"How have you been? It has been a long time since you've been home."
"I'm alright. I've been quite busy at work, especially last month, as you know right after the 'Two Sessions' wrapped up."
"Have you had stomach pain recently?"
"It doesn't seem like it."
"Oh, it's your turn now."
I walked into the pulmonology office where the doctor conducted a brief examination, wrote a prescription, and asked me to get an x-ray. When I came out, Jiaming was still waiting there: "I'll take you to radiology."
The radiology department was in another building, and as we passed the main entrance to the clinic, an ambulance raced up to the entrance. People lifted a stretcher from the vehicle, and the patient on it, half-hidden by an oxygen mask, seemed vaguely familiar. Just then, I overheard the paramedics loudly briefing the doctor who came to meet them: "Patient Wu Jiayi, 26, carbon monoxide poisoning, blood pressure 40 over 60..."
