Quarrel
The next day, the pace in the hospital seemed different from the day before.
Lin Xiyan arrived at the consultation room early as usual, cleaning and tidying up, preparing a notebook and warm water. The sunlight outside the window was bright, illuminating the room. He sat on the sofa, waiting for visitors, either by appointment or by last-minute callers.
Time ticked by, and the entrance was completely silent, with barely a sound of footsteps. His time slot for this morning was empty on the pre-registration system.
The sense of fulfillment he'd felt on his first day of work was slowly replaced by a subtle, inexplicable feeling of emptiness. Was it...wasn't his performance good enough? Was that why no one wanted to come to him? Or was it that his help wasn't needed?
All kinds of self-doubt began to emerge uncontrollably. He pursed his lips and forced himself to return his attention to the professional book at hand, but those black characters seemed to be dancing on the paper and could not enter his mind.
Just as he was staring at the pages of the book in a daze, there were two knocks on the door of the consultation room. Before he could respond, it was pushed open by someone from the outside.
Lu Panji's head, with a few arrogantly highlighted strands of hair, poked in with a bored expression on his face.
"Xi Yan! Are you busy?" His loud voice instantly broke the silence in the room.
Lin Xiyan was startled by him and closed the book: "...No. Why are you here?"
"Hey! Don't mention it!" Lu Panji walked in carelessly, closed the door behind him, and plopped down on the sofa opposite Lin Xiyan, collapsing comfortably. "Our department is weird today! There are no patients! All the appointments are sold out! The nurses at the nurse station are all knitting sweaters! I'm so bored that I'm itching all over!"
As he spoke, he looked around the overly cozy consultation room. "Your place is more comfortable. It's quiet, and there's a sofa to lie on. It's nothing like ours. It smells like disinfectant, and the chairs are terribly hard."
Lin Xiyan looked at him, acting like the host in his own territory, feeling a bit helpless and a bit amused. The slight sense of depression caused by no one paying attention to him was greatly alleviated by Lu Panji's noisy appearance.
"Don't you... need to stay in the department?" he asked in a low voice.
"What are you waiting for? There's no one here! The director left after checking the wards and said he'd call if he needed anything." Lu Panji waved his hand, moved closer, lowered his voice, and looked gossipy. "Hey, how's it going over there? Is anyone coming?"
Lin Xiyan shook his head.
"Tsk, it seems everyone's teeth and mind are in good health today!" Lu Panji concluded, then asked excitedly, "By the way, what happened to that little girl you mentioned yesterday? Did she tell any shocking stories?"
Lin Xiyan frowned slightly, and although her voice was soft, it was firm: "...I can't tell you."
This is the most basic professional ethics.
Lu Panji was stunned for a moment, then slapped his mouth. "Oh, right, right! Keep it a secret! Blame it on me, blame it on me!" He chuckled twice and changed the subject. "Hey, what do you think is going on with Old He?"
Lin Xiyan looked at him.
Lu Panji laughed gleefully, "I passed by the orthopedics department when I first came up here, wow! The corridors were packed! Old He was being carried by their director, spinning like a top, his face as black as the bottom of a pot! I said hello to him, but he didn't even bother to answer me. He just gave me a look that said 'kill me without mercy'! It made me laugh to death!"
He imitated He Yunling's cold and murderous eyes perfectly.
Lin Xiyan imagined the scene and couldn't help but purse her lips slightly. It really was He Yunling's style.
"So, it's more peaceful here between us!" Lu Panji concluded, crossing his legs and pulling out his phone. "Come on, come on, we're free anyway, wanna play some games? I'll help you rank up!"
Lin Xiyan: "...I'm at work."
"Oh, no one is coming! Just slack off! If you don't say it and I don't say it, who will know?" Lu Panji instigated.
Lin Xiyan shook his head firmly. Even if no one was there, this was still his job.
Seeing that he was unmoved, Lu Panji curled his lips and played with his phone. After playing for a while, he felt bored again and started chatting with Lin Xiyan about all sorts of things, from which new window in the cafeteria had the worst food to the particularly charming nurse he met in the elevator yesterday.
Lin Xiyan mostly listened quietly, occasionally nodding or saying "hmm." The room was filled with Lu Panji's boisterous voices. This bustle contrasted sharply with his own quiet, strangely dispelling the desolate loneliness of the room.
He even felt that with Lu Panji making noises here, time didn't seem so unbearable.
After a while, Lu Panji's phone rang. It was from his department, apparently with an emergency patient. He whimpered and reluctantly got up: "Okay, time to get to work! I'll send Xiyan away first! I'll come talk to you later!"
He came in a hurry and left in a hurry. Silence returned to the consulting room.
But this time, Lin Xiyan felt much calmer. He picked up the professional book again. This time, the words no longer seemed to jump around, and he could read it more carefully.
As he was about to get off work at noon, his phone vibrated. It was a message from He Yunling in the three-person group chat.
[He Yunling: @Lu Panji, are you free? ]
【Lu Panji:??? What's wrong?】
He Yunling: The head nurse said she saw you sneaking off to visit the psychology department.
[Lu Panji: ...Holy crap! Can I even be sued for this?!]
He Yunling: Yes. The director asked me to remind you to be mindful of the impact.
[Lu Panji: [crying.jpg] I was wrong! Brother He, spare me!]
He Yunling: Lunch in the cafeteria, you treat.
【Lu Panji: ...Okay! 】
【Lin Xiyan: ……】
Lin Xiyan watched the rapidly scrolling messages in the group chat, almost as if he could see Lu Panji scratching his head in the dental department, and He Yunling's calm face, even in the midst of his busy schedule, still focusing on precise strikes. He put down his phone, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upwards.
It turns out that even though they are in different departments and their levels of busyness vary greatly, the connection between them has never been interrupted.
This feeling of being "monitored" and cared for is not unpleasant.
The bell rang. Lin Xiyan packed up her things and walked out of the consultation room. The corridor was bustling with people, much busier than in the morning.
He walked to the elevator and happened to meet He Yunling who had just come down from the orthopedics department. He Yunling's face was obviously tired, and the collar of his white coat was slightly open, but his eyes were still clear and calm.
"Are you done?" Lin Xiyan asked in a low voice.
"Yeah." He Yunling rubbed his brow. "I admitted five patients and performed two operations this morning." He glanced at Lin Xiyan. "How are you doing?"
"...Not bad." Lin Xiyan said. Although there was no one around, he wasn't in a bad mood.
He Yunling nodded without asking any more questions. The elevator door opened and the two walked in.
"That guy Lu Panji," He Yunling suddenly said, his tone filled with a hint of helpless disdain, "only you can stand his noise."
Lin Xiyan was stunned for a moment, then realized that he was talking about the visit he had made this morning. He lowered his head and said softly, "Hmm."
Actually...it's not too noisy.
At least, it drove away some unnecessary random thoughts.
The elevator reached the cafeteria floor. As soon as the door opened, Lu Panji was waiting outside, looking at He Yunling flatteringly: "Brother He! Over here, over here! You've got a seat! I'll treat you to stir-fries today!"
He Yunling glanced at him, said nothing, and walked straight over.
Lu Panji quickly followed and winked at Lin Xiyan again.
The three of them sat at the dining table. Lu Panji was still defending his "violation of discipline" in the morning. He Yunling occasionally pointed out his remarks venomously. Lin Xiyan ate quietly and listened to their quarrels.
The sunlight shone through the cafeteria window, falling on the dining table and on the three of them.
A brand new day passed smoothly in the interweaving of busyness and leisure, and in the noise and company of friends.
Lin Xiyan thought that this kind of work and life seemed... not bad.
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