Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 128 - 110 Scared by Your Punishment_2

Chapter 128: Chapter 110 Scared by Your Punishment_2

"Afraid of me?"

"Yeah, got scared of you guys punishing us. Seeing you is like seeing ghosts, scared to death."

"You’re the one who’s a ghost!"

"I’m just making a comparison, Sister Xiang Ning, please help, I’m begging you."

"Alright, I’ll go talk to them for you."

...

Following him onto the ship, Han Xiangning couldn’t help but smirk; her parents were truly scared of her, one acting restrained and at a loss, the other speaking nervously incoherently.

If you take on someone’s trust, you must be loyal to their cause.

She pretended to be very serious and began to engage in thought work.

"Uncle Han, San’er isn’t trying to scare you, the Superior is really concerned about the safety hazards of cement ships in water transportation and has sent people down to do research countless times."

"Friend Han, research what?"

"Research on the accidents involving cement ships. You guys run on the river every day, you should know how high the accident rate for cement ships is. Not to mention other places, just within the North Branch Waters under the jurisdiction of our Third Team, six out of the nine sinking accidents that happened this year involved cement ships."

Han Xiangning glanced at her little junior brother standing behind Old Han, continuously nodding, and continued, "Compared to steel ships, once a cement ship sinks, it is very difficult to salvage. It can block the waterway and cause huge safety hazards for the navigation of other vessels. The grounding incident that happened last month was caused by hitting a submerged cement ship."

If the Port Supervision says so, it seems the rumors are true.

Old Han took several deep drags from his cigarette and said with a worried look, "Talking about changing ships, who wouldn’t want to switch to a steel ship, but..."

Han Xiangning knew her junior brother’s family was not in good economic condition, and feeling unable to help, she could only give a wry smile, "Uncle Han, if you don’t make a decision now, the future losses will be even bigger. Actually, you don’t necessarily have to change ships; you can completely transition to work on shore."

"What can we do on shore? We only know how to run ships."

Han Zhengxian took a deep breath and muttered, "Moreover, selling our ship to others now, wouldn’t that be harming them?"

Han Xiangning didn’t expect he would think so, suddenly realizing that her junior brother’s good grades and his sensible behavior most likely had a lot to do with his parents’ teachings by example.

Thinking how important this matter was for their family, Han Xiangning then said, "Uncle Han, our leaders mentioned the cement ship issue last time, he said the likelihood of a one-size-fits-all solution is not high, they might take a two-step approach."

"What’s this two-step approach?"

"First, they’ll ban cement ships from operating in the Yangtze River Channel, but inland river channels like Bailong River might leave a transition period of five or ten years for cement ships."

"We mainly run on the river; we can’t get cargo on the inland rivers."

"But you could sell your ship to those who do water transportation on the inland river. The Yangtze is actually an inland river channel too; however for us enforcing the law on the river, it’s rivers like Bailong River that are considered inland river channels."

Someone specializes in water transportation on small rivers...

Old Han thought it might be worthwhile to inquire if someone was willing to buy but then shook his head, "Selling both ships, paying off the bank loan. Even if we could borrow money from the bank again, we could only afford one steel ship, not two."

Dad is willing to sell the cement ship, Han Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Dad, please ask my brother if he wants to transition to shore. He’s also a father now; he can’t do like you did when you were young taking me along, bringing Xunxun on the ship too."

"He only knows how to run ships; what could he do on shore?"

"There are many factories opening on shore; it shouldn’t be hard to find a job."

"He might not be able to handle the work in a factory."

Someone who’s used to living on a ship might not adapt well to life on shore.

Han Yu didn’t know how to continue when Han Xiangning suddenly remembered something, "Salted Fish, does your brother have a boat pilot license?"

"Yes, he pilots the boat better than I do."

"Is he familiar with the conditions on the river?"

"He has been boating with my dad and my mom for so many years, he’s even more familiar with the river than I am."

"What household registration does your brother have?"

"We, the people from the shipping companies, are said to have urban residency, but it’s not exactly the same as the real urban residency. Every time the local agencies recruit workers, they don’t choose us. They all specify in the job announcements that shipmen are excluded."

"What level of education does your brother have?"

"Elementary school."

"As long as he has a license, as long as he has urban residency, it’ll be fine."

"What will be fine?" Han Yu was bewildered.

Opportunities to help a younger sibling are scarce, Han Xiangning spoke animatedly, "Manager Wu isn’t he sponsoring a speedboat for our bureau? Sister Zhu said our bureau is hiring, hoping to recruit a driver with a license and experience working on the water, and the age must not exceed the age of thirty. But you know how hard it is to find such a person, maybe you can ask if your brother is willing to come to our bureau to pilot the boat."

Drivers with a license and experience operating on the water are indeed hard to find, especially the younger ones.

If someone really does meet all these qualifications, they could totally go out and make big money.

Otherwise, Director Xu wouldn’t have been recruiting for half a month without success, and could only poach from Bailong Port lock, asking the ship lock management office to send Master Zhou, the key security personnel of the lock, to the office for help.

In a couple of years, after Master Zhou retires, like Captain Wang who was recruited before, they’ll recruit Master Zhou to join the office’s Cooperative Defense Team.

Han Yu felt that letting his brother go to the Port Supervision Bureau to pilot a boat could be a way out and asked, "Sister Xiang Ning, how much does a driver in your unit make a month?"

"It depends on the length of service. The salary won’t be high when one just starts working. It seems like it’s eighty-something in the first year, and it can go up to one hundred and twenty after being regularized."

"Regularized?"

"Once regularized, it means becoming a formal employee."

"But my brother is not from Binjiang, he doesn’t have urban residency in Binjiang District."

Salted Fish is very competent; Salted Fish’s brother certainly would not be any worse.

Han Xiangning believed that the bureau leaders should agree, since the bureau truly needed drivers, she couldn’t help but smile and say, "That indeed is a problem, but it’s not a difficult one to solve."

"How to solve it?" Han Yu asked further.

"Our Third Team is in Linghai, and it could be recruited by the Third Team commander. After the recruitment is done, we can then transfer your brother to Binjiang."

The more Han Xiangning thought about it, the more feasible this method seemed. She went on while the iron was hot, "Your sister and brother-in-law are both in Binjiang, and our unit isn’t far from the Port Authority. If your brother really comes to our unit to pilot the boat, your sister and brother-in-law could still look out for him."

"But what about my sister-in-law and the kids?"

"Bring them over, of course. First, we’ll try to find a dormitory. Once the kids are a bit older, your sister-in-law can try to find a job. Binjiang isn’t like Linghai; it’s easier to find work in Binjiang."

Han Yu turned his head and asked, "Dad, Mom, what do you think?"

The salary of the workers in the Port Supervision Bureau is too low, at least not as much as what they make from boating. But being able to live together as a family would certainly be better than it is now.

Old Han pondered and said, "I’ll go back and ask if he’s willing."

Thinking further, Han Xiangning smiled and added, "Salted Fish, Director Yu’s office is also short-staffed on drivers!"

"Director Yu’s place won’t do – his office is just a makeshift outfit. Besides, if he does recruit a driver, it’s still your bureau that pays the salary. If my brother really is willing to pilot a small speedboat, why should he pilot it for Director Yu, the lesser boss, when he could be working for your Big Boss?"

"That’s true, working for him doesn’t seem too reliable."

...

PS: Drunk boating has been regulated before drunk driving for cars.