Chapter 19 Changfeng moves into the bridal chamber.
Mr. Rong accompanied Madam Rong. When Jiang Mingxue rushed to the front hall, the Rong couple were chatting with the elders of the Jiang family.
Major General Rong's temples were already frosted with white, and his eyebrows and eyes bore a resemblance to Rong Chengzhou's. He possessed a calm and dignified air, but when he looked at his family, his eyes would soften.
In contrast, Madam Rong had a much kinder and gentler appearance. Although she was over fifty, she still looked young, and her well-maintained eyes and brows carried the gentleness of time. Her plain-colored clothes were neatly ironed, and a small brooch was pinned to her collar. It was a gift from Young General Rong, which he had brought back from a mission. The brooch resembled an eagle with outstretched wings.
The couple sat side by side. When she arrived, Madam Rong smiled and invited her to sit next to her: "Mingxue is here."
Jiang Mingxue walked over with a smile and greeted, "Hello, Aunt Rong and Uncle Rong."
Su Yun scolded angrily, "You child, why are you still calling me 'Auntie'?"
Jiang Mingxue belatedly realized that she should change her address, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Madam Rong spoke gently and slowly: "It's alright, it's Chengzhou's fault. He insisted that I not disturb Mingxue, and I didn't even dare to come and see my own daughter-in-law. If Chengzhou hadn't called me a while ago to ask me to prepare for the wedding, I still wouldn't have seen Mingxue. This is a problem for our Rong family. Once we've prepared all the necessary ceremonies and given her the change of address fee, it won't be too late for Mingxue to call us."
After saying this, Jiang Mingxue had prepared herself mentally and softly called out, "Dad, Mom."
Madam Rong and Major General Rong hurriedly responded with smiles, and even the corners of Madam Rong's smooth eyes showed fine wrinkles.
They came to apologize and to meet their daughter-in-law in person, bringing many valuable gifts.
Madam Rong held Jiang Mingxue's hand and said with heartache, "Being a soldier's wife is not easy. I've been through it, and I understand the hardships along the way. Especially Chengzhou, who has been more hardworking than his father and grandfather since he was a child. Mingxue must have worked even harder than me."
Jiang Mingxue listened with her eyes lowered, and politely replied, "They have it much harder in the military."
Upon hearing this, Madam Rong sincerely praised Su Yun, saying, "This child is so sensible. I used to argue with his father about this all the time."
Major General Rong nodded in agreement: "Yes, Mingxue is calm and sensible. Chengzhou is lucky to have married such a good wife."
Su Yun was pleased with the compliment and politely declined with a few words of modesty.
"Oh, right." Madam Rong thought of the purpose of this trip, "I want to make the wedding of the two children grand. It will take some time, but the wedding room has been prepared for a long time. It is located in the city center near Yuanhe Medical Hall, which will make it very convenient for Mingxue to go to work in the future."
"Mingxue, do you want to move over first, or wait until Chengzhou comes back and we move over together?"
Jiang Mingxue paused for a moment before replying, "I'll wait for Chengzhou to come back so we can go together."
"Alright, then let's wait for Chengzhou."
Knowing that today was the Jiang family's family day, the Rong couple did not linger, and the extremely sudden meeting with the parents for Jiang Mingxue ended simply like that.
But this also foreshadows the official start of her married life with Rong Chengzhou.
--
Jiang Mingxue only rested at home for one day before returning to work. The Haining branch was the last stop of this round of consultations; the next round wouldn't be until two years later. She compiled the diagnostic records of difficult and complicated cases she had noted in Haining into a presentation and discussed them with several doctors at the main branch.
It is precisely because of her thirst for knowledge, humility, and ability to keep up with the times, including the introduction of high-tech methods such as AI-assisted diagnosis, that the many older traditional Chinese medicine doctors from the Jiang family's collateral lineage at Yuanhe Medical Center are willing to obey her from the bottom of their hearts, despite her being a young girl.
More than half a month has passed since she returned to Beicheng. These days, Rong Chengzhou has been reporting his safety to her every day, and Madam Rong has been sending people to deliver jewelry, precious medicines, and so on from time to time.
On Friday afternoon, she took the pulse of a diabetic patient, wrote a prescription, and looked up at the clock on the wall; it was already past five o'clock.
This morning, she received a message from Rong Chengzhou saying that he would arrive in Beicheng at 3 p.m. today and was probably home by now.
She didn't message him to ask about him; after being away from home for a year, she definitely wanted to spend more time with her family.
"Sister Ming, the medicine packet is ready." Xu Yan came over and handed over the medicine.
Jiang Mingxue snapped out of her reverie, looked down to check, wrote down a list of precautions, and handed it to the patient.
Yuanhe Medical Clinic in Beicheng is the main branch and the largest, with nearly ten attending physicians, more than twenty pharmacists and apprentices. Not only local patients come, but also many who have come from other provinces specifically to see her. She continued working from 5:00 to 7:30. Xu Yan brought her a boxed lunch, but she was too busy giving acupuncture to eat.
This is her daily routine; her 80-pound weight gain is all due to her busy schedule, and the doctors and apprentices at the clinic are already used to it.
After finally finishing treating the last patient, Jiang Mingxue was about to return to the rest room to change when Xiao Liang, who had been receiving patients, reminded her: "Sister Ming, there seems to be another patient outside."
Jiang Mingxue stopped unbuttoning her clothes, then buttoned them up again and walked towards the door: "Weren't all the registrations on the system already processed? Are there people queuing up offline?"
Xiao Liang shook his head: "I don't know, he was there when I came out to check at 5:30."
"I see."
Jiang Mingxue walked to the entrance and immediately spotted the black SUV parked in front of the clinic. Its appearance differed from the one at Haining Air Force Base; the body looked brighter and newer.
The car window was rolled down halfway, revealing a man with striking bone structure sitting in the driver's seat, perfectly proportioned to the SUV's large body. His white shirt was neatly pressed, the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, revealing a long, shallow scar—a wound she had personally bandaged.
His left hand rested casually on the steering wheel, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing it, the movement still carrying a bit of the inertia of gripping the control stick, as steady as if it were embedded there.
As she approached, it seemed to sense her presence and turned its head to look at her.
Jiang Mingxue was a beat slow to react, somewhat surprised: "Why aren't you resting at home?"
Rong Chengzhou opened the car door and got out. Standing opposite her, his cold, hard features were softened somewhat by the twilight: "You rested on the plane. Are you done with your work? Let me take you out to eat."
A faint scent of fresh bath wafted in the air. Jiang Mingxue looked up at his hair and realized that he had gone home to shower and change clothes after getting off the plane.
She looked away and nodded slightly: "I'm done with my work. Let me change my clothes."
Inside the clinic, Xu Yan came out of the pharmacy and, after hearing about the incident, slapped Xiao Liang on the forehead in exasperation: "Are you stupid? What kind of patient waits in the car for so long without saying a word? This is Sister Ming's husband, our brother-in-law, the future master of our clinic!"
"Ah..." Xiao Liang was the apprentice who received Rong Chengzhou last year. He didn't go on the medical tour to Haining this time, so he naturally didn't know about this. Shocked, he tugged at Xu Yan's sleeve, "Sister Yan, please tell me what happened..."
--
A few minutes later, Jiang Mingxue came out after changing her clothes. The car had already turned around and was parked in front of the clinic. She could get in the car just a few steps away.
The car's interior is decorated in a minimalist and cool style, filled with a light, neutral cedar scent, further confirming that it is Rong Chengzhou's private car, which he rarely drives as he is not usually at home.
Before she got into the car, the air conditioning inside had been turned down, so Jiang Mingxue, sitting in the passenger seat, didn't feel cold even though she was wearing short sleeves.
"Why didn't you send me a message beforehand?" she asked.
If Xiao Liang hadn't told her, she would have had no idea he had been waiting at the door for so long.
Rong Chengzhou gripped the steering wheel: "I'm afraid you'll get distracted."
He arrived early and, seeing that she hadn't finished her work, waited in his car. If he texted her, she would be distracted by watching over him, just like last time.
Jiang Mingxue curved her lips slightly: "How long are you staying this time?"
Rong Chengzhou: "Two months."
"So long?"
Rong Chengzhou tilted his head and gave her a cryptic look.
"......"
Jiang Mingxue then realized that she couldn't help herself and blurted out her thoughts.
She coughed awkwardly, trying to cover for herself: "What I mean is, how could your boss be willing to give you such a long leave?"
Rong Chengzhou calmly shifted his gaze: "This time it was a special approval."
He paused for a moment, then added, "—Honeymoon leave."
Jiang Mingxue curled her lips: "...Oh, that's fine."
My feelings suddenly became complicated. On one hand, I was happy that he could take the leave, but on the other hand, I was worried about the complicated procedures that followed, and...
She had previously said that they would move into their new marital home together when he returned.
Rong Chengzhou took her to a well-known high-end Chinese restaurant in Beicheng called "Jinge". Last year, a new head chef came, whose family had been preparing meals for the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for three generations. Since then, the business has been booming, and you have to queue up half a month in advance to make a reservation. When they made their New Year's Eve dinner reservation late, they had to ask Grandpa Jiang to make room for a table.
Rong Chengzhou simply greeted the receptionist and led her inside.
Jiang Mingxue followed behind him, asking incredulously, "Did you make a reservation in advance?"
"No." Rong Chengzhou waited for her to go up the steps first, then walked behind her. "This shop was invested in by my friend. I'll introduce you to it sometime."
Jiang Mingxue understood: "Okay."
She followed Rong Chengzhou into the private room, and as they passed through the gilded solid wood carved door, she deeply understood the saying, "In Beicheng, connections are always more effective than money."
The Jingge Hotel, where even money can't buy a seat in the main hall, actually booked a private room for the two of them.
The waiter brought over the menu, and Rong Chengzhou handed it to her: "Take a look and see what you'd like to eat."
Jiang Mingxue took the menu and ordered a few dishes.
That's enough for the two of them.
Rong Chengzhou glanced at the spots she had ticked; they were all dishes that were considered relatively inexpensive at Jin Ge.
They didn't say anything, but just added a few more of their signature dishes.
The waiter brought over two glasses of juice. Rong Chengzhou touched the inside of the glass; it had just been taken out of the refrigerator.
He looked up at her and asked, "Can you drink something cold?"
Jiang Mingxue was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant, and nodded, saying, "You can drink it."
Her period hasn't started yet.
Only then did he hand her the iced drink.
He wiped his hands clean with a disposable damp towel, then poured some hot water into a cup, washed his set of tableware, dried it with a paper towel, and placed it in front of her.
"Thank you," Jiang Mingxue said quickly.
"It's alright." Rong Chengzhou took the tableware in front of her and continued to wash it with hot water.
This is his habit when eating out, even in five-star restaurants where hygiene is absolutely guaranteed.
The dishes were served quickly, with a table full of specialty dishes such as conch slices, braised sea cucumber with fish maw, vegetarian dishes, and imperial pastries.
Rong Chengzhou: "Last time I noticed you weren't interested in steak and pasta, so I guessed you probably prefer Chinese food. I wonder if this restaurant suits your taste."
Jiang Mingxue nodded: "You guessed right, my family likes to eat Chinese food."
He nodded slightly: "Yes, I also like Chinese food."
After that, they looked at each other in silence and ate their meals quietly, with only Ren Chengzhou occasionally moving the dishes that she had picked up a couple of times to her side.
It was almost ten o'clock when they finished eating, and it was already quite late to get home, so Jiang Mingxue asked Rong Chengzhou to take her to the clinic.
On the way, Rong Chengzhou asked, "Do you have time these next couple of days? I'd like to visit your elders at home."
Jiang Mingxue thought for a moment: "I have a few patients tomorrow morning, but I have time in the afternoon."
He nodded and said, "Then this afternoon. I'll pick you up then."
"good."
Then there was another silence. The car windows blocked out the noise of the city outside, and the only sound inside the car was the air conditioning running.
Jiang Mingxue turned her head to admire the scenery outside the window, but in fact the streetlights were very dim, and only the dark shadows of the trees moved quickly past, so she couldn't see anything clearly.
Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't far from the clinic. The car stopped smoothly in front of the clinic, she thanked them, opened the car door, and prepared to get out.
The man in the driver's seat suddenly called out to her.
She turned around, holding the car door handle, and heard him ask:
"I'm moving into our new home tomorrow. When are you planning to move in?"
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