A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

"Hong Jun, do you know what time it is?"

An Hongna's voice was very soft, so soft it was unsettling, "Three o'clock in the morning."

Your son needs to get up at 7 a.m. the day after tomorrow to go to the exam venue.

You say "as much as possible," you say "should," do you think we can still believe these words?

"Hongna, this time I really..."

"You always really do it."

"Zhai Hongjun, I'll just ask you one question: if these flight application requests conflict with your son's college entrance exam the day after tomorrow morning, which one will you choose?"

Zhai Hongjun opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"I see."

An Hongna gave a wry smile, "You go ahead and do your work, don't overwork yourself."

The phone hangs up.

Zhai Hongjun held his phone, remaining in that position for a long time without moving.

Han Jidong stood to the side, unsure of what to say.

Zhai Hongjun suddenly spoke up: "Ji Dong, tell me, am I a bastard father?"

"Mr. Zhai, please don't say that..."

"My son is about to take the college entrance exam, but I'm 3,000 kilometers away, staying up all night working on a few flight routes."

Zhai Hongjun chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Yangyang is right. In my heart, the flight route is indeed more important than him. At least... that seems to be the case."

He turned back to the computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "So these routes must be established."

Everyone needs to know what worthwhile things his father has been doing all these years while he's not by his side.

At 5 a.m., the feasibility report was finally revised to its final draft.

Zhai Hongjun clicked the send button and breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw the "email sent successfully" message pop up.

He stood up, wanting to stretch his stiff shoulders, but suddenly felt a sharp tightness in his chest, as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart.

"Ji Dong..." he managed to call out, his voice weak.

Outside the office, Han Jidong was organizing materials when he suddenly heard a dull thud from inside, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

His heart tightened, and he pushed open the door and rushed in—

Zhai Hongjun lay on the ground, his face bluish-purple, one hand clutching his chest tightly, the other still clutching a printed copy of a flight route application document.

"President Zhai, President Zhai."

Han Jidong knelt on the ground, his hands trembling as he checked his breathing. "Someone! Call an ambulance!"

The ambulance siren broke the silence of dawn.

Outside the emergency room, Han Jidong was still holding a corner of the flight route document in his hand.

The doctor rushed out: "The patient is having an acute myocardial infarction; the situation is extremely dangerous and requires immediate surgery. Where are the family members?"

"The family members...the family members are in mainland China, and his son is taking the college entrance exam tomorrow."

Han Jidong stammered, "Doctors, please, you must save him. He's a good man. He's dedicated over a decade to the Xinjiang air route..."

The operating light came on.

Han Jidong slumped onto the bench, finally unable to hold back, and covered his face, bursting into tears.

"Mr. Zhai, you have to hang in there..."

The flight route approval is almost complete, and you need to see the first plane take off with your own eyes...

Your son is waiting for you to come home...

After an unknown amount of time, the doctor came out again, his face grave: "The patient is temporarily out of danger, but is not yet out of danger."

He kept talking even while he was unconscious; listen to him, it might help with his treatment.

Han Jidong put on a sterile cap and followed the doctor into the intensive care unit.

On the hospital bed, Zhai Hongjun was covered in tubes, his eyes were closed, but his lips moved slightly, emitting a faint sound:

"The flight routes and timetables need optimization..."

"Shanghai...Pudong...Connection..."

"Cotton farmer... Brother Zhang... the cotton can't wait..."

Han Jidong's tears welled up again. He bent down and whispered in Zhai Hongjun's ear, "President Zhai, don't worry about the flight route. I will definitely get it done. Take care, and when you wake up, we'll watch the plane take off together."

Zhai Hongjun's eyelids twitched, and his voice became even softer and more broken:

"Yangyang...the college entrance exam..."

"Dad... can't go back..."

"sorry……"

Han Jidong could no longer hold back. He grasped Zhai Hongjun's cold hand and choked out, "President Zhai, please stop talking and get some rest."

Your son will understand you eventually; he will understand everything you've done.

At the same time, three thousand kilometers away at home, An Hongna was awakened by her cell phone ringing.

When she saw the caller ID showed "Han Jidong", her heart sank.

"Hey, Jidong, so early..."

Han Jidong's voice was clearly choked with sobs: "Sister-in-law, you...you have to come to Xinjiang."

"President Zhai... he's fallen ill and is in the hospital."

An Hongna felt dizzy, her phone slipped from her hand, and she collapsed limply to the ground.

"Zhai Yang is about to take the college entrance exam, and I can't leave here. He'll need your help to take care of him. We'll go over together after Zhai Yang finishes the exam."

Han Jidong didn't know what to say, so he immediately reported it to Zhou Mingyu.

Seeing that An Hongna remained unmoved, Zhou Mingyu grew anxious.

He called directly, his tone even more serious than Han Jidong's: "Sister-in-law, Hong Jun is in real danger this time. He suffered a sudden heart attack and is currently in the ICU. The doctor said he could die at any moment..."

He kept mentioning you and the child.

I know Yangyang is taking the college entrance exam, which is a huge deal, but Hongjun's situation... is also a matter of life and death!

Couldn't you have come and taken a look first? Even just for a day.

As An Hongna listened on the other end of the phone, tears silently rolled down her cheeks. She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud.

On one side is her husband lying in a hospital bed, his life hanging in the balance; on the other side is her emotionally sensitive son, about to enter the most important exam of his life. This choice is like a knife, cutting her heart back and forth.

The next morning, as usual, she prepared a sumptuous breakfast for Zhai Yang, carefully checked his admission ticket and stationery, and personally escorted him to the entrance of the examination hall.

She knelt down and hugged her son tightly. "Yangyang, do your best on the exam, don't get distracted. Mom... has an urgent mission at work and has to go on a business trip right away. I'll definitely come back to pick you up after you finish your last exam."

Dad's busy with work too, but we all believe in you.

Zhai Yang was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion and hurt: "Mom? Now? My dad isn't showing up, and you're leaving too? What mission is more important than accompanying me through my college entrance exam?"

He couldn't understand why his parents were both absent at this crucial time.

An Hongna dared not look into her son's eyes. She hardened her heart, turned around and walked away quickly. Only after turning the corner did she let herself lean against the wall and burst into tears.

She wiped away her tears as she rushed to the airport as fast as she could.

Meanwhile, in the hospital in Xinjiang, the atmosphere had become extremely tense.

Zhai Hongjun's condition deteriorated rapidly, and every fluctuation in the numbers on the monitor tugged at the hearts of those around him. His consciousness was fading, but his chapped lips continued to move with difficulty, emitting weak, intermittent breaths.

Han Jidong, his eyes red-rimmed, brought his ear close to his lips, only to hear a few repeated words: "Airport... flight routes... cannot be interrupted..."

Han Jidong held Zhai Hongjun's cold hand tightly and promised, word by word, "President Zhai, did you hear me?"

The airport is fine, and the new route will definitely be opened!

I, Han Jidong, pledge my Party spirit to you!

Don't worry. You must hang in there, your sister-in-law is on her way and will be there soon!

When An Hongna rushed into the hospital, travel-worn and filled with anxiety and anticipation, she was not greeted by her husband battling death in his hospital bed, but by a depressing silence in the corridor, the bloodshot eyes of Han Jidong, Zhou Mingyu, and others, and the glaring black armbands on their arms.

When Han Jidong saw her, his lips trembled a few times before he hoarsely uttered a few words: "Sister-in-law... I'm sorry... we... couldn't stop her."

Hong Jun... he left an hour ago.

As he left, he was still talking about the flight path…

An Hongna's legs buckled, and Zhou Mingyu quickly supported her.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out; only large tears streamed down her face. She didn't even get to see her husband one last time.