Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 262 - 190: The Bride Comes Over

Chapter 262: Chapter 190: The Bride Comes Over

Bin Qi River starts from Yingchuan Port Lock in the west and flows to the sea at Tanglu Port in Dongqi County in the east, with a total length of ninety kilometers. It passes through dozens of townships in Binjiang County, Changzhou County, Linghai County, and Dongqi, serving as one of Binjiang City’s main inland waterways and drainage channels.

Since Yingchuan Port is not far from the city and located by the river, it has been planned as a development zone by the city. Everywhere, roads are being constructed and factory buildings are being erected, with a great demand for building materials like yellow sand, gravel, and steel.

Although the Yangtze River waterfront section in Binjiang accumulates a lot of silt, it lacks the sand required for construction, which has to be purchased from upstream places like Jiangyin, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou.

In all of Binjiang City, there are only five small hills located on the southwest riverside of Binjiang District, such as Lang Mountain, with an altitude of only 107 meters. The city relies on these five small hills for its face, naturally, it won’t blast them for stones but instead purchases stones from the hill regions across the river.

Binjiang doesn’t have a large steel plant either, so steel also needs to be purchased from outside.

Since Han Zhengxian changed boats, he has been transporting building materials for several construction material companies in the development zone. After several deliveries, he got familiar with the suppliers and occasionally helped transport sand and stones to the East Sea.

The farthest he goes to the west is to Zhenjiang, and to the east, to the East Sea. There’s no need to go too far; just operate close to home.

This morning, he passed Yingchuan Port Lock and sailed to the anchorage area below Dragon King Bridge, queuing to unload stones at the dock.

Considering there were several boats waiting in line to unload, and estimating his own turn wouldn’t come until nightfall, and since today was Sunday and his grandson definitely didn’t have school—plus Yingchuan Port wasn’t far from the city—he simply went ashore to give a few cigarettes to the person in charge of the dock and spoke a few kind words. Then he used their office to call his daughter.

Unaware until contact was made, he was initially shocked and then overwhelmed with joy; he hastily returned to the boat to tell his spouse the good news about San’er finding a partner.

"It’s the girl from the Port Supervision Bureau!"

"Yeah, they were classmates, and that girl is pretty too, even better looking than Xiao Hui from the Old Lin family."

San’er had actually started dating someone from the Port Supervision...

Luo Yanfeng couldn’t believe it was true and muttered, "But that girl also has the surname Han, is it appropriate for both of them to have the surname Han?"

Their son found a partner on his own, so the parents needn’t worry or even help with building a house.

The future bride (daughter-in-law) has a good job, and a good family too—her father-in-law is the deputy chief engineer at the Meteorological Bureau, and her mother-in-law is the head nurse at the City People’s Hospital. Where else could you find such good fortune?

Old Han was not only happy but also relieved; after all, finding a partner for their son is the parents’ responsibility, and now there’s nothing to worry about. He couldn’t help but laugh: "There’s no blood relation; what era are we in, what’s inappropriate about this?"

Luo Yanfeng still felt it was somewhat absurd and said with a grim face, "But they want San’er to marry into their family. We don’t mind, given we have two sons, but I worry San’er might not be able to hold his head high in the future."

"It was Han Ning who first suggested the idea of marrying in, and they have two daughters—no sons."

"Han Ning, seriously, why wouldn’t he discuss such a big matter with us?"

"Their conditions are so good, but what about us? We have nothing. Making a match is like doing business; you have to show some sincerity to close the deal."

Old Han lit a cigarette, thought for a moment, and then laughed, "Besides, Han Ning isn’t really letting San’ er marry into their family; it’s just to make her parents happy."

"Having agreed, are we supposed to go back on our word later?"

"No need to go back on our word. Consider this: my family is surnamed Han, and their family too. If their children get married and have a child, the child will definitely be surnamed Han, and won’t have a different surname. As long as the children they have in the future are surnamed Han, it’s not considered marrying into the family."

Luo Yanfeng was most afraid of the Port Supervision. Thinking of the girl from the Port Supervision Bureau, she felt unsettled and hesitated before asking, "Does San’er agree to this?"

"With such a handsome girl, how could San’er not agree?"

Old Han retorted with a question and grinned, "Han Ning said he has already stayed over at her parents’ house and even calls them mom and dad."

His own son, calling someone else’s parents mom and dad.

As Luo Yanfeng felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, Old Han laughed again: "Before I came back, Han Ning called the girl from the Port Supervision Bureau. She said her dad went to Jiangcheng for a meeting, her mom has a shift today, and she’ll come over with Han Ning later."

"She’s coming here!"

"She’s coming to call us mom and dad. It’s the bride’s first visit home, so we can’t have the boat in a mess; hurry up and clean. I’ll go ashore to buy some groceries and some fruits that Dongdong likes."

"What first visit? She and San’er came to find you and Han Shen to help with the boat during New Year, and she had been on the old boat we sold before New Year."

"It’s different, back then she wasn’t our bride yet."

"She’s from the Port Supervision; I’m a bit scared."

"She may be from the Port Supervision, but she’s also your daughter-in-law; she will call you mom when she sees you—what’s there to be afraid of?"

Old Han squeezed into the cabin, dug out the money hidden in the corner, counting it while laughing, "Han Ning said the parents gave San’er some money; we can’t be stingy, I’ll also go buy some red paper and wrap two hundred bucks for her."

"Alright, two hundred then."

"You tidy up and change into a new dress, the dress Han Ning bought for you for New Year that you hardly wore—wear that one."

"And you?"

"Pull out my New Year clothes too, I’ll change into them after I’m back from buying groceries."

...

The old couple was busily thrilled, and Han Xiangning, who had just received the news from Han Ning, was both frantically busy and a bit nervous.

For a shipman, the boat is home.

Going to the Han family for the first time to formally meet her future in-laws, she couldn’t go empty-handed, so she dug out the fine wines and cigarettes sent by her father’s comrades and apprentices.