Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 33 - 31: Growing Taller Is More Important

Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Growing Taller Is More Important

Xu Sanye played too big, and Old Zhang worried about getting caught in the crossfire, dared not wait downstairs.

As soon as the meeting ended, he went to logistics to collect the reserve fund. Seeing that Xiao Lin from the Security Division was about to drive the three-wheeler to take Captain Chen from the Longyong Police Station to Bailong Port, he simply hitched a ride with them and came back first.

Longyong Town is actually not far from Four Factory Town; it’s just across the Yanjiang.

Originally it was a sandbar in the river, but after decades of silt accumulation and land reclamation, it has connected with Zhuangming Island, which originally belonged to Binjiang but now belongs to East Sea, becoming an exclave of Linghai.

The population over there is sparse, the foundation weak, and transportation extremely inconvenient; they even have to use electricity from the East Sea, under very tough conditions.

The Longyong Police Station is also very small, including the Director and the instructor, there are only three police officers, among them, there’s also a contract "straw hat police officer." It’s said that when their station was first established, they had no dormitory and could only live in a thatched shed.

When they come back to the bureau for meetings, they have to ride a bicycle to the dock, take the ferry to Bailong Port, and then take the bus to the county. They even have to walk from the bus station to the bureau.

Whether taking the ferry or the bus, it’s unlikely to be on time, always waiting at the dock and the bus station.

Every meeting is like going on a long trip; they must bring dry food because they spend more than half a day on the road; it’s not easy at all.

Logically, they should be invited to have a meal, but they have to catch the last ferry, otherwise, they can’t return to the station until tomorrow morning.

After seeing off Captain Chen, Li Weiguo eagerly asked, "Where’s Director Xu?"

"At the time of the meeting’s end, Secretary Li stopped him, and they went into the small meeting room on the third floor."

"Just Secretary Li alone?"

"And Master Ding."

Old Zhang took out the envelope with a thousand yuan reserve fund from his bag and continued, "At that time, Director Yang was seeing off County Magistrate Yu and Zhang from the Finance Bureau. I guess after sending off the county leaders, he will also head there."

Han Yu couldn’t help but ask, "Uncle Zhang, do you think the bureau leadership will be angry if they find out we’ve spent the money?"

As old Zhang counted the money in front of Li Weiguo, he replied with a smile, "They will definitely be angry, but with Secretary Li there, it should be fine."

"Will Secretary Li speak for Director Xu?"

"Of course."

Realizing Xu Sanye used to be quite wild, Han Yu exclaimed, "Director Xu is impressive!"

"Will there be any trouble?"

"There have already been several reviews, and the past has been conclusively dealt with; what trouble could there be. Besides, now is not like before. Now the focus is on wholeheartedly developing the economy, promoting the Four Modernizations, and improving the living standards of the people; we should all look forward."

As they were talking, the phone rang.

Old Zhang picked up the telephone and after asking a few questions, looked at Han Yu with a smirk, "It’s for you, seems to be a young girl."

"Ah..."

"Hurry up and answer, telephone charges are expensive, don’t keep her waiting."

"Oh."

Han Yu knew who it was and quickly took the phone, "Hello, I’m Han Yu... Xiao Hui, okay, I will wait for you at the station tomorrow morning, don’t worry, I won’t go out."

Just after hanging up the phone, Li Weiguo smiled and asked, "Who was that?"

Scratching his neck, Han Yu replied with an embarrassed face, "She’s our neighbor from the shipping company; she’s going to East Sea tomorrow. I helped her buy a ferry ticket, and she will come to get it tomorrow morning."

"Sounds young by her voice."

"Yeah, she’s the same age as me, also sixteen this year."

"Childhood sweethearts, huh!"

"What childhood sweethearts, Uncle Zhang, stop joking."

From his shy demeanor, one could tell that his relationship with the girl he called was not ordinary. Li Weiguo laughed and asked, "What is she going to do in East Sea?"

"She’s learning tailoring, but she hasn’t studied for long, only knows how to use the sewing machine, not really good at cutting. Her aunt has opened a tailor shop in East Sea, she’s going there to work and also to learn cutting."

"Learning tailoring is good, especially towards the end of the year, everyone wants to make new clothes for the New Year. Those two tailor shops in Bailong Port, selling fabric and making clothes, have very good business."

"Instructor, I don’t really understand this."

"You will understand soon."

Li Weiguo smiled slightly and pressed on, "What time is she coming over tomorrow morning?"

Asking so many questions, what for, this isn’t work...

Han Yu had no choice but to bravely say, "She said she’d arrive around six thirty."

Surprisingly, Little Salted Fish looked embarrassed, and Old Zhang laughed and asked, "How does she plan to come over?"

"Her mom was supposed to take her, but the shipping company is hauling coal for the coal company this afternoon. They don’t have enough boats, so her family’s boat has to join in. She’s planning to ride her brother-in-law’s bicycle here and I’ll take the bike back when I have time."

"Six-thirty, huh? If she hasn’t had breakfast, let her have breakfast at the station before sending her to the pier."

"That doesn’t seem appropriate."

"What’s not appropriate about it? It’s just a meal. I’ll talk to Old Qian about it later."

It felt like watching kids play house...

Just as Li Weiguo finished speaking, Old Zhang smiled again and asked, "Is she going to Wusong Mouth or Sixteen Piers?"

Han Yu replied quietly, "Sixteen Piers."

"The check-in at Sixteen Piers doesn’t start until 8:10. It’s rare for her to come by. Let her have breakfast and chat for a while. There’s still plenty of time to get to the pier by 7:45."

"Yeah, and I could give Old Liu a heads-up to help her get on the boat."

"Instructor..."

"If you like her, pursue her boldly. What’s there to be shy about? Director Xu was betrothed at fifteen, and now you’re sixteen, a whole year older than when he got engaged."

While they were talking, the sound of a motorcycle engine came from outside.

Walking out, they saw Xu Sanye returning with a beaming smile on his three-wheeler.

"Director Xu..."

"Old Li, what are you chatting about that’s making you all so merry?"

"We were talking about your betrothal at fifteen."

"What’s the big deal about that? Getting betrothed too early isn’t good. Some people get married within a year of engagement, only needing to give a Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year’s presents for one year. But I got betrothed at fifteen and married at twenty, that’s five years of gifts for my father-in-law. Not worth it at all, thinking about it feels like a loss."

He laughed radiantly, clearly in good spirits and joking around, it seemed like he really had no worries.

Li Weiguo finally felt the weight off his chest and turned around to joke, "There’s a girl coming to see Xiao Han tomorrow, they’re childhood sweethearts."

Han Yu panicked, "Instructor!"

Xu Sanye chuckled, took the keys out of the ignition, and came over, draping his arm around Han Yu’s shoulders, "Really? That’s great news. How old is the girl this year? Is she pretty?"

With a troubled expression, Han Yu explained, "Director Xu, it’s not like what the instructor said. We’re just neighbors, and her family works on the boats too..."

Linghai people look down on boatpeople.

Little Salted Fish’s family lived on a boat, and they didn’t even own a house onshore.

Being a government official wasn’t as prestigious as before, and the salary wasn’t even as much as those welders in Boss Wu’s shipyard, so it was indeed quite challenging for him to find a suitable match onshore.

Thinking that a boat child marrying a boat girl would be well-matched, Xu Sanye patted his shoulder,

"Although my wife and I also had matchmakers and went through the whole process of visiting relatives, talking on the phone, and sending festive teas, in reality, we had a love marriage, not an arranged one.

That was possible even back then, and now with the reforms and opening-up, we need to liberate our thoughts. What’s there to be embarrassed about?

You’re a police officer at the Yanjiang Police Station, one of my soldiers! Whatever you do, you need to act decisively, without procrastination or dawdling."

Old Zhang teased, "Director Xu, although free love is advocated now, so is having a late marriage and late childbearing."

"That’s not contradictory. You can date first, and when it’s almost time, get engaged. It’s just sending a few more years of Mid-Autumn and New Year’s gifts to the father-in-law. After all, he raised his daughter and now she’s going to marry you. Providing some food and drink is the proper thing to do."

Just a moment ago, he was saying that getting engaged too early wasn’t cost-effective because of years of gifts, and now he says it’s proper to give, such a quick change...

Han Yu was amused and was just wondering how to explain when he was pulled aside to the door frame.

"Stand up straight."

"Director Xu, what are you doing?"

"Stand tall!"

Xu Sanye pressed down and took out the vehicle key, measured Han Yu’s height at the head, and drew a line on the door frame, laughing as he said, "There we go."

Han Yu looked back and saw that he had actually carved a deep mark on the door frame.

Xu Sanye laughed heartily, "Dating is important, but growing taller is even more so. Measure once a month and make a mark each time. Otherwise, seeing you every day without knowing whether you’ve grown taller or not."