A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Not long after, my daughter sent me a photo.

When Han Jidong clicked on it, he saw a brightly colored graffiti. In the drawing was a crooked airplane with its fuselage painted pink. On the wing, four big characters were written in childish handwriting: "Go, Dad!" Next to it was a smiley face, and next to it, the words "Love Dad" were written crookedly.

Han Jidong stared at the photo for a long time, his daughter's innocent smiling face constantly appearing in his mind. He remembered how his daughter always looked forward to his coming home when she called. A strong sense of guilt welled up in his heart. He owed his daughter too much.

But looking at the crooked "Dad, keep going!" in the photo, and at the smiling face drawn by his daughter, a fighting spirit gradually rekindled in his heart.

"No, I can't give up like this!"

Han Jidong set his daughter's doodle photo as his phone wallpaper, then put his phone away and strode towards the equipment room.

Before he could even sort out the technical work, the heavy burden of management also weighed heavily on Han Jidong's shoulders, leaving him no time to catch his breath.

Han Jidong sat at his desk and dialed the number of an old colleague from Dalian Airlines Group. As soon as the call connected, he said urgently, "Old Chen, you have to lend a hand! We're really short-staffed here. Could you help me coordinate with experts from the Civil Aviation Administration to give us some remote guidance? We're completely clueless right now and really don't know what to do."

On the other end of the phone, Old Chen seemed a little hesitant, but he still agreed to help him think of a solution.

After hanging up the phone, Han Jidong immediately convened a meeting with the few employees he had. Standing at the front of the meeting room, he looked at everyone with a serious expression: "We need to quickly compile the operations manual, as it's crucial for the airport to open smoothly. Everyone, please speak your mind without holding back."

The employees looked at each other, their expressions troubled. Old Zhang scratched his head and hesitated before saying, "Director Han, we really don't have much experience operating civilian airports. We can only write things up based on information found online, and there are many parts that we don't even understand ourselves."

Old Li chimed in, "Yes, Director Han, we're not familiar with the local situation in Shihezi either, so what we write might not be very practical."

Han Jidong opened the first draft of the operations manual written by everyone, pointed to a section, and said to Lao Zhang, "Lao Zhang, look at the process you wrote, it's contradictory. One step says to check the equipment first, but the next step starts it directly. If we really follow what you wrote, it's no wonder something bad will happen! Also, the data here is wrong. Our airport's runway length is different from other airports, and we can't be careless with these key data."

Then, he looked at the part Lao Li had written: "Lao Li, this part of your work is too general and doesn't take into account the actual situation of our airport. Besides, there are typos here. How can such an important operations manual have typos?!"

The employees hung their heads, looking ashamed, unsure of what to say. Old Zhang muttered softly, "Director Han, we want to write it well, but we really don't know how to revise it."

Old Li said helplessly, "Yes, we know nothing about civil airport operations. We've done our best to write this."

Han Jidong sighed, his tone softening slightly: "I know you've all done your best; it's not easy for anyone. Here's what we'll do: I'll revise it word by word, and you can learn along with me. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. Let's work together to make sure this operations manual is well-compiled."

In the days that followed, Han Jidong embarked on a frantic revision spree. He worked through countless sleepless nights, his office lights often burning until the early hours of the morning. His desk was piled high with various documents and files.

After making each change, he would carefully consider it, check it repeatedly, and mutter to himself from time to time, "Make some more changes, improve it a bit more, and it should meet the standard."

However, despite revising the operations manual again and again, it still failed to meet the Civil Aviation Administration's requirements. Those complex regulations and standards stood like insurmountable chasms before him.

Han Jidong looked at the calendar; the appointed time was drawing ever closer, and his heart was filled with anxiety.

"To handle the manual, repair the equipment, and clean the runway—this is simply an impossible task!"

Han Jidong took a deep breath and looked at the few employees in the conference room who looked tired but still persevered. "Men, we all know how difficult it has been to get to this point. If we don't have the manpower, we'll do it ourselves; if we lack experience, we'll learn as we go! This is our shared dream, and the hope that countless people are waiting for. We can't give up, and we can't let others laugh at us!"

A glint of light flashed in Old Zhang's eyes as he said, "Director Han, you're right! We can't just give up like this. We'll just spend more time and effort; I refuse to believe we can't get it done!"

Old Li nodded vigorously, echoing, "That's right, Director Han, we'll all listen to you! No matter how hard or tiring it is, we'll bear it together!"

Other employees responded enthusiastically, and a surge of high morale immediately filled the previously dull and oppressive meeting room.

Looking at everyone, Han Jidong felt a surge of warmth in his heart. "Alright, since everyone is determined, let's give it our all! From now on, we'll live and eat at the airport, working day and night. I refuse to believe we can't handle this!"

From that day on, the airport was brightly lit, and their busy figures could be seen day and night.

Han Jidong and his employees spent their days repairing equipment and cleaning the track, leaving no detail overlooked. In the evenings, they would sit together and continue revising the operations manual, scrutinizing every word and discussing each process repeatedly.

While busy at work, Han Jidong kept encouraging his team: "Brothers, hang in there! Every task we complete brings us one step closer to success. Just imagine the day the airport opens—we can proudly tell everyone, 'This is the airport we built with our own hands!'"