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

The lights in the emergency room corridor were still on.

Lin Ye put the last observation record into the medical record folder, with ten minutes left before the morning shift handover.

Ma Hao knelt by the workstation, making up for the missed examination time, while Nurse Zhao found a blank signature for him on the last page.

"That's really all." Ma Hao put down his pen.

At 7:30, the day shift doctor and nurse entered the handover room.

After Lin Ye explained the whereabouts of the three beds, he handed the medical records to the day shift worker.

"Okay, we'll take care of the rest."

The moment the door to the shift handover room opened, the workstation phone rang.

The orthopedic ward staff came to ask Cheng Xiao when the numbness in her right hand had worsened.

The day shift doctor answered the phone, flipped through two pages of the medical record, and read out the results of the two follow-up examinations that Ma Hao had noted down.

"Contact me if there are any updates; the night shift has already been handed over."

Lin Ye took the pen off his chest and put it back in his pocket.

The nurses also completed the handover between the two sides.

Lin Ye pushed the handover book over.

After sitting all night, when he stood up, a sharp pain shot through his back.

He moved around a couple of times, holding onto the edge of the table.

Ma Hao remained seated.

"Sister Zhao, can I leave after I sign?"

"If you want to work another twelve hours, I can apply for it for you."

The chair leg made a soft squeak as it scraped against the floor.

Ma Hao immediately stood up, moving so quickly that he had to hold onto the edge of the table for a couple of seconds to catch his breath.

"Let's go. Let's go now."

Nurse Zhao checked the workstation.

The oolong tea brought at night was only half full, and Lin Ye hadn't finished his bottle of water either.

She handed them both bottles: "Take them with you. Don't leave them for the day shift to clean up."

Lin Ye took the water and tightened the bottle cap.

The phone on the workstation rang again, and the day shift doctor reached out to answer it.

He and Ma Hao continued walking towards the locker room.

The changing room was filled with the mixed smell of hand sanitizer and disinfectant.

Ma Hao changed out of his work clothes, bent down to tie his shoelaces, and wrapped his fingers around them twice before finally tying a knot.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not eating anymore, I want to go back to sleep."

Lin Ye took his phone out of his pocket; the screen showed a message his mother had sent that morning.

"Sleep on an empty stomach, or your stomach will hurt when you wake up." Nurse Zhao stood at the door. "There's a breakfast stall next to the hospital. Porridge, steamed buns, and eggs. After you eat, everyone goes home."

The three of them came out of the emergency room entrance.

The morning air was a little cool, and steam was already rising from the breakfast stalls along the street.

As Ma Hao was walking down the steps, his foot slipped, and Nurse Zhao caught his arm.

"Open your eyes and watch where you're going."

The shop had just opened, and the owner was putting the first steamer of buns into the steamer.

The three sat down. Nurse Zhao ordered three bowls of porridge, two baskets of steamed buns, and three eggs. Ma Hao went to the condiment station, scooped out a spoonful of chili oil, sat down, and stirred it into his bowl.

He started coughing after the first bite.

Nurse Zhao pushed the tissue box over.

"You weren't taken away by the patients last night, so you're planning to take yourself home this morning?"

Ma Hao moved the bowl to the side.

I thought it was vinegar.

Lin Ye pushed his plain porridge to him and took the bowl of spicy porridge.

"You're eating this?"

"I can eat spicy food."

Ma Hao held the bowl of congee in his hands: "Brother Ye, you're the one I can rely on when it really matters."

"Eat yours."

Ma Hao peeled the egg, and the eggshells fell all over the table.

He gathered the tissues together, and his phone alarm went off.

"When was it set up?" Nurse Zhao asked.

Ma Hao looked at the words "Pay Water Bill" on the screen: "Yesterday."

Nurse Zhao took the last steamed bun.

"Well, you seem to know yourself quite well."

Ma Hao turned off the alarm clock and reset it to the afternoon.

Lin Ye had just picked up his phone when Nurse Zhao had already paid.

"Sister Zhao, I'll treat you to this meal."

"Next time you're on duty, bring me a cup of low-sugar oolong tea." She put away her payment code. "Room temperature, don't buy the wrong one."

Ma Hao raised his hand in assurance.

"Less sugar, room temperature."

The store gradually became more and more crowded.

A little boy with a backpack ran over from the next table and reached for the tissue box next to their table.

Lin Ye quickly moved the red oil porridge aside to make room for him.

The boy took the tissue box and glanced back at the bowl of porridge.

"Uncle, why are your eyes red?"

Lin Ye wiped his eyes.

"From eating spicy food."

"Then why are you still eating?"

Ma Hao lowered his head to drink his porridge, and his shoulder twitched slightly.

"You're still laughing."

"I didn't beg you to switch. Did I beg you? I didn't."

Nurse Zhao pushed the empty bowl forward.

"You still have the energy to bicker? You're so energetic!"

After the three finished eating, they came out of the breakfast stall.

As the number of cars on the street gradually increased, Nurse Zhao headed to the bus stop and gave the two people some instructions before leaving.

"I'll go back and sleep. I'll mute the work group chat; I'll only call if there's an emergency."

Ma Hao and Lin Ye parted ways at the intersection, but after taking a few steps, Ma Hao turned back: "Keep your phone on. Call me if you need anything."

"You can go to sleep first."

Ma Hao waved his hand.

Lin Ye walked to his residence alone.

The fourteen-minute walk has changed dramatically during the day.

The convenience store entrance was piled with newly delivered cardboard boxes, someone was urging the breakfast stall owner to pack up the food, and parents dropping off their children at school walked past him.

While waiting at a red light, he stood next to a group of students carrying schoolbags.

When the green light came on, everyone around him moved forward together, but he was half a step behind.

My phone lit up once when I got to the entrance of the residential area.

My mother's message from 7 a.m. is still in the notification bar: Are you off your night shift? Have you eaten anything?

"I've eaten, we're almost home."

The mother quickly replied, "Your dad's billiards tournament has been scheduled for this weekend. If you're not on duty, come and take a look."

Just as Lin Ye was about to reply, his father called.

"get off work?"

"Just got downstairs."

The father cleared his throat: "Did your mother tell you about the competition?"

"I said so."

"Community competitions aren't that interesting. If you're on duty, don't come; don't try to swap shifts with someone for this."

Lin Ye stopped outside the building entrance: "The matchups have been decided?"

"The community just posted it. The first session is on Saturday at 3 PM," the father said. "Come if you're free, otherwise it's fine."

"Dad, have you finished your ball practice?"

"Better than last time."

"Practice less before the match, so you won't be too tired when you go on the field."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "I asked you if you were coming, not if you were going to arrange training for me."

Lin Ye raised his hand and pressed his temples: "I woke up to check the schedule. If I don't have a shift, I'll go over."

"Okay. Go to sleep now."

The father hung up the phone.

Upon arriving at the building entrance, Lin Ye took out his access card.

After entering the house, he put his keys and access card on the shoe cabinet and took a shower.

Before his hair was even dry, he drew the curtains shut and lay down on the bed.

Do not disturb on my phone, and set the hospital and my parents' numbers to ring.

Lin Ye placed his phone on the bedside table and closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, he picked it up again and turned the volume up one notch.

The screen went dark, but his hand was still resting next to the phone.

The air conditioner vent made a sound for a while, and my fingers slowly loosened.