I took a taxi from the train station back home.

The doorbell was rang, but no one answered. I opened the door with the key. The hall with no lights on, the silence was terrible. I flipped the switch, only to find that the light wasn't on.

“…… Is there a power outage? "I was a little puzzled to check the electric gate, which was strangely closed.

I opened the electric gate and the lights in the hall finally came on. I collapsed on the couch and was really tired from an afternoon of transportation. Today's trains were almost out of service due to virus panic, and they arrived home three hours later than usual.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" I lazily went to the landline on the coffee table to call my dad.

"The user you are calling is turned off."

I sensed something was wrong. Dad is a very shrewd businessman, every phone call is very important to him, so he not only insisted on not changing his mobile phone number for more than 20 years, but also carried a super-large capacity power bank with him since the launch of the power bank to ensure that his mobile phone is unobstructed 24 hours a day. At this time, Dad turned off the phone.

Nothing will happen, right? I called my mom with some trepidation.

"The user you are calling is turned off."

When I think about the recent outbreak of the virus, all sorts of bad associations have flashed through my mind. Trembling, I dialed the last hopeful number, my brother's cellphone, and felt like I was about to cry.

The phone went through. The bell rang from Mom and Dad's room.

I put down the landline and rushed to my parents' room, but I twisted the doorknob to find that it was actually locked.

I knocked on the door vigorously and uneasily: "Yu Luo, why don't you squeak when I come back?" Why do you lock the door when you're home alone? Open the door, I'm your sister, where are my parents? ”

After knocking for a long time, there was a small "click" inside, and I quickly unscrewed the doorknob, and behind the door stood my brother holding his mobile phone. I hurriedly grabbed his arms and asked loudly, "Where are Mom and Dad?" Why can't you answer your phone? Dad actually turned off the phone...... "I stopped halfway through because I found my mom and dad sitting quietly on the bed in the room, looking at me with a smile.

"Dad, Mom, I went out with my sister to buy groceries, my sister must be hungry after sitting in the car for so long." My brother turned around and shouted at my parents, and dragged me out.

"What's wrong? Why is the atmosphere so strange? "I was dragged out by my younger brother and looked back at my parents frequently. To be honest, I was relieved to find out that everyone was there.

"Go out and talk." My brother took me by the hand, grabbed the key to the door, and went out. I followed him, my relaxed body was still weak, and I couldn't help but start complaining to him, "Does your sister have a conscience for letting me go grocery shopping just after I came back?" I don't know how tired I am today, the train station almost rioted because the car didn't drive, I was afraid of almost an afternoon, and when I came back, I saw that the house was pitch black, and I thought something was wrong with you, and I was startled, and I thought something was wrong when my father's mobile phone was turned off. Yes, why is Dad willing to turn it off? …… Hey, what are you doing? "My brother suddenly turned around and hugged me, and after a while I felt my shoulders being wet, and a dignified high school boy actually hugged his sister in front of the public and cried, and I felt more frightened than inexplicable. Patting him on the back soothingly, I asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with you?" ”

"Fortunately, sister, you are still normal. Otherwise, I'm really going to collapse!! "You don't know how I've been here these days, and if you don't come back, I'll want to run away." It's not home anymore, and it feels like I'm the only one left......" My brain exploded, and my tone became a little serious: "What do you mean when you say that I'm lucky and I'm still normal??" ”

"Someone in the factory was infected with XIZ, and we didn't tell you because you were worried, and then my parents ate Xinnuo No. 2 as a precaution...... My parents didn't let me eat it because I was too young. I thought it would be fine, but when the side effects came out, I was scared. Later, Mom and Dad really got weirder and weirder, one day I came back from school, and found that Mom threw away all her favorite potted plants, and said that I don't understand why anyone likes this useless creature, Dad directly sold the factory, and took the iPad at home every day to check some very strange things, such as psychological anthropology's attention to the kinship system or something, and once he asked me what psychological reaction I would have if I lost my father...... I'm really going crazy, and I don't dare to tell others, I'm afraid that someone will arrest my parents, woo woo woo sister, what should we do?? ”

My mind was already a mess, I pushed him away a little unacceptably, I felt my heart start to beat faster, the whole person began to panic again, I swallowed my saliva, my eyes wandered: "Impossible...... Are you dreaming? Maybe they're just joking around with you. How is it possible, this kind of thing can't happen in our family...... It's impossible, otherwise what are we going to do......"

"It's true, sister, don't be like this, what should I do if you do this...... I'm the only one left with you, don't you do this......" The younger brother began to cry, and the helplessness and fear that had been squeezed for days seemed to have finally found an outlet, and he even cried a little ignorantly.

I finally came back to my senses, looked at the older boy who was still crying, and suddenly realized that although my brother was taller than me, he was still a child after all, and if I didn't cheer up at this time, then we would both be finished. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths in silence, calmed down, opened my eyes and patted him: "...... I got it, I'll figure it out. Don't cry, it's not far enough from home to let Mom and Dad hear you. Let's go grocery shopping first, we can't help but go home, right? At least that medicine wasn't as aggressive as No. 1. Don't talk about it now, lest anyone hear it. Mom and Dad always have a cure, how can they let us go when they love us so much? With my sister here, my sister must get my parents back! I comforted him, and by the way, I also gave myself some psychological hints. The younger brother also seemed to settle down, nodded and sobbed for a while, then calmed down completely, and then seemed to start to feel a little embarrassed, so he kept his head down and didn't speak again.

We bought a few handfuls of vegetables at the nearby supermarket and walked back, and I kept thinking about how I would face my parents when I went back. Thinking that Mom and Dad may really not be the same person as before, I can't help but feel sad, uncomfortable, and unbelievable, and I can't help but feel panic, helplessness, and overwhelmed for a while, I don't know how my brother carried these alone a few days ago, no wonder he wants to cry, and now I want to cry too. Although I have been desperately denying the possibility that my brother is talking about, my reason has faintly told me that it is very likely to be true.

When we finally got home, I watched my brother open the lock and we walked into the house.

The lights are off again. I turned on the switch, but it still didn't move. The younger brother explained in a low voice: "'Mom' doesn't like places that are too bright, unless I charge the iPad and turn on the wifi to check things, 'Dad' turns off the electric gate, saying that it is more reassuring." ”

I was silent, and instead of turning on the electric gate again, I turned around and went to the kitchen. After a while, the younger brother also entered the kitchen with the candlestick, apparently very skilled in using candles for lighting these days. I asked my brother to help pick the vegetables first, and I turned around and went to pick rice. Suddenly thinking of something, I looked back and whispered, "By the way, why did you hide in a room and lock the door when I came back?" ”

"My parents didn't like the space because they were too big, so they asked me to live in a room with them, saying that it was more popular to huddle together...... The door was also locked because 'Dad' said it was more reassuring. My brother lowered his head to pick vegetables, explained to me quietly, and looked back at the kitchen door from time to time, afraid that "Mom and Dad" would hear.

"Oh......" I didn't know what to say for a while, and I forgot how many times I had washed the rice. After a few casual washes, I closed the pressure cooker and boiled it on the stovetop.