Colorful years

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Cong took on the second important task of his career—writing the speech for Mayor Xiao at the upcoming celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

It was the afternoon of September 28th, and sunlight streamed through the window onto the desk. At that moment, Minister Zhang, who was in charge of daily operations, made a serious call to the internal phone, ordering Zhang Cong to come to his office immediately.

When Zhang Cong knocked and entered, Minister Zhang gestured for him to sit down, and then said in a solemn tone: "The 40th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China is just around the corner. On the morning of September 30, the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government will hold a grand celebration."

Secretary Zhao will host the conference, while Mayor Xiao will deliver an important speech. Just now, the Municipal Government Office called to inform us that Mayor Xiao's speech will be drafted by our Publicity Department.

Hearing this, Zhang Cong was somewhat surprised. He frowned and said, "Minister, according to past practice, such important speeches are usually drafted by the secretary in charge of written work in the government office. I didn't expect that this time they would hand it over to our propaganda department. They really think too highly of us!"

Minister Zhang smiled slightly and replied, "It's not that they think too highly of us, but rather that your talent and ability are renowned! It's said that Mayor Xiao personally requested you to write this speech."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cong felt a surge of emotions. Although a hint of surprise crossed his mind, the overwhelming feeling was the weight of responsibility pressing down on his shoulders. After all, this was a task personally entrusted to him by his superior, and neither morally nor logically could he possibly refuse.

So he took a deep breath, as if gathering all his strength, and then solemnly nodded to his leader, his eyes firm and resolute, indicating that he would spare no effort and go all out to complete this astonishingly difficult task.

The city's celebration is scheduled to open grandly at 9:00 AM on September 30th.

Zhang Cong did some quick calculations and discovered that he only had a mere 28 hours left to write the speech, which was over 10,000 words long!

Moreover, these 28 hours must include the time for the supervisor to review, type, proofread, finalize, and print the draft. In other words, from now until he goes to work tomorrow morning, he must race against time to complete this first draft.

According to the procedure, the first draft must be submitted before the start of work on the morning of the 29th so that it can be submitted to the leader for review in a timely manner.

After the supervisor reviews and provides feedback, the document is quickly sent for typing, formatting, and printing. Then comes the meticulous proofreading process to ensure that every word and every sentence is accurate.

Finally, after proofreading and finalizing the draft, be sure to deliver this carefully crafted speech to your superior before 9 PM on the 29th, so that they have sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the content. Otherwise, even the slightest delay or error could put the entire situation in a very passive position.

All told, Zhang Cong only had thirteen hours to think about and draft the first part of his speech.

To successfully complete such an important and urgent writing task, it would be difficult to do so without a solid foundation in writing skills and a broad and rich accumulation of knowledge.

After quickly grabbing a bowl of rice at the cafeteria, Zhang Cong began writing his speech.

He first drafted a writing outline, and then developed his speech into three parts: "A Review of Forty Years of Achievements, New Progress in Zhangjiajie's Tourism Development, and Bright Future Prospects." To enhance the persuasiveness of his language, he used parallel sentences consecutively.

As the pen scratched across the paper, Zhang Cong seemed to enter another world. Forty years of trials and tribulations, forty years of glorious history, flashed through his mind. He would sometimes ponder, sometimes write rapidly, and words would flow from his pen like a spring.

Night deepened. The office lights shone brightly in the quiet night. Zhang Cong had long forgotten his fatigue; his heart was filled only with the heavy responsibility and mission he carried. His writing contained both a heartfelt reflection on the past, sincere praise for present achievements, and beautiful aspirations for the future.

Time ticked by, but Zhang Cong's thoughts raced through the world of words like a wild horse. He marveled at the earth-shaking changes that had taken place in his motherland over the past forty years, rejoiced at the new progress in Zhangjiajie's tourism development, and felt a surge of excitement for the future development blueprint.

Before he knew it, night had fallen. The utter silence outside the window contrasted sharply with the bright lights inside. Zhang Cong's face was covered in fine beads of sweat, but his eyes remained firm and determined. He knew he was fighting for a sacred and glorious mission.

Finally, at four o'clock in the morning, Zhang Cong put down his pen. He gently rubbed his sore eyes and stretched his stiff limbs. Looking at the densely packed manuscript on the table, an indescribable sense of accomplishment welled up inside him. He knew that although the speech still needed to be reviewed and revised by his superiors, at least he had done his best.

However, despite his sense of accomplishment, Zhang Cong did not immediately go to rest. He knew that the importance of this speech was self-evident, and any small mistake could have an immeasurable impact on the entire celebration. Therefore, he decided to carefully check the manuscript again to ensure that every word and every sentence was accurate.

So he picked up his pen again and began proofreading the manuscript word by word. His eyes were focused and serious, as if he wanted to engrave every word into his heart.

Time passed second by second, but Zhang Cong seemed to have forgotten the existence of time.

Finally, at 7:30 a.m., Zhang Cong finished the final proofreading. He neatly folded the manuscript and gently placed it on the table. He was exhausted, but his face beamed with a satisfied and gratified smile. He knew he had successfully completed this arduous task.

At eight o'clock sharp, Minister Zhang arrived at Zhang Cong's office. When he saw the neatly prepared speech draft on the desk, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He gently patted Zhang Cong on the shoulder and said, "Little Zhang, you certainly haven't disappointed me. This speech draft is very well written and insightful."

Zhang Cong had already fallen asleep, slumped over the table. He was exhausted and needed a good rest. However, despite his physical exhaustion, his heart was filled with pride and joy. He knew that he had contributed his share to the celebration of his country's birthday.

When Zhang Cong woke up, it was already ten o'clock in the morning. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up straight. He was now refreshed and ready to face the new work challenges.

At this moment, on his desk was a printed copy of the speech, but only half of it, which needed to be proofread. He picked up the speech and read it word by word, not missing a single typo or punctuation mark, until it was correct. He then took the proofread manuscript to the printing room, retrieved the other half, and proofread it again. Finally, the entire manuscript was proofread.

Zhang Cong breathed a sigh of relief, then carefully checked it again. Looking at the familiar words, an indescribable emotion welled up within him once more. He knew that this speech not only embodied his hard work and wisdom, but also carried his love and blessings for his motherland.

Afterwards, Zhang Cong handed the speech to the typist for typesetting and printing. Watching the beautifully printed document slowly emerge from the printer, his heart was filled with anticipation and hope.

He knew that Mayor Xiao would read this speech aloud with deep emotion at the celebration, making it a powerful driving force to inspire people to keep moving forward.

As expected, at the celebration, Mayor Xiao read the speech aloud with deep emotion. His voice was powerful and resonant, filled with love and pride for his motherland. The audience listened with rapt attention, responding with enthusiastic applause.

Sitting in the audience, Zhang Cong looked at Mayor Xiao's confident expression and listened to his impassioned recitation. He couldn't help but feel an indescribable excitement and pride.

He knew that the success of this speech would not only add a brilliant chapter to his career, but also present a great gift to the celebration of the motherland's birthday.

After the celebration, Zhang Cong received numerous congratulations from leaders and colleagues. They praised his exceptional talent and profound writing skills, saying he had brought honor to the Publicity Department. Hearing these accolades, a bright smile spread across Zhang Cong's face. He knew this was the best reward for his hard work.