Chapter 8 The Silver Eagle in the Long Wind gleamed coldly in the backlight.
The reception process took a long time, and worried that the roads would be difficult to navigate in the dark, Xing Kaiyu personally escorted them back after dinner.
With Xing Kaiyu leading the way, it took less than ten minutes to walk out of the reed marshes.
Jiang Mingxue urged him to stay: "Thank you, Deputy Captain Xing. It's alright to drop you off here. We know the rest of the way."
“No, sister-in-law.” Xing Kaiyu shook his head firmly. “Brother Rong is too busy to see you off personally. He just called and specifically told me to take you to the entrance of the clinic before leaving.”
Having witnessed firsthand how obedient Rong Chengzhou's soldiers were, Jiang Mingxue knew she couldn't persuade them otherwise, so she stopped insisting.
Upon arriving at the clinic entrance, Xing Kaiyu handed over the insulated bag in his hand: "Sister-in-law, this is the food that Brother Rong asked me to pack. He said you didn't eat much for dinner and might be hungry when you get home. If you have an appetite, eat some; if not, don't force yourself. You can share it with others or throw it away as you see fit."
Jiang Mingxue was taken aback for a moment, then took the bag and thanked her.
Wasn't he entertaining a high-ranking general? How could he still have the energy to think about her?
I never expected that he, who seemed so cold and unapproachable, could be quite caring at times.
"Alright, sister-in-law, you go in now. I have to lead a field exercise tomorrow morning, so I'll head back first."
"Okay, drive carefully."
Jiang Mingxue's dizziness had already subsided considerably while she was at the air force base, and after walking for so long, she had indeed regained some of her appetite.
Rong Chengzhou asked Xing Kaiyu to prepare some light dishes, such as steamed fish, shrimp and egg custard, blanched okra, and cabbage and tofu soup. However, the portions were a bit large, and she couldn't finish them all by herself, so she invited Lao Lin, Bai Dong, and Yan Ze to eat with her.
"Hehe, I knew following Sister Ming would bring you good fortune."
Xu Yan had already eaten her fill at the air force base, but she still couldn't resist trying some more.
No longer needing to eat the cold mountain vegetables made by Lao Lin, Bai Dong was as happy as if it were New Year's Day: "Thank you for the sumptuous meal sent by my brother-in-law. I had heard before that the Air Force canteen was the best, but I never thought that I would be able to eat it one day."
Jiang Mingxue chuckled and pushed the sweet and sour pork towards them, saying, "Eat more."
These past few days have exhausted them all, and these dishes are on the softer side, which is just right for Lao Lin.
Noticing that Yan Ze hadn't touched his chopsticks, she asked in confusion, "Ze, why aren't you eating?"
"Yeah, it would be such a waste not to eat such delicious food," Xu Yan said, her mouth full of food, her words muffled.
Yan Ze remained seated at the table, his expression indifferent: "I'm not hungry."
"All right."
Unlike the other two, Yan Ze has always been unconventional. Jiang Mingxue understood his personality and didn't say anything.
"Then this abalone is mine," Xu Yan said with a smile. "Old Lin, come on, let me serve you a bowl of tofu soup. This soup is so delicious, you'll definitely like it."
"Okay, thank you, Xiao Xu."
The moonlight, like water, draped the earth and all things in a silvery glow. The inky sky was deep and boundless, like a traditional Chinese ink painting. The summer nights in the countryside were both tranquil and noisy, with the sounds of frogs croaking and insects chirping occasionally drifting from the fields.
In the small kitchen of the clinic, five people sat around a wooden table. The old-fashioned light bulbs glowed dimly, yet the atmosphere was exceptionally warm and harmonious.
--
After taking a shower that evening, Xu Yan was already asleep. Jiang Mingxue dried her hair, sat down at her desk, took out her medical record book, flipped to the last page, and carefully wrote down:
Rong Chengzhou:
In 1994, she was 31 years old; her birthday is unknown.
Height 194cm, weight unknown.
A family of generals, the most quintessential third-generation military family.
My father was a major general and a top-class pilot;
My grandfather was a general who received a special merit award.
At the age of 18, he scored 688 points and was admitted to the joint training program between Beijing North University and the Air Force.
He was taller than the Air Force selection limit, but was admitted exceptionally due to his outstanding performance, ranking first in every subject.
He has won the Air Force's highest honor, the Gold Helmet, three times.
He served in the military for 13 years and was promoted to Air Force Colonel at the age of 30.
A division-level cadre and the youngest special-grade pilot.
At the dinner table today, I only managed to get this information out of them.
Jiang Mingxue put down her pen, hugged her legs and sat on the chair, tilting her head to look at the "exam points" she was preparing for, and suddenly felt a little sentimental.
Any one of these achievements would be a badge of honor to boast about for a lifetime, but Rong Chengzhou has collected them all.
Her husband, whom she picked up by chance, had a far better track record than she had ever imagined.
How much courage did she have to lure him to the Civil Affairs Bureau?
--
The next day, Jiang Mingxue was the main doctor as usual, with Lao Lin assisting her and occasionally giving her pointers.
After seeing patients these past few days, the reputation of Yuanhe Medical Clinic's ninth-generation successor—"beautiful and kind-hearted," "a female Bian Que," and "a divine healer"—has spread far and wide. Recently, the number of patients coming to Yuanhe Medical Clinic for treatment has been increasing. Although it can't compare to the frenzy at the Beicheng main clinic where appointments need to be booked half a month in advance, it's already quite remarkable in such a backward area where people generally avoid seeking medical treatment. At least there are patients all day long, and Jiang Mingxue only has half an hour to eat. Many medicinal herbs in the pharmacy are gradually running out.
Thinking of this, Jiang Mingxue called Xu Yan over: "It's been five days already, why hasn't the medicine we asked them to deliver arrived yet?"
Xu Yan also looked anxious: "I don't know what happened either. They called just now and said that we were hit by a typhoon, the bridge was closed and we couldn't get across, so they told us to wait."
How long will it take?
"They said they were unsure, it could be one day, or it could be three days."
Jiang Mingxue frowned, got up to check the medicine cabinet. Several shelves were already empty. Some medicines could be substituted with others, but some even ran out of substitutes. She could barely manage for one day, but what if it took three days?
She glanced at the packed queue, the infant with a persistent high fever, and the high school seniors who were gritting their teeth and studying despite stomach cramps. There were no Western medicine clinics here, and she couldn't even push them out. Before this, the simple and hardworking people of Mengshan mostly just endured their illnesses; they came to Yuanhe Medical Clinic because they trusted it. But now, she couldn't even gather all the necessary medicine.
After standing in front of the medicine cabinet for a moment and thinking it over, I finally made a decision.
She summoned her three apprentices and gave them a brief and concise assignment: "Xu Yan and Yan Ze will assist Dr. Lin with his patients, and I will take Bai Dong up the mountain to collect herbs."
Bai Dong: "Okay, Sister Ming."
"Ah?" Xu Yan exclaimed in alarm, "Sister Ming, we're not familiar with this mountain. What if we encounter danger?"
Jiang Mingxue had already put the collection bag, compass, and herb-gathering tools into her backpack: "It's okay, I often go up the mountain to gather herbs with my grandfather, nothing will happen."
"But the mountains here are high and steep, and there have been wildfires before. It's much more dangerous than the northern city."
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Xu Yan could only anxiously say, "Brother Yanze, please try to persuade them!"
Yan Ze leaned against the wall alone, and said expressionlessly, "Dr. Jiang, be careful."
Jiang Mingxue: "Okay."
Xu Yan: "...Never mind."
Yan Ze is the most eccentric of the three. He doesn't even call her "Sister Ming" normally. She actually wants to expect him to join her side. She must be out of her mind.
"Then you must be careful."
"Yes, don't worry."
--
Mengshan County is a place with a very complex topography, with mountains, sea and hills, where mountains meet the sea, and the land is vast and sparsely populated.
The nearest mountain is not far from Yuanhe Medical Clinic, only a ten-minute walk away. Her cell phone signal was down to only one bar, but luckily she had checked the map on the way and noted down the general route.
Jiang Mingxue stood at the foot of the mountain, observed its general shape, and then picked up two sticks from the ground and gave them to Bai Dong: "Bai Dong, stay close to me and don't get separated."
"Okay, Sister Ming."
The apprentices she takes in are all quite young. Bai Dong is just 24 years old this year and has been studying at the clinic for two years, but she hasn't found an opportunity to take them up the mountain yet.
When Jiang Mingxue was a child, she often went up the mountain with her grandfather to collect medicinal herbs. After entering university, she often went to the mountains with her mentor to participate in practical training. She has climbed many mountains and has quite a lot of experience.
Mengshan is not deserted. At the foot of the mountain, some farmers grow sweet potatoes and other grains on the slopes. The two of them walked up the mountain along the paths worn by the farmers, looking for medicinal herbs to collect. They were surprised to find that there were quite a few kinds of medicinal herbs on the mountain.
In addition to common medicinal herbs found in the mountains of Beicheng, such as Scutellaria baicalensis, Bupleurum chinense, Atractylodes lancea, and Platycodon grandiflorus, there are also some rare medicinal herbs that are only suitable for growing in tropical regions and that Jiang Mingxue has only seen in artificial breeding areas, such as Torreya grandis and Dragon Blood Tree.
Jiang Mingxue bent down and used a hoe to dig up the roots of a green plant, explaining to Bai Dong, "This is Solomon's Seal. Its leaves are shaped like bamboo, and its roots are like jade. In ancient times, it was also called Wei Rui, and it can nourish the skin."
Bai Dong listened attentively and then dug up a Solomon's seal tree next to him.
Next was a small grass with its purple petals just withered: "This is Prunella vulgaris, a member of the Lamiaceae family. It grows in winter and withers in summer, hence the name Prunella vulgaris. Drinking it as a tea can help treat nodules."
...
In less than half a day, their collection bags were almost full, and Bai Dong's notebook was filled with several pages.
The mountains were shady and cool. At noon, the two found an open space to rest for a while, ate some bread to fill their stomachs, and then continued digging.
The missing herbs have been mostly filled, but there are one or two rarer ones that are not easy to find.
These rare medicinal herbs typically grow in rock crevices or on cliffs. Jiang Mingxue walked ahead, carrying a bulging bag of herbs, carefully searching for them with a stick.
"Bai Dong, be careful."
Snakes and insects are common in the mountains, so you must always be vigilant.
Bai Dong's bag was even bulging than Jiang Mingxue's, and he was also carrying a bag of Polygonatum odoratum root: "I understand, Sister Ming."
The two ventured deeper and deeper, eventually reaching the edge of a cliff. It wasn't a very high cliff, but the view from above was dizzying and terrifying. Bai Dong, who had a mild fear of heights, pulled his head back after just one glance.
Jiang Mingxue leaned on her wooden stick and approached, looking down to examine the area. When her gaze fell on a certain spot, her eyes flashed: "Finally found it."
Her grandfather had taught her that Sichuan lovage often grows in the crevices of rocks on cliffs, but because she was a girl, he never let her go down to pick it.
"Ah, how are we supposed to get down such a steep slope to pick them..." Bai Dong hesitated, looking somewhat hesitant.
Jiang Mingxue took out a roll of rope from her backpack: "Of course, we'll use this."
Bai Dong was so scared he almost cried: "Sis, I have a fear of heights..."
Putting aside how dangerous it was, he couldn't even overcome his fear of heights.
Jiang Mingxue tied the rope to the branch of a kapok tree on the edge of the cliff, made a tight knot, and then fastened the other end to her waist.
Once everything was ready, she smiled slightly, her expression one of confident composure: "I'm the one who's going down."
--
Yuanhe Medical Clinic was extremely busy. Xu Yan had just finished weighing the medicine when her phone vibrated with a typhoon warning message:
"The typhoon has entered our city. It is expected that the average wind force along the coast or inland will reach level 6 or above within 24 hours. Some areas may experience localized heavy rain. Please lock your doors and windows and do not go out unless necessary."
Xu Yan was shocked: "How did the typhoon get here so quickly?"
Weren't we still in the southwestern provinces this morning?
Old Lin said, "The weather in Haining is always unpredictable. It's often sunny in the morning and pouring rain in the afternoon."
"No, Sister Ming and Bai Dong haven't come back yet, I have to tell them right away."
Xu Yan hurriedly called Jiang Mingxue, but no one answered. She then dialed Bai Dong's number, but still couldn't get through, making her extremely anxious.
"Oh no, the signal is bad in the mountains, I can't contact them. Maybe Yanze and I should go look for them... Hey... where's Yanze?"
"I don't know, I didn't see him just now."
Old Lin was also extremely busy. Despite being over sixty years old, he still had to see dozens of patients with his frail body: "Xiao Xu, stop making phone calls for now and quickly prepare the medicine. The patient is in so much pain."
"Didn't I just tell you? We're missing one ingredient, Polygonatum, so we can't make a complete set."
"We don't have enough Polygonatum. Never mind... bring me the prescription and I'll adjust it."
"Wait a minute, I need to send a message to Deputy Captain Xing first... Okay, okay, I'm coming right now."
"......"
Xu Yan sent a message to Xing Kaiyu, asking him to relay the situation to Rong Chengzhou.
Pilots often land in remote, uninhabited areas when carrying out special missions. To ensure a safe return, they regularly conduct wilderness survival training, including combat drills, extreme physical training, mountain climbing, and other activities. Today's training is mountain climbing.
Dozens of Air Force pilots in green combat uniforms descended from the cliff and stood in orderly rows. Xing Kaiyu counted the number of people, then turned 180 degrees to salute: "Reporting, Colonel Rong! The headcount is complete. Flying Eagle Second Squadron should have 58 men, 58 men have returned, 0 missing!"
Xing Kaiyu is casual in private, but he still behaves properly during formal training and missions.
Rong Chengzhou nodded: "Let's go."
"yes!"
The group followed in a grand procession; the next activity was climbing training.
Not long after they left, Xing Kaiyu suddenly called out to him, pointing to the depths of the mist to the side: "Captain Rong, there seems to be someone ahead."
Rong Chengzhou stopped and looked in the direction he was pointing. His sharp, eagle-like eyes pierced through the mist and caught sight of a white figure in the distance.
The sunlight slanted across his superior features, his high nose bridge, and his deep eyes, hidden in the shadows of his brow bone, slowly narrowed.
--
Wearing gloves, Jiang Mingxue slowly slid down the rope, landing precisely on a rock with one foot. She then released her hands and carefully pulled out several loosely tied, older chuanxiong grasses. She also happened to see a patch of herbs with cylindrical stems and bright yellow flowers at the top, which surprised her.
This is an extremely rare medicinal herb called "Dendrobium officinale," considered the "top of the nine immortal herbs." I never expected to encounter it on such a desolate mountain. Unfortunately, wild Dendrobium officinale is a nationally protected plant, and it cannot be harvested without a permit.
That's right. Haining City has a tropical monsoon climate, which is warm and humid all year round. It is indeed a natural greenhouse for many medicinal herbs, which is why they have such a bountiful harvest today.
Jiang Mingxue observed thoughtfully for a moment, then tugged at the rope, signaling to Bai Dong that he could pull her up.
Bai Dong dared not look down the cliff, so he squatted under the kapok tree and waited. Upon receiving the instruction, he immediately pulled hard.
The cliff they were on wasn't very high, and Jiang Mingxue was relatively light, so Bai Dong quickly pulled her up.
However, just a few meters from the top of the cliff, a snake suddenly darted out of the bushes by the tree and crawled past him.
Bai Dong was startled and shouted. He lost his grip on the rope and it slipped off his hand.
Unaware of what was happening, Jiang Mingxue plummeted rapidly, stopping in mid-air. The rope around her waist tightened even more due to the sudden fall, almost suffocating her.
The wind was strong on the cliff, tearing at the hem of her clothes. The frail girl was like a fallen leaf hanging on a withered branch, dangling precariously in mid-air.
At the critical moment, a pair of well-defined hands reached out from the top of the cliff, firmly grasped the rope, and pulled upwards.
When they were half a meter from the top of the cliff, the other person reached out a hand and grabbed her wrist.
The hand was slightly cool, yet incredibly strong; the knuckles were white from the force, and blue veins snaked along the taut forearm.
Jiang Mingxue grabbed his arm and used the rock face to climb upwards. By the time she reached the top of the cliff, her arm was already feeling weak.
She sat on the edge of the cliff, slightly out of breath. Bai Dong ran over, his face full of guilt, and apologized to her. The grown man's eyes were red, and he was so remorseful that he was about to cry: "I'm sorry, Sister Ming, it's all my fault. I was so scared when I saw a snake that I almost put you in danger. Sister Ming... I'm so sorry, you can hit me or scold me!"
Jiang Mingxue didn't blame him. It was her own idea to bring Bai Dong along to help her: "It's only natural, it's okay."
Then he looked at the owner of those hands: "Yan Ze, what brings you here?"
Yan Ze loosened the rope, still maintaining his indifferent expression: "Xu Yan sent me over."
Jiang Mingxue nodded: "I see."
Although the little girl was careless, she cared a lot about her affairs.
She bent down to untie the rope, but she had long since run out of strength and couldn't untie it no matter what she did.
"I'll do it."
Yan Ze stepped forward, lowered his head, and his well-defined fingers moved nimbly around her waist.
They stood face to face, only an inch apart. The rope was wrapped around her waist several times, and Yan Ze's long arm went around her back, his other hand taking her waist, his fingers inevitably brushing against her clothes.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind: "Sister-in-law, are you alright!"
Jiang Mingxue turned around in surprise and saw Xing Kaiyu standing not far away, looking anxious.
Rong Chengzhou stood in front of him, his dark green combat uniform crisp and neat, with half of his forearm exposed from the cuffs, his muscles taut, and the silver eagle on his shoulder gleaming coldly in the backlight.
The combat boots rolled over the gravel and stopped half a meter in front of her.
He looked down at her, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
