Chapter 3 Changfeng listens to Mrs. Rong.
Jiang Mingxue's eyelids twitched at the mention of "Mrs. Rong".
At this moment, Rong Chengzhou's usually cold and hard face suddenly warmed up, and his slightly lowered eyelids looked at her, as if he was waiting to see how she would handle the situation.
Xu Yan found this absurd. She was inseparable from Jiang Mingxue every day. If they had really been married for a year, how could she not have noticed a single clue?!
She asked incredulously, "Sister Ming, is what he said true? How could you keep such a big thing so well hidden?"
Jiang Mingxue was flustered inside, but remained calm on the surface: "Yes, it's true."
Before they could ask, she stepped forward, took Rong Chengzhou's arm, and smiled gently. The shadow cast by her eyelashes looked like a butterfly alighting, and even her breathing became soft: "It was just a joke between my husband and me. Please forgive us."
The intimate gestures were performed so smoothly that even Xu Yan, who was initially unwilling to believe it, began to have doubts.
This...this is actually their teacher Jiang, who has locked away her heart and focused solely on her career?!
Yan Ze was carrying a bag of medicinal herbs from the backyard when he overheard this. He remained calm and expressionless as he tossed the bag onto the table.
Xu Yan nudged him: "You knew all along?"
Yan Ze sorted through the medicinal herbs in the medicine cabinet, indifferently saying, "I don't know."
"That's good." Xu Yan felt relieved.
Rong Chengzhou's teammates laughed continuously and teased him:
"Sister-in-law, you don't need to apologize to us. We all know about the fun between young couples. Our captain is rigid, and he needs someone with a fun personality like you to handle him."
"Yes, yes, Vice Captain Xing is absolutely right."
"Sister-in-law, call us anytime if you need anything. We brothers may not be good at much else, but we're all experts at fighting. If anyone dares to bully you, we'll be the first to stand up for them!"
The remaining people wanted to say something, but Rong Chengzhou silenced them with a look, and they reluctantly shut their mouths.
Jiang Mingxue felt a little guilty, but still politely thanked them. After exchanging a few pleasantries with them, she looked up at Rong Chengzhou and said, "Your unit must be quite busy. Do you have to go back early today?"
To outsiders, these words sounded like a caring wife concerned for her busy military husband, but Rong Chengzhou knew she was subtly asking him to leave.
Only he knew that beneath Jiang Mingxue's poised and elegant exterior lay a thin layer of cold sweat in her clenched palms, which felt cool against his skin.
She made countless sacrifices to maintain the facade of an intimate couple. As her husband, he should have stopped there and given her a way out to end the day's scenes.
Rong Chengzhou is usually a reasonable person, but today is an exception.
"We should head back soon." He nodded slightly, not pushing Jiang Mingxue's hand away, but turning his head to say calmly, "However, it's too hot, and I'm a little thirsty. Could you buy me a cup of tea?"
"..." Jiang Mingxue's smile visibly froze for a moment.
Why can't this person understand what she's saying?
She instinctively wanted to refuse, but several pairs of eyes were staring at her, putting her in a difficult position. In the end, she could only smile and agree, "Okay."
It carried a hint of bitterness.
The clinic only had freshly drawn well water; tea had to be boiled in a stove. Xu Yan wanted to go to the kitchen to cook it herself, but Jiang Mingxue stopped her.
"It's hot, well water quenches our thirst."
Brewing tea takes too long, and drinking hot tea takes even longer; she can't wait that long.
Fortunately, his comrades did not notice anything amiss, and Rong Chengzhou did not push his luck any further, accepting the cup Jiang Mingxue handed him: "Thank you."
Deputy Captain Xing Kaiyu gulped down a cup of well water, his suspicious gaze sweeping back and forth between the two: "Why are you two so polite, saying thank you for just a drink of water?"
Jiang Mingxue choked for a moment, while Rong Chengzhou remained unmoved, sitting upright in the wooden chair, his wrist slightly pressed down, swirling the teacup and slowly sipping, savoring the taste of Longjing tea despite the rusty well water.
Putting everything else aside, Rong Chengzhou's demeanor and manners were indeed impeccable, and she couldn't help but take another look.
Another comrade in the Air Force squad noticed her little action, smiled mysteriously, and mocked Xing Kaiyu: "What do you know, you straight man? This is called mutual respect. The captain and his wife have a good relationship. Didn't you see how much she looks at the captain?"
Jiang Mingxue: "..."
I should have known better than to look at those random things.
Although these words weren't exactly pleasant to hear, they indirectly helped her out of the predicament, saving her from having to come up with all sorts of convoluted excuses to get away with it.
Calmly withdrawing her gaze, knowing that saying more would only lead to more mistakes, she sat quietly in her chair, neither responding to conversation nor initiating topics, simply waiting for them to finish their drinks and leave.
A slight smile curved Rong Chengzhou's lips as he slowly put down his teacup, his gaze lingering on her neck for a moment.
Although she wore long-sleeved clothes to cover her arms today, one or two red rashes still showed above her neckline.
The pampered girls from the northern city are not suited to the hot, humid, and desolate environment here.
After a moment, he finished his tea and stood up, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality. We'll head back now."
It wasn't exactly a "hospitality," but at least they weren't kicked out. Jiang Mingxue stood up to see them off, saying, "Take good care of yourself and don't overwork yourself."
Her flawless white brows furrowed slightly, seemingly full of worry and reluctance, yet her steps were lighter than his.
Her acting was too fake; Rong Chengzhou couldn't keep up.
He walked out without looking to the side, which the young air force officers saw as the behavior of a heartless man.
Xing Kaiyu, eager to act as their love protector, stopped him: "Captain, your wife has finally managed to see you. Why don't you stay here tonight? The rest of us can go back and report it ourselves."
"Yes, Captain, there are no missions these days, so you can stay here with your wife without worry. Spend some time with her, and the rest of us will train hard."
"Agreed, the captain deserves a good vacation."
Jiang Mingxue: "..."
Oh no, they overdid it.
Rong Chengzhou glanced at them, a silent warning, and the group immediately fell silent.
Jiang Mingxue felt a chill in her heart, afraid that he would actually agree. She quickly turned around and said, "I really hope you can stay and keep me company, but there aren't enough rooms in the clinic. Yan Ze and the others have to sleep on the floor. It won't be comfortable for you to stay here. It would be better for you to go back to the army first, and I can visit you when I have time."
This was the first time she had spoken so quickly. Rong Chengzhou looked at her and suddenly smiled.
Her laughter was soft and radiant in the sunlight.
For the first time, a smile appeared on his usually stern face, and Jiang Mingxue was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.
After staring at each other for two seconds, Rong Chengzhou finally slowly put away his smile, lifted his foot and continued walking out, leaving her with a broad back view.
The moment he stepped across the wooden threshold, the last syllable rose, and his voice deepened:
"I'll do whatever Mrs. Rong says."
Her voice was cold, like snow water cutting through the afterglow of the setting sun, yet it also carried the soft, lingering whisper of a lover, sending shivers down one's spine.
The group's figures gradually shrank, and the unfamiliar title "Mrs. Rong" lingered in her ears, refusing to leave.
She didn't come to her senses until Xu Yan patted her shoulder.
“I’ll listen to Mrs. Rong’s words,” Xu Yan said in a high-pitched voice.
Jiang Mingxue got goosebumps and pushed her away: "Stop being silly."
Xu Yan toned it down a bit: "Sister Ming, it's so unfair of you to secretly get your marriage certificate without telling us."
Jiang Mingxue felt deeply apologetic: "We got our marriage certificate so suddenly back then, and he went on a mission just two days later, so I didn't have a chance to tell you."
"Hmph!" Xu Yan believed her nonsense. "Then when are you going to invite us to your wedding?"
Jiang Mingxue blinked. Her brain was already overloaded after a long day, and she had forgotten about the wedding banquet.
"Hmm..." Just as she was racking her brains about whether to make up a rough date or simply make something up, Yan Ze, who was standing in front of the fortune teller, suddenly called out to her:
"Dr. Jiang, the medicinal herbs have been sorted. Please take a look."
Jiang Mingxue immediately grasped at this lifeline and went over: "Okay, I'm coming right now."
Before leaving, he remembered something and turned to Xu Yan to instruct her: "By the way, even if Yuanhe Medical Clinic doesn't charge soldiers in the future, you must register their medical information as soon as possible."
--
The setting sun faded from the gilded plaque, and darkness gradually fell. A large group of people in training uniforms walked out of the clinic.
"Comrade Colonel Rong, you've kept this well hidden. I only knew you were married before, but I never imagined that you were Dr. Jiang, the heir to the renowned Yuanhe Medical Clinic. You have a good family background, a good temperament, good looks, and good medical skills. Even your temper is so good when I meet you today."
Based on the principle of confidentiality, they only vaguely referred to Rong Chengzhou as the captain when they were outside the military.
Rong Chengzhou held the dual positions of colonel and flight squadron leader in the military. Xing Kaiyu, a major two years younger than him, had fought alongside Rong Chengzhou for seven or eight years and had just been promoted to deputy squadron leader this year. Taking advantage of their close relationship, Xing Kaiyu sometimes spoke without regard for seniority. Following behind Rong Chengzhou, Xing Kaiyu repeatedly remarked:
"Tsk tsk, how come you get all the benefits by yourself?"
Rong Chengzhou ignored him.
"I'm not saying you're not good enough for your sister-in-law, Rong-ge. I don't know about outsiders, but you're one of the most handsome guys in our Air Force circle." Xing Kaiyu gave a thumbs up, starting with some flattery.
"But then again, although it's relatively easy to find a wife in our line of work, everyone knows how tough military relationships are. Dating is easy, but marriage is hard. We work 365 days a year without a break. What do you think a wealthy heiress like your sister-in-law would choose a soldier like us who can't even go home?"
Xing Kaiyu sighed deeply, feeling melancholy at the thought of his precarious relationship. His childhood sweetheart had already accepted a blind date arranged by her family, but he couldn't go back home. The marriage was definitely off. Sigh...
The Type 21 combat boots cast long shadows on the asphalt road, and Rong Chengzhou fell into deep thought.
Throughout the year, he rarely thought of his renowned wife at home, and therefore never explored this question.
He admitted that there was an element of impulsiveness in their sudden marriage registration, but he had also thought about it and assumed that she just wanted to use him to fend off her family's pressure to get married. He never considered the deeper reasons behind it.
—Is it because he's handsome?
Not at all. With her talent and family background, she could easily pick anyone.
—Is Tuta a politically reliable and patriotic individual?
He didn't think this was a good thing at all; he might fall out of the plane one day and be completely destroyed.
—Won't his lack of clinginess and inconvenience affect her career development?
Wouldn't it solve everything if she just found a compliant husband to marry into her family?
Rong Chengzhou scored 688 points in the college entrance examination and was admitted to the joint training program between Beijing North University and the Air Force. He prided himself on being quite intelligent, but now he is stumped by this problem.
What exactly do they want from him?
He wanted to know too.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
