A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

After hanging up the phone, Li Chao immediately contacted Aini Abdusay and explained his idea of ​​conducting a pilot project to adjust the seedlings.

Upon hearing this, Aini Abdulsay's eyes widened in surprise. "Officer Li? You're not kidding, are you? Everyone's rejected you like that, and you still want to keep going?"

Aini Abudu raced against more than a dozen farmers, only to be met with repeated setbacks. Any other cadre who had come before would have given up long ago, but Li Chao was still determined, which was something Aini Abudu had never expected.

"Secretary, it's precisely because the villagers lack confidence that I feel I have to give it a try. Even if we succeed in just a small area, it will give everyone hope."

Aini Abdusay paced back and forth, feeling troubled.

He had followed Li Chao for the past few days, witnessed firsthand the conflicts among the villagers, and learned just how difficult the climate was in the Ninth Company.

After hanging up the phone with Aihmaiti Tursun, Aini Abdusay looked at Li Chao with a helpless expression: "Officer Li, I really have no other choice but to run errands and pass on messages for you."

"Let me be clear from the start, the winters in Jiulian are so cold they can crack rocks. If the seedlings die and the land becomes barren, don't complain."

"Thank you, Secretary! Don't worry, I'll take all the risks and make sure the villagers don't lose a single penny!" Li Chao patted his chest and assured them, his eyes still shining brightly.

Li Chao knew that his fellow villagers weren't deliberately making things difficult for him; they were just afraid of being taken advantage of before.

The officials who came to promote the planting made grand promises, but in the end, either the varieties were not frost-resistant or the technology was not up to par. In the end, the villagers worked for nothing, and some even lost money on the seedlings. Their hearts were completely broken.

But Li Chao refused to believe it. The cold-resistant seedlings he brought had been tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius in Dalian, and they also had matching insulation technology. As long as they were planted according to the requirements, they would definitely survive!

Without hesitation, Li Chao contacted the logistics company and spent over half an hour negotiating on the phone: "Driver, the seedlings' roots must be wrapped tightly with three layers of insulating cotton, the temperature in the refrigerated truck must be consistently above five degrees Celsius, and they absolutely cannot stop for too long on the road, otherwise the seedlings will freeze and everything will be ruined!"

Even after hanging up the phone, he was still worried, so he added the other person on WeChat and repeatedly reminded them to send their location and temperature at any time.

After settling the logistics, he immediately pulled Aini Abdulsay along and plunged back into the Ninth Company.

Every day before dawn, he would wait at the door of the villagers' homes, go to the fields and feed the sheep with them, touching people's hearts with his most genuine manner.

"Uncle Sima Yi, please trust me this once!"

Li Chao helped the uncle drive the sheep to the pasture, wiped his sweat, and said, "I'll pay for the seedlings. The cost of buying and transporting them is all on me. If they freeze to death in winter, I'll fully compensate you for your losses. I won't let you work for nothing!"

He then pulled out his phone and showed photos of the cold-resistant seedlings overwintering in Dalian: "Look, this was taken last winter. It was freezing outside, but the seedlings were still lush and green. I came to the field every day to oversee them, teaching you step by step from planting to insulation. I guarantee you'll have no problems!"

Uncle Sima Yi squatted on the ground, smoking a cigarette. After a long silence, he said, "Officer Li, it's not that I don't believe you, but some other officials said the seedlings could withstand the frost, but they all died in the winter. My half-acre of land was left barren for a whole year, and I suffered a considerable loss."

"Uncle, that's because their breed is inferior and their techniques are inadequate!"

Li Chao quickly said, "My seedlings are different; they're a specially bred cold-resistant variety, and they come with matching insulation blankets and windbreaks. I'll come to check on them for you every day, and we'll fix any problems immediately!"

After three days of persistent pleading and cajoling, with Li Chao helping the uncle pick out sheep pens and repair farm tools every day, the uncle finally relented: "Alright, I'll give you two-tenths of an acre to try. Don't let me down again."

Meanwhile, Li Chao found Aunt Gulijamal Abudu's house. Aunt Gulijamal was worried about the broken fence around her sheep pen. Without hesitation, Li Chao found some tools and started repairing it, explaining insulation techniques as he worked: "Auntie, this insulation blanket is extra thick. It's windproof and won't freeze. Wrap the saplings in it, like wearing a cotton-padded coat; they'll definitely survive the winter!"

The woman hesitated at first: "Officer Li, I'm just a widow, I rely on these few acres of land to make a living, I can't afford to suffer any losses."

"Don't worry, Auntie!"

Li Chao patted his chest and said, "I'll come to the field every day to check on things. I'll help you with watering, mulching, and covering the fields with mats. You just need to keep an eye on things, and I'll take responsibility for any problems that arise!"

For the next few days, Li Chao came every day to help the aunt feed the sheep and carry water. His face got tanned dark and his shoes wore out.

Seeing his busy figure, the woman finally softened: "Alright, I'll give you half an acre to try, but don't lie to me."

But most of the villagers were still unmoved by reason.

Abduwaili Aihmaiti waved his hand dismissively, "Officer Li, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, but I lost over 20,000 yuan planting fruit trees before, and I haven't even broken even yet. I really don't dare try again!"

Uncle Reheman Yushan made it even more definitive, squatting on the doorstep smoking, "No matter how much you talk, I won't plant it. I'll just stick to growing wheat; at least I won't go hungry all year round. What's the point of all this fuss!"

Several households simply locked their doors. Li Chao called out at the door for a long time, but there was no response from inside, not even a chance to communicate.

Li Chao was not discouraged. He continued to run around to different houses every day until his voice was hoarse and his lips were cracked, but very few people were willing to try.

Seeing his anxious look, Aini Abdusay advised, "Officer Li, that's enough. That's how the Ninth Company is; once they're scared, they won't dare to try again."

"No!"

Li Chao shook his head. "As long as even one household is willing to try, I'll see it through to the end. Once the saplings survive, everyone will naturally believe it!"

In the end, Li Chao only managed to persuade five farming households, including Uncle Simayi Maimaiti and Aunt Gulijiamali Abudu, to each contribute a small plot of land and reluctantly agree to give it a try.

On the day of planting, Li Chao kept a close eye on the field the whole time, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

"The hole must be thirty centimeters deep; it can't be too shallow or too deep!"

He personally demonstrated, picking up a shovel and digging a hole. "The roots need to be spread out, not curled up, otherwise they won't grow well!"

The villagers followed suit, but some dug too shallowly, and some didn't arrange the roots properly. Li Chao corrected them one by one and simply helped by doing it himself, working up a sweat.

While watering, he instructed, "Water thoroughly, but don't let it sit, or the roots will rot!"

After all the seedlings were planted, Li Chao unloaded the thickened insulation blankets he had prepared earlier from the car and wrapped each seedling tightly. He also set up simple windbreaks around the plot of land.

"This windbreak can block the northwest wind, and the insulation blanket can lock in the temperature—double protection!"

He spoke as he worked, his eyes full of anticipation.

Looking at the sapling wrapped up like a little rice dumpling, Aunt Gulijamal Abudu murmured, "Officer Li, if this sapling survives, you'll be a hero to our Ninth Company!"

Li Chao smiled and thought to himself: They will definitely survive! When spring comes and the lush green saplings grow, everyone will know that I'm not here to cause trouble, but genuinely want to help everyone get rich!