Control Diary (12)

Last night when I put down my pen, I composed this acrostic poem, sensing that today (the 20th) would be the day of lifting the restrictions:

Brightly knowing the day of lifting the restrictions,

Heaven will break the heart with the sorrow of the Grain Rain.

Relieving boredom with a cup to dispel worries,

Sealing the night with a report of goodnight at three in the morning.

Around 1 a.m. today, the Baiyun District of Guangzhou issued the 15th notice

lifting control in the area from the west to Airport Road, east to Baiyun Mountain, north to Huangshi East Road, and south to Osmanthus Road.

After the news was released, residents quickly informed each other, congratulating one another, as they finally endured to the moment of lifting the restrictions. Nearby residents set off firecrackers and fireworks to celebrate.

Regardless, we were so excited that we couldn't sleep all night.

When I woke up, the plot had twisted!

The 15th notice published by the "Guangzhou Baiyun Release" public account was actually deleted.

Photos and videos uploaded in the residents' group were filled with exclamations of why the restrictions had not been lifted yet?!

Everyone was very disappointed, and I immediately got out of bed and went to the intersection of Qifu Road and Yuncheng West Road to see what was going on.

The water barriers on the north side of Qifu Road had been mostly dismantled.

The water barriers in Xiaogang Village on the south side of Qifu Road had not been removed, and entry required a pass.

Qifu Road really hasn't been lifted!

The police were guarding the intersection tightly. One of the officers was even holding a shield.

This lady with luggage, are you regretting going out at the time of the lifting in the early morning?

Do these drivers regret trusting last night's official news too much?

How disappointing the morning lifting is!

The key point is that no one received an official response; they only heard the police say they had not yet received the order to lift the restrictions.

Today is the solar term of "Grain Rain," which is really too "grieved"! (Cantonese: angry)

I returned home disappointed and met Manager Shi from the property management on the way. Manager Shi said, "After receiving the notice of lifting the restrictions in the early morning, I notified colleagues outside the control area to return to work today and reported it to the higher-ups. As a result, when the colleagues arrived at the intersection, they saw that the restrictions had not been lifted and did not dare to enter, fearing they wouldn't be able to get out."

The residents' WeChat group was also in an uproar.

"Why say it's lifted but it hasn't been lifted?"

"Was the announcement too hasty?"

"It seems a case was found in Xiaogang."

"Our entire community has had nine consecutive negative nucleic acid tests, and the children need to go to school."

Arguing is useless; we must accept our fate.

However, the situation took a turn.

Around 10:30, the "Guangzhou Baiyun Release" public account published the 15th notice again.

Could it really be lifted!?

I skeptically went to the intersection of Qifu Road and Yuncheng West Road again.

Still no lifting.

But at this moment, with my years of experience as a reporter, since the government reissued the notice, they wouldn't repeatedly deny their own announcement.

It will definitely be lifted, and I will wait for that moment.

Around 11 o'clock, a Yutong minibus entered the controlled area, and a female police officer got out of the vehicle. She called over a duty officer and whispered a few words.

The officer said, "You can go out now."

"Really can go out?"

I immediately crossed the "barricade" through the pedestrian passage.

"Finally free!"

"Finally lifted!"

I posted the video and photos of the lifting in the community WeChat group and then rushed home.

"We need to celebrate!"

"Yes! Shall we go out to eat?"

"Sure! Where should we eat?"

"There’s no dine-in in Baiyun District, and it seems there’s no dine-in in Yuexiu District either."

"It seems there’s dine-in in Zhujiang New Town."

"Then let’s take the subway immediately!"

There weren't many people on the subway at noon today. It didn't take long to arrive at Zhujiang New Town.

At 1:30 p.m., the restaurant located in the National Finance and Trade Center above the Zhujiang New Town subway station, which is said to require a queue every day, had few people.

We ordered several signature dishes here.

【Signature Guijie Stewed Goose】

【Kung Fu Scallion Oil Drizzled Sea Bass】

【Stir-fried Fresh Intestines】

【Stir-fried Pork with Cabbage】

【Cordyceps Flower and Mushroom Chicken Claypot Rice】

"Boss, check please."

"The total is 158 yuan."

"So affordable!"

"This will make friends in Shanghai envious and jealous."

After a hearty meal and returning to the community,

the tenth round of nucleic acid testing began again.

"Is this ever going to end?"

"Sorry, we are currently implementing normalized epidemic prevention measures."

Alright! Finally, the eleven and a half days of being controlled have ended:

The happiest thing is being able to be with family every day;

The most fortunate thing is that my parents have been doing well during the control period;

The most successful thing is being able to cook a few delicious dishes every day;

The most joyful thing is playing badminton and pickleball for an hour and a half every day;

The thing I dread the most is nucleic acid sampling;

The deepest realization is that freedom is the most precious;

The most enjoyable thing is writing the "Control Diary" every day.

The controlled area has been lifted, and my "Control Diary" series has also come to an end.

Finally, I would like to use an acrostic poem by Mr. Li Hui, a WeChat friend from Huizhou, as the conclusion of this series of "Control Diary":

Sorrow and grief drift away with the wind,

Joyfully welcoming the spring tide of Grain Rain.

Exchanging the fragrance of laurel and azalea,

Treasure the peace day and night.