A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Meanwhile, at the airport, Zhai Hongjun was standing in front of the bulletin board at the entrance of the cafeteria, posting a handwritten appeal.

"Dear colleagues: Bahiti Nur, the captain of the airport bird protection team (formerly a sunflower grower), voluntarily removed his nearly harvested crops and switched to alfalfa in order to cooperate with airspace safety, which interrupted his family's main source of income."

His spouse is currently hospitalized for surgery due to a serious illness. Although there has been temporary assistance, subsequent treatment will be difficult.

We earnestly request everyone to lend a helping hand, no matter how small, to help this fellow villager who has sacrificed for the safety of our airport through this difficult time.

The donation box is located in the lobby on the first floor of the administration building. (Zhai Hongjun)

The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching every post in the airport.

The controllers in the control tower, the ground crew mechanics, the security personnel, the cafeteria staff...

Many people remember or have heard of "Old Ba," the man with dark skin, sharp eyes, and exceptional birdwatching skills.

There was no one organizing it, but everyone acted spontaneously.

One hundred, two hundred, fifty, thirty... even some young girls who had just started working saved the price of a cup of milk tea to put it in.

In just two days, the donation box was overflowing.

On the afternoon of the third day, Zhai Hongjun arrived at the hospital with a thick envelope.

He avoided the noisy corridor and found Bakhti, who had a stubble and sunken eyes, in the rest area outside the ICU.

"Brother, is your wife's condition more stable now?"

Zhai Hongjun sat down and gently placed the envelope in Baheti Nur's hand.

Bahiti Nur was taken aback. He squeezed the thickness of the envelope and instantly understood what was going on. As if he had been burned, he tried to push it back: "President Zhai, this won't do."

The relief money has already solved the immediate problem; I can't accept any more money from everyone!

Zhai Hongjun pressed down on his hand, not with much force, but with great determination: "Old Ba, listen to me."

This is not charity, nor is it for you.

This is a token of gratitude from all your colleagues at the airport for your cooperation and for ensuring safety in the past period, as well as a small token of support for your current difficulties.

You have protected the safety of the heavens, and now everyone wants to help you protect your home on earth.

"Take this, and let your sister-in-law get proper treatment; that's the most important thing."

"General Manager Zhai... Bakhti Nur, what have I done to deserve this? Thank you to the organization, thank you to the government, thank you to every brother and sister at the airport... I will remember this kindness, keep it in my heart, and engrave it in my bones!"

He wiped away his tears, looked at Zhai Hongjun, and said, word by word, "President Zhai, your kindness and generosity towards everyone, this money is life-saving money, I will use it first."

But I, Bakhti, keep my word!

When the alfalfa in the fields is harvested and sold in the second half of the year, the first thing I will do is to repay the relief funds and every penny that everyone donated.

I will never be the kind of person who reneges on their debts, and I will never let everyone down.

Zhai Hongjun looked at him, knowing this wasn't just polite talk. He nodded, "Okay, Lao Ba, I believe you. Don't think about anything else now, just take good care of your sister-in-law and wait for her to recover."

In the Shihezi Garden Airport office, Aili held a handful of blackened cotton.

"Look, look!"

The staff on duty in the office were startled.

Han Jidong had just returned from a meeting and quickly walked over upon hearing the sound.

"Comrade, please calm down. Let's talk about it slowly."

"Speak slowly? How can I speak slowly!"

Aili's voice suddenly rose, trembling with sobs, "This year's cotton harvest is bountiful. Our family's thirty mu of land yielded nearly forty thousand jin!"

But what about now? The warehouses are overflowing, and the waiting list for trucks to transport goods to Urumqi is for at least two weeks!

"See that? It's only been five days and it's already starting to get moldy."

The weather is so stuffy and humid right now. If I wait any longer, all 40,000 jin of my cotton will rot in the warehouse.

"Our whole family of six is ​​pinning its hopes on this; we haven't even paid off the loan yet, and we haven't paid our child's tuition..."

Han Jidong picked up the clump of cotton and examined it closely. The cotton fibers had turned black and hardened, and it had indeed begun to mold.

His heart sank; this wasn't the first cotton farmer to raise this issue.

"Brother Aili, please sit down and have some water."

Han Jidong helped him sit down on a chair next to him. "We know about the transportation difficulties, and we're trying to find a solution—"

"What can we do? What can we possibly do!"

Eli interrupted him, wiping his face with his rough hands, "Everyone says Shihezi has an airport, but can our cotton be transported by plane?"

Who can afford the shipping costs? Besides, what kind of flights does your airport handle?

The furthest it goes is Urumqi! What's the use of that!

Before he could respond to Eric, there was another commotion at the check-in counter.

A middle-aged man in a business jacket, pulling a carry-on suitcase, was arguing loudly with the check-in staff, while a group of onlookers had gathered around him.

"I just don't understand! Why do we have to transfer in Urumqi to get from Shihezi to Beijing? Doesn't that take an extra day?"

"Let me calculate it for you: flying from Shihezi to Urumqi takes one hour; waiting for a connecting flight takes at least three hours; "

Then another four-hour flight to Beijing. Adding the time spent getting to and from the airport, most of the day is gone!

The check-in clerk quietly explained that it was a route planning issue, which only made the man angrier.

"My name is Zhu Laichen. I'm in the business of trading. I travel to Beijing at least twice a month."

Every time we make this transfer, not only do we spend several hundred more on airfare, but accommodation and food are another expense. And what about the time cost? In business, being even one day late could mean losing a deal!

The surrounding passengers chimed in:

"Yeah, it's so inconvenient!"

"The last time I went to Shanghai, I had to make a detour to Urumqi."

"I heard that Karamay now has direct flights to Chengdu, why doesn't Shihezi have one?"

Seeing that he had supporters, Zhu Laichen raised his voice even louder: "Where are your airport leaders? Can you put this on their behalf?"

Shihezi is a major city of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, after all. For the economy to develop, the flow of goods and people needs to be smooth! Isn't this situation just holding it back?

Han Jidong took a deep breath, said "Please wait a moment" to Ai Li, and walked quickly towards the check-in counter.

"Comrade, I am Han Jidong, director of the airport transportation department. You can give me your feedback."

Zhu Laichen looked him up and down, his tone softening slightly but still sharp: "Director Han, right?"

Okay, I have just one question for you: When will Shihezi be able to open direct flights to destinations outside Xinjiang? We don't need many, just one to Beijing, okay?

The surroundings fell silent instantly, and everyone stared at Han Jidong.