Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 268 - 194 "Homecoming

Chapter 268: Chapter 194 "Homecoming

Director Yu is about to become President Yu, and after the escort mission is over, he will take office in Jiangcheng.

Han Yu can’t wait until the end of the escort mission; in four more days, she has to return to the East Sea to participate in the spring transport rush.

This departure means she won’t be back until next April. At the behest of Director Xu, she went ashore at Binjiang to visit her sister and brother-in-law, and to spend time with her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and senior sister.

Binjiang Port has not only passenger terminals but also cargo terminals.

The jurisdiction of Binjiang Port Police Station is larger than that of Bailong Port Police Station, and they have more officers. Bailong Port Police Station is only equivalent to a passenger terminal waiting room police office within Binjiang Port Police Station.

Although her sister works as an internal staff member at Binjiang Port Police Station, she still needs to perform duty at the passenger terminal during busy times. If a female criminal is caught by colleagues, she might even have to help with searches and keeping watch.

After Han Yu went ashore, she inquired around and found her sister at No.3 Pier.

Han Ning couldn’t believe her brother actually found this place and asked with joy, "San’er, when did you come back?"

"Just got back, just came ashore."

"Where are Director Xu and the others?"

"They didn’t come ashore. The fleet is probably nearing Lang Mountain by now. They will go through the locks from Yingchuan Port to Bin Qi River, and from Bin Qi River to Linghai. After towing more than a dozen barges to the dock in Linghai, they will return to Bailong Port through Bailong River."

There was a bit of luggage, carrying it was somewhat tiring.

Han Yu strapped her travel bag and two large tote bags onto her sister’s bicycle, looked around, and asked curiously, "Sis, what are you doing at No.3 Pier?"

Han Ning let the two security officers who came with her head back first, lifted her walkie-talkie, and pointed toward the northwest corner, "Just now, some women climbed over the wall from there. They claimed they were collecting scraps, but in reality, they were stealing as well. If they encounter male colleagues, they create a scene, so I had to come myself."

"How do they create a scene?" Han Yu asked with a laugh.

Han Ning stuffed the walkie-talkie into the briefcase hanging on the bike’s handle, pushed the bike, and said resentfully while walking, "They refuse searches and resist being frisked. They just open their clothes and accuse someone of hooliganism, they’re really throwing away all of our women’s dignity."

"Are there many thieves at the port?"

"Real thieves aren’t many, but there are quite a few who steal opportunistically like them."

Rarely having the chance to get together with her brother, Han Ning didn’t want to talk about work. She started talking about how Han Xiangning went with her to Yingchuan Port to see their parents not long ago, even inspecting their new ship, insisting that their parents install a high-frequency radio and join the Yangtze River Communication Network.

It’s one thing for the senior sister to boss herself around, but to even start ordering her future in-laws around!

Han Yu found it both funny and a bit awkward, scratching his neck, he said, "Running a ship on the river, installing a radio is sooner or later needed, it’s for safety."

Han Ning, holding back a smile, said, "Yes, having a radio would also make me worry less, at least I’d know where they are."

Installing the radio cost over three thousand, and it happened to be the time when the family was most in need of money.

Han Yu, somewhat worried, asked anxiously, "Sis, Ningning made the decision to install the radio without discussing it with our dad, isn’t he unhappy?"

"No, he’s quite happy with it."

"Really? Don’t lie to me."

"Really."

Han Ning turned around to look at her brother, and with a barely suppressed chuckle, said, "Both of the port’s harbor tugs have installed high-frequency radios, your brother-in-law almost uses the tug’s radio to call our dad every day. A few days ago, our parents transported a load of steel to Tiansheng Port, we even went to see them."

You might not believe it, but our dad is now like glued to a radio, constantly by the radio, listening to weather forecasts and navigation announcements, chatting with pilots of big ships equipped with VHF radios without caring whether he knows them or not.

When he comes across a ship that doesn’t navigate according to the rules, he curses them out over the radio, and gets into arguments with them. For those ships that haven’t installed a VHF radio and haven’t joined the Yangtze River Communication Network, after he has cursed them and they haven’t heard, he reports them to traffic control, demanding that the Port Supervision rush over for an inspection.

Sailors all get very lonely, so arguing over the radio is quite normal.

It’s a little better on inland rivers; it’s the ocean-going sailors who really get into it, flipping from a pleasant chat to cursing each other out all of a sudden.

As they curse, it’s like a night with the moon obscured and the winds high, when someone’s home has attracted a thief, and one family’s dog starts barking, provoking all the dogs in the village to join in, barking one after another, the whole sea in chaos, even occupying the traffic control frequency.

Many sailors just love to stir trouble, like when Zhang San and Li Si are in the middle of a conversation, Zhao Wu imitates Li Si’s voice and suddenly starts cursing out Zhang San. Zhang San thinks it’s Li Si cursing him, and so they start cursing each other out, while Zhao Wu grins smugly in front of the wheelhouse of his own ship.

Wang Liu isn’t satisfied just listening and joins in, constantly fanning the flames, and then repeatedly uses this trick to instigate other sailors on different ships.

Before long, the frequency is in an uproar, each showing their special skills, the curses ringing out in a myriad of accents.

From parents, siblings, to the unborn descendants, and even the ancestors from eighteen generations ago, as well as the family’s old hen, young dog, sow, and even the mother sparrow that flies into the house, all get dragged in; the ways they curse are odd and numerous.

The marine wireless environment is better than onshore, and such noisy sounds travel very far, especially in the Yangtze River estuary, where hundreds and thousands of ships crowd together to broadcast through one channel.

It is said sometimes ships sailing near South Korea can even hear the chaotic cursing of sailors in the Yangtze River estuary’s VHF frequency.

Han Yu finds nothing strange and smiles, "With a radio, our dad won’t feel lonely when sailing."

"What’s not lonely, Mom said sometimes he gets so caught up in chatting and arguing that he forgets to eat."

"Hahahaha."

"He acts less and less decent as he gets older, and you actually find this funny," Han Ning reproached him, then asked, "San’er, when are you leaving?"

"I’m returning to Bailong Port the afternoon of the fourth, and taking the Bai Shen on the morning of the fifth."

"So you can stay in Binjiang for two and a half days."

"Mhm."

"Does Ningning know you’re coming back?"

"She doesn’t."

Han Yu wanted to surprise his senior, laughing as he said, "Our ship 001 only has a normal radio, it hasn’t fitted with VHF, nor has it joined the Yangtze River Communication Network, otherwise I would have told her."

Han Ning knew her brother was shy and changing the subject, she pursued further, "Are you going to my place tonight, or to hers?"

Han Yu looked back, saying with a face full of embarrassment, "If Uncle Han and Aunt Xiang know I’m back but don’t visit them, they definitely won’t be happy."

"Then go there early, I won’t be managing your dinner tonight."

"They haven’t got off work yet."

"Don’t you have the keys to their place?"

"Sis, I came to see you."

"What’s there to see about me, why don’t you directly go see Ningning, it’s not far anyway."

Han Yu didn’t want his sister to think he was in a rush, so he quickly changed the subject, "Sis, doesn’t your husband often contact Dad using VHF? Where is our ship today?"

"It’s gone to Hui’an, can’t get in touch at the moment, probably won’t be back for about ten days."

"What’s the cargo?"

"This trip, we’re shipping steel to East Sea. Speaking of which, we have to thank Ningning. This deal was struck up through chatting with someone on the radio."

Dad has been running ships on the river for so many years and has several regular clients.

In the past, he always had to go ashore to make calls or send telegrams to ask the regular clients if there was cargo to transport. Now that he’s installed a very high frequency radio, not only is navigation much safer than before, but also his source of cargo has expanded.

As Han Yu was secretly reflecting on this, Han Ning laughed and said, "Ningning is impressive, our dad and mom seem a bit afraid of her and dare not disobey her. Remember when we went to Tiansheng Port to see them a few days ago? Your brother-in-law was planning to have a few drinks with our dad, but dad just wouldn’t drink."

"How could dad possibly not drink!"

"Ningning said if he drinks it would be drunk driving. One word from Ningning carries the weight of ten from us. Dad’s very obedient; if it comes to sailing, he says he won’t drink and that’s that."

Han Yu couldn’t believe it and was stunned for a while before asking, "What else did Ningning say?"

Han Ning couldn’t help but laugh, "She said a lot, all about maritime traffic safety. She’s so afraid that our mom and dad won’t remember, she wrote them down in a notebook one by one, and asked them to read it whenever they have time. She’s just short of issuing them tickets and rectification notices."

Sailors meeting a new bride who supervises maritime traffic were bound to be supervised.

Han Yu was nearly laughing until he choked, chatting with his sister for a bit before being urged to ride his bike to the Port Supervision Bureau.

Unexpectedly, his senior sister had the night shift today and he came up empty-handed.

He rushed nonstop to his father-in-law’s place, climbed the stairs, knocked on the door, and saw that his sister had just finished her bath and was preparing to do laundry.

Her face, naturally adorned, had features that seemed expertly crafted by nature. Those lips, that nose, those eyebrows and eyes... Han Yu was at a loss for words, unable to think of any terms to describe her.

She was so beautiful it took one’s breath away, so beautiful that it made one doubt life!

"When did you get back, what are you staring at, come in."

"Oh."

Waiting for the stars and the moon, she finally awaited his return.

Han Xiangning’s heart fluttered, and in an instant, she pulled him into the room, then bent over him to sniff, furrowing her brows immediately: "You smell of smoke and alcohol. San’er, have you been smoking and drinking!"

"No."

Han Yu put down his luggage and hastily explained, "President Yu was on ship 001 today, had a drink with Director Xu, and smoked a lot."

Han Xiangning asked subconsciously, "You didn’t drink?"

"I don’t really drink, I get drunk easily, so how dare I?"

"That’s more like it, go take a shower fast, I’ll get you some clothes; you stink to death."

"Is there hot water?"

"Yes, I just boiled some, there are several bottles left."

Han Xiangning pushed him into the washroom and hurriedly went back to the room to find underwear, cotton shirts, cotton pants, and the sweater that mom bought him a few days ago.

Taking out the plastic basin specifically for washing clothes, she sat in front of the washroom washing clothes and animatedly said, "San’er, I had your dad install a radio on the ship; it was actually meant to be my treat for them, they weren’t supposed to spend any money, but they insisted on paying themselves."

"I know, my sister told me."

"You met your sister?"

"I went ashore at Binjiang Port."

"The day your dad’s ship was unloading cargo at Yingchuan Port, my dad had to go for a meeting in Jiangcheng, and my mom couldn’t leave her duty, she wanted to invite your dad and mom for dinner but I didn’t agree."

Afraid the little junior brother might misunderstand, Han Xiangning turned back and added, "There must be someone on duty on the ship; if we really were to invite them, we could only invite one, and it wouldn’t be right to only invite your dad and not your mom."

"I know, no problem, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"There’s something else."

"What’s it?"

"I saw your mom on the ship saying she aches here and there, having to take a lot of medicine every day. I’ve talked to my mom and the next time your mom comes back, I’ll take her to the People’s Hospital for a thorough check-up."

Where else could you find a girlfriend so caring about her future in-laws...

Han Yu felt a pang of emotion, moved to the verge of tears.

Han Xiangning didn’t know what the little junior brother was thinking, and couldn’t help but burst into laughter as she told him about their dad’s daily chattering and quarreling on the radio.

Just as she was getting lively, the door creaked open.

Han Yu came out in his cotton shirt and pants, crouching down and involuntarily hugging her, sobbing, "Ningning, thank you for taking care of my mom and dad."

"How did you shower so quickly!"

"I... I always shower very quickly."

Ocean liners are different from inland river vessels; fresh water on board is precious, and although you can shower, the water flow is very weak.

Han Xiangning realized this and was about to say there was no need to rush, but Han Yu couldn’t help but kiss her, his lips sealing the little mouth that had just opened.

"Stop it, it’s uncomfortable sitting on this little stool..."

"Let’s go to the room."

"What are you thinking of doing..."

Han Yu couldn’t control himself and picked her up to carry her to the room.

Han Xiangning went limp, wrapping her arms around his neck, eyes closed, her body trembling slightly.

Walking into the room, they locked the door.

Just as they did last time in the command cabin of 001, the two clung to each other, kissing each other, lost in the moment.

Like getting an electric shock, Han Yu curled up his legs, and Han Xiangning suddenly realized, grabbed his ear and said with a flushed face and gritted teeth, "You Dead Salted Fish, I really don’t know what’s going on in your head all day!"

"I didn’t, I... I wasn’t thinking anything."

"Don’t let your thoughts wander."

Han Xiangning couldn’t help but sneak a peek, sat up to straighten her clothes, turned her back to him touching her burning cheeks, whispered, "I’m going to wash up, Mengmeng will be off work soon, you’d better put on your coat quickly."