A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Zhai Yang placed his father's letter and documents on his desk, feeling a tightness in his chest.

In his letter, the father wrote: "Yangyang, the people I have wronged the most in my life are you and Mom."

But what I've done allows Xinjiang's cotton to reach wider markets and gives more children like you the opportunity to see the world...

The plan also included details about the new air route's opening, such as which route would fly to which destination, how much cotton it would transport each year, and how much income it would increase for cotton farmers.

The numbers were so specific that they felt unfamiliar to Zhai Yang.

"Dad, why didn't you tell me this sooner..."

Zhai Yang buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking violently.

An Hongna gently pushed the door open and came in, holding a black-covered notebook in her hand: "Yangyang, take a look at this."

Zhai Yang took the notebook, the cover of which read neatly: "Key Milestone in Preparations for the Launch of the New Route".

The first page is filled with densely packed work records:

"On March 18th, we are coordinating with China Southern Airlines for the Shanghai route. To avoid the morning rush hour in Pudong, we recommend departing at 10:3 AM..."

"On April 5th, we contacted Zhang Jianguo in Beishan Township to confirm this year's cotton yield. We need to reserve 3 tons of cargo space for the maiden voyage..."

「5月22日，首航仪式物资清单：红毯100米（已订）、花篮20对（待确认）、棉农代表邀请名单（初定15人，待联繫）……」

"June 3rd, to-do list: 1. Confirm crew list 2. Contact media 3. Arrange accommodation for cotton farmer representatives 4. Collect materials for the maiden voyage promotional video 5. ..."

The last page had seven items on the to-do list, each marked with a small hollow circle to indicate that they were not yet completed.

"This was written the day before your father was hospitalized."

An Hongna's voice choked with emotion: "He always said that once the air route opened, he would take our whole family on the first flight to Shanghai. But now..."

Before he could finish speaking, the doorbell rang.

Zhou Mingyu and Han Jidong arrived.

Both of them had red eyes, clearly indicating they hadn't slept well for several days.

Zhou Mingyu spoke first, his voice hoarse: "Sister-in-law, Yangyang, please accept my condolences."

Old Zhai is a hero, a true hero.

Han Jidong pulled out a document and placed it on the table: "The flight route has been approved."

All six measures have been approved, and the process has taken place from Shihezi to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenzhen.

Thanks to Mr. Zhai's thorough preliminary work, the review panel approved it unanimously.

An Hongna took the document, her hands trembling slightly.

Zhai Yang also went over to take a look. It was stamped with a bright red official seal, and the approval date was the very day his father collapsed.

"But……"

Han Jidong sighed: "With President Zhai gone, the team is now... a bit chaotic. A lot of work can't be done."

Everyone was eager to get things done for Boss Zhai, but once they started, they realized that without Boss Zhai as their backbone, many details were left unattended…

"I'll go," Zhai Yang suddenly said.

All three of them were stunned and turned to look at him.

Zhai Yang stood up and said in a low voice, "I said I'll go help."

I want to help my dad finish the things he hasn't done in his notebook.

Although I don't know anything, I can learn, I can run errands, and I can make phone calls.

An Hongna got anxious: "Yangyang, stop messing around."

This is an adult's job; you just finished your college entrance exams..."

"Mom, I'm not being silly."

Zhai Yang interrupted his mother, "Dad said in his letter that he also wants us to take a flight on the new route."

I want to do more than just watch; I want to be personally involved in getting the planes on the new route flying.

I want to...see him off on his final journey.

These words touched Zhou Mingyu and Han Jidong deeply.

Han Jidong wiped his eyes: "Director Zhou, I think... we can let Yangyang give it a try."

Let's start with some basic work.

"Mr. Zhai, in heaven, would surely want to see his son take over his responsibilities."

Zhou Mingyu looked at Zhai Yang for a long time and found that he had the same stubbornness in his eyes as Zhai Hongjun.

"Okay. But Yangyang, we have to agree that all the work must be done under adult guidance, so as not to delay your college application. You can quit anytime if you feel tired."

"OK."

An Hongna wanted to say something, but seeing the long-lost determination in her son's eyes, she swallowed her words.

The next morning, Zhai Yang followed Han Jidong into the dispatch room of Shihezi Garden Airport.

This was the first time he had actually stepped into his father's workplace.

The office wasn't large; the walls were covered with flight route maps, and the desk was piled high with documents.

In the corner was a folding bed with a jacket that her father often wore thrown on it.

"Mr. Zhai often stays up late, so he'll just make do here for the night."

Han Jidong followed Zhai Yang's gaze and said in a low voice, "He said going home is too far, so he might as well work a little longer."

Zhai Yang walked to his desk, where an unfinished report lay spread out, titled "Analysis of the Impact of the New Air Route on Xinjiang's Cotton Industry."

"Yangyang, come here."

Han Jidong greeted him, "Let me tell you what these air routes your dad is desperately trying to open really mean."

He unfolded a huge map of China and drew six lines in red, extending from Shihezi to six major cities.

"You see, in the past, if we wanted to transport cotton from Xinjiang out of the country, we had to first take the road to Urumqi, and then transfer to the railway, which took at least seven or eight days."

During the rainy season, cotton can get moldy on the truck, rendering cotton farmers' year's work futile.

"Now that these six routes are open, it only takes four and a half hours to fly directly from Shihezi to Shanghai. The cotton picked today can be delivered to textile factories in the east tomorrow."

Han Jidong became increasingly excited as he spoke, "What does this mean? It means that cotton farmers can sell their cotton at good prices, it means that mold and spoilage can be reduced by more than half, and it means that our high-quality cotton from Xinjiang can finally be delivered quickly and fresh to the whole country!"

"Then... what can I do?"

Han Jidong turned to a page in Zhai Hongjun's notebook: "Start with the basics."

Following the list in his father's notebook, Zhai Yang sent invitations to 28 media outlets.

Only 9 companies responded; the others either said they were unavailable or simply ignored us.

"When General Manager Zhai was in charge, the media would arrive with just one phone call."

My colleague, Xiao Chen, sighed: "We don't have any influence anymore."

Zhai Yang was unconvinced.

He dialed the various media outlets again.

"I am Zhai Hongjun's son."

My father collapsed on the job while working to open a cotton transport route from Xinjiang to the rest of China.

Now that the flight route has finally been approved, I would like to invite you to see what this route, which was secured with lives, looks like on its first takeoff…”

Three days later, the number of media outlets that confirmed their participation increased to 19.

Problems arose as a result.