Chapter 16 Changfeng, no one will be able to bully you anymore.
"Ah..." Jiang Mingxue was taken aback by his sudden question and stood there stunned for a moment.
A blush crept onto his face, and he stammered for a long time without being able to explain himself.
She couldn't very well say directly that she chose him because of his physical defect, could she?
She even suspected that if she actually said those words, he would lift her up like a dumbbell and throw her down hard the next second.
"I..." She stood there awkwardly, not daring to look Rong Chengzhou in the eye.
Rong Chengzhou took in her reaction, his brows furrowing slightly: "Is this question difficult to answer?"
Jiang Mingxue: "...It's quite difficult to answer. Give me some more time to think about it."
Rong Chengzhou hummed in agreement: "No rush, take your time thinking about it. I'll wait for you."
Jiang Mingxue lowered her eyes, hiding the guilt in them.
My mind raced, trying to find another reason that could convince him.
The surroundings were so quiet that they could hear each other breathing. After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Mingxue finally managed to organize her thoughts.
She coughed lightly: "Actually, the most important reason I chose you was because you are a soldier. My grandfather has a bias against soldiers, and they strongly approve of their future son-in-law being an air force officer. And as you said, military marriages cannot be divorced unless either party has committed a major offense. I thought that as long as I got a marriage certificate that I could not divorce, I could have peace and quiet in the future."
"Indeed, that is the case. Thanks to you, I have not been interfered with by my family since then, which is why I chose you."
She only said "reason," not "main reason," so it shouldn't be considered lying to him, right?
Jiang Mingxue tried to comfort herself.
Rong Chengzhou listened attentively, then looked down at her and said calmly, "You don't seem like such an impulsive person."
Her explanation may seem plausible on the surface, but it doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
If all she really needs is a military marriage certificate, then she can choose any man from the Beicheng military unit.
He always felt there was some deeper reason, but Jiang Mingxue was unwilling to tell him.
"I didn't act impulsively. Marrying you was a well-thought-out decision." Jiang Mingxue's face was calm, but her hands, hanging at her sides, unconsciously clenched.
Lying is easy, but lying with a clear conscience is a skill that requires cultivation.
The man's dark pupils were fixed on her eyes, which were pure and clear, calm and composed as always, but he still managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of her guilt.
When you meet his gaze, you feel a flustered urge to look away, even if it's just for a moment.
Well then, since she was unwilling to talk about it, he decided not to press her any further.
There's plenty of time; he'll find out the answer someday. Seeing that he didn't intend to press the matter further, Jiang Mingxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Xiao Jiang, Xiao Xu, Xiao Yan, Xiao Dong, come and eat!"
Old Lin had just finished cooking and came over from the backyard to call for people. Seeing Rong Chengzhou there, he greeted him warmly, "Little Rong, the food is just ready. Why don't you stay and eat with us!"
Rong Chengzhou thanked her, but did not respond immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at Jiang Mingxue.
"..." Jiang Mingxue felt a little embarrassed, recalling how she had initially tried to drive him away, both openly and subtly.
She opened her mouth and said, "...Since Old Lin has said so, why don't you stay and eat with us?"
Rong Chengzhou said calmly, "Alright, then I'll take my leave."
The already cramped kitchen felt even more crowded with the addition of a 1.9-meter-tall man.
Jiang Mingxue and Rong Chengzhou sat on the same side, with Lao Lin sitting next to them, warmly welcoming the guests: "Little Rong, I'm used to cooking for myself, so my cooking isn't very good. Please don't mind."
Rong Chengzhou smiled politely, picked up a leaf of wild vegetable and put it in a small dish: "No, the wild vegetable dish you made looks very appetizing."
With a loud "bang," Old Lin slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone else.
He excitedly grasped Rong Chengzhou's hand: "I've finally met someone who understands me!! It's all thanks to our Captain Rong for recognizing my talent! These guys have been eating here for a month and still can't remember the names. All they know is 'wild vegetables.' I was thinking of kicking them out!"
Typical examples include Xu Yan and Bai Dong. Jiang Mingxue is not picky about food and can eat anything, the only difference is how much she eats. This is why she lost several pounds in just a few days when she first came to Haining.
Yan Ze is a picky eater, but he won't say it; he just never touches the dish of tree vegetables with his chopsticks.
Xu Yan and Bai Dong were caught off guard by being singled out for criticism. They stuck out their tongues and said, "They all look pretty much the same. Who can tell them apart?"
"How come Captain Rong can tell the difference?"
"Can we compare to my brother-in-law..." Xu Yan retorted softly, unconvinced.
Old Lin glanced at her coldly, then turned to Rong Chengzhou and enthusiastically served him some food: "I was in a rush to prepare today. If I had known you were coming, I would have gone to get some meat to stew. Next time, next time you come, just let me know in advance, and I will definitely prepare something special for you!"
A disdainful snort rang out in the air; it came from Yan Ze.
Xu Yan and Bai Dong clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction: "That's such a double standard."
Bai Dong: "Sigh, as expected, wildflowers are always more fragrant than garden flowers."
Xu Yan glared at him: "Brother, you don't have to quote proverbs if you're uncultured."
Jiang Mingxue couldn't stand it anymore and smiled lightly, "Why didn't we have any meat when we were here?"
A plate of wild mountain vegetables and a few words were enough to win over Lao Lin.
Old Lin was much more polite to Jiang Mingxue: "I'm just too busy, how about tomorrow? If you want to eat, I'll leave work early tomorrow and make you braised pork!"
"That's more like it." Xu Yan and Bai Dong immediately beamed with joy.
Rong Chengzhou smiled almost imperceptibly, then turned to Jiang Mingxue and said, "If you want to eat anything, you can tell me anytime."
The air force base has a full range of supplies, and it's convenient for him to travel. As long as he's not on a mission, he can deliver supplies to her anytime.
"Okay, then next time Lao Lin doesn't do it, I'll come to you."
"Hmm." He reached out and picked up a pair of clean chopsticks, then placed a piece of egg on her plate.
This was the only dish on the table that could be considered meat; the rest were just stir-fries with minced meat. Old Lin specially placed this plate of scrambled eggs with toon leaves in front of him.
The meal was exchanged for tomorrow's braised pork, and Xu Yan and Bai Dong ate with great enthusiasm, even politely picking up a couple of wild mountain vegetables with their chopsticks.
Yan Ze remained silent and expressionless as usual, listening to their idle chatter. His thick, feathery eyelashes drooped, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and only the knuckles of his fingers, gripping the chopsticks, were slightly white.
A short while later, he put down his chopsticks and said, "I'm done eating."
He then got up and left.
He did this every day, but he left a little earlier today, so no one noticed anything unusual.
Only Rong Chengzhou's gaze lingered briefly in the direction he left for two seconds.
After dinner, Bai Dong washed the dishes. Apart from Lao Lin cooking, the four of them had a daily schedule and took turns washing the dishes.
Jiang Mingxue went to see Rong Chengzhou off, and walked a little further after leaving the clinic.
In Haining, the days are long and the nights are short in summer. Even after dinner at seven o'clock, it's still half light. The enticing aroma of food wafts from every household, and the streets and alleys are filled with the laughter and playful shouts of children running around.
They walked side by side in the narrow alley. Jiang Mingxue said, "I've been trying to get acupuncture done for Instructor Lu these past few days, but we're going back soon, so we probably won't be able to finish a full course of treatment."
Rong Chengzhou slowed his pace and reduced the range of his long legs: "It's okay, his illness can't be cured in a few days, you don't need to feel pressured."
"Okay, sure."
"When are you going back?" he asked.
Jiang Mingxue: "Next Friday."
Today is Saturday, and there's less than a week left.
Rong Chengzhou nodded slightly: "Okay, I'll come and see you off then."
Jiang Mingxue nodded in agreement.
After a half-minute silence, Rong Chengzhou, unusually, brought up the topic: "The atmosphere at your clinic is quite nice."
“Yes.” Jiang Mingxue’s expression softened as she thought of the students she had taught. “They are all my own students, like my younger brothers and sisters. With them around, the clinic is always lively.”
“Indeed,” he agreed, then suddenly asked, “Is Yan Ze also your younger brother?”
“Of course.” Jiang Mingxue felt that his question was a bit strange, but she still answered seriously, “He is about the same age as Huai Jing, or even a few months younger than Huai Jing, but he is more introverted. But with Bai Dong and Xu Yan around, his personality has become much more outgoing than before.”
Rong Chengzhou nodded, and said thoughtfully, "If he's younger than your brother, then he can only be your brother."
Jiang Mingxue found his words strange and tilted her head to look at him: "What do you mean you can only be my younger brother?"
"It's nothing," he said casually. After a pause, he asked again, "How did you meet them? Would you mind telling me?"
There's nothing wrong with saying this. Jiang Mingxue recalled carefully and recounted in detail: "Xu Yan took the initiative to find me during her sophomore year internship. Bai Dong, like her, is a student majoring in traditional Chinese medicine. He submitted his resume to Yuanhe Medical Clinic after graduating in his senior year. I thought they were both very down-to-earth, so I brought them along until now."
"As for Yan Ze, his situation is rather special. I met him by chance when I was out with friends. It involves his personal privacy, so I can't go into details with you. He's not a medical student, but he's very interested in traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, his family situation is rather special, so I took him on. Fortunately, this kid is hardworking. Although he has no foundation, he studies very diligently and is no worse than Xu Yan and Bai Dong."
Rong Chengzhou listened attentively and raised his question: "Just because someone is interested in traditional Chinese medicine, can they become your student? Isn't that a bit too low a threshold?"
Jiang Mingxue smiled and said, "In my opinion, passion is more important than anything else. Actually, Yan Ze is a lot like me in the past. Perhaps I haven't told you this, but I was very interested in traditional Chinese medicine when I was a child. However, for some reasons, my grandfather did not teach me properly, so I missed many opportunities. If my younger brother hadn't pretended to be rebellious and secretly given me all the medical materials that my grandfather gave him, perhaps there would be no Jiang Mingxue at Yuanhe Medical Hall today."
She saw her past self, who had no way to pursue her education, in Yan Ze: "So, as long as Yan Ze is willing to learn, I will spare no effort to teach him."
"I'm sorry, I brought up something that hurt you." Rong Chengzhou stopped in his tracks and apologized in a deep voice.
Jiang Mingxue shook her head and smiled calmly: "It's alright, it's all in the past. Later I learned that Grandpa had his own difficulties. Now Yuanhe Medical Hall has been handed over to me, so I want to provide an opportunity for those who do not have the conditions to learn traditional Chinese medicine."
In the quiet, secluded alley, a man's deep eyes gazed at her, seemingly piercing through her, and his deep, magnetic voice slowly rang out:
"But the hurt you've suffered can never be erased."
Those thoughts hidden deep in her heart were suddenly revealed, and Jiang Mingxue's smile froze for a moment. Was it the difference in age and experience? He could always see through her thoughts at a glance, and she seemed to be unable to hide any secrets from him.
All the grievances of the past years welled up in his heart, and his usually calm and composed voice was tinged with a slight sob.
It vanished in an instant, disappearing into the alleyway as darkness fell.
When she looked up again, she was still Jiang Mingxue, hanging alone on the cliff collecting herbs: "You're right, but it will fade away with time."
It would be a lie to say she never resented it. She had to make up for the talent she wasted in her childhood by working twice as hard later on to reach her current level.
But what good is resentment? She is no longer an innocent child; she has long since learned to reconcile with the past, with her grandfather, and with herself.
But as he said, the damage cannot be erased, and reconciliation will take time.
The sky had darkened, and the light in the alley had dimmed. Only the faint sound of children's laughter could be heard coming from the alley entrance, growing ever closer.
A sudden impact from behind forced her forward, catching her off guard.
At the same time, her waist was wrapped around a strong arm and pulled into a hug.
Her cheek pressed against his chest, still as hard as iron, but this time his movements were gentle, softly pulling her into his embrace. She felt no pain, and could faintly hear his strong, powerful heartbeat.
"Sister, I'm sorry... It was too dark and I couldn't see clearly. I really didn't mean to..." came the boy's childish voice from behind.
Jiang Mingxue stopped, turned her head slightly, and smiled gently: "It's okay, go play. It's dark, be careful not to fall."
"Okay, thank you, sister!"
The little boy was forgiven and skipped away.
The man's arm was still around her waist. She placed her hand on his arm and whispered, "I'm alright now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the force around his waist did not disappear; instead, it tightened even more.
Just then, the streetlights came on, casting two figures, one tall and one short, at an angle on the ground. The broad-shouldered officer held the slender girl tightly in his arms.
"Jiang Mingxue," he whispered her name.
"From now on, with me here, no one will be able to bully you anymore."
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