Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 218 - 169: Will There Be Trouble?

Chapter 218: Chapter 169: Will There Be Trouble?

Xiang Fan’s maternal family is in Xichuan, and due to the long distance, relatives from her mother’s side rarely, if ever, come visit. Although Han Shuqun is from Binjiang, his hometown is not in the Binjiang District, and relatives from his hometown also seldom visit.

Apart from colleagues visiting each other, there are hardly any guests coming to their house.

The arrival of Han Yu suddenly made the house lively.

As soon as Han Xiangmeng got home, she started asking Han Yu all sorts of questions.

"Why, as a police officer, are you not catching criminals but learning to operate a boat?"

"I am police, but also Water Police. Our leaders say that if you are in a profession, you should delve deep into it. Since I am Water Police, I must know how to operate a boat."

"But you are Water Police on the river, not at sea."

"Our jurisdiction is on the river, but not only inland river boats navigate the river; sea boats do too."

"What’s the use of learning to operate a boat?"

"I can’t say exactly, but it will definitely be useful."

Han Xiangmeng thought for a bit and then asked, "So, how many years do you have to study?"

Han Yu looked up at his smiling aunt and said, "Four years."

"That’s a long time!"

"The first year as a third officer trainee, the second year as third officer, the third year as second officer and the fourth year as chief officer."

"And after that?"

"After that, I’ll come back and continue working."

"Why not wait to become Captain before returning?" Han Xiangmeng pressed on.

"It’s already not easy for them to train me on the ship to become chief officer; they can’t train me to be Captain. I have my own job and can’t help operating their ships."

Han Yu thought for a moment, then added with a bit of embarrassment: "I always thought the leaders wanted to train me to be the best at repairing and operating ships, but later found out they thought I was too young to be much help at the station. Instead of letting me waste time there, they preferred to send me to East Sea to learn how to operate ships."

Han Xiangning did not agree with this, walking over with a watermelon and saying: "How can you not be of much help—I mean, if not for you, Yanjiang Police Station wouldn’t have a dunship and a law enforcement rescue boat. Besides, you’ve only been working for a year and already received two third-level merits—who else can achieve that!"

"Sister Ningning, back then it was different, the station really had no one else, so they made a duck climb the shelf by making me go."

One must be aware of one’s own abilities.

Han Yu took a deep breath and added, "I don’t know anything, I couldn’t even win fights before I grew up, I really couldn’t be of much help at the station. Otherwise, Director Xu and Instructor Li wouldn’t have left me behind when they cracked down on monopolistic gangs at the inland river terminal, and later, the smugglers holed up on the Sandbar."

Looking back, Han Xiangning suddenly realized that her fierce master had not included her in the later enforcement actions of the Yanjiang Police Station, and for a moment didn’t know how to respond.

Xiang Fan thought their leaders’ arrangements were not bad—it was his time to learn, after all.

While inviting Han Yu to eat melon, she smilingly asked, "San’er, do your parents know about your visit this time?"

"They don’t know, they’re running a boat on the river, here today, there tomorrow; I don’t know where they are, and they don’t know what I’m busy with."

"They don’t care about you usually?"

"It’s not that they don’t want to care, mainly because running the boat means being at home everywhere, they really can’t manage."

"Then, how often do you get to see them when you were at school?"

"It depends on luck, if they come back during vacations, I would go on board, and get back on land just before school starts. If not coincident, we only meet during the New Year."

Han Yu took a small bite of watermelon and continued, "Sometimes they don’t come back for New Year’s either, I barely see them once a year."

It’s like having parents, and yet it’s almost no different than having none.

Xiang Fan felt quite upset, probing further, "If your parents couldn’t take care of you, where did you live when you were little?"

"I lived at my grandmother’s."

"Were you raised by your grandmother?"

"Not really raised by her, I came ashore at age five; I lived on the boat before then."

"Last time Ningning mentioned that your parents let you earn your own money, is that true?"

Han Yu scratched his head, looking embarrassed, "It’s not that my parents didn’t care, they just didn’t have the means or capability. My salary isn’t high, but the job is stable, and the Water Police Station is about to raise funds for housing soon. As long as I work hard, everything will be there.

My brother is different, he essentially has nothing, his wedding was held at my sister-in-law’s home, my parents have to earn to repay loans. After the loans are repaid, they need to save to build a house on land for my brother, so that his children don’t have to live on a boat like we did."

Han Xiangmeng couldn’t believe such a family existed, muttering, "San’er, you really are pitiful."

Han Yu replied without hesitation, "I’m not pitiful; I’m ashore now. On the shore, having no house or home might seem pitiful to others. If I hadn’t come ashore, like others running ships, then the ship is home. Many neighbors in our shipping company live this way."

Han Xiangning realized his sister had inadvertently hurt the young man’s pride and quickly said, "Shipmen live on the ship, San’er is neither pitiful nor in need of your sympathy."

Xiang Fan also realized her second daughter had misspoken and said with a smile, "San’er, since you call me aunt and see Ningning as your sister, from now on, this place is also your home."

"Thank you, Aunt."

"You’re welcome; as long as you’re willing to call it home, I’m happy."

Their loved one became a child bridegroom, and the constantly silent Old Han friend sincerely rejoiced.

Having poor family conditions is not necessarily a bad thing—if the conditions were too good, who would be willing to marry into the family...