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

Around 10 a.m., Lin Ye picked up his parents at the entrance of the residential compound.

My mother was carrying a backpack and a bulging cloth bag in her hand.

Lin Ye took it, and his hand sank down.

"What did you bring? It's so heavy!"

"We'll cook lunch." The mother glanced at the buildings in front of her. "You mean the first floor, this whole row?"

"One more building inside."

The father followed behind, his hands empty.

His mother glanced back at him: "On the way here, I asked you if you wanted to carry it, and you said no. But now that your son is here, you really don't need to."

"He's already taken it, why should I try to take it back?"

Lin Ye smiled and led the two inside.

Upon entering the house, the father first went to the living room and took a walk around.

He peeked out the window and then went into the bedroom to press the mattress.

"The house is a bit old, but it's enough for one person."

My mother had already taken the groceries into the kitchen.

He took out a piece of beef brisket, a bunch of celery, and a box of freshly made tofu from the cloth bag, arranging them neatly.

Lin Ye found the cutting board and knife.

The father took the celery from the doorway: "I'll take this."

"Don't throw all the leaves away."

"When did I ever throw them all away?"

"last month."

"The leaves all turned yellow that time."

While the two were still talking, Lin Ye had already taken the vegetables to the sink to wash them.

His mother was blanching the beef brisket when she turned to him and asked which button on the range hood was the power switch.

Lin Ye reached out and pressed a button, and the machine started humming.

"Do you usually fire it?"

"open."

"What do you do?"

"Cooking noodles and stir-frying vegetables. When Ma Hao came over, we cooked together a couple of times as well."

The mother scooped the blanched beef brisket into a plate and nodded: "That's alright, better than when you were staying in the dormitory."

The kitchen is small; three people can barely stand in it and there's not enough room to turn around.

After the father finished picking the celery, he stepped back to the dining table and sat down, while Lin Ye stayed inside to help the mother.

The beef brisket was put into the pot, and the aroma of meat slowly filled the house.

While waiting for the sauce to thicken, my mother wiped her hands and started talking about the old air conditioner in the house.

A few days ago, the machine started dripping water again when I turned it on. The technician came and cleaned it, saying that the drain pipe was clogged and there was no need to replace it.

"Your dad had already picked out a new one."

The father, who was outside, overheard this and said, "I was just checking the price."

"I looked at it for a week. The mechanic said it could be fixed, but you were still a little unhappy."

"Who's unhappy? Isn't it good to save money?"

Lin Ye placed the cut tofu into a plate: "Use it if you can fix it. Replace it when it gets cold."

"Did you hear that?" the mother said towards the living room.

"I heard that, and I was thinking that a new one would have a better cooling effect."

Around 12 o'clock, two dishes and a large bowl of tofu soup were placed on the table.

The father opened a bottle of Coke and poured a small half-cup for each of the three people.

Halfway through the meal, he asked Lin Ye, "Are you having a full day off next month?"

"The schedule hasn't been finalized until next month. What's wrong?"

"Old Chen asked me to sign up for the community billiards tournament. The preliminary round is next month. If you're free, come and watch."

The mother's chopsticks, which were about to pick up food, paused in mid-air: "When did you sign up?"

"The names have just been submitted, and the matchups haven't been arranged yet."

"You've even changed the racket, and you're telling me you're just practicing with Old Chen?"

The father picked up his cup, pretending not to hear.

Lin Ye looked at him: "How long has it been since you last played?"

"Haven't you been practicing every night these past few days?" The father raised his right arm. "It's just that your smash is still a bit lacking."

The mother chuckled beside him: "On his first day, he played three games with Teacher Sun downstairs, and when he came back, he said that Teacher Sun's racket was better. The next day, he changed his own racket."

"The rubber on the old racket is all torn."

"After the switch, we played three more rounds. Did you win?"

The father picked up a piece of beef brisket, chewed it thoroughly, and then revealed, "We won a round."

Lin Ye nodded: "Then this racket was worth the trade."

"Don't try to save face for him," the mother said, but still pushed the plate of beef brisket towards the father. "The competition is divided into age groups, so at least he won't run into any younger opponents in the first round."

"Okay. I'll go when the schedule comes out and I'm free."

"Your mom also said that her old colleagues in her group chat are also making plans to go out and have fun."

Lin Ye looked at his mother: "Where are we going?"

"There's a flower expo park in the neighboring city. They said they'd take the early bus there and come back in the evening."

My mother took the last few stalks of celery from the plate.

"It's not decided yet. Two people said they have leg problems and are afraid they won't be able to walk."

She showed Lin Ye the photos on her phone.

Several park maps were posted in the group, even marking out the places to have lunch; all that's left is to set a date.

"Go if you want to."

"That's what I said too," the father quickly added. "They have sightseeing buses over there, so if you really can't walk, you can take one. She insisted on waiting until everyone in the group confirmed."

His mother ladled out half a bowl of soup and handed it to him: "Eat your food. I'll talk to them myself tomorrow."

Lin Ye smiled and picked up his cup: "You two have been quite busy lately."

"I haven't decided yet."

Despite saying that, the mother had already picked up her phone and started scrolling through the dates posted in the old colleagues' group chat.

After scrolling for a moment, she replied in the group: "Next Tuesday or Thursday is fine, let me know when you've decided."

After dinner, Lin Ye and his father cleaned up the dishes. His mother divided the remaining beef brisket into two food storage containers and put them in the refrigerator. She also told Lin Ye that he should heat up one container that night and make a bowl of noodles with it.

Around 2 p.m., the two got up and went home.

Lin Ye took them to the bus stop, and before getting on the bus, his mother looked back at the direction of the residential area one last time.

"We've seen the house. Now we'll know where you are when you say you're home. Remember to eat well and take good care of yourself."

Lin Ye nodded: "Send a message when you arrive."

"Know."

After the bus pulled away from the station, Lin Ye waited for the bus to turn around the intersection before walking back.

----------

Next day shift.

Around 4 p.m., the outside phone next to the workstation rang.

Jiang Wen answered the phone, listened for a few minutes, and then reached out to press the microphone.

"The county hospital's emergency department has a case of a fall from a height. They want to transfer this way. Dr. Zhou is in the resuscitation room; you can ask him first."

Lin Ye took out a referral registration form from another hospital and answered the phone.

The doctor across from me spoke very quickly.

"Male, 42 years old, fell from a construction site, about five meters high. When he arrived, his blood pressure was 78/46, and he was still conscious. He is currently receiving oxygen via face mask and is receiving a red blood cell transfusion. We suspect a pelvic fracture and would like to transfer him to your facility."

"Have you had your chest and abdomen checked?"

"Bedside ultrasound showed fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity and obvious deformity in the left thigh. The pelvis has been stabilized, and a temporary splint has been put on the left leg."

What are your current blood pressure and heart rate?

"104 to 66, heart rate 118."

Lin Ye wrote down the numbers on the registration form: "When was this blood pressure measured?"

"Just measured."

"How many bags of red blood cells have you transfused so far?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

The other person held the microphone away and only came back after asking the nurse by the bedside.

"The second bag was just put in, and it's being administered now."

Lin Ye added "undergoing blood transfusion" after 104 to 66.

"How many times have you taken your blood pressure since you changed into the new clothes?"

"Just this once, only a few minutes ago." There was the sound of wheels rolling on the ground on the other end of the line. "The ambulance is already at the door, pushing the person out."

Lin Ye noted down the time, stood up with the registration form in hand, and looked toward the emergency room.

"Wait a moment, don't hang up. Dr. Zhou will answer right away."