It's okay, Yan Ze and the others should still have some, let's wait for them to arrive."
Yan Ze was her male apprentice, and he and another apprentice set off behind them. It would take at least four hours to prepare the ointment, so it was better to wait for them.
"Okay, okay." Xu Yan hurriedly called Yan Ze to confirm and urged them to hurry up.
Even if it's fast, you have to endure it for a while. Jiang Mingxue subconsciously wanted to scratch her arm, but she forcibly pulled it back just before touching it, and then moved to the acupoint in the crook of her arm and pressed hard to relieve the pain.
Seeing her like this, Xu Yan felt extremely guilty: "Sister Ming, why don't you go and eat something and rest for a while? It's okay to make the patients wait a little longer."
Jiang Mingxue slowly opened her eyes, her gaze clear: "No, I'll finish seeing the last patient this morning first."
The branch doctor is out on a medical mission, and there's no one to replace her right now.
Xu Yan opened her mouth, but knowing she couldn't persuade her, she silently closed it again.
The last patient was a high school student who developed mild cervical spondylosis due to years of studying with his head down and poor posture, and needed acupuncture treatment.
Jiang Mingxue had him sit on the bed in the treatment room, while she stood beside the bed to administer acupuncture.
The reserved and introverted boy was a little nervous as he tried acupuncture for the first time, his shoulders tense. Jiang Mingxue whispered to him, "Count how many birds are on the seventh trunk of the locust tree on the left side outside the window?"
The boy did as instructed, counting each hair one by one from top to bottom.
One, two, three, four, five, six...
"Huh? Doctor, there's no seventh one." The boy was a little confused.
Jiang Mingxue smiled and slowly lifted the hand that had been holding the first needle away: "It's done."
The boy belatedly realized what was happening and gave an embarrassed laugh.
This lady is so gentle; I didn't know acupuncture didn't hurt at all.
The next dozen or so needles went smoothly. Jiang Mingxue would chat with him from time to time to help him relax, since no one wants to develop cervical spondylosis at such a young age. Guided by her, the boy would also take the initiative to talk about his daily habits and ask her where he needed adjustments, to which Jiang Mingxue answered carefully.
On the contrary, it was Xu Yan, who was standing aside helping out, who was not calm. Seeing that Jiang Mingxue's forehead was covered with a layer of fine sweat under the fan, she couldn't help but feel worried for her.
I can't even imagine how much willpower it takes to keep your wrist as steady as a rock while covered in countless rashes.
Even though she herself was feeling unwell, she was still able to spare the time to comfort the patient.
After all fourteen needles were inserted, she noticed that her teacher's shoulders had visibly relaxed.
Jiang Mingxue finally freed her hand to wipe her sweat with a handkerchief. When she was receiving acupuncture, it felt as if tens of thousands of ants were constantly gnawing at and sucking her flesh, yet she couldn't move an inch.
Her mouth was parched, so she went to the coffee table and poured some water, but it tasted raw and had tiny specks of limescale.
"Sister Ming, the water here is all from the well, and we drink it directly in the summer," Xu Yan said, half-complaining.
Having lived in Beicheng for a long time, it's really hard to get used to drinking unboiled groundwater, let alone for Teacher Jiang, who grew up in a wealthy family with a life of luxury.
Jiang Mingxue nodded: "I understand."
He then poured himself a second glass and drank it.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. To overcome the symptoms of acclimatization problems, you must first get used to the local way of life.
An hour later, Yan Ze and the others arrived. They immediately handed the ointment to Jiang Mingxue and scolded Xu Yan for being too careless.
Knowing she was in the wrong and couldn't argue, Xu Yan took the initiative to take the spoon and help Jiang Mingxue apply the medicine in order to make amends: "Sister Ming, let me help you."
"Thanks."
After applying the medicine, the symptoms eased considerably. Jiang Mingxue spoke a few words to Yan Ze and the others, then told them to go upstairs and tidy up their rooms. Xu Yan, who was standing nearby, suddenly patted her shoulder excitedly:
"Holy crap! So handsome—!!"
Jiang Mingxue was drinking water and almost choked. Following her gaze, she saw a group of officers passing by.
The group of people, dressed in white T-shirts, black cargo pants, and blue and white camouflage hats, stood in a neat row.
Xu Yan: "Is that insignia on their hats from the Air Force? They're so tall and cool! Everyone says the Air Force has the highest entry requirements, but I never expected to see one alive in this remote and impoverished place!"
Jiang Mingxue was also somewhat surprised: "I had heard that there was an air force base in Haining, but I didn't expect it to be in Mengshan."
Mengshan is the county where they live, the closest place to the sea.
"Oh, if only I could bring an Air Force member home, my family's graves would be emitting auspicious smoke, and my mother would be overjoyed."
Thinking of this, Xu Yan sighed, resting her chin on her hand, and said wistfully, "It's a pity that any one of them is an elite among elites, and they definitely wouldn't look at someone like me with average conditions. Sister Ming, are you really not going to consider it? With your family background and looks, you can pick anyone you want."
Jiang Mingxue put down her water glass and looked at her seriously: "Don't underestimate yourself. At least in my opinion, you are very good."
Xu Yan was pleased to be praised: "It's okay, Sister Ming. I just have intermittent low self-esteem. I'm usually quite optimistic."
Jiang Mingxue smiled, not understanding the thoughts of these young people.
"Sister Ming, look ahead! That guy in the lead is so handsome!"
As they approached, their appearances became clearer.
The man in the lead was the tallest, with exposed arm muscles, an upright posture, and a stern face. Just one glance from him commanded respect.
"Yes, it is indeed quite good." Jiang Mingxue glanced at it with a faint smile.
Although it was just a polite way of saying it, Xu Yan knew that she wasn't really interested; it was just that her upbringing made her habitually praise her.
Xu Yan cupped her face in her hands, her mind filled with pink bubbles: "Suddenly I feel that this place is pretty good. If I work a little harder, maybe I can bring my mom a son-in-law with a government job."
"Just let me know if you need to take leave." Jiang Mingxue is a humane boss.
"Great! I've been waiting for Sister Ming to say that!"
They were engrossed in their conversation and didn't notice that the man standing at the head of the army not far away felt their gaze and turned his head to glance in their direction.
Under the blazing sun, in the shadow of his camouflage hat, the man's sharp eyebrows and superior bone structure gave him a cool and indifferent gaze. He lingered on Jiang Mingxue's face for a brief two seconds before looking away.
......
It was just past the afternoon opening time, and the two had rested enough. They changed their clothes, put on masks, and went to the clinic for their appointments. Mengshan County is underdeveloped, and its population consists mostly of the elderly, women, and children. There weren't many patients in the afternoon, so Jiang Mingxue was able to drink water and apply medicine to relieve her symptoms.
After dispensing medicine to an elderly person, several tall and robust young men suddenly walked into the clinic through its low doorway, making the already small clinic seem even more cramped.
Xu Yan recognized these as the soldiers they had seen outside the window that afternoon, and excitedly kept poking her with her finger.
Jiang Mingxue sat motionless behind the consultation table, recording the previous patient's consultation details in her notebook.
Several young men sat down around an injured teammate. He was broad-shouldered and had a fairer, healthier tan than the others. His arm muscles were exceptionally strong, and there was a gruesome wound on his forearm.
The man didn't urge her, but sat quietly at the examination table waiting for her to put down her pen.
Jiang Mingxue recognized the man in front of her as the leader of the air force team from noon, guessing that he was a captain or something similar.
She looked down, grasped his wrist, and examined it closely.
The wound was deep, the skin and flesh were slightly turned outwards, and fresh blood was seeping out.
Jiang Mingxue's face was obscured by a mask, but her fair forehead was slightly furrowed.
She looked up and asked, "How did you do that?"
"It's all my fault..."
"It was cut by barbed wire."
A young soldier offered an apology, but was interrupted by the man's deep, indifferent voice.
With just a slight lift of his right knuckles, the young man behind him immediately fell silent.
Jiang Mingxue noticed the guilt on the young soldier's face and had already guessed what was going on.
Fortunately, the wire mesh wasn't rusted, otherwise the wound infection would have been more serious.
She first cleaned the wound with herbal juice, then applied medicinal powder and bandaged it. Throughout the entire process, the other person didn't even flinch.
Jiang Mingxue quickly and neatly tied a knot in the gauze and instructed, "Don't get the wound wet. Avoid spicy and irritating foods recently. If you have time, it's best to come and change the dressing every day."
The young female TCM doctor's voice was gentle and soothing. The young man, who had just been halfway through his apology, had already forgotten his captain's orders and answered first, "We have time, we have time, we'll come every day to change the dressing!"
The man finally raised his head, giving the immature young man an unpleasant look, as if blaming him for making the decision for him without permission.
But since we were outside, I didn't scold him, and just said, "Thank you."
He stood up, looked around but couldn't find a QR code, and asked, "How do I pay?"
"Military personnel do not pay at Yuanhe Medical Clinic."
The man raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, then took a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and placed it on the table: "If it's not enough, I'll go back and get more."
This scene seemed familiar, and Jiang Mingxue was stunned for a moment before she realized what it was.
She stared intently at the other person's cold, hard face, deep eyes, and thick, dark eyebrows, and felt a strange sense of familiarity about him.
A superimposed face vaguely appeared in my mind, but I couldn't make it out clearly.
Seeing that he was about to leave, disregarding any potential offense, she couldn't help but call out to him, "Sir, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Blinding light streamed through the faded wooden windows into the pharmacy, filling the air with the distinctive pungent aroma of Chinese herbs and the scent of aged wood. All eyes in the room were on her; Jiang Mingxue even forgot she was wearing a mask, and even if they had seen her before, they might not recognize her.
But he stopped in his tracks.
Does it look familiar?
The man countered with a question, turning his head to look at her. In the twilight, his jawline appeared as sharp and angular as a knife.
"We just got our marriage certificate on July 11th last year."
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