Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 279 - 202: Here to Gild!

Chapter 279: Chapter 202: Here to Gild!

Sunday, Jia Yongqiang did not rest.

Today, the Second Company Captain Zhao Hongxing was on duty, and he was sitting in the small conference room looking at the list of personnel for the Yingchuan Port Squadron that the Big Commander had just confirmed.

Aside from the squad leader and himself as the instructor, there are four police officers in total: Ma Jintao, Yang Yong, Zhang Bigong, and Dong Bangjun.

Among them, Ma Jintao is a "veteran" of the Water Police Station, having worked under Salted Fish’s guidance when he first put on his police uniform.

Yang Yong and Zhang Bigong were brought over from Linghai by Political Commissioner Wang years ago and have known Salted Fish for a long time.

Dong Bangjun is a contracted police officer recruited by the division later on. He only knows Salted Fish but hasn’t had much interaction with him and is not very familiar with Salted Fish.

There are four Cooperative Defense Team members, or more precisely, auxiliary police.

Two of the auxiliary police are drivers of the law enforcement vessels, who were sent to train for three months at the Yanjiang Police Station three years ago to learn how to operate motorboats.

Although they are not acquainted with Salted Fish, they know Xu Sanye.

The other two auxiliary police were recruited later and do not know Salted Fish.

All things considered, whether it’s the newly established Water Police Fourth Squad or the entire Binjiang Water Police Branch, the influence of the Yanjiang Police Station can be seen everywhere.

No wonder those brats from Linghai joke around, saying that the Water Police Station is established on the foundation of Linghai Police Station’s Yanjiang branch.

Jia Yongqiang was silent for a moment, put down the list and looked up: "Captain Zhao, I have no objections to the personnel arrangements."

Zhao Hongxing, propping his chin, asked, "What about clerical work, who would be the most suitable for the position?"

Last night’s dinner was a shock!

Jia Yongqiang only knew previously that Salted Fish was Xu Sanye’s disciple, and that’s why both Director Zhou and Political Commissioner Wang showed him courtesy.

It wasn’t until last night that he realized Salted Fish wasn’t just Xu Sanye’s disciple, but also a promising youngster raised under the care of Director Feng from the Port Supervision Bureau, Director Zhang from the Changhang Police Binjiang Branch, and even President Yu.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Salted Fish is a reserve talent jointly cultivated by several major Yanjiang agencies in Binjiang. His status in the eyes of the leaders even surpasses that of Chen Zikun, who is regarded by the City Bureau as a key figure for development.

"Captain Zhao, clerical work is an important position, and I haven’t been at the branch for that long, I’m not very familiar with the comrades, so it would be better for the squadron to decide who takes on the job."

"No matter how important, it’s still clerical work. I’ve consulted with Instructor Chen, and he thinks it’s better for you all to elect someone."

"How about we wait for Captain Yu to take office before deciding?"

Referring to him as Captain Yu sounds more pleasant than calling him Salted Team.

Zhao Hongxing couldn’t help but laugh: "He won’t take office for a few more days, but the office location and the mooring positions for law enforcement vessels at Yingchuan Port are already coordinated. You will be positioned there tomorrow. It’s like splitting the household; once you split, you need to establish your own rules; you can’t be without someone in charge of the finances. Therefore, we can’t wait to decide on the staff for clerical work; it has to be done today."

"How about I take on the role temporarily, and we’ll decide on the internal staff after Captain Yu arrives."

"Old Jia, are you worried about Salted Fish?"

"Captain Yu is the squad leader, and for such a big matter, I definitely need to respect Captain Yu’s opinion."

Positioning himself correctly, no wonder Political Commissioner Wang strongly recommended him to serve as the instructor of the newly formed Fourth Squad...

Zhao Hongxing nodded slightly, but then shook his head: "Old Jia, you can decide who takes on clerical work. You don’t need to seek Salted Fish’s opinion."

Jia Yongqiang hurriedly said: "How can that be right? I am the instructor; I must respect the squad leader’s opinion."

"Let me finish."

Zhao Hongxing handed him a cigarette and explained with a smile: "Salted Fish is not yet in office, and his appointment as the captain of the Water Police Fourth Squad has not been officially announced. Even if he does take office, the daily work of the squad will mostly depend on you."

Jia Yongqiang was confused and asked with a puzzled expression: "Captain Zhao, I don’t quite understand."

"Think about it, why did President Yu and Director Xu make such a big decision to send Salted Fish to East Sea to learn how to steer large ships?"

"They wanted to train Captain Yu into a police officer who understands both police work and how to handle ships."

"But is managing waterway security that difficult?"

Zhao Hongxing counterquestioned, speaking calmly: "Thanks to the continuous efforts over the years from our Binjiang Branch in collaboration with Changhang Navigation Police Branch and various District County Police Departments, the security along the Yangtze River waterfront segment has been completely turned around. The main security issues are around the Bin Qi River, with more and more boats of scavengers from different places gathering, involving stolen goods and illegal sales. Some violate inland waterway management regulations by setting cage nets, blockade nets, or even constructing large basket nets in the river, affecting navigation, and leading to disputes or even security incidents.

Moreover, with wide channels and deep waters, and larger lock chambers, there are now more ships passing through from that area into the Yangtze River, leading to disputes among boat owners and crew over ferry rights and racing. These issues can be solved through several joint operations with the Development Zone Branch and Changzhou Police Bureau, as well as strengthened enforcement and outreach with the Port Patrol Second Team. Having Salted Fish, a Chief Officer of a ten-thousand-tonne freighter, to manage these seems like overkill."

Jia Yongqiang was stunned and asked, not fully understanding: "Captain Zhao, are you saying that Captain Yu is just holding a position, without being responsible for the actual work?"

Salted Fish is here just to get his credentials burnished!

Everybody knows this from top to bottom, but it goes unspoken.

Zhao Hongxing said with profound meaning: "He will be responsible for actual work, but his main focus is still on training and attending certain courses."

Jia Yongqiang curiously asked: "Captain Yu is already a Chief Officer on a sea vessel, what kind of training does he still need to attend?"

Zhao Hongxing smiled and said: "I am not sure about the specifics of the training he will attend, but one thing is certain, he will be very busy, and the main work at Yingchuan Port will still depend on you."

...

Meanwhile, Han Yu finally met his audacious aunt who had braved family constraints to pursue love and nearly lost her kinship, as well as Liang Xiaojun, whom she had heard mentioned countless times but had never met before.

His aunt looks exactly like his academic older sister as they are twins; if they had the same hairstyle and wore the same clothes and did not speak, it would be hard to distinguish who was who.

Liang Xiaojun was skinnier than imagined, fair and clean, wearing glasses, and giving off a refined and gentle impression, not at all looking like someone daring enough to stealthily take the family register and head to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a marriage license without parental consent.

As Han Yu was unsure how to greet them, Han Xiangmeng joyfully asked: "San’er, when did you come back?"

"Just got back a few days ago."

"You’ve gotten so tanned, but it seems like you’ve grown taller than before."

"Being out at sea every day, of course I’d get tanned."

Sister Mengmeng felt both happy and envious that her sister and brother-in-law could come to visit her.

She glanced at the two bottles of fine liquor in the basket of the light motorcycle, then at her sister who wore a happy smile, and couldn’t help but tease, "You’ve come all this way to see me and even brought good liquor. Do you need a favor from me?"

Your mother-in-law is almost sick with anger, we really did come to ask you to return home...

Han Yu secretly grumbled to himself, nodding with a smile.

Han Xiangmeng chuckled, reaching out to touch Han Xiangning’s belly: "I’ve warned you before, intimacy is fine, but take precautions. Now look what’s happened, needing surgery. Do you know how painful that is? How much it hurts the body? This is what happens when you don’t listen to the elder’s advice, suffering the consequences right in front of you!"

"What are you thinking?!"

Han Xiangning pushed her hand away and looked back at the light motorcycle. "The liquor isn’t for you; the gift I brought for you is in my bag."

Han Xiangmeng paused, then, holding Han Xiangning’s arm asked: "So you mean you didn’t win the lottery, you guys did take precautions!"

"Mengmeng, we’ve come all this way to see you, can you be serious for a moment!"

Han Xiangning was both amused and helpless, thinking to herself that some things never change, silently lamenting why the Han family ended up with such a rascal of a girl. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have supported her in going to nursing school years ago.

Liang Xiaojun, who had been too embarrassed to speak up, felt even more awkward and quickly said, "Sister, brother-in-law, this isn’t a good place to talk, let’s go inside."

"Okay, let’s go inside."

The two of them followed them into a very small room, clean and organized like a study. Not sure where to sit, Han Xiangmeng asked with a snicker, "Sister, what gift did you bring me?"

Han Xiangning put down her bag and smilingly pulled out a bunch of cosmetics.

"Imported goods! Sister, you’ve struck it rich!"

"It’s from San’er, he brought it back from abroad. This is for washing your face, this is a hydrating cream, and this is hand cream. There were only two bottles of hand cream, and I’ve brought them both for you. You don’t know how many times a day you have to wash your hands with soap, even with disinfectant, so you have to take good care of your hands."

"Sister, you’re too good to me, always thinking of me when you have nice things, you’re my real sister."

"Isn’t that obvious? If I’m not your real sister, what, am I supposed to be your fake sister?"

"True, thanks."

Han Xiangmeng had never seen or used such high-end skincare products before, and was nearly ecstatic.

Liang Xiaojun stood in the corner, looking embarrassed and stealing glances at Han Yu.

Han Yu, meanwhile, was examining the books all over the room, all on medicine, clearly well-thumbed, with several notebooks even on the desk.

He was silently reflecting on the hardships of studying medicine, having to learn and apply it throughout one’s life, when Sister Mengmeng got right to the point, "Mengmeng, Xiao Jun, San’er and I came to invite you guys to come home for a meal on New Year’s Day."

Liang Xiaojun was stunned for a moment, his face filled with the struggle to speak.

Han Xiangmeng instinctively turned her head, asking anxiously, "Go home?"

"You’re not an orphan, where else would you go during the holidays if not home!"

"Sister, you mean Xiao Jun and I should go back together?"

"Now that you’re married, of course you should go back together."

"Will mom be upset..."

"It was mom who asked San’er and me to invite you. Let’s not talk about past events anymore. San’er is her son-in-law, and so is Xiao Jun. It’s about time for the family to get together properly. If we’re not busy during the New Year period, we should all go to Si Gang to see grandma."

Han Xiangmeng may look as though she’s fearless and strong, but in reality, she’s quite fragile.

She didn’t dare believe her sister’s words, completely stunned for a long while before she finally came to her senses and burst into tears, hugging Han Xiangning.

Han Yu could understand her emotions at this moment, and as a brother-in-law, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to console his sister-in-law, so he simply walked over and patted Liang Xiaojun’s arm:

"I’ve spent more time with mom and dad, and I can feel that they really like you. Compared to me, you’re the one they watched grow up. It’s just... due to some things in the past, they have their concerns.

You and Sister Mengmeng love each other so much, and have come together despite such great pressure – San’er and I are really touched. We truly admire you both. Mom and dad have come around now and want to move forward, hoping you two will always be happy. San’er and I also hope you can understand and forgive them."

Liang Xiaojun, meeting this brother-in-law for the first time, felt moved by Han Yu’s maturity despite being several years his junior.

Han Xiangmeng, turning back, sobbed, "I don’t blame mom and dad, it was us who didn’t listen, it was our fault..."

She was willing to go home, and Han Xiangning was very happy.

But thinking of the hardships Han Xiangmeng had faced, especially over the past year, Han Xiangning couldn’t describe how heartbroken she felt. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Han Xiangmeng’s tears while trying to hold back her own, managing a tearful smile, "You two did nothing wrong, these things aren’t about right or wrong."

"Really?"

"What would I gain from lying to you? Actually, we don’t necessarily have to wait until New Year’s Day to go back; San’er and I are heading to Linghai later, and it will be just mom and dad at home. If you and Xiao Jun aren’t busy, you could go back and see them later."

"You and San’er won’t be there, I’m scared."

"If you dared to sneak out and register for marriage with Xiao Jun at the Civil Affairs Bureau, why would you be scared to go home?"

"It’s not the same, sister, please help me one more time, will you? San’er, you’re my brother-in-law, you have to help me too!"

As Han Yu was unsure of what to say, Liang Xiaojun took a deep breath, looked up and said, "Mengmeng, San’er is right, we have to take responsibility for what we’ve done, we should face it bravely, we can’t keep running away."

"You’re not afraid?"

"I’m not afraid."

"If you’re not afraid, neither am I."

"Let’s first visit your parents, then go see my parents at my home."

"Okay, I’ll listen to you."