The Little Prince

The next day, Chen Bai really took the bankbook and went to Zhou Yuan, but Zhou Yuan refused to  accept it.

Chen Bai on the side quietly watched his consultation for a while before walking out to take a breath. Zhou Yuan had a lot of things to do early in the morning. While he was busy doing his work, he looked up only to find that there was no one. He ran out to take a look and then grabbed Chen Bai by his coat’s collar to bring him back.

"I'm afraid you will go out and smoke," Zhou Yuan thought, adding: "The hospital doesn't allow smoking."

Chen Bai lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Zhou Yuan flipped his medical records and said: "You go for a full examination and then come back to me."

Chen Bai turned around and went away, leaving his bankbook on the table. After hesitating for a while, Zhou Yuan picked it up and glanced at it. The numbers on the top were too little.

Zhou Yuan felt that this was a bit cruel, he didn’t even know if this figure would be enough to pay for a few days of medical expenses.

He closed the bankbook. After a moment of hesitating, he pressed it back into the distance.

Unknowingly, he was so busy all morning. When it was Chen Bai's turn, it was almost lunch time. Chen Bai said: "I couldn’t squeeze them, so I waited beside them. I've asked for leave today."

Zhou Yuan took all his test results and turned them page by page.

He adjusted his expression and asked Chen Bai about his usual condition. Chen Bai said that he just felt that his heart was always hurt.

Zhou Yuan asked a few more questions, one after another: "Do you have difficulty in breathing, coughing and fatigue? Do you have chest tightness and a heavy feeling in the chest when you wake up in the morning?"

Chen Bai thought about it and answered yes. Zhou Yuan was silent for a while before taking his heart rate again and started to write the prescription with his head down.

"I'll prescribe three days of medication and come over for a follow-up examination in three days." Zhou Yuan took off his stethoscope.

Chen Bai said: "You're not going to prescribe it for a month, ba?"

Zhou Yuan raised his eyebrows, as if he was playing a child's game.

Chen Bai woke up very early in the morning and was feeling very tired so he lied on the table: "When I ask for leave, they deducted a lot of money."

Zhou Yuan originally wanted to say, your current body had been completely unable to work but he held back: "Your body is more important than work, your situation is no longer suitable for substantial work. You should pay attention to it."

Chen Bai buried his head in his elbow and said sleepily, "Then you prescribe for seven days."

Zhou Yuan changed the prescription and handed it to him. Chen Bai didn't quite understand the long list of medicine names on the top so he asked, "Which one is the most expensive?"

Zhou Yuan pointed him to the top one. In fact, the price of this medicine was relatively realistic.

"You cross it out, ba." Chen Bai said, "Can you prescribe me some pain relief, my heart is always aching, I can't stand up at work."

Zhou Yuan didn't hold back: "Do you know you should be hospitalized in this condition now? Knowing your heart is bad, why can't you pay more attention to rest and reduce your labor force? Heart disease is not a child's play and painkillers are not prescribed just because you say so."

"You prescribe painkillers," Chen Bai raised his eyelids and looked at him, "I'm afraid of pain."

Seeing him like this, Zhou Yuan couldn't bear it anymore: "Painkillers cure the symptoms but not the root cause. Once you become dependent, the dosage will become larger and larger. It will do no good to your body."

Chen Bai said, "It's fine if it doesn't hurt."

Zhou Yuan was a little annoyed: "Painkillers can't cure your disease, your body can only continue to deteriorate. What on earth do you want to see a doctor for?"

"In order not to hurt so much." Chen Bai straightened his head to look at him. He was very tired, with his eyes half-squinted as he said: "I heard that the person with this disease died miserably; their face was blue and blood was even spitting out of their mouths. It hurts to death."

"I just thought, if you prescribe medicine, I can probably die a little easier in the future, not so ugly." Chen Bai said faintly, not as a joke, "if I take so many expensive drugs, I'll lose money if I feel uncomfortable before I die."

Zhou Yuan didn't answer; he rubbed his forehead and changed the prescription for him again after a while.

"You come here again in three days." Zhou Yuan said.

Chen Bai took the prescription and glanced at it, seemingly not caring that much.

"Thank you, Doctor Zhou." He said goodbye to him.