A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

As soon as Yang Zhitong entered Zhang Pengfei's office, he complained, "Section Chief Zhang, you need to give me an explanation for this! Why was the land expansion rejected? This project is a key project that our Eighth Division is focusing on attracting. You know how many jobs it will create and how much tax revenue it will generate!"

"Director Yang, you're a veteran of the Xinjiang aid program, how could you not understand the difficulties here? Our farmland protection rate is just 0.3% short of meeting the standard. If we approve it for you in violation of regulations, my entire year's performance bonus will be gone."

My wife just finished chemotherapy and has to take medication every day, which costs money. Our child's college tuition is due next month. If I lose my job, our whole family will starve!

"I'm not trying to break the rules!"

Yang Zhitong hurriedly took two steps forward and quickly pulled out a folded topographic map from his bag. This was a hand-drawn map he had made during his first time assisting Xinjiang, covering the area around Qianquan Lake.

"Section Chief Zhang, I know better than anyone how valuable arable land is! I've already come up with an alternative plan for this land: building underground water pipelines. This won't take up any arable land and will also preserve the herders' irrigation canals. Tianye Group has already approved it; they'll cover all the pipeline construction costs, without spending a penny of public funds, and it will still leave enough irrigation water for the herders!"

Zhang Pengfei glanced at the map, then suddenly pulled out a thick stack of complaint letters from the cabinet and slammed them down in front of Yang Zhitong.

"Have you forgotten? The irrigation canal you spearheaded last time was half washed away by quicksand during last year's flood season, flooding a large area of ​​the herders' crops. The complaint letters piled up higher than my desk."

"I've taken so much pressure for you, explained things to the higher-ups so many times. If this goes wrong again, no one can save you, and I'll be in trouble too!"

"That was an accident!"

Yang Zhitong raised his voice and said, "Last time, the quicksand layer suddenly shifted, and no one could have predicted it! This time, I contacted the geological team in advance to conduct three explorations. The pipeline route completely avoids dangerous areas, and we've even added a reinforcement layer. There will absolutely be no problems!"

"Easy for you to say!"

Zhang Pengfei also lost his temper. "When problems arise, you just pack up and go back to Liaoning, leaving me stuck here. The herders are demanding answers, and my superiors are holding me accountable. Can I handle that? Anyway, I can't approve this. Go find whoever you want!"

The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed. The investor's representative, Mr. Zhao, sent a WeChat message: "The three-month countdown has begun! If the land use permit isn't approved, I'll immediately withdraw my investment and reinvest in Gansu. The policies there are more favorable than here. I don't have time to waste with you!"

Yang Zhitong stared at the news, feeling even more furious.

"Section Chief Zhang, I'm begging you."

Yang Zhitong took a deep breath and softened his tone, "Let's try reporting it according to my plan. I'll take full responsibility. I'll write a guarantee and make a pledge; if any problems arise, it has nothing to do with you, it's all my fault!"

Zhang Pengfei shook his head vigorously, "Don't try that! I'll remember this lesson for the rest of my life, and I'm not taking any more risks this time. If you're capable, get special approval from the higher-ups; otherwise, forget it!"

Yang Zhitong looked at the complaint letter and assessment details on the table, then glanced at General Manager Zhao's ultimatum on his phone, and felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew Zhang Pengfei's concerns were not unfounded, but the project couldn't be abandoned. He stood there stunned for a long time, with only one thought in his mind: This matter is not so easy. If it is easy, there will be a lot of trouble in the days to come.

Back at the project site, Yang Zhitong was caught in a dilemma by the scene before him.

The water level of Qianquan Lake is visibly half a meter lower than last year, and the silt at the bottom of the lake has been exposed. Herdsman Abudujia Token and other herdsmen blocked the entrance to the construction site.

"Director Yang, you've finally arrived."

Abduja Token took two steps forward. "Director Yang, when you first came to Xinjiang, you said you would protect Qianquan Lake and our irrigation canals. Now the project is going to take over the canals, our sheep are dying of thirst, how will our families survive?"

Yang Zhitong quickly stepped forward to explain, "Uncle, listen to me, this project won't take up the irrigation canal. I plan to build underground water pipelines to ensure your water supply won't be disrupted..."

Don't listen to him!

Suddenly, a young herdsman rushed out of the crowd, pointing angrily at Yang Zhitong. "The irrigation canal you spearheaded was washed away by quicksand as soon as the flood season arrived. All the cotton we replanted died from drought, and we lost a lot of money. If we trust you again this time, we'll all starve!"

As soon as these words were spoken, several herders immediately started making a fuss, with some pushing and shoving the construction team's fence, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

"Stop it, all of you!"

Yang Zhitong quickly stepped in the middle, spreading his arms to separate the two sides. "Let's talk this out. I, Yang Zhitong, promise you, give me three days, and I will provide a solution as soon as possible. I guarantee it won't delay your irrigation. If I can't do that, I'll stay by the lake with you and wait for the water!"

Abdujah Token hesitated for a moment, then finally waved his hand: "We trust you this time. If there's no result in three days, we'll come here every day to keep watch!"

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Yang Zhitong breathed a sigh of relief; his back was soaked with sweat. He returned to his office, casually closed the door, and leaned wearily against the back of his chair.

On the table were the notes he hadn't had time to tidy up that morning, and his wife's medical records were tucked inside the notebook; her chronic illness required regular checkups. Looking at the records, Yang Zhitong felt a pang of sadness and bitterness.

Just as he was engrossed in reading, the office door was pushed open, and General Manager Zhao barged in with a lawyer in a suit. Yang Zhitong was about to speak when General Manager Zhao waved him off. Even without him saying anything, General Manager Zhao understood what he was trying to say.

"Yang Zhitong, don't talk to me about those herders' petty squabbles!"

Before Yang Zhitong could recover from the exhaustion of the standoff at the construction site, General Manager Zhao barged into his office with his lawyer and slammed a document on the table outlining an agreement to simplify environmental procedures.

"Yang Zhitong, let's be frank. Simplify the environmental protection process and eliminate the need for wastewater treatment equipment, which will directly reduce costs by 30%. I will immediately add 5 million yuan in investment, and I will also find someone to help you smooth things over regarding the land use approval."

General Manager Zhao abruptly changed the subject, his tone carrying an undeniable pressure: "If you insist on your own way, not only will this project fall through, but your second assignment to Xinjiang will also be wasted. We're all in the workplace, why make things difficult for yourself?"

The lawyer standing nearby quickly chimed in, "Director Yang, Mr. Zhao's solution is a win-win situation. The sooner the project is launched and profitable, the sooner you can achieve results. There's no need to get bogged down in such trivial matters concerning people's livelihoods."

Yang Zhitong picked up the document, flipped through it, and his mood grew increasingly heavy.

The so-called simplified environmental protection process, to put it bluntly, means allowing industrial wastewater to be discharged directly. Qianquan Lake is the water source on which herders depend for their livelihood. Once polluted, it will soon become a toxic lake. Herders' sheep will die if they drink from it, and people will get sick. The consequences are unimaginable.

Yang Zhitong slammed the documents back onto the table, his voice resolute: "President Zhao, people's livelihood is no small matter! Environmental protection procedures cannot be simplified; this is the bottom line, and there's no room for negotiation!"

"Bottom line?"

"When it comes to investing real money, how much is your bottom line worth?" Mr. Zhao's words were tinged with disdain.