The year 2020 is over, but the Epidemic is not yet over. the first month of 2021, another epidemic broke out in Hebei, Shijiazhuang was closed down, and everything that happened in Wuhan last year was replicated in Shijiazhuang: public transportation was stopped, some medical workers could not go to work normally, some medical workers could not go back to their neighborhoods after work; many acute and chronic patients were not treated in Time; Shijiazhuang people in the field were discrimination; vegetables are two or three times more expensive; many people stranded in Shijiazhuang are living on the streets …… The only difference is that today’s Shijiazhuang is colder than last year’s Wuhan.
Forgetting and Remembering
As a person living in Wuhan, I don’t know much about the post-unsealing Wuhan either. Are there after-effects for the rehabilitated? Are they still experiencing discrimination? How many people’s employment were affected by those companies that closed down due to the epidemic? How many people lost their jobs because of the epidemic? And how many of those unemployed were women?
Many people commemorated the sealing of the city in their own way to keep the memory alive. I left a small ticket from a trip to the supermarket during the city closure. I bought a pot of greenery during the city closure in Wuhan, and to my shame I managed to raise a pot of greenery to near death. I moved two months ago, I still have it with me, a neighbor saw it and said: “It is like this, you have to take it away? I laughed and didn’t answer.
New rules
The epidemic has built new rules. After Wuhan was unblocked and health codes became fully implemented, privacy became relatively less important. So a girl in charge of atmosphere and marketing at a bar was infected and her itinerary was exposed. She was verbally abused when she visited 3 bars in one night. A mother was also scolded when it was revealed that she had been to more than 20 places in a week after her diagnosis, and the places she had been to were just kindergartens, supermarkets, cafe stations and other such places of daily Life. Her husband was not scolded because he had only been to two places besides his Home – internet cafes and restaurants.
Although there are few new cases in Wuhan after the unsealing, most people still wear masks on a daily basis. When there are new cases in other cities in the country, many people’s nerves immediately collapse again. I rarely wear a mask anymore, except for places where I can’t go inside without one. I’m not looking for death, but I don’t think the situation in Wuhan requires wearing a mask. Because how I live is also important, and I don’t want to add another fear to my daily life.
What makes the new social rules work is that there are people who maintain them. There are people who are very conscious of their role as watchdogs. Once, I was running along the river when a man shouted at me to put on a mask.
Although there have been few new cases since Wuhan was unsealed, most people still wear masks on a daily basis. When there are new cases in other cities in the country, many people’s nerves immediately collapse again. I rarely wear a mask anymore, except for places where I can’t go inside without one. I’m not looking for death, but I don’t think the situation in Wuhan requires wearing a mask. Because how I live is also important, and I don’t want to add another fear to my daily life.
What makes the new social rules work is that there are people who maintain them. There are people who are very conscious of their role as watchdogs. Once, I was running along the river when a man shouted at me to put on a mask.
A rare offline gathering
At the end of July, I left Wuhan for the first time after unblocking and went to Chengdu, where I had my first hotpot after unblocking. I took off my mask when I got off the plane. When my friend saw me, he joked, “I can’t believe you’re from Wuhan and not wearing a mask. “
Chatting and playing games face to face with friends in Chengdu. I was a little uncomfortable, sometimes laughing too loudly, I would be too noisy, but inside there is an indescribable happiness. In the past year, many people could not see their friends and Family members because of the epidemic. This made me cherish every time I spent with my friends, as if every time we saw each other might be the last time.
We went to Emei Mountain. There is a 1 km distance from the top of the mountain that can only be walked up. There is a golden Buddha at the top of the mountain and many people go there specifically to worship the Buddha. In addition to tourists and Buddha worshipers, there were also many mountain backpackers on this section of the road. They carry one or two hundred pounds of building materials up the mountain, they have a T-shaped crutches, walking for a few minutes to support the crutches to rest, back a trip to earn 20 yuan. I was so sad to see them, and when I told my friends about my indignation, my tears kept rolling in my eyes. I was no longer in the mood for travel.
Emei Mountain is a fully developed scenic area and very crowded. The adult ticket for Emei Mountain scenic spot admission is 160 yuan, and many people pay more than 20 yuan to worship Buddha and buy incense. What are the people who built the Golden Peak praying for? What are these tourists and believers praying for? Their prayers certainly do not include these back-breaking mountain workers. I wish this Golden Dome did not exist, but there are people who will build other “miracles” here, and there are people who will build The “Golden Dome”.
Emei Mountain became a mountain I did not want to visit a second time.
A year in the epidemic
I was an outsider in Wuhan. I met new friends in Wuhan, mostly Wuhaners who had worked or studied abroad. They were “stranded” in Wuhan because of the epidemic. Their families were all in Wuhan and they all had more or less a social network. When they would chat, they would occasionally marvel: “So you’re from X High School too”.
Life itself is uncertain, and the epidemic amplified that uncertainty. I am still learning to cope with uncertainty by exercising consistently, making sure I eat three meals a day, and often video chatting with friends in faraway places. Uncertainty brings anxiety and new possibilities. For example, I started a journal because of the epidemic, and to my surprise, a book was published. There were also small attempts at everyday life.
I had never lived alone for so long and had to deal with all the big and small things in life completely on my own, and eating was a difficult task. I basically cooked my own meals. I used to cook noodles for lunch, and one day I suddenly stopped eating them, not because they tasted bad, but because I was sick of the repetition. So, I also began to learn to cook some new dishes, and now have become more proficient is tomato and potato stew brisket or beef.
Once I went to a friend’s house to watch “Rakshasa” and she baked a cake. It was the first time I ate a warm cake that had just been baked, and the moment I ate it I almost wept with happiness. Later, I bought an oven, more often than not is used to bake sweet potatoes, and occasionally do oven dishes. The cake category is done less, because my patience is not enough, it is difficult to do exquisite. The few times I made a cake, I poured the churned batter into the grinder and baked it straight away, not caring if it was flat, let alone shaped.
I worked from home again and had to deal with the loneliness as well. I started playing the ukulele. I actually didn’t know anything about Music. My ukulele was left behind by a former roommate when she moved, and I think of her every time I see it. I bought a skateboard and so far I’ve only practiced getting on and off the board at home, but I haven’t gone out to play yet. Because I live alone, I also have fewer opportunities to speak, and rarely even make a sound. I bought speakers and play music while I work, and occasionally sing along with them with abandon.
I also visited Douban groups, the most popular one being the “Stingy Women’s Association Group”. This group has more than 470,000 people who recommend all kinds of cheap things and share their experience in gleaning money on various platforms. The actual fact is that you will be able to get a lot more than just a few of the most popular and popular items. I started to buy used books on multi-catch fish. The world opened up a little bit more.
Another person’s Spring Festival
Right now people are preparing for the Chinese New Year. This year’s Chinese New Year has made many people more anxious because they are not sure if they will be able to get home successfully, if they will need to be isolated, if they will be able to return to work after they get home, and I’m afraid that people who want to travel have also put their minds away.
My neighborhood is already registering people who are ready to return to Han. There were two gates in the neighborhood, but this Tuesday one was closed, leaving only one exit, and you have to be “shot” with a temperature gun to enter and leave the neighborhood. Yesterday, a new temperature detection device was installed at the entrance of the district, the palm of the hand against the temperature measurement area of about 10cm, the machine will automatically report the temperature.
I was ready to spend the Spring Festival alone again. I mustered up the courage to buy new plants, including bamboos, sunflowers and eustoma, and stocked up on Food, including bacon and fish balls.
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