Chapter 23 Changfeng: I don't have that much self-control.
Jiang Mingxue's outstretched hand suddenly stopped. She turned her head and saw Rong Chengzhou at the door. She walked over and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Yan Ze looked down at the hand that was about to touch him, but then suddenly withdrew.
The emotions flickering in his eyes are obscured by thick eyelashes, making them difficult to discern.
Rong Chengzhou handed over the cookie box: "Mom asked me to bring this to you. You hadn't replied to my messages, so I came straight over."
Actually, he arrived at six o'clock. The military compound is not far from the clinic, but he waited in the car and didn't come in.
If he hadn't seen Yan Ze carrying a lunchbox inside, he would have waited for Jiang Mingxue to finish her work before picking her up.
Jiang Mingxue belatedly realized that she hadn't checked her phone for almost a day, so she quickly took it out of her pocket. The phone's battery had only dropped by 2% all day. She received a long string of red notification dots on WeChat, with Rong Chengzhou's 11 o'clock message buried at the bottom.
She said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was too busy today and didn't see it."
Rong Chengzhou said calmly, "No need to apologize. You're busy, I'll come find you."
Jiang Mingxue took the cookies: "Thank Mom for me."
I put a few boxes of cookies into the cupboard, and just as I was about to close the door, I remembered something and took out another box and hugged it to my chest.
"Are you done with your work? Aunt Lian has already prepared dinner," Rong Chengzhou said.
Jiang Mingxue nodded: "I'm done with my work for now."
She still had to review medical records and organize today's consultation notes tonight. She had originally planned not to go home tonight, but since Rong Chengzhou came to pick her up, she could take them home to review.
Just as she was about to leave, she saw Yan Ze next to her and exclaimed, "Hey, A-Ze already brought me lunch."
What should we do?
Jiang Mingxue, holding a tin of cookies, stood between Yan Ze and Rong Chengzhou, hesitant for a moment.
On one side was her husband, who had come specifically to pick her up for dinner; on the other side was her student, who had arrived early at Jingge to get her food.
They just happened to bump into each other, and refusing to do either one is not an option.
When he was at a loss for what to do, Rong Chengzhou's calm gaze fell upon him, and he said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that Dr. Yan had already prepared dinner for my wife."
He was looking at Yan Ze.
How could Yan Ze not understand his implied meaning? She raised her eyes and looked back defiantly, a half-smile appearing on her fair face as she said in a joking tone, "After all, you two have just met, so it's normal that you don't know Dr. Jiang's daily routine."
Rong Chengzhou's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he lifted his eyelids.
Their gaze fell upon him, not with displeasure, but with scrutiny.
Yan Ze picked up the bag and turned to look at Jiang Mingxue: "It's okay, Dr. Jiang. I haven't eaten yet, I'll take this meal back with me."
Jiang Mingxue felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Yan Ze still understood her as always and came to her rescue at the crucial moment.
She smiled, deeply grateful for Yan Ze's understanding: "Thank you, Aze."
Jiang Mingxue tidied up the medical records that she needed to organize that evening. Rong Chengzhou took the things from her hands and opened the passenger door for her.
After getting on the bus, I noticed the cookies she was holding and asked, "Why did you bring another box?"
Those cookies were given to her by Madam Rong for afternoon tea.
Jiang Mingxue placed the biscuits on her lap and answered matter-of-factly, "I'll eat them at home."
She guessed that Rong Chengzhou would give her all the cookies, so she specially took out a box to share with him when she got back.
Her voice was soft, the last syllable like a feather brushing against your ear, and the word "home" came out of her mouth naturally and easily.
Rong Chengzhou paused for half a second as he pulled the handbrake, his taut jawline relaxing for once.
After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Okay."
The couple returned to their bridal chamber, where Aunt Lian was already waiting at the door, laying out slippers for them: "Sir, Madam, dinner is ready."
Jiang Mingxue thanked him, and Rong Chengzhou nodded, "Thank you for your hard work."
Aunt Lian: "Of course."
After changing her shoes and washing and disinfecting her hands, Jiang Mingxue sat at the dining table, glancing at the dishes she usually loved to eat at home.
Rong Chengzhou pulled out a chair for her: "Last time I came to your house, I asked Aunt Zhou for a menu. It might not be complete. You can send any other dishes you like to Aunt Lian."
Jiang Mingxue sat down: "No wonder it looks so familiar. But these are all my favorite dishes. What about you?"
“I’m not a picky eater,” Rong Chengzhou said calmly, sitting opposite him.
Jiang Mingxue: "...I'm not a picky eater either."
Rong Chengzhou looked up and sized her up, feeling the bone in her shoulder blade pressing against him all night: "I know you're not a picky eater, but I can get you to eat more of the dishes you like."
"Okay." Jiang Mingxue didn't argue and buried her head in picking up food.
After finishing their meal, Aunt Lian cleaned up the dining room and kitchen and went back home, leaving only the two of them in the large bridal suite.
Jiang Mingxue took her clothes to take a shower first, as she had to work overtime that night reviewing medical cases. She came out of the bathroom wearing a set of pajamas.
The light pink satin fabric was soft and was also a new purchase for Madam Rong. It was just too thin, but it was much better than her nightgown.
She sat in her study, flipping through medical records, organizing consultation notes from medical books, and occasionally checking information on her computer.
My phone vibrated; I received a new message on WeChat.
She picked up her phone; it was Su Yun tagging her in the group chat.
[Mom]: Is Mingxue coming home today? Does your dad need to pick you up?
[Jiang Mingxue]: No need, Chengzhou picked me up and took me back to Songyunting today.
Songyunting is the name of the residential complex where their wedding home is located.
Su Yun kept praising her son-in-law to Jiang's father on the other end of the line, and the message was sent two minutes late.
[Mom]: That's good.
[Mom]: By the way, Chengzhou has been back for two days now, and you've all met his parents. It's time to add him to the group chat.
Jiang Mingxue suddenly remembered this and replied in the group:
He's taking a shower now. I'll ask him when he's done.
[Mom]: Okay.
Half an hour later, Jiang Mingxue estimated that it was about time, put down her pen, and went out.
Rong Chengzhou had already showered and dried his hair. He was now sitting on the sofa in a black pajamas outfit, with a tablet on his lap and an electronic pen in his hand, seemingly writing or drawing something.
Jiang Mingxue didn't pry into his private affairs, so she walked over and got straight to the point:
"Mom said I should add you to our family group chat, do you want to join?"
Joining someone else's family group chat can be quite awkward; you always have to ask the person involved for their permission.
Rong Chengzhou put down his pen, looked up and asked, "Family group?"
Jiang Mingxue nodded and opened the group chat interface to show him: "My family is all here, including Yunshu."
Rong Chengzhou glanced down and understood: "You can go in."
He patted the seat next to him, gesturing for her to sit down.
Jiang Mingxue sat down next to him and sent him a group chat invitation.
Rong Chengzhou took out his phone and tapped the top of the message screen.
Jiang Mingxue glanced up and noticed that the background color of her message board was different from everyone else's; it was gray.
Rong Chengzhou clicked on the invitation message and asked, "What do I need to do after I go in?"
Jiang Mingxue looked away, then replied, "You don't need to do anything, just wait to receive the red envelopes."
Her mother would send red envelopes in the group chat every few days to trick her into coming out. Now that her son-in-law has joined the group, the elders will definitely take turns sending red envelopes to make it lively.
Rong Chengzhou listened attentively and nodded slightly.
Half a minute later, a new WeChat red envelope message popped up. Jiang Mingxue was wondering whether her mother or father would send the first red envelope when she clicked on it and saw that it displayed—
[Rong Chengzhou]: [Red envelope] Congratulations on your fortune and good luck!
Jiang Mingxue: ...?
She told him to wait for her family to give him red envelopes, not that she wanted him to give her red envelopes.
On the other end, Su Yun and Jiang's father looked at each other in bewilderment:
Jiang's father asked, "Why did my son-in-law take over our work?"
Su Yun was equally confused, unsure whether to send the red envelope she had set up or not: "How should I know?"
Rong Chengzhou was studying WeChat's red envelope function with his eyes down, unaware of her surprise, and frowned slightly: "Why can I only send 1400?"
Before Jiang Mingxue could answer him, he clicked on the [Red Envelope] option and sent another one.
Jiang Mingxue: "......"
Seeing that he was about to continue sending messages, she quickly raised her hand to stop him: "Stop sending them, that's enough already."
Rong Chengzhou glanced at her, puzzled.
Jiang Mingxue suppressed the smile on her lips and patiently explained to him, "The maximum amount for each person to send a red envelope in the WeChat group is 200, so the maximum amount we can send in the group is 1,400. And I didn't make that clear just now. What I meant was that you can just wait for my parents to send red envelopes and then grab them."
Rong Chengzhou understood: "It's okay, I've sent it, so Mom and Dad don't need to send it."
"......"
This was completely different from what Jiang Mingxue had envisioned for Rong Chengzhou's official self-introduction after joining the group.
Upon joining the group, a shower of red envelopes immediately followed – quite the dazzling entrance!
Jiang Mingxue silently rubbed her forehead in her heart, then opened the red envelope sent by Rong Chengzhou, which showed that she had received 0/7 of it.
As expected, no one dared to claim it.
Who gives red envelopes to their elders?!
Even Jiang Huaijing and Shi Yunshu were too embarrassed to accept it.
The group could only send welcome emojis in response to the red envelopes.
[Mom]: Welcome Chengzhou to our big family! From now on, we're all one family! [/celebration.jpg][/welcome.jpg]
[Dad]: Welcome son-in-law to the group! Feel free to contact me in the group anytime if you need anything.[/welcome.jpg]
[Huaijing]: Welcome, brother-in-law.
[Yun Shu]: Welcome, brother-in-law! (Attached is a peach bear emoji)
Grandpa Jiang spoke slowly in his voice message: "Hehe, that's really good. Our family is finally complete this time."
Rong Chengzhou typed a reply:
【CZ】: Thank you.
Jiang Mingxue was the first to open the red envelope, grabbed two 200 yuan envelopes, and posted them in the group:
Please accept this small token of Chengzhou's appreciation.
The other members of the group then clicked on it one by one.
Grandpa Jiang didn't know how to give red envelopes, so Jiang's parents gave him two large ones afterward. They chatted for a few more minutes before ending the conversation and told them to get some rest.
After putting down his phone, Rong Chengzhou said to her, "We don't have a family group chat."
He was explaining to her why he hadn't added her to the Rong family group chat. He was the only son in the Rong family, and he didn't like to talk much. Madam Rong knew that creating a group would be pointless, so she simply contacted him privately.
Jiang Mingxue nodded: "I know. If you find this group noisy, you can mute it."
Rong Chengzhou: "No, your family has a very good atmosphere."
"Which day next week are you free? Your parents and grandpa would like to see you."
Jiang Mingxue was too busy, so Rong Chengzhou made an appointment in advance.
"I can rest for two days next weekend."
"Okay, then come to my place this weekend."
After discussing the next meeting with the parents, Jiang Mingxue had to go back to organize her medical records: "I might be working very late today, so you should get some rest and don't wait for me."
Rong Chengzhou nodded: "Okay."
Jiang Mingxue returned to her study and continued to consult medical records and books.
Learning is a constant process; traditional Chinese medicine knowledge has been accumulated over thousands of years. If she wants to reach her grandfather's level as soon as possible, she must continuously practice and learn.
They studied until midnight. Jiang Mingxue glanced at the time and knew that Rong Chengzhou must have already gone to sleep.
Afraid of waking him, she lay down on the folding sofa in the study where she took her afternoon nap.
I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as I touched the sofa.
There was only a thin blanket on the sofa, and the air conditioner in the study was on; it had been forgotten to be turned off before going to bed.
Her loungewear was thin, and she woke up from the cold after only twenty minutes of sleep. Too tired to wake the smart home robot, she pulled the blanket up, curled up, and crawled under it.
The air inside the blanket was thin, but it quickly warmed up, and she drifted back to sleep.
In her sleep, she vaguely heard the study door open, and then the blanket over her head was pulled off.
The newcomer's voice was deep and mellow: "Aren't you feeling stuffy covered up so tightly?"
Jiang Mingxue replied to him in her dream: "It's alright."
In fact, his mouth wasn't even open.
Then they picked her up, blanket and all.
Jiang Mingxue's mind cleared a bit, and she asked with her eyes still closed, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
She told him to get some rest at nine o'clock.
Rong Chengzhou gently carried her out, his voice low and tender:
"Waiting for you to come together."
Jiang Mingxue curled up into a small ball, as light as a baby, and her brows furrowed slightly.
It's too light.
Jiang Mingxue, her cheek suddenly exposed to the cold air, snuggled closer to him in a daze and fell into a deep sleep again.
Rong Chengzhou's long strides suddenly stopped, and his Adam's apple bobbed more violently. It took him a full five minutes to walk the twenty-meter distance from the study to the master bedroom.
Jiang Mingxue in his arms was unconscious and sleeping peacefully.
After finally reaching the master bedroom, he let go of her hand and gently placed her on the bed.
I want to tear the blanket off and replace it with a thicker goose down comforter.
Unfortunately, the blanket was pressed down by her. He raised his hand and gently lifted her waist. Before he could touch the blanket, two slender and soft arms suddenly climbed up her neck.
Jiang Mingxue, in her sleep, thought he was going to continue holding her, so she obediently hooked her arms around his neck.
The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and when he opened his lips again, his voice was slightly hoarse:
"Jiang Mingxue, I don't have that much self-control."
Jiang Mingxue mumbled with her eyes closed, "What lychee grilled fish?"
Rong Chengzhou: "......"
Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled closer to him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
