A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Chang Peng was still worried about Guzalinur dropping out of school. That day, after finishing his work at the school, he went to Guzalinur's house.

He came prepared this time, having specifically found videos of the Dalian Vocational College students' skills competition and also printed out policy documents on improving the quality and excellence of vocational education.

When we arrived at Guzalinur's house, we saw her squatting in the yard feeding the sheep.

Upon seeing Chang Peng, she quickly stood up, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Guzalinur's father was sitting under the eaves smoking when he saw Chang Peng. His face immediately darkened. "What are you doing here? I've already told you, this girl has to drop out of school. Don't try to persuade her anymore!"

Chang Peng didn't rush to refute him, but walked over and handed his phone to him: "Brother, take a look at this video first. These children are the same age as Guzalinur, and they are all studying design."

Last year I won a prize in the national skills competition, and now I work for a company in Dalian, earning over 6,000 yuan a month, which is much better than working in the fields.

In the video, a girl is introducing the cultural and creative products she designed.

The man stared at the video on his phone, still stubbornly insisting, "That's the mainland. It's different here; not as many companies need designers!"

"Why are they different?"

Chang Peng pulled out a policy document, pointed to the words on it, and read aloud, "The country is now encouraging vocational education. You can get subsidies for learning technical skills, and they even recommend jobs after graduation. Our Shihezi is also developing the cultural and creative industries, but we lack talent with design skills."

"If Guzalinur studies design well, she can open a studio locally and package our cotton and raisins. She can earn money and do something for her hometown at the same time. Wouldn't that be better than getting married early?"

He then turned to look at Guzalinur, "Tell your dad what you want to do after you've studied design?"

"Dad, I'm not just impulsively thinking about playing around; I really want to learn design. Think about it, if I learn it well, I can first help pay off the family's debts. Our village has a good cotton harvest every year, but the packaging is too ordinary, so it doesn't fetch a good price."

"I can make nice boxes for the cotton and print our village's name on them. Buyers will definitely be willing to pay more, and the whole village will benefit!"

Her father squatted on the doorstep, not uttering a sound for a long time.

Chang Peng seized the opportunity and quickly stepped forward, speaking in a soft and sincere tone: "Brother, I know this kid. He has an exceptional talent for drawing. The blackboard newspaper he drew for the school last time was praised even by the teachers from the county town."

Studying design is definitely the right choice! I have several friends in Dalian who run design companies. Once she graduates, I'll directly help her find an internship. She can go to a big city to learn skills first. If she wants to go back to the village, she can come back and work in cotton packaging. If she doesn't want to go back, she can earn a high salary elsewhere. She can earn more in a month than she would in six months of farming at home. You can rest assured!

"no."

His words completely shut Chang Peng down.

Just as Chang Peng was pondering what to do, he saw the woman he had seen in the girls' dormitory that day walking over with a basket slung over her shoulder.

Chang Peng felt that since he couldn't persuade Guzalinur's father, he might as well have this woman put in a good word for him and change his mind.

Chang Peng quickly went up to her with a smile, "Sister, you just got back from grocery shopping? I have something to tell you. Guzailnuer wants to study design. This child is talented and will have a bright future. Not only will she be able to help her family live a better life, but she can also help our village's cotton sell for a good price. Isn't that wonderful!"

She stopped and glanced at Chang Peng sideways. "Young man, what do you know? In the end, girls still have to stay by the stove, don't they?"

No matter how many books you read, once you get married you'll still have to do laundry, cook, and take care of the kids, right? Can studying design put food on the table? I think you're just bored; stop meddling in other people's family affairs!

No matter how much Chang Peng tried to persuade her, she wouldn't listen. In the end, she said, "Don't delay the girl's search for a husband," and turned to leave with her basket.

After being rebuffed, Chang Peng felt even worse. A wave of despondency washed over him, and his steps became heavy. He could only walk dejectedly towards the school.

After walking a few steps, she caught a glimpse of the village committee sign out of the corner of her eye, and suddenly it occurred to her that the village officials had influence in the village and were familiar with the villagers, so maybe they could persuade Guzalinur's father.

He immediately turned around and rushed into the village committee, where he ran into the director, Tursunjan Yasin.

Seeing that Director Tursunjan Yasin was tidying up the village registration book on the table, Chang Peng quickly moved forward two steps and said respectfully, "Hello, Director, my name is Chang Peng. I am a teacher sent to our village by the Shihezi Education Bureau to provide educational support. I am here today to talk to you about something."

Do you remember Guzalinur, the girl from our village? She's the one who always loved to squat by the cotton field and draw.

"I remember, this girl was very quiet. Last time the village held a cultural festival, her drawing of a cotton harvest was still posted on the wall of the village committee. It was a good drawing."

"I hope you can remember that!"

Chang Peng's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "This kid has a knack for design. When he draws blackboard newspapers at school, his composition and color matching are even better than those of students from the city."

But her father doesn't agree with her going to school, saying that education is useless for girls and he wants her to get married early. I'm so worried, that's why I came to you for help. You see, if Guzalinur could really study design, there would be so many benefits!"

He leaned forward and poured out all the words he had already prepared in his mind: "First, her family still owes money for fertilizer they bought last year. She can earn a lot of money after graduating with a degree in design, and she can help her family pay it off in less than two years."

Secondly, our village grows cotton every year, but the packaging is too ordinary. When we take it to the wholesale market in the county, it's always cheaper than what others sell for.

"If Zailinur learns packaging design, she can make packaging for our cotton with ethnic patterns and print our village's name on it. Maybe then we can sell it in big cities, and the income of the whole village can increase!"

After Chang Peng finished speaking, Tursunjan Yasin nodded emphatically, "This girl is resourceful and capable. I know her father too; he's my comrade-in-arms. He's stuck in old ways of thinking, so I have to take care of this."

I'll go to her house tomorrow and have a good talk with her dad. We can't jeopardize our child's future, and we can't let such a great opportunity slip away!

The next morning, Tursunjan Yasin carefully checked the village committee's records and headed towards Guzalinur's house.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you see Guzalinur's father squatting on the cement ground of the threshing ground, squinting as he picks out the broken leaves and small cotton twigs mixed in with the cotton.

Tursunjan Yasin walked over and squatted down next to him, rolled up his sleeves and started picking cotton with him: "Old comrade, this year's cotton is really good quality, it's so white and shiny. If we can get a good price, we'll be much more relaxed at the end of the year."

"But you're picking too carelessly. You left too many broken leaves, so the collection station will definitely lower the price. I learned this the hard way last year; they shortchanged me by two cents per pound. Ten bags like that means a loss of a hundred or two hundred yuan – it's not worth it!"

The man didn't stop what he was doing, and he mumbled an "hmm" as the two of them squatted on the ground, heads close together, picking cotton.

About ten minutes later, Tursunjan Yasin saw Guzalinur come out of the main room, carrying a chipped enamel basin with a bar of soap hanging from the rim. She seemed to be heading to the river at the edge of the village to wash clothes. He seized the opportunity to ask, "Isn't today a workday? Why didn't Guzalinur go to school?"