Control Diary (Nine)

April 17, 2022 (Sunday)

It has been a week and two days of control.

Early in the morning, before I was fully awake, the doorbell rang loudly.

I opened the door as if in a dream.

“It’s time for testing in our building, please come downstairs for a nucleic acid test.” said the volunteer.

“Okay.”

After two days without nucleic acid testing, today we finally have to do it again; I hope this is a good sign for lifting the lockdown.

When I reached the lobby of the building, there was already a line forming. Are they doing the nucleic acid sampling downstairs?

It turned out that the volunteers were verifying each household one by one to ensure no one was missed.

The more I looked, the more it seemed like we were about to lift the lockdown.

Since the nucleic acid testing was arranged by building, batch, and time, there were indeed very few people in line, and once I got to the testing point, I could do the sampling in groups of ten.

While waiting in line, I silently prayed that none of us ten would have “a little lamb,” otherwise, at least those in the same tube would be close contacts.

I finished the nucleic acid sampling in three seconds.

“I have two elderly people over 90 at home, how can I schedule a home nucleic acid sampling?” I asked the volunteer.

“You can ask Director Xie from the neighborhood committee.”

“Director Xie! Director Xie!” the volunteer called out loudly to Director Xie, who was maintaining order in the distance.

Director Xie hurried over in a few quick steps.

“Director Xie, this gentleman wants to schedule home nucleic acid sampling for two elderly people.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Just call the neighborhood committee to register. This is the phone number.” Director Xie said, catching his breath.

Director Xie took my phone and directly entered the phone number.

I took the phone back, left my parents' address, my contact number, and repeatedly reminded them,

“Please remember to call me before you come.”

“Sir, please rest assured, I have noted it down.”

After that, I went to my parents' house and told them about the doctor coming to do the nucleic acid sampling.

“You remember, when the volunteers knock on the door, you must not go downstairs for the nucleic acid sampling. You tell them you have already scheduled the home sampling service and do not need to go downstairs. They will contact me before coming, understood?”

“Understood.” My parents nodded to indicate they understood.

After giving them instructions, I left with peace of mind.

Today, only the south gate of the community can be accessed with the “Exit Card.”

Walking out of the community, there were very few people on the road; only a small supermarket, a 24-hour chain supermarket, and a fruit shop were open, while several fast-food restaurants were half-closed providing takeout services, with poor business. Fortunately, the community health service center in Baiyun District was operating normally.

At this moment, my phone rang.

“Mr. Liang, is your parents' Yue nucleic acid code with you?”

“Yes, are you coming to do the nucleic acid sampling so soon?”

“No, your parents have come downstairs, your mother is waiting for you at the neighborhood committee entrance; she seems unable to walk.”

“Oh! Alright, I’ll come over now.”

I rushed to the neighborhood committee.

My mother was sitting on the cold stone bench in front of the neighborhood committee (it got colder today).

“Why did you come downstairs? Didn’t I tell you not to come down?”

“They knocked on our door and asked me to come down for the nucleic acid test, so we came down.” My mother looked at me with wide eyes, looking very pitiful. She must have forgotten what I told her. Over ninety years old, well!

“Auntie, you really shouldn’t be queuing for the nucleic acid test; you should go home now.” said a volunteer nearby.

“Mom, you can’t even stand now; you really shouldn’t be queuing for the nucleic acid test. Do you understand? Let’s go home.”

I carried my mother on my back and went home with my father.

“Now you really have to listen; eat when it’s time to eat, sleep when it’s time to sleep. When they come to do the nucleic acid sampling, they will call me first.”

After giving them instructions, I left with peace of mind.

At 4:30 PM, I was playing pickleball with my partner at the community badminton court.

My phone rang; it was my mother’s voice.

“Son! The people doing the nucleic acid test have arrived; they said they need some code?”

“That code is with me; I’ll come over right away.”

I immediately dashed to my parents' house like an arrow.

I thought maybe Su Bingtian couldn’t outrun me now.

“Why didn’t they call me first before coming?” I thought while running.

I didn’t wait for the elevator and directly took the stairs two steps at a time, reaching my parents' door in less than three minutes.

Why is there no one here? I used my key to open the door.

“Where is the doctor?”

“They left.”

“Left?!”

Without saying a word, I rushed downstairs again, and through the stairwell window, I saw the doctor in white heading towards the south gate of the community.

“Doctor! Wait a minute!”

I shouted while running and quickly caught up with the doctor in white.

“Are you the doctor providing home nucleic acid testing?”

“Yes.”

“Here is my parents' Yue nucleic acid code.”

“Why didn’t you call me first?”

The volunteer next to me said while holding a form, “There’s no phone number here, only the home address.”

“Oh my!”

“I clearly provided the phone number.”

The person at the neighborhood committee who answered the phone didn’t record the phone number. Truly, a good memory is not as good as a bad pen.

If a message isn’t written down, then passing it on through memory will either embellish it or distort it, or it will be incomplete.

Fortunately, I (62 years old) ran fast; otherwise, everyone would have made a wasted trip.

Dr. Zhou from the community health service center went back upstairs with me, and in less than ten seconds, we completed the nucleic acid sampling for my parents.

This is exactly,

Life is inherently plain,

And so is life.

In days of control,

It’s inevitable to go through many twists and turns.