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

The registration slip only had two words written on it.

dizziness.

Ma Hao's hand had already touched the edge of the review form, but he stopped abruptly.

Lin Ye glanced at him.

"Don't take out the watch yet."

Ma Hao pulled his hand back, still feigning resentment.

"It's just a conditioned reflex."

Nurse Zhu placed the thermometer on the table.

"Don't react too quickly. If you touch your watch every time you feel dizzy, the people in line behind you will bury you."

Mr. Jiang, who was called in, was in his forties. He walked steadily on his own and was carrying a bag of bread he had bought from a convenience store. His wife, who had come with him, was even more anxious than he was and spoke as soon as she reached the table.

"Doctor, he's been feeling dizzy for a while. He just said he felt lightheaded at the door. Could it be a problem with his brain?"

Lin Ye moved his chair a little further away, ignoring her comment about "brain," and looked at Master Jiang instead.

"Tell me yourself. When did you start feeling dizzy?"

Master Jiang tucked the bread bag into his coat.

"Around 3 PM. I felt dizzy, or a little lightheaded. It got worse the longer I stood there."

His wife was in a hurry to finish the job.

He didn't eat much today.

Lin Ye nodded. "Do you experience weakness in one arm or leg? Slurred speech? Double vision?"

Master Jiang shook his head.

"no."

"Do you feel tightness in your chest? Does your heart race?"

"I'm not bored. I'm just a little anxious, probably because I'm hungry."

Nurse Zhu had already handed over the blood pressure cuff.

"Please extend your arm so we can check your blood pressure and blood sugar."

Ma Hao stood to the side and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Isn't dizziness pretty scary?"

Qin Hai had just returned from the observation area, still holding an IV reaction record in his hand. He paused upon hearing this.

"You have to ask questions first before you try to scare someone."

Ma Hao immediately shut up.

Qin Hai didn't scold him; his gaze fell on Master Jiang.

"You can't jump to conclusions about dizziness. It can happen if you haven't eaten, if your blood pressure is high or low, or if you have conditions like benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) or vestibular disorders. Only a few cases are truly serious cerebrovascular problems. Let him talk to you first, then take his blood pressure, check his hands and feet, and observe his speech. Sending someone straight to the red zone isn't being cautious; it's being unsure."

Ma Hao hid his hands behind his back.

Nurse Zhu reports the numbers.

"Blood pressure 112-170, heart rate 88, oxygen saturation 98."

The blood sugar level at the bedside also came up quickly.

"4.1"

Master Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, will eating something be enough?"

Qin Hai tucked the record sheet under his arm.

"From what I can see, it doesn't seem like the cerebrovascular emergency your spouse was worried about, but it's not something you can just eat and leave. Sit here and rest for twenty minutes. Drink some warm water first, and don't swallow the bread whole; eat it slowly. I'll ask again later if the dizziness has gotten worse, if you've vomited, or if you feel weak in your hands and feet."

His wife then put down the bag she was holding.

"Is he able to eat something now?"

Nurse Zhu removed the blood pressure cuff.

"You can eat, eat slowly. Don't stand up and leave just because it's not a big deal. Sit for twenty minutes, then we'll take another look."

Master Jiang then pinched the bread bag open a little.

Lin Ye added a line after the triage slip.

Blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation are normal; blood sugar is 4.1. Ask again in 20 minutes.

Ma Hao leaned over to take a look.

"Just write it like this?"

"Write it like this for now." Lin Ye put the triage slip back in the box. "Let him sit down first, and we'll ask him again later."

Ma Hao thought about it.

"What if I had called it the red zone earlier?"

Nurse Zhu tore off the next number slip.

"Then the people in line behind you will have to curse you first."

Ma Hao sighed.

"Sister Zhu, why is it so difficult to even get a regular appointment at the emergency room?"

Nurse Zhu ignored him and raised her hand to call the next patient.

Before leaving, Qin Hai paused at Lin Ye's table.

"That's how it's divided. Tao Ziang's case is different because the pain became different later. This one has calmed down now, so just observe for now and don't scare yourself unnecessarily."

Lin Ye nodded.

"If they ask, I'll just tell them what I found out earlier."

Qin Hai glanced at him.

"Don't just know. If someone asks you why you didn't call it the red zone, you'll have to be able to answer that question."

Lin Ye pressed the triage slip a little tighter into the clipboard.

"Blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation are all stable. There are no abnormalities in your hands, feet, voice, or chest. Blood sugar is also acceptable. Drink some water and eat a little something, then check again in twenty minutes."

Qin Hai then left.

Ma Hao waited until he was far away before lowering his voice.

"Brother Lin, you're starting to sound like Teacher Qin now."

Lin Ye pushed the pen toward him.

"Then you come."

I don't deserve it.

Ma Hao retreated very quickly.

The triage area was quiet for less than two minutes.

Lin Ye's phone vibrated again in his pocket.

It's Chen Kai again this time.

[Saturday night, 6:30 PM, same place. Don't tell me you're still checking the schedule.]

Below is a screenshot.

Some people in the group have already clicked on the third page of the menu.

Ma Hao happened to glance at that picture.

"I know this grilled fish place," he said. "It's expensive."

Lin Ye flipped the screen back.

"How do you know everything?"

"I know, but I've never eaten it," Ma Hao said. "That's the kind of knowledge a resident trainee has."

Nurse Zhu chimed in from the side.

"If you two keep talking about food, I'll send you to distribute meals to the observation area."

Lin Ye didn't reply.

He stared at Chen Kai's words, his finger pausing for a few seconds.

This time he didn't call "check the schedule".

He replied with two words.

Wow.

After sending it, the phone screen went dark.

Ma Hao reacted even faster than him.

"Are you really going?"

"Go." Lin Ye put his phone away. "If we don't go now, Chen Kai will keep cursing us until next year."

"You don't work on Saturdays?"

"I've checked. I'm off Saturday afternoon, and I don't work night shifts."

Ma Hao clicked his tongue.

"Then you need to dress like a human being."

Lin Ye glanced down at the crumpled T-shirt under his white lab coat.

"You're very good with words."

"The truth is usually hard to hear," Ma Hao said. "If you wear this, your classmates will think you escaped from the emergency room."

Nurse Zhu smiled.

That's true.

Just as Lin Ye was about to say something, his phone vibrated again.

This time it's my mother.

It wasn't a phone call, it was a photograph.

A red invitation card lay open on the table, with a small handful of wedding candies pressed down beside it. The photo was taken at a slight angle, but you could see the mother's finger pressing against the edge of the invitation card.

This is followed by a voice message.

Lin Ye glanced at the triage desk.

Nurse Zhu was re-measuring Mr. Jiang's blood pressure when she called Ma Hao to pour him some warm water.

He stepped back to the nurses' station, turned on the voice recorder, and lowered the volume.

My mother's voice came through the receiver.

"Your second aunt said the banquet will be held on Sunday at noon. If you really can't come back, I won't save you a seat, so that I won't have to cover for you if people ask."

She paused for a moment, then added another sentence.

"It's not that we absolutely need you to come back. It's just that you're always saying you're busy all year round, and your family has almost forgotten what you look like now."

Lin Ye held his phone, his thumb pausing briefly at the edge of the screen.

Nurse Zhu called out from the other end.

"Twenty minutes are up. Ask the person who's feeling dizzy again."

Lin Ye put his phone back in his pocket and walked over first.

Master Jiang had already eaten half a loaf of bread, and his voice wasn't as weak as before.

Are you still dizzy?

"Much better," said Master Jiang. "I feel a little lighter when I stand up."

"Don't rush off," Lin Ye said. "Sit for another ten minutes. If you feel unsteady again when you stand up, or experience weakness in your limbs, slurred speech, chest tightness, or vomiting, come back immediately and call someone. Don't drive yourself tonight."

His wife nodded quickly.

"I'll drive, I'll drive."

Nurse Zhu handed the triage slip back to her.

"Ask again and write it down. You need to understand even the regular ones, don't try to fool me."

Lin Ye finished that sentence.

After asking again, the dizziness lessened, so I continued sitting for another ten minutes; if the discomfort worsened, I called for help immediately.

Ma Hao watched from the side.

"That's quite a hassle."

"It's troublesome for regular patients too," Nurse Zhu said. "You think only the red zone is busy?"

Ma Hao was speechless.

Lin Ye clipped the triage slip together and then took out his phone.

My mother's voice message was still playing on the screen.

He opened the input box, deleted two words, and typed them again.

[Sunday noon, right? I'll ask if it can be adjusted.]

After typing, he didn't send it immediately.

Ma Hao put the paper cup back on the table and saw that he was still standing.

"Checking the schedule again?"

"no."

"What is that?"

Lin Ye pressed send.

"This time I'm really asking."

Ma Hao blinked and quickly realized what was happening.

"wedding?"

"Yeah. If this drags on any longer, my mom really won't save me a seat."

Ma Hao moved the paper cup to the side, his tone unusually serious.

"Then you need to tell me earlier. Emergency room shift changes aren't like ordering takeout at the last minute; if it's late, no one can take over."

"So now I'll talk about it."

"I don't have training on Sunday noon," Ma Hao said, then quickly added, "Let me clarify, I'm not volunteering to cover your shift, I'm just letting you know."

Ma Hao immediately restored the original state.

"At least one meal of grilled fish."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"Your information is quite expensive."

Nurse Zhu walked by and casually threw the empty paper cup into the trash can.

"You two shouldn't make any private deals. Go talk to Teacher Qin about the shift change and make things clear: who will cover for you, for how long, and when you'll return the shift. It's not like a resident trainee can just ask the dorm supervisor for leave."

Lin Ye turned off his phone.

"I'll ask later."

"Don't wait any longer." Nurse Zhu glanced at the waiting area. "It's not busy now, go ask. When it gets busy, you'll even have to queue to go to the toilet."

Qin Hai had just returned from the observation area, and the tea in his cup had lost much of its color.

Lin Ye walked over.

"Teacher Qin."

Qin Hai looked up.

"Who's feeling unwell?"

"I'm not a patient." Lin Ye paused for a moment. "I have a wedding at home on Sunday noon, and I was wondering if I could switch shifts. I can make up the missed shifts."

Qin Hai looked at him.

"You remember now?"

"My mom mentioned it a couple of days ago. I haven't given her a straight answer yet."

Qin Hai placed the cup on the table.

"Stationary trainees aren't prohibited from taking leave. You need to figure out who will cover for you, for how long, and when you'll return the leave. Show me the plan after you've made your decision."

Lin Ye's shoulders relaxed a little.

"I'll go ask Ma Hao."

"Don't take advantage of just one person," Qin Hai said. "If he covers for you, he should pay you back later. Don't treat favors as a schedule."

"I'll let you know once I've found it."

Qin Hai picked up his cup and added another sentence.

"Also, go to the party on Saturday if you're going to. But don't drink."

Lin Ye stopped in his tracks.

Qin Hai didn't look at him.

"Your phone screens are practically pressed against my face, I'm not blind."

Ma Hao was pretending to be busy at the triage desk, his head down.

Nurse Zhu chuckled and quickly called out the next number.

Lin Ye returned to the table, where Chen Kai had already replied to the message.

[Really? Don't let yourself get taken to the ER again.]

Lin Ye looked at that sentence and replied faster than before.

See you on Saturday.

After sending the message, he opened his mother's chat window.

My mother hasn't returned yet.

The screen displayed the sentence he had just sent:

Sunday noon, right? I'll ask if it can be adjusted.

Lin Ye placed his phone on the corner of the table.

People were still walking forward in front of the triage desk.

Mr. Jiang was helped to his feet by his wife. He walked slowly but no longer held onto the wall.

Ma Hao kept his voice very low.

"Was tonight a little ordinary?"

Lin Ye glanced at him.

"What did you just say?"

"I meant tonight," Ma Hao immediately changed his mind, "a simpler night would be fine."

Nurse Zhu slapped a stack of number slips in front of him.

"Even ordinary people have to work."

Lin Ye picked up the next triage slip.

The phone lit up again on the corner of the table.

Mother returned.

"Then I'll save you a seat."