Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 227 - 174 I Grew Up

Chapter 227: Chapter 174 I Grew Up

Time flies, and before you know it, it’s already October. As promised, senior sister arrived on schedule.

For this day, Han Yu had made lots of preparations, tidying up the cabin spotlessly, and had even washed all the bedsheets and bedding.

Knowing she probably wouldn’t be accustomed to the stale rice and hard starch meals on the ship, just like the passengers who often travel between Qingdao and the East Sea, he specifically bought several packs of "Huafeng" brand instant noodles to prepare with boiling water for her.

Han Xiangning, who sees ships like the Jiang Shen and Jiang Han from Changhang on a daily basis, was curious about everything as it was her first time on a sea ferry. She entered her junior brother’s cabin, set down her luggage, and asked curiously, "There are so many people on the front deck, why is there hardly anyone on the back deck?"

Han Yu laughed and said, "The back deck is for the crew, passengers aren’t allowed there."

Han Xiangning peeked at the cabin across diagonally with its door ajar, and pressed further, "How come people share cabins but you have a single? You’re being special here, aren’t you?"

"Others have homes on land, and even those who aren’t married and don’t have houses have dorms. I don’t have a dormitory on land; I usually live on the ship and have lots of things, so the Captain and Special Commissioner Xiao arranged this single cabin for me."

"Do you always stay on the ship? Do you not go ashore?"

"I do go ashore, to buy daily necessities, make phone calls, sometimes to buy books. But I spend little time on land, mostly only an hour or two at most."

Though she felt somewhat embarrassed since she had a standard ticket but was staying in a single room, Han Xiangning urged, "Salted Fish, you just went ashore to fetch me, and then showed me around the ship. You better hurry up and get to work, or the leaders won’t be happy if they find out."

Han Yu chuckled, "I don’t have to work today. I don’t have to work for the next two and a half months!"

"Rest for two and a half months!" Han Xiangning fluttered her big eyes, hardly believing it was true.

"Yeah."

"Don’t you only have fifty days of leave in a year?"

"You can switch shifts with others, I can do the same. Actually, it’s not really switching shifts, nor is it overtime; after all, I already live on the ship. But the Captain, the Political Commissioner, and Special Commissioner Xiao thought I had worked many extra days, so they gave me twenty-five days off."

Seeing her sister’s puzzled face, Han Yu patiently explained, "Our ship doesn’t sail every day, and even on days it does sail, it doesn’t immediately pick up passengers after docking. Every time it returns to the East Sea, we have to use a ’Floating Barrel.’

When it’s time for the ’Floating Barrel’, we can’t leave the ship unattended. Others want to go home and rest, but I live too far to go back, so I stay and essentially take their shifts."

Han Xiangning seemed to understand but still asked, "Floating Barrel?"

"The dock has limited spots, so after the passenger ship discharges passengers at the dock, it must move to the anchorage. A floating barrel is essentially the anchorage spot in the Huangpu River, so we call mooring there a ’Floating Barrel.’"

"Where do we usually anchor?"

"Using the Bund as a boundary, ships en route to the Southern Ocean anchor on the south side, while those of us heading to the Northern Ocean anchor on the north side."

"Is it convenient to go ashore when moored in the river?"

"It’s quite convenient. The Marine Bureau has transport boats, one for the south and one for the north, running hourly to and from the ships moored in the middle of the river, allowing crew members to board and disembark."

Looking through the porthole and thinking for a moment, Han Yu then asked, "Sister Ningning, have you ever heard of Yu Shuangge?"

Han Xiangning hadn’t expected him to ask that, reacting reflexively, "The murderer who stole guns and robbed banks?"

"That’s him, he used to be a marine police officer from the Marine Police Bureau. Special Commissioner Xiao, Uncle Jin, Brother Wu, and the others hate him to death. He spoiled everything, to use Special Commissioner Xiao’s words, he caused a collapse, both the Marine Bureau and the Marine Police Bureau were disgraced by him."

"How did you come to mention him, that murderer?"

"He exploited the management loopholes during the ’Floating Barrel’ when the transport boat drivers were less vigilant, and sneaked onto the ship to steal guns."

Han Xiangning realized and asked subconsciously, "Is the management strict now?"

"Very strict. Someone must always be on duty on the ship, and personnel not on the duty roster cannot board."

"You work normally when sailing, and are on duty every day during the ’Floating Barrel’. You work more than others, and the leaders see that, so they gave you twenty-five days off?"

"Pretty much."

"Why not wait two months and take a vacation, then you could go home for New Year’s?"

"After New Year’s Day comes the spring travel rush, which is our busiest time. Since I’m single, I can only take leave early or wait until after the travel rush."

Thinking about having to work over the New Year herself, Han Xiangning chuckled, "Then you’d better grow up fast, so you can take a break over New Year when you’re married."

Senior sister looks really pretty when she smiles.

Just now when boarding, Brother Wu and the others were all stunned.

Han Yu felt pleased and proud, scratching his neck as he smiled, "I have grown up, I had a physical exam last week, measured my height, I’ve grown another two centimeters."

"1.69 meters?"

"Yeah."

"Stand up, let me see."

"It’s true, really 1.69 meters."

Han Xiangning pulled him up and, like before, compared their heights, laughing uncontrollably, "Really taller, Director Xu would definitely be pleased if he knew."

Thinking of her coming from Binjiang on the Bai Shen to the East Sea, Shao Lei wasn’t too comfortable with her traveling alone to Gongping Road Pier. After disembarking, he even accompanied her all the way here, Han Yu eagerly asked, "Sister Ningning, how did you think of coming from Bailong Port to the East Sea, did you visit our office on the way, did you meet Director Xu?"

"It was your master who told me to come from Bailong Port."

Han Xiangning opened her bag, handed him the apples she bought earlier, and said with a cheerful smile, "He knew I was coming to find you and wasn’t comfortable with me traveling alone from Binjiang, so he had Sister Zhang Lan call me, instructing me to take the Third Team’s car to Bailong Port. I stayed overnight on the Dunship, and they brought me onto the ship this morning."