A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Han Jidong answered immediately, "Where are you? I'll send a car over right away!"

"However, when you come, be sure to keep tools such as iron shovels in the car, in case you get stuck in a snow pit."

After hanging up the phone, Lao Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to his team members, "Hang in there a little longer, the company will send a car to pick us up soon."

Xiao Wang leaned against the tree and forced a smile. "Great... I can finally rest for a while."

The snow was still falling, and the wind was so strong it hurt people's faces. The group of people could only huddle together for warmth.

Old Xue took off his cotton-padded coat and wrapped it around Xiao Wang, saying, "You're young, don't get cold. You'll have a lot of work to do in the future."

Xiao Wang tried to push it back, but Lao Xue held him down: "Listen to me, I can handle the cold!"

Finally, car lights appeared in the distance.

"They're here!"

Xiao Zhang shouted excitedly, and the group instantly perked up, struggling to their feet.

As the car pulled up, Aikberjan jumped out. "Quick, drink some hot water first. I brought a shovel; if there's snow blocking the road, we can clear it!"

Several people huddled around the kettle, taking turns drinking the hot water, the warmth spreading through their stomachs, finally helping them recover a bit.

While applying frostbite cream to Xiao Wang's feet, Aikberjan exclaimed, "They're so frostbitten! Why didn't you say so sooner? If you had waited any longer, they would have left scars!"

Xiao Wang chuckled, "It's no use telling you. The road we just walked on is simply impassable for vehicles."

On the way back, when they encountered a section of road with thick snow, Aikberjan and the others got out of the car and used shovels to clear the snow.

After walking and stopping for more than an hour, a familiar light finally appeared in the distance.

"We're almost there. Look, Brother Xue!"

Xiao Wang leaned against the car window, so excited he forgot the pain.

Old Xue looked up, his eyes immediately brightening, as if all his previous fatigue had vanished in an instant.

Just as he was about to get up and get off the bus, Lao Xue felt his legs go weak and he almost fell back onto his seat.

Xiao Zhang quickly helped him up: "Brother Xue, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

Old Xue tried to shake off his hand, but a piercing pain shot through his toes.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Lao Xue struggled to get out. Xiao Li tried to help him carry the materials, but he stopped him, saying, "I can do it myself. The materials can't be dropped."

He gritted his teeth, hoisted a bundle of signboards onto his shoulder, and moved step by step toward the airport entrance.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw Han Jidong standing there, holding a bowl of hot soup.

Old Xue felt a warmth in his heart. He was about to hand over the materials and say, "Director, all the materials are complete," when his foot suddenly slipped, and he stumbled and almost fell.

Han Jidong rushed over to support him, and as soon as he touched Lao Xue's arm, he felt its icy coldness: "How long have you been frozen? Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Old Xue grinned and stuffed the materials into his hands, "It's okay, the materials are all intact and up to standard... Look, the reflectors and emergency lights are all there."

Han Jidong looked at his face, which was purple from the cold, and then at his limping leg. He didn't say anything more, but simply took the materials, turned around, and called out to those behind him, "Aikberjiang, quickly help Old Xue to the infirmary. Also, bring some hot water so everyone can warm up!"

The doctor asked Lao Xue to take off his cotton shoes, and it was seen that Lao Xue's toes were red and swollen, and some places even had blisters.

"You have severe frostbite!"

Old Xue winced in pain, but still forced a smile: "It's nothing, doctor, it's just a little numb. I'll be fine after a couple of days of rest. The airport is waiting for fire safety renovations, I need to get back quickly..."

"Go back? You can't go anywhere right now!"

The doctor slammed the frostbite ointment on the table, his tone leaving no room for argument, "For your condition, apply the ointment three times a day and rest, then soak your feet in warm water to promote blood circulation."

If this foot leaves lasting damage, I'll be limping forever!

Aikberjan chimed in, "Brother Xue, listen to the doctor! Chen Ming and I will oversee the application of the materials, making sure it meets fire safety standards. Just focus on recovering and don't overthink it."

Old Xue wanted to argue, but Han Jidong called: "Old Xue, I've checked the documents, they're all up to standard! How's your foot? What did the doctor say?"

"It's nothing, Doctor, just a minor frostbite. A couple of days of ointment will do the trick..."

Before Lao Xue could finish speaking, the doctor snatched the phone from him: "Are you a family member of the patient? He has severe frostbite and must be observed at a higher-level hospital. He absolutely cannot get out of bed. Don't let him cause any unnecessary trouble!"

Han Jidong's tone turned serious: "Old Xue, listen to the doctor. Go to the hospital and rest and recover. Come back to work after your foot injury has healed. We'll take care of the rectification."

Meanwhile, the airport was already in a flurry of activity.

Han Jidong, holding the reflective signboards Lao Xue had brought back, personally supervised the construction team's replacement: "Repaint the signs along the cotton farmer's path with red paint, make the arrows thicker, so they can be seen clearly from ten meters away!"

Chen Ming led his team to put up new signs on the wall, saying to them as they did so, "Brother Xue got so cold from freezing these materials, we have to be careful and not let his hard work go to waste!"

Aikberjan ran to the entrance to reassure the herders, holding up the newly replaced signboard and shouting, "Don't worry, everyone! The qualified materials have arrived, and the rectification will be completed tonight. Shipping will definitely resume this week, and we guarantee it won't delay your cotton transport!"

The herders looked at it for a long time, and when they saw that the signboard was bright and sturdy, unlike before when it was blurry, their emotions gradually calmed down.

A herdsman held Aikberjan's hand and said, "As long as the cotton can be delivered on time, we'll wait. Don't work too hard, take care of yourselves!"

Working until the wee hours of the morning, all the signs were finally replaced.

Han Jidong climbed the ladder to check the last sign, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it was secure and clearly visible.

He took out his phone and sent Lao Xue a photo with the caption: "All the materials have been used. Don't worry about recovering. We'll wait for you to come back and inspect them!"

Less than two minutes later, Lao Xue replied, along with a photo of his foot being treated with ointment: "Don't let me suffer this cold for nothing! Remember to save me a celebratory drink on the day the ship sets sail!"

Han Jidong had just finished inspecting the last reflective sign while standing on the ladder, and hadn't even put down the wrench in his hand when Chen Ming came running over, panting, "Director, it's broken! The newly installed sign is faulty!"

"What happened?"

Han Jidong followed Chen Ming toward the cotton farmer's passage and saw from afar that the corners of several newly pasted signs were curling up, and some had even detached from the wall and were hanging in mid-air.

Chen Ming reached out and pressed it, "The wall is frozen! The bottom layer isn't sticking properly, and if there's a strong wind tonight, all these signs will definitely fall off!"

The Civil Aviation Administration came to review it early this morning, giving us only four hours at most. What are we going to do?