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

When the alarm clock rang, it was already daylight.

Lin Ye reached out and pressed the button, sat up and took a couple of seconds to recover before remembering that he didn't need to rush to the emergency room today.

Ma Hao rolled over on the opposite bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

He asked what time it was with his eyes closed, and when he heard "8:20," he pulled the blanket up a little more.

"It's still early. Don't wear yesterday's outfit; it looks like you just came out of the emergency room and haven't finished your shift."

Lin Ye picked up the dark short-sleeved shirt.

Ma Hao was still worried and muttered through the blanket, "Don't go back empty-handed."

Lin Ye picked up the box of milk by the door and hung the bag of apples on his wrist.

Ma Hao peeked out from under the covers, revealing only one eye.

"Yes. A normal son."

"The meat is gone."

Ma Hao immediately closed his eyes.

"Bon Voyage."

When Lin Ye arrived home, his mother was standing at the entrance of the building wiping her hands.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she turned around. Her apron was still on, and the cuffs were slightly damp. Seeing what he was holding, she reached out to take the apple.

"I told you to come back, not to move goods."

The father peeked out of the house, his eyes first landing on the box of milk.

"Why are you carrying milk? Did you overpay for it?"

Lin Ye placed the milk box by the door.

His mother put the bag of apples in the kitchen and turned to glare at him.

"You ask the price as soon as the customer walks in?"

The father turned to get the keys.

The house is still the same as always.

The mother kicked out a pair of gray slippers from under the shoe cabinet.

"Wear this. Don't walk barefoot."

Lin Ye looked down.

The heels of those slippers were worn down; they were ones he used to keep at home.

He slipped on, pushing his toes forward slightly.

"It's a bit small."

The mother bent down to sort through the bag of apples, denying it verbally.

"What's wrong? Can your legs grow longer?"

The father chimed in from the side.

"I've worn my slippers out of style, but he still thinks they're too small."

On the shoe cabinet sat my father's blood pressure monitor, with half a bill lying next to it. The living room fan whirred, and two red packets of wedding candy sat on the coffee table.

Lin Ye's mother looked him over and said he looked thinner. Lin Ye was about to deny it when his father, having changed his shoes, chimed in from the side, "Your complexion is alright, you look more presentable than in the video."

"Dad, are you praising me?"

The father coughed.

"I guess so."

The wedding banquet was held at a hotel in the old town.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Mother had already taken the red envelope out of her bag and checked it again. Father saw this and couldn't help but say, "Didn't you check it three times last night?"

The mother stuffed the red envelope back and ignored him.

Lin Ye sat in the back seat and bent down to unbuckle his seatbelt.

A red carpet was laid out at the hotel entrance, with one corner rolled up. A young man greeted guests while handing out cigarettes and looking for a guest list. A child ran by with a balloon, almost bumping into his father's leg.

My second aunt came out quickly from inside.

"Here you are, here you are. I thought you were detained by the hospital again."

Lin Ye called out, "Second Aunt."

His second aunt patted his arm and then looked at his mother, saying, "Xiao Ye is here."

The mother placed the red envelope on the gift table.

"The person is right here."

The person helping to receive the gifts bent down to look for names, while the mother had already pushed the gift list forward.

The father whispered beside him, "Your mother installed it last night."

Lin Ye glanced at his mother.

His mother didn't look at him; she was busy adjusting the chain of her bag.

The wedding banquet hall was bustling with activity.

The emcee was testing the microphone on stage; the sound level fluctuated, and after calling "Hello, hello" twice, an elderly man in the front row covered his ears. Children ran around the balloons, quickly scattering sunflower seed shells from the table.

Lin Ye was pressed down by his mother to sit at the table further inside.

"Please have a seat. There will be a lot of people later, so don't stand by the door and let them catch you and ask questions."

She disassembled the disposable chopsticks and put them in his hand.

"Try it yourself. Don't wait for others to serve you when you go out to eat."

As soon as he finished speaking, an aunt next to him turned around.

"Is Ono working at the First Municipal Hospital now? Is he a fully-fledged doctor?"

Lin Ye moved the cup a little closer to himself.

"It's not official yet; we're still in the residency training phase."

My aunt laughed.

"You talk like you're a temporary worker."

She then asked, "Could I stay at the Municipal First Hospital afterward?"

Before his mother could speak, Lin Ye spoke first.

"There are still exams to be taken. Whether I can stay or not is still unknown."

The father picked up a peanut and slowly put it into the bowl.

"This child is under a lot of pressure, so please don't ask him these questions now that he's finally home."

The aunt turned the conversation to the newlyweds, but an uncle next to her handed her his phone.

"Ono, could you take a look at this for me? The physical exam showed fatty liver and gallbladder polyps."

Lin Ye took the phone. The report was taken at an angle, and the reflection blocked half of the text. He didn't scroll through the other person's photo album; he simply returned the phone.

"The photo isn't fully visible. Keep the original report; I'll schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist or hepatobiliary surgeon another day. Reduce your alcohol and oil intake, and pay close attention to controlling your weight."

When my uncle heard that we weren't going to the emergency room immediately, he immediately relaxed.

"No need to go to the hospital today," Lin Ye said. "But don't throw away the reports. If you ever experience pain in your upper right abdomen, fever, or yellowing of the eyes, don't delay and go to the hospital as soon as possible."

Just as my uncle was about to ask more questions, my second aunt came over with a plate of wedding candy.

"Let the doctor eat first today. You're all surrounding him with reports, isn't that inappropriate?"

The dishes were served one by one.

The dishes on the turntable were far from his mother, so he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in her bowl, then pushed the wine glass in front of his father a little to the side.

His father looked at him.

I'll just take a sip.

"Did you take your medicine this morning?"

The father paused for a moment, and the mother's chopsticks also stopped.

Lin Ye looked at him.

The father put down his wine glass.

"Okay, I won't drink."

The mother placed a piece of fish into Lin Ye's bowl.

"Stop interfering with other people at the hospital, start interfering with your dad too."

"I don't care what he does, but he has to listen to me."

The father was unconvinced.

"When have I ever not listened?"

His mother glared at him.

The father didn't dare to argue back.

The fish was a bit cold and had a lot of bones.

Lin Ye spent a long time choosing what to eat and felt that this meal would take much longer than the meal he ate while on duty.

Someone at the table urged him to pick up some food, his mother urged him to drink some soup, and his second aunt called to him from across half the table to sit a little longer.

Around 1:30, Ma Hao sent a message.

[Brother Lin, don't forget your meat.]

Lin Ye replied, "I haven't forgotten."

Ma Hao posted again.

And don't forget to come back. The triage nurse glanced at me just now; I suspect she already knows I'm covering for you.

Lin Ye looked at the screen and tapped his finger on the edge of the bowl.

The mother saw it.

"Is the hospital pressuring you?"

"Ma Hao urges on meat."

His mother grabbed a handful of candy from the bag on the table and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Take it to them. They're covering for you, so they're letting you come back for a meal."

Lin Yegang said that Ma Hao didn't like sweets, so his mother had already pressed some sugar into his mouth.

"It's not just about giving him candy; it's about letting people know that our family remembers."

Lin Ye did not refuse again.

When his second aunt came over to offer him a toast, she heard that he was leaving and immediately patted his arm.

"It's good that you can come. We all know the hospital is busy."

His mother stood beside him and took over the conversation for him.

"He has to head back now."

"Then hurry up, don't delay." Auntie shoved a box of unopened snacks into his hands. "Have some on the way. Don't be so polite with us."

Lin Ye's hands were stuffed full.

His father saw him off at the hotel entrance.

The sun is shining brightly outside.

His father followed him down the steps.

"I send you?"

"No need, Dad, it'll be faster to take a taxi."

The father didn't try to persuade him further, but just stood with him for a while.

"Was your assessment difficult?"

Lin Ye glanced at the taxis waiting for passengers by the roadside and waved.

"It's hard to say."

The father watched the people coming and going through the door.

"If it's hard to say, just focus on the exam. Don't worry about things back home."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to feel that his words were too absolute, so he added a sentence.

"But I'll come back when I have time."

The sentence was spoken so softly that it was almost inaudible amidst the recording of firecrackers going off at the hotel entrance.

Lin Ye looked up at him.

"I know."

The empty car parked by the roadside had its lights on and was stopped at the edge of the woods.

Lin Ye opened the car door and put the snack box and wedding candy inside. His father stood at the bottom of the steps, not immediately turning back.

He got into the car and looked back one last time.

His father waved his hand at him.

My phone vibrated as the car drove back to the hospital out of the old town.

It was sent by Qin Hai.

[Come to the department tomorrow afternoon and bring your residency training manual. We'll talk to the emergency department first.]

Lin Ye looked at it for two seconds.

Outside the car window, the red sign at the hotel entrance was quickly obscured by the street corner.

He took out the wedding candy his mother had given him and put it on top of the dessert box.

Then he replied with a single word.

【it is good. 】