Do not complain that God created the man-eating tiger,

We should thank God for not giving wings to the tiger.

—An Arabic proverb

Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the political, economic, cultural, scientific, educational, financial and transportation center of Xinjiang, and the transportation hub connecting the north and south of Xinjiang and connecting the mainland with Central and Western Asia and Europe, and is the largest city in Central Asia.

Urumqi is located in the center of the Eurasian continent, at the northern foot of the middle section of the Tianshan Mountains, at the southern edge of the Junggar Basin, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with high terrain in the southeast and low in the northwest, and is the world's farthest inland metropolis from the ocean. The geographical center of the Asian continent is located in Baojiajiaozi Village, Yongfeng Township, in the southern suburbs. It is bordered by Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture to the west and east, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture to the south, and Turpan Prefecture to the southeast.

Urumqi has a long history and is an important town on the New North Road of the ancient Silk Road, the intersection of Eastern and Western economy and culture, and the integration of the economy and culture of the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

During the period of the Three Kingdoms, the Cheshi Houguo established the city of Silai in the area of the Wulabo Reservoir in the southern suburbs of Urumqi today, which was the first city in the history of Urumqi.

In 640, the Tang Dynasty established Tingzhou at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, which administered four counties, including Luntai County, located in present-day Urumqi. The famous poet Cen Shen left popular poems such as "Suddenly like a night of spring breeze, thousands of trees and pear blossoms bloom".

In 1755, the Qianlong Emperor put down the Mongol Junggar rebellion, built a fortified army in the area of what is now Jiujiawan, and named this place Urumqi. The imperial court relocated people from Gansu, Shaanxi and other places, and encouraged the reclamation of the land, making it a place of "prosperity and wealth, and the first place outside the customs".

Urumqi is an ancient Junggar language that means beautiful pasture.

In 1763, Emperor Qianlong named the expanded city Dihua.

In 1884, Xinjiang was set up as a province, with Dihua as the provincial capital.

On February 1, 1954, Dihua officially resumed its original name Urumqi.

Urumqi is a multi-ethnic city. There are 13 ethnic groups living in the world, namely Han, Uygur, Hui, Kazakh, Manchu, Xibe, Mongolian, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tatar, Uzbek, Russian, and Dahaner. Currently, Urumqi is home to 51 ethnic minorities. Among the city's population, the Han nationality accounts for 75% of the total population, and the ethnic minorities account for 25% of the total population.

After a 48-hour journey, the train slowly drove halfway up the mountain into the Urumqi railway station, which was already surrounded by the city.

Niu Mulin looked at Urumqi, where the buildings were uneven and the urban area was slightly dilapidated outside the car window, and a trace of sorrow and sadness suddenly hit his heart: Is this where I will struggle in the future? What awaits me here?

Traveling with Niu Mulin and Luan Xinjiang is also a geography girl Wang Meiyun who also lives in Altay. Her eldest brother works in Urumqi and specially borrowed a jeep today to pick up her sister at the train station.

At the warm invitation of the Wang brothers and sisters, Niu Mulin and Luan Xinjiang got into a jeep and came to the family home of the geological brigade in Qidaowan in the eastern suburbs.

Niu Mulin told Wang Meiyun's eldest brother: "I plan to work at the TV station, but I don't know which street the TV station is on?" ”

Wang Meiyun's eldest brother said: "There are several TV stations in Urumqi, I don't know which one you want to work in?" I'll turn on the TV and show you. ”

He turned on a black and white TV set on the high and low cabinets, and changed the channels one by one for Niu Mulin to see.

When he saw the program of the TV station where he was about to work, Niu Mulin couldn't help but be dumbfounded: the color of the TV picture was black and white, the picture was still shaking, and he didn't know what program was being broadcast after watching it for a long time.

Wang Meiyun's eldest brother comforted him: "Our house is far away from this TV station, maybe the signal is not very good." ”

When Niu Mulin heard this, he relaxed slightly.

University students in Xinjiang are assigned jobs a month later than in the mainland.

On the one hand, Niu Mulin had to report to the Urumqi Municipal Personnel Bureau, and on the other hand, he had to go to the TV station to recommend himself. He saw that his graduation assignment was afraid that he would have to fight a protracted battle, so he had to find Xie Yang, a middle school classmate who studied at Xinjiang Institute of Technology, and borrowed him to live in his dormitory.

Most of the students in the Faculty of Engineering have already gone home for the summer. Xie Yang stayed at school for a few more days because he had something to do.

Niu Mulin took Xie Dianbo's letter of recommendation and went to find his friend Li Na, who worked at the TV station.

Niu Mulin used to pass through Urumqi when he went to school in Lanzhou, and he was not familiar with life here. While asking pedestrians on the street for the address of the television station, he searched everywhere under the scorching sun.

Since the station is located at the junction of urban and rural areas, and because it may have only been established for two years, almost no one knows exactly where it is.

Niu Mulin felt very tired and really hoped to find a unit earlier. However, seeing the dilapidated and old houses along the way, he silently prayed that the sacred TV station in his heart would not be in this simple alleyway.

He walked along the overgrown path, managed to make it up the eastern slope of the Red Mountain, and found the television station in a large elm forest.

A TV transmission tower towering high above a hill. A small two-story office building built against the mountain. Next to the small building are two rows of technical bungalows with fine gravel on the walls. Four red-brick bungalows, which serve as dormitories, are hidden in the woods behind the technical bungalows.

Is this the noble and sacred TV station in my mind? This is what I'm going to work for?

Niu Mulin was very surprised and stood there stunned. In his imagination, the television station was a place of elegance and fashion, where everyone wore white coats and gold-rimmed glasses, engaged in a great cause that the world admired and admired.

Niu Mulin found Li Na in a white coat and working as a TV editor in the technical bungalow.

After reading Xie Dianbo's letter of recommendation, Li Na was very enthusiastic to bring Niu Mulin to the leader's office and made an introduction to the leader.

The secretary of the television station went on a business trip. The two leaders who stayed behind met with Niu Mulin. One is Chief Engineer Zhang, who is tall and slender, wears glasses and has a Henan accent. The other is Director Xu of the Information Department, who is of medium height and always has a smile on his face. They carefully inquired about Niu Mulin's study and family situation, and when they heard that he had joined the party in college, they looked at each other with satisfaction.

Niu Mulin felt that his work was eyebrow through their eyes.

After the TV station was basically confirmed, Niu Mulin took the graduation assignment notice to the personnel bureau to report.

Wang Lao, the section elder of the Personnel Bureau, was a little old man with deep eyes, a gloomy face, a fierce speech, and black-rimmed glasses.

He glanced at Niu Mulin's materials, and said without raising his head: "You are going to become a teacher in the middle school." ”

Niu Mulin suddenly became anxious when he heard this, and loudly affirmed: "I just didn't want to teach so I gave up staying in school and came back." I just thought...... Go to the TV station. ”

Lao Wang raised his head, stared at Niu Mulin with gloomy eyes, and taught sternly: "The sons of the big leaders have been assigned to the oil fields below for training. Niu Mulin, what is special about you? ”

Niu Mulin immediately retorted: "Of course he can go down to the grassroots level. However, it didn't take long for someone to pick him up. If I go down to the grassroots, who of you will remember me? ”

Lao Wang didn't expect the hairy boy who had just come out of the university to speak so sharply, stared at Niu Mulin for a few seconds, and said with a somewhat relaxed attitude: "You go home first." I'll be back in a month and wait for the notice. ”

Niu Mulin muttered in his heart: My work has not been implemented, but you let me go home. By the time I come home in a month's time, I'm afraid you'll already be cooking the raw rice.

Niu Mulin paused and said, "Our family is in Altay, and it is very troublesome to go back." I'm going to wait until I'm assigned to go home. ”

Lao Wang glanced at Niu Mulin again and asked, "Where is your home in Altay?" ”

Niu Mulin replied: "Altay's corps." ”

A look of disdain appeared on Lao Wang's face, he snorted in his nose, lowered his head and looked at the newspaper, and no longer paid attention to Niu Mulin.

A girl sitting at the table across from Lao Wang seemed to have just joined the work and had not spoken. She looked at Niu Mulin, who was full of words, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, as if Niu Mulin said what was in her heart.

Niu Mulin thought indignantly: What happened to the corps? Without a corps to defend the frontier, without a corps to provide you with food, you would have been wiped out by Su Xiu a long time ago! Starve to death a long time ago!

From then on, whenever someone asked him where he was from, Niu Mulin always replied confidently: "Altay's corps!" ”

Niu Mulin, who had studied in Lanzhou for four years, did not know that at that time, Altay and the Corps were synonymous with remoteness, backwardness and coldness in the minds of people in big cities, and they were a formidable and poor place.

Niu Mulin went to the Personnel Bureau every morning to inquire about the news of the assignment, and then returned to the Mingyuan Street near the College of Engineering to eat. He ate one restaurant a day, mixed noodles, fried noodles, and noodle soup, and so on and on, almost all the small restaurants on that street.

One day, Xie Yang mysteriously told Niu Mulin: "I heard that Li Na's father is a big leader. Why don't I accompany you to their house and urge them. ”

Niu Mulin didn't take into account the abruptness and politeness of rushing there, and followed Xie Yang to the cadre's family courtyard and found Li Na's home.

Li Na opened the door and was taken aback to see these two uninvited guests. She politely invited them into the house and struck up a conversation with them.

She told Niu Mulin: "The TV station has already handed over the report that asked for you. There may be some procedures to go through. Just be patient. ”

One morning more than a month later, Niu Mulin came to the Personnel Bureau as usual.

The girl was the only one in Koganko's office. She looked at Niu Mulin, who had persistently come to inquire about the news, and lowered her voice to reveal to him quietly: "You have been assigned to the Radio and Television Bureau." ”

Niu Mulin hurriedly said: "I'm going to a TV station, not a government agency. ”

The girl still said unhurriedly: "The Radio and Television Bureau is the superior unit of the TV station. When you get to the Radio and Television Bureau, they may assign it down. ”

Niu Mulin's anxious mood calmed down a little. He said goodbye to the girl gratefully, ran to the post office across the road, and sent a telegram of only three words to Niu Wanshan and Gong Lamei: TV station.

From his arrival in Urumqi on July 2 to his assignment to television on August 13, Niu Mulin waited in the city for 42 days.

Niu Mulin excitedly came to the TV station to report. Only then did he find out that the canteen of the unit only provided one meal at noon, and it was also a Chinese meal. There is also no decent dormitory in the unit, because almost all the employees are from the city.

Director Yang of the office took Niu Mulin and walked towards the red brick house at the back of the technical bungalow.

Someone asked, "Director Yang, why are you going?" ”

Director Yang replied, "Arrange dormitories for new college students. ”

The man reminded, "Those four houses are full. The outermost room is Gu Li and Jiang Ping's dormitory. The second room is a storeroom. The third room is a library. In the first room here, Director Li works inside. ”

Director Yang replied confidently, "I have a way. ”

Director Yang took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and opened the door of the first house.

It is a small room of 10 square meters. Leaning against the window of the front wall, there is a desk stacked with manuscript paper and a box of black videotapes. Immediately adjacent to the desk is an army green canvas face of a 3-person couch. Leaning against the back wall window sits a bicycle and a bookcase. In the remaining clearing squatted an iron stove of Sitton.

Niu Mulin looked at Director Yang suspiciously, not knowing where he could live.

Director Yang said to him, "You sleep on the sofa for two days first." ”

After Director Yang finished speaking, he turned around and left.

Niu Mulin sat on the sofa in a daze, and suddenly remembered what Xu Yan, a geography student whose home is in Urumqi, said: "I was assigned to go back to Xinjiang, and there was really no way." I sincerely advise you, first, that it is better not to go back; Second, if you have to go back, you must go to the big unit, not the small unit and the new unit. Because relationships are complicated. ”

At that time, Niu Mulin looked at Xu Yan disappreciatively, thinking that he was making a big fuss.

Niu Mulin realized at this time that Director Yang did not dare to publicly let Director Li vacate the dormitory, because he wanted to squeeze him out by staying with himself.

After Niu Mulin figured out about this matter, he felt a lot more relieved. Once again, his heart was filled with the determination to fight bravely. He encouraged himself and said, "Go hard, Junko Koga! ”。

Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up from the sofa and began to organize his luggage and daily necessities.

At this time, a middle-aged man with glasses pushed the door in. After he saw Niu Mulin who was sorting out his belongings, the anger on his face eased slightly, and he started talking to Niu Mulin in standard Beijing dialect.

He introduced himself as Director Li, the choreographer and director of the special department.

Niu Mulin asked, "Director Li, isn't there an office building in Taiwan?" How did you get here? ”

Director Li's face became gloomy again. He pointed his finger in the direction of the office building and scolded fiercely: "I just want to do something quietly, and I don't want to deal with those eight sons of the king!" ”

Niu Mulin has always respected people who love their careers, and looked at Director Li's angry appearance, and hurriedly persuaded him: "Director Li, it's okay." You can work here with confidence. I go to work during the day and it won't affect you. Just come back at night and get some sleep. ”

In the evening, Niu Mulin followed Director Li down the hillside.

Director Li got on his bicycle and went home.

Niu Mulin found a restaurant on the side of the road and ate a bowl of beef ball soup. Then, he went back to the small house with the office and dormitory.

He saw that the light in the room was dim, so he went to the wall and pulled the cord for the light. However, he pulled it several times, but the light bulb just didn't come on.

I'm going to read and study in the evening. So, he went to the work area of the TV station, saw a room with a light on, and walked over.

It turned out to be the power distribution room. Two young men sat there chatting.

Niu Mulin walked in hopefully and asked politely, "Excuse me, is the master electrician here?" ”

The man in army green pointed to the man with curly hair next to him.

The curly-haired man asked angrily, "What are you looking for an electrician?" ”

Niu Mulin replied, "The lights in the first house in the back are not on. ”

The curly-haired man said, "The wire is broken." ”

Niu Mulin asked, "Can you pick it up now?" ”

The man in army green said, "Go and help." ”

The curly-haired man said nonchalantly, "That's the office Yang Tou's business." I don't bother to care about it. ”

Niu Mulin stood there and waited for a few minutes, and when he saw that the curly-haired man was motionless, he turned around and walked out of the distribution room in anger.

Niu Mulin had already noticed that the people on the TV station were particularly strange during the day. They gathered together in twos and threes, muttering something mysteriously, and as soon as they saw someone coming, they immediately stopped talking, and stared at them with a wary eye. There are also people with gloating expressions on their faces, as if waiting to see some hilarity and jokes.

Niu Mulin came to the work unit with enthusiasm, wanting to dedicate the knowledge he learned in college to the great TV career. However, on the first day of entering the unit, he encountered these troublesome things, which hit him too hard when he had just entered the door of society.

What the hell is going on with this TV station? The older ones are not kind and kind, and the younger ones are not simple and lively. Men have no sense of responsibility and responsibility. Women are also not gentle and lovely.

Niu Mulin silently returned to the dark house, lying down on the sofa, thinking bitterly, hoping to find the answers to these questions. In a trance, Niu Mulin suddenly saw Lao Wang of the Personnel Bureau coming over angrily, staring at the gloomy eyes, and shouted: "Your job has not been determined yet!" ”

Niu Mulin was so anxious that he shouted loudly: "I'm not going anywhere!" I'm just going to the TV station. ”

Niu Mulin struggled hard and finally woke up from the nightmare. He sat up in horror and saw that it was already bright outside the window.

He touched the door of his head with his hand and found that it was covered with fine beads of sweat.