Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 275 - 198: Want Me to Wait Till I’m an Old Maid?_2

Chapter 275: Chapter 198: Want Me to Wait Till I’m an Old Maid?_2

Han Yu chuckled, "It depends on how you exchange it. If you go to the bank, it seems to be a rate of 1 to 8.5. The black market rate is higher, but we can’t knowingly break the law."

"That means over six thousand RMB!"

"I’ve also got labor fees, which are more than the allowance."

Where else could you find such an opportunity to both learn and make money?

Remembering the imminent end of his life at sea, Han Yu said with emotion, "If it were the shipping company’s own ship, there wouldn’t be so many labor fees, but when you’re on someone else’s ship, you have to follow their rules. For example, some tasks aren’t part of a sailor’s duties, but not doing them isn’t an option; then they have to pay."

I knew that sailing could make money, but I never imagined it would come this fast...

Han Xiangning stuffed the freshly-counted money into an envelope and curiously asked, "San’er, people bring home imported appliances and some even bring motorcycles. Why don’t you bring anything?"

It was a topic both awkward and somewhat bitter.

Hesitating, Han Yu explained, "Customs does have regulations. After being abroad for six months, you can choose to bring either a motorcycle or large items such as a refrigerator or color TV, as well as small items like a bicycle or telephone, plus two packs of cigarettes, a bottle of wine, etc. You must also declare a legitimate and sufficient foreign income.

But our foreign income as sailors mainly comes from the company’s given sailing allowance. A trainee just starting out gets only sixty cents a day, and someone like me a bit more, but still less than two dollars a day. Even if motorcycles and TVs from abroad are cheap, you can’t save up enough with the allowance. It might suffice in six months, let alone sixty."

Han Xiangning, bewildered, asked, "Then how can others afford to buy them?"

Sailors were definitely among the first to enjoy high-end household appliances like color TVs and refrigerators, envied by all the neighbors, who even begged them to bring one back... But who among them knew of the underlying bitterness.

Han Yu took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Most of those motorcycles and appliances are used. There are many places in Japan that sell second-hand home appliances. We sailors can’t afford new ones, so we can only buy the used ones, which are indeed very cheap."

"Used ones!"

"Indeed, used, just not made known to others. The sailors won’t even tell their families how they’ve hauled those used color TVs, refrigerators, and air conditioners back and onto the ship. The heartache involved, both physical and emotional, is something only we sailors understand."

Han Xiangning asked in a low voice, "Like scavenging junk?"

Han Yu nodded, helplessly commenting, "I heard that several TV stations in Japan have reported on this, focusing their cameras on the sailors bargaining with the second-hand appliance store staff. They then follow the sailors, filming how they sweat profusely carrying and hauling the used appliances to the pier and onboard the ship."

I always knew that sailors made good money, but I never knew their work was so strenuous.

After a moment of silence, Han Xiangning changed the subject, "Go take a shower quickly, rest early after you’re done; you have to be back on the ship tomorrow."

"I already showered before disembarking."

"Then I’ll go shower."

"Okay, I’ll tidy up a bit."

Han Xiangning took out some clean clothes from her bag and walked into the bathroom, looking back to say, "No peeking."

"Okay, I won’t peek." Han Yu gathered the dirty clothes to one side, planning to wash and hang them up later.

Water gushed from within the bathroom, followed by rising steam.

Back on land now, I’ll be able to be with Sister Mengmeng from now on, Han Yu sat on the edge of the bed, feeling dazed, as if it were all a dream.

"San’er, San’er."

"Here, what’s up?"

"I’m done showering. You should shower too, you can’t get clean on the ship, especially your feet, they really stink, you’ve got to wash them properly."

"Oh, I’ll get my clothes."

Han Xiangning emerged wrapped in a towel, her cute face flushed red.

Seeing Sister Mengmeng after her bath had a special charm, and Han Yu was transfixed.

Grabbing a dry towel, Han Xiangning wiped her hair while urging, "What are you staring for, hurry up and shower."

"Right, I’m on it."

Han Yu came to his senses and quickly headed for the washroom.

By the time he came out wrapped in a towel, the room’s lights were off, and Sister Mengmeng’s anxious and rapid breathing could be clearly heard.

After an unknown amount of time, the tempest finally subsided.

Han Yu gently stroked his senior’s fair back and hesitated before asking, "Ningning, will we get into trouble doing this?"

"I’m not afraid, what are you afraid of?" Han Xiangning clung to him like an octopus, her eyes closed as she savored the passion they had just shared.

"We’re not of age yet."

"Are you talking about the legal age for marriage?"

"It seems like the regulation states that men should marry after 25 to be considered a late marriage," Han Yu said with a pained expression.

Han Xiangning, who always dared to act boldly, perked up and lifted her head, touching his prickly stubble and laughing, "If we have to wait until marriage to be intimate, how long would we have to wait? Do you want me to become an old maid?"

The experts who drafted the policy of late marriages and childbirths clearly did not take into account the scenario where the woman is older and the man younger. They simply decreed that marriage is considered late when a man is over 25 and a woman is over 23.

If she’s 25 and he’s 23, then it’s not considered a late marriage.

Han Yu felt the policy was unfair to his senior, but still whispered softly, "I’m scared, not so much for myself, I’m worried about you. What if you get pregnant, what are we going to do then?"

"Don’t worry, I have pills."

"Where did you get them?"

"I stole them from Mengmeng."

Han Yu laughed, unable to help asking, "You mean she and Liang Xiaojun have been intimate too?"

As they discussed her sister, Han Xiangning felt she was simply an angel in comparison, and once again laid on her junior’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and murmuring, "She didn’t just get intimate with Liang Xiaojun; she went behind our parents’ back and stole their household register, then went to the Civil Affairs Bureau with Liang Xiaojun to get their marriage certificate."

"Mengmeng married Liang Xiaojun!"

"She couldn’t care less about the workplace’s requirements for late marriage and childbirth; she didn’t even consider what our parents would think. As soon as they were of age, they sneaked off to the Civil Affairs Bureau and got their certificate."

"Does Liang Xiaojun’s family know?"

"They found out afterward."

Raised in the military, she went ahead and presented a fait accompli.

Han Yu was profoundly shocked and pressed, "Did they have a wedding ceremony to make up for it?"

"Make up what, it almost cost them their lives."

"Cost them their lives?"

"Liang Xiaojun’s mom disagreed, she asked him to divorce Mengmeng. Liang Xiaojun wouldn’t listen to her, so she actually went to the hospital to make a scene with my mom. My mom was furious, and my dad was even angrier, so he called Liang Xiaojun’s dad."

"And then?"

"Liang Xiaojun’s dad went home and started arguing with his wife, they even ended up fighting. The newlywed’s issue wasn’t resolved yet, and the older couple was already making a fuss about divorcing. Anyway, it was chaos."

Compared to her sister, Han Xiangning felt she was the happiest woman in the world, hugging more tightly as she spoke.

Han Yu hadn’t expected his younger aunt to stir up such a commotion and asked further, "Has Liang Xiaojun graduated?"

"He graduated a while ago, got assigned to Changzhou People’s Hospital, and went through connections trying to transfer Mengmeng over there. Now they shut their door and live their own little lives, casting aside both families."

"Mengmeng doesn’t go home, and Liang Xiaojun doesn’t go back to his home either?"

"Neither. They didn’t even go back for New Year’s."

Han Xiangning sighed quietly, then continued, "Mengmeng may not care about this home, but we can’t just discard her. I’ve visited her in Changzhou a few times; she looked very happy, and Liang Xiaojun does treat her well."

Han Yu mused, "Sister Mengmeng is amazing; no one else would dare to sneak away with the household register to get a marriage certificate."

Han Xiangning lifted her head and, with a smile, looked at him asking, "Am I not amazing?"

"You’re amazing too."

"Don’t make fun of me. If it weren’t for your hard work as a sailor, I wouldn’t have come to East Sea to pick you up."

"I know, how could I possibly make fun of you."