After a year of hard work, people rush home for the Spring Festival. For this day of family reunion, many endure a long and exhausting journey across cities to return home before New Year's Eve. But on the African continent, thousands of miles from the motherland, there is a group of people who, even during the festival, can only “serve the bigger family and sacrifice the smaller one.” With their sweat, willpower, and faith, they write a splendid life.

　　In Namibia, located in southwestern Africa, on the western outskirts of the capital Windhoek, adjacent to the B1 highway, sits the camp of the Namibia Airport Highway Project of Zhengzhou Company of China Railway Seventh Group. The camp covers an area of 4 hectares, with neat houses. The staff dormitories are built according to the layout of standard rooms in express hotels, and recreational and sports facilities are complete. The clean and comfortable working environment reflects the warmth of “home culture.”

　　“We must create a strong festive atmosphere in the camp to ease everyone's homesickness.”

　　“Sister Xiaoli” from the project department's general office planned this year's Spring Festival activities. This is her first Spring Festival spent overseas. Through inquiries with local friends, she learned that supplies here are scarce and rely entirely on imports. Although there is a Chinatown in the capital Windhoek, it is still impossible to buy essential festival items such as red lanterns, Chinese knots, and Spring Festival couplets. In order to decorate the camp as a “home” full of festive atmosphere, before the Spring Festival, when people in China had not yet started buying festival supplies, she had already dragged two full suitcases of festival items purchased in China back to the project department. To save on air freight costs, she brought almost none of her personal belongings.

　　“Brother Chen! Old ginger is hotter than new, as they say. Your dish 'Surplus Year after Year (Fish) Celebrating Harvest' not only has a good meaning, but even the radish flowers decorating the edge of the plate are carved so exquisitely. It truly has color, aroma, taste, and beauty all in one. You deserve first place in the competition! A hundred likes for you!” praised construction worker Jiang Jinshuo.

　　“Since the project department gave us this opportunity to show ourselves today, I had to give it my all, right? Don't judge me by my rough looks; when it comes to delicate work, I'm no worse than your sister-in-law, haha...” said mechanic Chen Hongwu with a smile.

　　In the Internet age, a Spring Festival Gala from the motherland brings the hearts of Chinese people worldwide together. To arrange the New Year's Eve “family” dinner, the project department sent logistics staff to search everywhere and purchase a rich variety of ingredients and fruits to stock the staff canteen. At the same time, the project department provided a stage for employees who love cooking—organizing a cooking competition as part of the New Year's Eve “family” dinner. Colleagues from different regions of the north and south held a “hometown flavor” PK. While people in China are on holiday for the Spring Festival, we who are stationed at overseas projects not only keep construction production on track but also make this cooking competition full of home flavors lively and colorful.

　　“Of the more than 30 Chinese management staff in the project department, only 6 can return to China for vacation during the Spring Festival. But we still need to create a strong festive atmosphere to ease everyone's homesickness,” said project manager Wang Xianjin. Many employees in the project department are spending Spring Festival abroad for the first time. Arranging rich activities is to let everyone fully relax in a lively atmosphere. Wang Xianjin has worked overseas for many years. Every Spring Festival, his children and family very much hope he can return home for reunion. But as the first project manager of an engineering project in Namibia, he said: “We shoulder responsibilities. With so many people in the entire project and team who must stay here, as a team manager, I definitely have to stay here with everyone. Only by sharing joys and sorrows can we think alike and work together. More importantly, as long as we are together, we can feel the festive atmosphere even thousands of miles away.”

　　“From loneliness at the beginning to getting used to it over time.”

　　Xu Yonggui from the mechanical equipment department said: “This is my 5th Spring Festival spent overseas.

　　Having experienced Ethiopia, Botswana, and now Namibia, work and life on overseas projects have gone from loneliness at the beginning to getting used to it over time. During Spring Festival, we put up couplets, make dumplings, and watch the Spring Festival Gala in the camp. Especially now the project department's wireless network is very stable, and calls with relatives in the motherland are smooth. Although fireworks are banned locally, we still enjoy a happy festival.”

　　Speaking of New Year's wishes, electrician Wang Shuyu said: “My son will take the college entrance examination this year, but I usually have few opportunities to communicate with him. I hope I can have time to accompany him this year, and I hope everything goes smoothly for his exam and he gets into his favorite university.” Wang Shuyu's elderly mother has always been in poor health. At that time, he was in Botswana during a busy construction period and could not return to China to take care of her, which made him feel particularly guilty. Therefore, he hopes his mother stays healthy and that he can see her smile whenever he returns home.

　　“Working on overseas projects is a journey of hardship, loneliness, comfort, and pride for every overseas engineering worker and their family.”

　　Hu Pengfei and Wang Li are a young couple who met, knew, and fell in love with each other through work. Wang Li is a tester. This newlywed young wife is not delicate at all; she rushes between the construction site and the laboratory just like her male colleagues. Humorously, she mocked herself: “Fortunately, I'm already married; otherwise, this harsh ultraviolet light would definitely promote me to 'leftover warrior'!” Technical supervisor Hu Pengfei also laughed: “No matter how tanned you get, I'll still want you, because you're beautiful inside!” The young couple's New Year goals are: smooth project progress, work steadily to earn more money to move into a new house, and reduce the burden on their parents.

　　Engineering technology director Shao Guangwei cannot go back this Spring Festival. He has many New Year's wishes: “I hope Mom and Dad don't work too hard and have a relaxed and good New Year...” He said to his wife through the phone screen: “Honey, thank you for your hard work. I love you. I wish I could share your burdens.” After hanging up, he sighed: “Working on overseas projects is a journey of hardship, loneliness, comfort, and pride for every overseas engineering worker and their family.”