Chapter 49
Zhao Yan's original plan after returning from her trip was to immediately organize the video footage she had, and then produce and release the video.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and she fell ill as soon as she got home.
The days of being trapped in Xuexiang were too difficult. As the second pillar of the family, she had to help her father take care of the family, so she had to stay strong. It was this spirit that became the driving force that kept her from collapsing at that time.
After returning to a familiar and comfortable environment, the taut string snapped, and various physical discomforts began to surface.
She developed a fever on her very first night at home, and her temperature quickly soared to 39.8 degrees Celsius. Before the Zhao family could even breathe a sigh of relief, they immediately took her to the hospital.
After a month of recuperation, Zhao Yan has finally fully recovered and has the energy to start editing videos again.
Zhao Yan's Douyin account has gained a lot of followers due to her videos on virtual space and racing. Currently, she has 500,000 followers, which is not as many as those bloggers who have millions of followers, but this number is enough for her to earn some living expenses by making videos.
Because the videos that went viral were all filmed by the four girls in the dorm together, the account, although registered under Zhao Yan's name, actually belongs to the entire dorm.
Zhao Yan sent the edited video to the dormitory group chat.
"I plan to post this video on our account. Please take a look and see if it's okay, and if there's anything that needs to be changed."
It took a long time for someone in the group to reply.
“I think it’s okay. I even cried while watching it. I know this snow disaster is very serious, but I haven’t experienced it firsthand, so I don’t understand it that deeply. After watching your video, Yan Yan, I realized how difficult it was.”
"We cried together."
"We cried together."
With no issues from her roommates, Zhao Yan quickly posted the video on a video website.
Although the snow disaster in China has been somewhat contained, it is still coming on strong and remains a hot topic on social media. As soon as Zhao Yan's video was released, it immediately attracted attention and its popularity continued to rise, soaring to the top of the trending search list in just two days.
The video begins with Zhao's father having Zhao Yan ride a train forward, creating a spatial ring address for the family along the way.
"Imagine my parents wanting to go somewhere but not wanting to take a car, so they send me there first. This is the scene that brings to them when I create this location."
"How come the idea that children suffer while parents enjoy life is universally true across the country?"
"I've got a vision of my family. Ever since they bought the spatial ring, I've found it's only made things easier for my parents. As for me, I still have to take the long way around by car to get anywhere. When it comes to family hierarchy, no one can beat me!"
"Haha, you can tell the people in front are just putting on a brave face."
The first half of the video was cheerful and lighthearted, with viewers praising the beautiful scenery of Xuexiang, discussing its delicious food, and marveling at the rapid development of the motherland. The barrage of comments was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
But the situation took a sharp turn after Zhao Yan's train ticket was cancelled.
The disaster struck suddenly and fiercely, opening its gaping maw and trapping everyone inside before anyone was prepared.
In the video, outside the transparent glass window, dark clouds filled the sky. In the gray sky, large snowflakes fell from the sky as if they had been accelerated. The wind howled, swirling and swirling the snowflakes, sweeping wildly between heaven and earth. On the ground, the snow had piled up as high as a one-story building. Everyone was trapped in the hotel. People outside could not get in, and people inside could not get out.
The water, electricity, and heating were quickly shut off. In the video, Zhao Yan's family of seven, dressed in thick clothes, huddled under the hotel blankets, shivering from the cold as they shared two packets of instant noodles. Because there was no hot water, they had to chew the noodles dry. The four elderly people had almost lost all their teeth, making it difficult for them to eat such dry and hard food. Each of them held a small piece and struggled to grind it with their teeth.
There was no water after eating, so the only option was to use a container to collect snow outside the window. However, the indoor temperature was too low, so the collected snow wouldn't melt. To get water, the only option was to eat the snow directly, using the body heat to melt it before swallowing it.
The process was undoubtedly difficult and painful.
Especially for the four elderly people who still had fevers.
In the video, Zhao Yan's father was so anxious that his mouth was covered with blisters. He wanted to make his four elderly relatives as comfortable as possible, but he couldn't. He had no resources and could only watch helplessly as his elderly relatives became more and more frail.
Even through the video, one could feel the despair of the trapped people; everyone who watched the video felt their heart clench and their throat tighten.
“My home is in the southernmost province of our country, where it has never snowed before. This year’s snowfall is the first in nearly a hundred years. When it snowed, the whole province was excited. Everyone was happy to see snow. At that time, no one realized that even Hai Province, which is located in the tropics, had snow. How heavy must the snowfall be in the northern regions, and how much suffering must it cause?”
"My family is also in the south, and at the time we really had no idea that this disaster would be so big."
"My family is from the northern region, where the snow disaster was also severe, but it was better than the blogger's situation. When we were trapped, at least we were at home, where we had food and warm clothes, and we were in a familiar environment, so even if we were trapped, it wasn't that difficult. I can't even imagine how desperate I would be if I were trapped in an unfamiliar hotel like the blogger, with no water or electricity, and my elderly family members were sick, with no one to turn to for help."
"There was no food or water, and the elderly were sick but couldn't go out to buy medicine. This scene was truly desperate."
"I cried while watching it."
The video then shifts to a clear sky, showing only the father and daughter remaining in the frame.
Zhao Yan explained to the video.
“My phone ran out of battery earlier, so I couldn’t take any videos for everyone. Now it’s been fifteen days since we were trapped in Xuexiang. My family and I have spent these fifteen days in despair and pain, surviving on supplies that Xuexiang risked its life to bring from the city. Fortunately, things finally took a turn for the better today. The organization did not give up on us. As soon as the weather improved today, they immediately sent a vehicle to Xuexiang to distribute supplies and transfer sick people. My grandparents and my mother have now arrived in Asu City for treatment. Because Asu City cannot accommodate a large number of disaster victims, my father and I are still stranded in Xuexiang, waiting for the government to notify us before we can leave.”
The Zhao Yan in the video is a completely different person from the one who first arrived in Xuexiang. At this moment, she is so thin that her cheeks are sunken, and her hands and ears are covered with layers of frostbite, but her eyes are surprisingly bright.
Bullet comments.
"I'm about to cry my eyes out. In just half a month, this pretty little girl has been ruined like this."
"Her father was in even worse condition than her. I can't imagine what they went through during those two weeks when their phones were out of battery."
"I don't understand why the rescue team took half a month to arrive!"
"Upstairs, do you know what a once-in-a-century snowstorm means? It means all land transportation has come to a standstill, supplies cannot be transported, and people cannot be evacuated. And you've seen the gale-force winds in the video; at this level of wind, even cars and airplanes can't function properly. So it's not that the government doesn't want to provide aid, but rather that they simply don't have the resources to do so."
Beyond what you see in the video, the government has been preparing for rescue efforts, mobilizing supplies from the south, coordinating medical resources to the north, and deploying advanced space arrays. The government has never forgotten the trapped people.
"Our country is considered to be doing well. If you look at the foreign websites, you will know what hell on earth is like. Hundreds of thousands of people have frozen or starved to death in the United States."
In the video.
"The suffering is over. I believe that the country will be able to resolve this disaster soon and allow everyone to return to a normal life. Next, I will share with you the supplies we have received."
She pointed the video at the supply box, briefly introduced the contents, and then focused her explanation on the thermostatic suit.
"This is a thermal suit. I believe that by the time the video is released, everyone should already have one."
This little thing has made my dad and me no longer afraid of extreme low temperatures. I don't know how it works, but after wearing it, even though I'm only wearing a thin layer of clothing, I don't feel cold at all.
Judging from the product's effectiveness, one can guess that its technological level and cost must be quite high, yet it was donated free of charge by Hongqipiao to the disaster-stricken people.
I spoke with government staff who were distributing supplies, and they said that in the Aso city area alone, Red Flag donated 100,000 sets of supplies. I can't even imagine the enormous cost behind those 100,000 sets of supplies.
"As a beneficiary, I am truly grateful to the government staff for risking so much danger to rescue us, and I am also very grateful to Hongqipiao for the donated supplies. Because of these supplies, the days of being trapped were not so difficult. Thank you so much."
In the video, Zhao Yan and her father bowed deeply to the camera with utmost sincerity.
Bullet comments.
"Waaah, why don't I have a thermostatic suit that everyone else gets?"
"This product is not listed on the official website of Hongqi Piao."
"I have connections and I understand that Hongqi Piao's new products seem to be only for donation and supply to the official market at present. The actual time when they will be available on the market should be after the production capacity is increased."
"How long will that take?"
"Who knows? I just want them to put this product on the shelves as soon as possible. My grandma is old and gets cold easily. I'll sell everything I own to buy her one once it's on the shelves."
"Doesn't anyone think that waving the red flag is very generous? This is the kind of social responsibility that a well-known company should have. Some capitalists who only know how to exploit people should come and learn from them."
"After this experience, my positive feelings towards the Red Flag Flying have reached a new level."
The gloom will eventually pass, and the underlying tone of life is still happiness. After the government's rescue arrived, everything is developing in a positive direction. Girls in beautiful dresses are taking pictures in the snow, and tourists who have no worries about survival are having a snowball fight, leaving behind joyful laughter in the videos.
Infected by this emotion, viewers outside the video couldn't help but smile as well.
"Hello friends, my dad and I have moved from Xuexiang and are now... um... I don't know what to call it, I guess this is like an aerial subway, we are on the aerial subway now."
The enormous vehicle in the video stood quietly in the snow, just like a subway car you see every day. But once everyone was on board, this aerial train, carrying those who had come before, took off and flew out of the snow village.
Zhao Yan also interspersed the footage here with a scene of an aerial train arriving for the first time to pick someone up and fly away.
The gray train, like a dragon, moved nimbly under the sky. Although there were no tracks beneath it, it moved steadily and quickly.
"After the appearance of the air bus, I had a premonition that the air subway and air train would appear sooner or later, but is this timing too early? I really want to ask Hongqi Piao Company, is your research and development really without any bottlenecks?"
"This is so cool! When will it become more common? It's really hard to get on the air bus, can you imagine? The air bus has become a must-visit attraction in many cities. Many people who can't buy air buses and foreign tourists make it their first thing to do when they arrive at a place to experience the air bus. The air buses are occupied by tourists, and those who really need them can't get on."
"The view from this aerial subway is amazing. Although it's not the right time, I still have to say that the view of mountains and rivers covered in snow from the air is spectacular."
The large spatial array shown in the next video made the viewers in the live chat exclaim that they were country bumpkins.
"The country has developed so fast this past year."
"Wow, our province only has advanced space arrays. I haven't experienced it yet. Transferring thousands of people at once is amazing."
"I didn't feel anything when I saw it in the news, but when I saw the blogger travel from Aso to Kyoto in just one minute, I was deeply shocked."
"No wonder the country was able to allocate supplies so quickly after the railway was blocked; it turns out they have this amazing artifact called the Advanced Space Array."
"I have a feeling that those bastards from abroad will be coming back soon, smelling the scent."
"I second that, I have a feeling that advanced spatial arrays will soon be overrun by tourists (facepalm and wry smile)."
Zhao Yan's videos have seen a surge in views, becoming a hit not only in China but also on international websites.
Aside from tropical countries, other countries have been affected by this severe snowstorm to varying degrees, especially high-latitude countries, where the damage has been more pronounced.
When the disaster victims went online, they saw that the government of the Flower Country, which was also suffering from the disaster, had never given up on rescuing its people. The government had used the most advanced high-tech products, just to help its people return home as quickly as possible. Then they thought about their own situation: the government's disaster relief was slow and weak. Several members of their families had frozen to death before the government finally appeared. And the help they provided after it arrived was extremely limited. There were no supplies or medicine, only a piece of dry bread a day to keep them from dying.
Many people are outraged.
People are afraid of comparison; the more they compare, the more uncomfortable they feel. Compared to others, their own country and government seem even more indifferent to their people.
In many places abroad, protests and demonstrations have taken place against government inaction.
Zhao Yan never expected that one of her videos could become the trigger for protests abroad. She called her advisor in a state of panic.
This whole thing is ridiculous. I hope they won't accuse her of inciting unrest abroad. Her original intention was really just to share her experience and thank the government. The red flag is flying high!
After being comforted by her counselor, Zhao Yan finally felt relieved.
In any case, I have exceeded my target in helping to promote the Red Flag this time.
Just then, she received a message from Xia An.
The two added each other's contact information when promoting the game, and apart from exchanging a few words during the promotion, they never spoke to each other.
Xia An also saw the video posted by Zhao Yan. This time, she sent a message to ask Zhao Yan if she was interested in joining the marketing department of Hongqi Piao.
Talented individuals need to be cultivated, and Xia An saw Zhao Yan's strengths in this video.
"Can I really do it? But I'm only a sophomore in college, I have a lot of classes, and I can't go to work at the company."
"It's okay. You can join the marketing department as an intern first. After you graduate from university, the company will sign a formal labor contract with you. You only need to come to the company to work when you don't have classes each week. The internship salary is calculated daily, at 300 yuan per day."
“Working for a company will definitely not be as lucrative as being a video blogger, but it has the advantage of stability. You can think about it carefully and then give me an answer.”
Without hesitation, Zhao Yan gave Xia An an answer on the spot.
"I do!"
Zhao Yan's major job was actually a major problem. The only jobs related to her major were teaching or working in research institutes. There were more students than positions, so she was unemployed after graduation. She never expected that the video she accidentally filmed would not only bring her financial benefits, but also solve her job problem after graduation.
After the initial excitement, what remained in my heart was more anxiety.
The original video was made by the whole dorm. She is certainly happy to receive the invitation from the Red Flag, but what about her roommates?
Will they feel disappointed?
Everyone contributed to the video back then.
Zhao Yan opened the dormitory group chat, where the conversation was still about how everyone had felt sorry for her and offered comfort after what happened to her last time.
After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Yan decided to tell her roommate the news. No matter what, she shouldn't hide it from her.
"I just received a message from Xia An, the manager of Hongqi Piao, inviting me to join Hongqi Piao."
It was a dry, uninspired sentence, but Zhao Yan didn't know how to express it. It was a video that everyone had made together, and because her video had gone viral, she had been given a rare opportunity. It seemed that no matter how she expressed it, it would sound like she was showing off.
Sure enough, no one replied to her message in the group.
Zhao Yan was a little sad. She and her roommates had always had a good relationship and were very sincere and kind people. She liked being friends with them and, if possible, she didn't want to have any rifts with them because of interests. But she really couldn't refuse this opportunity.
Ding-dong.
Someone replied to the message in the group.
"I also received an invitation from Red Flag Flying, but President Xia An didn't have my contact information. She contacted me through my advisor!"
Two other people in the group also replied.
"I just got a call, and I was invited too."
"I also!"
The heavy weight on Zhao Yan's heart was suddenly lifted, and she couldn't describe her feelings; she just felt like crying.
Because of Zhao Yan's video, a large number of netizens flooded the official website of Hongqi Piao with inquiries about when the constant temperature clothing would be officially released.
As the comments on the screen say, the main reason why Hongqi Piao has not yet officially launched its thermostatic suits is that its production capacity cannot keep up. Currently, the thermostatic suits produced are only enough to supply national disaster relief and overseas orders.
"The production line for thermostatic clothing has now been set up and its efficiency has increased. In fact, two production lines could be allocated to produce thermostatic clothing for the retail market."
"That's one way, but production will definitely still not be able to keep up with demand."
"There's nothing we can do about it right now. We'll just have to wait until the disaster situation eases up a bit."
Xia Ke sat at the head of the conference room, listening to her colleagues from the thermostatic clothing business unit talk animatedly.
She waited until everyone had finished speaking before she spoke.
"I plan to transfer the production of thermostatic clothing. In the future, Hongqi Piao will only hold the patent rights to thermostatic clothing, but will not monopolize the production rights. Any company that intends to produce thermostatic clothing can submit an application for the right to use the rights to Hongqi Piao. Hongqi Piao will charge patent fees according to the production volume of the other company."
"Everyone should know that thermostatic clothing is not only a commodity, but also a product of people's livelihood. With a population of over 1.4 billion in China and over 7 billion in the world, how long will it take for Hongqipiao, a single company, to produce enough products to circulate in the market? Hongqipiao is a private company, and making money is certainly important, but for certain products that are related to people's livelihood, we should also give up some profits and mobilize the resources of the whole society to produce them, so that more people can truly enjoy the benefits brought by technological development in the shortest possible time, instead of clinging to small profits and leaving the public with only a distant dream of the benefits of technology."
This was not a sudden whim of Xia Ke's, but a statement made after careful consideration.
The problem of insufficient production capacity was already evident in flying cars, but because flying cars are expensive and only a minority of people can afford them, the problem was not amplified.
However, the problems were fully exposed in the case of constant temperature clothing. Even if Hongqi Piao produced until it died, it could not become a monopoly and produce products that could supply the whole country or the world. Therefore, it was imperative to bring more manufacturers into the market.
It's unclear who started it, but after Xia Ke spoke, the meeting room erupted in applause.
Everyone focused their attention on the not-so-tall figure at the head of the table.
Everyone understands the principle, but not everyone has the courage to give up huge benefits and make such a decision.
The thermostatic clothing division has a dedicated business department. After the applause subsided, the head of the business department immediately said, "We will prepare a proposal for you to review today. Once the proposal is finalized, we will announce the sale of the patent rights for thermostatic clothing."
And so, the matter was settled.
Since the establishment of the marketing department, Xia An has taken over all external publicity and promotion work, including the design and maintenance of the Red Flag website.
On this day, all of Hongqi Piao's external publicity accounts uniformly forwarded an inquiry from the official website.
The main content of this inquiry is that Hongqipiao is selling its various patent rights for thermostatic clothing. Businesses that want to produce thermostatic clothing can contact Hongqipiao to sign a patent transfer contract. Please call for details.
While ordinary individuals didn't quite grasp the significance of this news, major manufacturers were ecstatic.
Everyone knows that Hongqi Piao's products are selling like hotcakes.
They also wanted to produce them, but whether it was a space ring, a flying car, or a temperature-controlled suit, the production threshold for each of them was extremely high. Even large companies with hundreds of R&D personnel couldn't crack their technology, let alone ordinary small manufacturers.
So over the past year, no matter how envious they were of the money Hongqi was making, there was nothing they could do.
Now that Hongqi Piao is willing to share the profits and let everyone have a piece of the pie from this high-tech product, how can this not be exciting?
Anyone who understands the function of thermostatic clothing knows that this product is guaranteed to make money once it is produced. Even if the patent fees are high, it doesn't matter. Countless eager manufacturers firmly believe that the revenue brought by thermostatic clothing will definitely be worth the high patent fees.
In no time, countless calls flooded the thermostatic clothing division; the department's phone never stopped ringing. Some manufacturers with connections even obtained the private contact information of thermostatic clothing division employees, hoping to snatch up the signing quotas for Red Flag Piao.
The head of the business department realized this wouldn't do; the external manufacturers were being so enthusiastic that the department couldn't do anything else, so he contacted the marketing department and issued another notice.
Manufacturers interested in cooperation are invited to come to Hongqipiao in three days to discuss cooperation in detail.
*
Three days later, numerous manufacturers arrived at Hongqi Piao Company aboard advanced spacecraft.
The reputation of the Red Flag was well-known, but this was their first time visiting the company headquarters.
You're saying this is a company?
Even industrial parks aren't as big as his.
Before the out-of-town manufacturers even entered the store, they were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the red flags.
When I entered the auditorium and saw that it was packed with people, I was even more shocked, and this shock intensified my sense of crisis.
Goodness, so many people have come. Do I think I can compete with them?
Besides, it's fine if it's manufacturers from the country that come, but what are you, a foreigner, doing here to join in the fun!
Once everyone was seated, the meeting for the transfer of the patent for thermostatic clothing quickly began.
The person attending the meeting from Hongqi Piao was the head of the business department. He was an elite recruited by Hongqi Piao at a high salary and had previously served as the head of the business department of a Fortune 100 company. Such a lively scene was rare even in the Fortune 100 companies where he had worked.
He calmly walked onto the stage, greeted the manufacturers and friends who had come from afar, and began to explain the specific details of the cooperation.
"Hongqipiao is a socially responsible company. Thermostatic clothing is not only a commodity, but also a livelihood product closely related to the people. Therefore, Hongqipiao hopes that the companies that sign agreements with our company can unify the selling price, with each thermostatic clothing not exceeding 1,000 yuan. In addition, the patent fee will be charged on a per-volume basis. For each thermostatic clothing produced, a 5% patent fee will be paid to Hongqipiao. After the contract is signed, Hongqipiao will provide production training to each manufacturer."
"Hongqipiao will adjust the patent fee accordingly after the market becomes saturated. However, it is important to note that Hongqipiao is transferring the patent rights, not the trademark rights. No manufacturer may sell thermostatic clothing in the name of Hongqipiao."
"The above covers all the points to note regarding cooperation. Manufacturers who are interested can move to the meeting room on the right side of the auditorium to sign contracts. Manufacturers who are not interested in cooperation can go upstairs on the left side of the auditorium, where some drinks and snacks have been prepared for everyone. Thank you for coming from afar."
As soon as he finished speaking, the manufacturer, lamenting his bad seat at the back, immediately rushed to the office on his right.
Every cloud has a silver lining; although he was sitting far away, he was the first to sign the contract!
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