When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

When the day shift nurse called Cao Guilan back from the door, she was still holding her phone.

"Don't touch that box in the fridge, okay? Your grandma wants breakfast, so just cook some porridge, don't use that."

She hung up the phone and went to the nurses' station to explain.

"I didn't leave, my coat is still on the chair."

She tugged at the thin jacket on the back of the chair, as if afraid someone would actually bring it up.

The day shift nurse placed the treatment tray on the table.

"Nobody said you ran away. Sit back down first; the blood sample for the follow-up test hasn't been drawn yet."

The smile on Cao Guilan's face faded.

"Still smoking? I only took two sips, I didn't vomit like they did. Doctor, I have elderly people at home, and my daughter can't take care of them all by herself."

The day shift doctor flipped to the top of the application form.

The space for the follow-up examination time is empty, and the sample column is also empty.

He tapped those two spots with the cap of his pen.

"It's precisely because you said you only ate two bites that you need to have a follow-up examination. The evidence isn't enough yet; you can't go home just because you feel okay."

Cao Guilan sat down, still verbally defiant.

"But I was perfectly fine just now, wasn't I?"

The day shift nurse draped a tourniquet over her arm.

"Being fine just now is not the same as being fine later. You ate from the same stall, so don't try it on yourself yet."

Cao Guilan's face darkened slightly when she heard "the same stall".

"I knew it tasted weird. The box I brought home yesterday is still unopened; my mom wanted to heat it up and eat it this morning."

The day shift doctor looked up.

Who's home right now?

"My daughter, and my mother."

"Don't open that box, don't pour it out, don't wash it. Have your daughter keep it and wait for a phone call later."

Cao Guilan became anxious.

"Will that box also cause trouble?"

"I didn't say anything was definitely going to happen." The day shift doctor slowed down his speech a bit, "But don't eat from the same stall or from the same type of vegetable until the situation is cleared up. You should finish getting your checkup done first."

Cao Guilan squeezed the cotton swab tightly, and finally muttered a curse under her breath.

"What a terrible thing."

Her shoulder tensed slightly as the needle entered her vein.

The blood flowed into the syringe, and its color was darker than that of ordinary venous blood.

The day shift nurse glanced at the syringe, then looked at the application form.

"Recheck blood gas analysis and add methemoglobin. Write 'now' as the time?"

The day shift doctor checks his watch.

"6:58. Write it down. Who's delivering it?"

"I'll take it over." The day shift nurse flattened the label. "Put it at the window and have the lab say they received it."

"Don't leave the treatment tray for someone to grab while they're waiting," the day shift doctor said. "These from the night market are easy to miss if you wait too long."

Lin Ye moved aside, not blocking the day shift nurse from delivering samples.

The day shift doctor added the time to the application form, and the day shift nurse affixed the label to the blood gas sample, while casually moving the treatment tray half an inch closer to herself.

Lin Ye watched her walk towards the testing window and withdrew his hand from the nurses' station.

Sun Zhiqiang returned the phone to him.

"Alright, hand it over."

Nurse Zhao finally screwed the lid on the cup.

"Did you hear me? Hand it over. If you don't leave, even the day shift will complain that we're blocking the way."

Ma Hao was about to say that he could help, but after being glanced at by Nurse Zhao, he immediately changed his mind.

"Then I'll go get the bag."

Cao Guilan, pressing the cotton swab, panicked for a moment when she heard the group about to leave.

"Doctor, is my condition serious or not?"

The day shift doctor did not answer immediately.

He first checked her breathing, then had the nurse put an oxygen tube on her.

The number jumps between ninety-three and ninety-four.

"This is only for reference." The day shift doctor re-examined the fingertip area. "Did you experience any chest tightness, dizziness, or nausea just now?"

"I felt a bit stifled when I was making the call at the door," Cao Guilan said, then quickly added, "My daughter kept crying, and I don't know if it was because her crying made me anxious."

"Can you finish in one sentence?"

"able."

"Is the dizziness caused by the sky spinning, or by feeling lightheaded?"

"It's floating. Not spinning."

"Disgusting, isn't it?"

My mouth tastes bitter, but I don't really feel like vomiting.

The day shift doctor nodded.

"Before coming back, I was in the mild case ward. My chest felt tighter, I felt nauseous, and my lips turned gray. Whenever I came out, I immediately called for a nurse."

Cao Guilan memorized the words "shout directly" and placed her hand above her chest.

"Then I'll sit here and not go to the door."

"Sit here."

Lin Ye followed Nurse Zhao toward the lockers. After taking only two steps, the day shift nurse behind him was already taking the blood gas sample toward the testing window.

Ma Hao looked back as he carried his backpack.

"Is that all?"

Nurse Zhao slung her bag over her shoulder.

"What do you want? Do you have to wait for the results to come out before you applaud?"

Ma Hao muttered to himself.

"Isn't it because I'm afraid of leaks?"

"If you're worried about leaks, go back to sleep," Nurse Zhao said. "With your current brain, if you write two more lines, you could write Cao Guilan as Cao Guilan."

Ma Hao was unconvinced.

"I really didn't make a mistake this time."

"That's because the day shift has taken over."

By the time I reached the entrance of the emergency room, it was already bright daylight.

The rain stopped, but the ground was still wet. The ambulance tires rolled over the water stain at the entrance, leaving a trail of black marks.

Lin Ye took a step forward and then realized that his legs were a little weak.

He steadied himself by holding onto the railing at the doorway.

Ma Hao rubbed his stomach.

"I was so hungry I could eat the triage desk."

Nurse Zhao looked at him.

"The triage desk is cleaner than yours."

Ma Hao swallowed the second half of his sentence, but couldn't help asking again:

"What should we eat?"

The breakfast shop near the hospital's back gate had half-opened its roller shutter door, and the proprietress was wiping the tables while adding noodles to the pot. The smell of cooking oil mixed with the aroma of hot soup wafted out, completely different from the disinfectant smell in the emergency room.

Nurse Zhao went in first.

"Three bowls of noodles, one with less spice, and one with an egg."

Ma Hao immediately looked up.

"Sister Zhao, I'd like to add two eggs."

"You pay for it yourself."

Ma Hao looked down and took out his phone.

"That one."

Lin Ye sat down, and before he could even take his hand out of his pocket, his phone vibrated.

Chen Yao from the laboratory sent me a message.

[Cao Guilan's sample has been received. Don't shift the blame to the laboratory.]

Then another sentence was added.

"Have you guys gotten off work yet?"

Lin Ye stared at the line of text for a long time before replying with just two words.

[It's over.]

When the noodles were served, the steam immediately hit my face.

Nurse Zhao broke the disposable chopsticks in half, but didn't rush to eat; she looked at Lin Ye first.

"Now you're really off work. Don't go back home even if you get a message on your phone."

Just as Lin Ye was about to speak, Ma Hao had already dragged the bowl towards himself.

"Sister Zhao, he's trying to run back. Let me hold him down for you."

Nurse Zhao sneered.

"Hold yourself down first, don't spill the chili oil on your pants."

Ma Hao looked down and saw that the chili oil had been spilled on the edge of the table.

The proprietress brought over a rag.

"You're from the emergency room, right? You look like you just got off the night shift."

Ma Hao looked up.

"That obvious?"

The proprietress pointed to the three of them.

"One eats like he's rushing to catch a train, another holds his chopsticks like he's taking someone's blood pressure, and the third just stares blankly at the noodles in front of him."

Lin Ye then realized that she was talking about him.

He lowered his head and picked up a piece of noodles with his chopsticks.

The first bite was so hot it made my tongue go numb.

Nurse Zhao saw it, but didn't laugh at him; she just pushed the glass of warm water next to him over.

"Wait a minute. Nobody's going to take your bowl."

Lin Ye took a sip of water.

After the hot water was poured in, the empty, uneasy feeling in my stomach gradually subsided.

Halfway through the meal, Ma Hao's phone rang.

He was so startled that his chopsticks froze in mid-air.

Nurse Zhao glanced at him.

"Answer it. It's not like it's a landline calling your life."

Ma Hao glanced at the screen and breathed a sigh of relief.

"My mom."

He answered the phone, and after saying "hello," someone on the other end started cursing.

Ma Hao moved his phone further away.

"I ate, I really ate. I was eating noodles outside with Sister Zhao and Brother Lin. I'm not lying to you, listen."

He stretched his phone out to the middle of the table.

Nurse Zhao almost choked on her mouthful of powder.

"Auntie, he ate it. He wanted to add an egg, but I stopped him."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a muffled "That's good."

Ma Hao hung up the phone, feeling a little embarrassed.

"My mom is always like this."

Nurse Zhao lowered her head and ate her noodles.

"You should be secretly happy that someone is concerned about whether you've eaten or not."

Ma Hao lowered his head and stirred the noodles in his bowl a couple of times. Nurse Zhao took a couple of bites, while Lin Ye held his water glass without moving.

The only sound on the table was the soft clinking of chopsticks against the rim of a bowl.

After finishing her noodles, Nurse Zhao left first. Her home was in the opposite direction, and while waiting for the bus at the intersection, she turned back and waved to them.

"Go back to sleep. Anyone who goes back to the ER will have to write their own shift report tomorrow."

Ma Hao yawned.

"Sister Zhao's threat is even more ruthless than deducting bonuses."

Lin Ye smiled.

After laughing, he and Ma Hao walked towards the dormitory building together.

The walk back to the dormitory wasn't long, but the two of them walked very slowly.

The sunlight shone brightly on the hospital's exterior walls, blindingly white. The automatic doors at the emergency room entrance were still opening and closing, ambulances were still coming, and the phone was still ringing.

But now, those voices were all behind him.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Ye lay down on the bed when his phone vibrated again.

Chen Yao sent a new message.

Cao Guilan took the high-speed train at 11:06 AM and was placed under observation during the day shift. Photos of the stall, leftover food, and contact numbers have been handed over to the district CDC and market supervision departments. No new cases have been missed so far.

There was another sentence following it.

Go to sleep, don't reply.

Lin Ye stared at the screen for a few seconds, paused his finger on the reply box, and then put his phone back on the pillow.

The emergency room group chat is still buzzing with messages: some people are requesting repeat tests, and others are asking where to put the sample bags.

This time, he didn't get up and run to the hospital.

He rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head.

Go to sleep first.