A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Zhou Mingyu was both angry and helpless. "Can't we have Lao Xue check the manual? Can't we have someone else confirm the runway markings? Why do you have to do it yourself?"

"It's different!"

Han Jidong's tone became firm: "Those procedures are all linked to the livelihoods of the herders, and they can't be off even slightly; the runway markings are related to flight safety, and I have to see them with my own eyes to feel at ease."

Director Zhou, I know you mean well, but the launch is the culmination of so much of our hard work, and I can't let things fall apart at this crucial moment.

I carry my blood pressure medication with me, and I take it on time every day. I also have Lao Xue keeping an eye on me, so nothing will happen.

Zhou Mingyu was speechless, feeling both angry and heartbroken.

He knew Han Jidong's temper all too well; once he made up his mind, nothing could sway him.

After a long silence, Zhou Mingyu's tone softened slightly, but remained firm and unyielding: "Fine, I won't force you to go back to the hospital. But you must promise me that you'll only be allowed to give instructions from a seated position, and you're not allowed to do any work yourself."

"If you dare to lie to me or try to deny it, I'll have you dragged back to the hospital right now, you believe me?"

Han Jidong on the other end of the phone immediately responded, "Yes, I believe you, I promise you! I'll just sit and give instructions, I won't do any work, I'll just send my location on time and take my medicine on time, don't worry, Director Zhou."

"That would be best."

Zhou Mingyu sighed, hung up the phone, and looked at his phone screen, feeling both angry and amused.

Han Jidong had just finished the rectification work when he took out his phone and found the number of Team Leader Wang from the Civil Aviation Administration.

"Team Leader Wang, this is Han Jidong. I have something to tell you. We've finished preparing for the rectification work here, and we'd like to ask you to take some time to come over and give us some guidance. You're very experienced, and we'd feel more at ease if you could help us oversee things."

While he seemed to be asking for guidance, Han Jidong had a very clear plan in mind.

As long as the Civil Aviation Administration's inspection passes, the airport can fully open for business, and the herders waiting to transport cotton at the gate will have an explanation. Only then can he finally put his mind at ease after being anxious for several days.

Team Leader Wang paused for two seconds, his tone full of disbelief: "You've rectified things so quickly? Han Jidong, let me make this clear to you, the opening of the airport is not a game. Safety is paramount and cannot be compromised in the slightest. Don't try to rush things and just do a shoddy job."

"Don't worry, I would never dare to lie!"

Han Jidong quickly patted his chest and assured him, "We've been preparing for quite some time now, keeping a close eye on every step. Everything is ready, just waiting for your inspection. There won't be any problems."

Team Leader Wang was still a little worried, and added, "Then you guys check it carefully again first, so that when we arrive we find a bunch of problems, it won't look good for anyone."

"Okay, sure. We'll definitely do another self-check. Thank you, Team Leader Wang. We'll be waiting for you at the airport."

After hanging up the phone, Han Jidong realized that his palms were a little damp.

Actually, he wasn't entirely confident, but the launch of the ship was urgent, and the herders' cotton couldn't afford to wait any longer, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and urge the higher authorities to conduct an inspection.

Before Han Jidong could organize a second self-inspection, the Civil Aviation Administration's re-inspection team arrived.

As soon as Team Leader Wang entered the airport office area, his face turned long and he didn't give them the slightest bit of a friendly look.

Without saying any unnecessary pleasantries, he turned to the people behind him and said, "Let's go, let's check the fire escape first."

Han Jidong followed closely behind, but Team Leader Wang ignored him completely and walked straight to the fire lane sign wall and stopped.

"Open your eyes and look at this! Can you even call this a sign?"

Team Leader Wang pointed to the blurry writing on the wall, his voice filled with anger, "From a distance, it's just a mess. If a fire breaks out, how are fire trucks supposed to find their way through this thing?"

Every second wasted is a matter of life and death! Is this how you try to pass an inspection?

Han Jidong quickly stepped forward, wanting to explain, "Team Leader Wang, please don't be angry."

We're currently rushing to meet the launch schedule, and this signage hasn't been refined yet. We'll fix it immediately...

Before he could finish speaking, Team Leader Wang abruptly raised his hand to interrupt him, "Don't give me excuses. No matter how tight the schedule is, the safety bottom line cannot be crossed."

How dare you claim everything is ready when this substandard product is so poorly made?

"And this material! Don't you know how cold it is here in winter? This lousy material becomes brittle when frozen and falls apart in the wind. It's purely for decoration!"

Han Jidong's face instantly darkened. Team Leader Wang slammed the examination report on the table. "Two major flaws, no room for negotiation."

We'll give you 24 hours to complete the entire rectification process, and then we'll conduct a follow-up review.

If you fail to pass the review, your qualification for this launch will be cancelled, and you'll have to start preparing all over again.

Han Jidong tried to get a few more days' grace, but Team Leader Wang had already turned and walked out, leaving behind the words, "Don't make excuses. There's no room for leniency when it comes to safety." The group quickly left the airport.

The atmosphere in the office was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe; no one spoke.

With the departure imminent, everyone had stayed up for several nights in a row. Just when things were about to get to this final step, a mishap occurred during the re-inspection.

Before Han Jidong could organize everyone to discuss countermeasures, Ji Baoyu rushed in anxiously, "Director, something's wrong! Dozens of herders are blocking the door, all asking about the departure time!"

"What happened?"

"It's all because of the cotton. The weather has been unstable lately, and they're worried about snow delaying transportation, so their cotton is all piled up in the warehouse waiting to be shipped out."

Hearing that there was a re-inspection today, they came in groups to ask for confirmation, saying that if it was delayed any longer, the cotton would rot in their hands, and their whole family's livelihood would be ruined.

They're both very emotional right now, saying they won't leave until they're given a clear time. If this continues, a conflict might break out.

After these words were spoken, the office fell completely silent.

On one hand, there's a strict order to rectify the situation 24/7, or the voyage will be canceled; on the other hand, there are herders blocking the entrance, hoping the voyage will resume to help them in their time of need.

After hanging up the phone, Han Jidong's head started to ache again, and he rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Everyone to the conference room, it's an emergency meeting!"

Han Jidong picked up his phone and sent messages to core members such as Lao Xue, Aikberjiang, and Chen Ming, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Ten minutes later, the conference room was full of people.

Han Jidong explained the results of the re-inspection and the incident of the herdsmen blocking the gate in detail. "We only have 24 hours. We must come up with a solution that allows us to pass the re-inspection while also keeping the herdsmen at ease."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lao Xue spoke up first, his tone resolute: "I think we should prioritize buying qualified materials."

The rectification must be thorough. If you use inferior materials to make do, even if you get away with it this time, the problem will still arise when the signs fall off in winter.

Reworking it later would only cause more delays and be irresponsible to the herders.