A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

At 3 a.m., Han Jidong was revising Chapter 15, Runway Fire Emergency Evacuation. He had just finished typing the priority evacuation order for passengers when he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and couldn't breathe properly. The screen in front of him started to go double.

Before he could even reach for his blood pressure medication on the corner of the table, he collapsed onto the keyboard.

Colleagues rushed in upon hearing the commotion. Old Xue was the first to rush over to help him, but as soon as his hand touched Han Jidong's arm, he felt the man go limp and lost all strength. He quickly shouted, "Call an ambulance! Director Han has fainted!"

Some people frantically dialed 120, while others tried to help him onto the sofa, but they were still clutching the manual in their hands.

When the paramedics arrived with a stretcher, Han Jidong groggily woke up for a few seconds. When he saw the people in white coats trying to move him onto the stretcher, he suddenly struggled and said, "I...I'm fine."

Old Xue, however, made him take out the handbook and patiently advised, "Director, you should go to the hospital first. We can talk about the handbook later!"

But Han Jidong's voice was urgent, "No."

Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side and he fainted again.

When he woke up again, the ward was packed with people. Zhou Mingyu sat on the edge of the bed, holding the manual he hadn't finished revising.

Seeing him open his eyes, Zhou Mingyu quickly went over, his tone both anxious and angry: "You're finally awake! The doctor said you had an acute attack of high blood pressure, your blood pressure spiked to 180. If you had been brought here ten minutes later, you might have had a brain hemorrhage. I've had Lao Xue and the others continue revising the medical record. Just focus on getting better and stop overthinking things!"

Han Jidong said weakly, "Director Zhou, two points need to be added to Chapter 15: First, the evacuation route for cotton farmers' transport vehicles should be marked separately, circled in red, and kept separate from the passenger route, so as not to cause delays..."

Looking at Han Jidong's pale, bloodless face, Zhou Mingyu finally couldn't help but lose his temper: "Han Jidong, are you crazy? You're lying in the hospital and you're still thinking about the manual!"

The doctor told you to rest in bed for at least a week. If you dare touch the keyboard again, I'll have your computer moved to storage and locked up immediately. I'll keep the key myself!

"A week? No way!"

Han Jidong propped himself up on his arms, trying to sit up. "The start of the voyage is getting closer and closer. If the manual can't be finished, the subsequent equipment debugging and personnel training will all have to be postponed. Every day that is delayed, the herders' cotton will be at greater risk."

I'm risking my life at the airport!

"Once the manual is revised, I can lie in bed for another ten days or half a month!"

As Han Jidong was about to get out of bed, Zhou Mingyu quickly pounced on him and pressed him down, his voice trembling slightly: "Don't be impulsive! Lao Xue and the others have already revised it according to your notes. I just spoke to him on the phone. The two points added to Chapter 15 are clearly marked, the evacuation routes are circled in red, and the number of cotton wadding bags has been determined. I guarantee there won't be any mistakes!"

Your most important task right now is to recover. If you collapse, who will keep an eye on the resumption of operations?

Do you expect me, someone who only has a superficial understanding, to give blind instructions?

If something goes wrong, none of us can afford the consequences!

"Then...then have Lao Xue finish revising it and send the electronic version to my phone. I need to make sure it's okay."

He finally relented, but still didn't completely compromise, his tone pleading, "Just one look, I promise I won't stay up all night to fix it, I'll go to sleep after I've looked at it."

Zhou Mingyu had no choice but to nod: "Okay! I'll do whatever you say. But I'm telling you, if you dare to secretly change the text on your phone, I'll immediately call your wife and have her come all the way from Dalian to keep an eye on you. Don't think it's too much trouble then!"

Zhou Mingyu stayed with Han Jidong in the ward. He watched as Han leaned against the headboard, his face still a little pale, yet he kept giving instructions to his colleagues who were surrounding him. Zhou Mingyu couldn't help but advise him, "You should rest first. Let them keep an eye on the work for now. Don't bother yourself."

Han Jidong waved his hand and waved to his colleagues: "Go back, everyone. Don't linger here. The final check of the manual and the final debugging of the equipment are all proceeding according to plan. If there's anything you're unsure about, write it down and we'll discuss it when I get back."

He paused, then added, "And please take the news of my improvement back with you, so everyone can focus on their work and not worry about me."

Seeing his resolute attitude and with Zhou Mingyu by his side, his colleagues had no choice but to leave one after another.

The ward fell silent instantly. Zhou Mingyu pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the bed, his tone serious: "Old Han, the doctor said you have an acute attack of high blood pressure and must rest in bed. Old Xue and the others can handle Kaihang's affairs; you don't need to push yourself."

"Don't worry, Director Zhou, I know what I'm doing."

Han Jidong smiled and said earnestly, "I will definitely stay here and recuperate quietly, and won't cause any trouble. You have a lot of things to deal with over there, so don't waste your time here."

Zhou Mingyu stared at him for a long time, and seeing the sincerity in his eyes, he finally relented: "Okay, I'll go back and take care of my work first, and I'll come see you again tomorrow. If you feel unwell, call me immediately."

"Okay, sure!"

Han Jidong quickly agreed and urged, "You should go now, don't worry about me, I'm really fine here."

Zhou Mingyu gave the nurses a few more instructions, asking them to keep a close eye on Han Jidong's condition, before turning to leave.

But the next day at work, Zhou Mingyu sat at his desk, flipping through several pages of documents, but his mind kept drifting to Han Jidong.

He knew Han Jidong's personality too well; he was the kind of person who treated work like his life depended on it. With the voyage about to begin, he might not be able to stay at the hospital with peace of mind.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Mingyu picked up his phone and dialed Zhou Yi's number.

"Zhou Yi, are you busy right now? If it's convenient, could you go to the ward and check on Han Jidong for me?"

I'm tied up with a lot of things and can't get away, could you please ask him how he's doing, whether he's taking his medication and IV fluids on time?

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, Zhou Yi's voice came through with obvious helplessness and anxiety: "Director Zhou, I just went to the ward and saw that Director Han... isn't in the hospital!"

I asked the nurses on duty and the head nurse, and they said they didn't see her when they did their rounds at 7 a.m., and they couldn't find the exact time she left even after checking the security footage. She probably slipped away secretly in the early morning when no one was around.

"What?"

Zhou Mingyu's temper flared up immediately. "This Han Jidong is simply outrageous! His high blood pressure just stabilized and he dares to run away? Does he have a death wish?"

Suppressing his anger, Zhou Mingyu immediately dialed Han Jidong's number, which rang four or five times before being answered.

"Director Zhou? Why are you calling at this hour?"

Han Jidong's voice sounded quite energetic, and in the background, one could faintly hear the rustling of turning pages and the questions from his colleagues.

"Han Jidong! Where are you?"

Zhou Mingyu's voice was filled with barely suppressed anger, "The hospital said you ran away! Tell me, where are you right now?"

Han Jidong paused on the other end of the phone, his tone a little guilty, but he still forced a smile and explained, "Director Zhou, don't be angry. I'm in my office. Listen to my voice, doesn't it sound energetic? Nothing's wrong at all."

"Are you alright?"

Zhou Mingyu was so angry that his voice rose: "The doctor told you to rest in bed for at least a week, but you, on the very next day, secretly ran out to go to work."

Do you know how dangerous your illness is? If you faint again, who can guarantee you won't be as lucky as last time?

"Oh dear, Director Zhou, I'm really fine."

Han Jidong's voice softened a bit, with a pleading tone: "You know, the airport is about to open for business. We've been busy for so long, isn't this the day we've been waiting for?"

I won't feel at ease unless I check it myself. I also need to go to the site to confirm the runway markings before I can confidently allow planes to take off and land.

Once these busy days are over and the voyage goes smoothly, I'll immediately go back to the hospital and lie in bed for ten days to two weeks, promising to be obedient.

"Is setting sail important, but not lives?"