Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 347 - 245: No Money No Hero (Part 1)

The handover between the two passenger transport companies is quite complex, but the handover at the station’s police room is very simple.

In total, there is just one office, two old desks, and a few chairs. There isn’t even a filing cabinet. Taking over the keys from Old Gu of the nearly retired Public Transport Branch, the handover was completed.

Due to the limited number of police and auxiliary police in the squad, there’s a lot of work to be done, so tasks must be assigned.

Starting from yesterday, Old Ding is responsible for duty at the station, where one person is enough. If there is any emergency, he can ask for help from Old Liu and Director Jiang in the waiting room across.

Old Zhang and the auxiliary police Old Yan are responsible for the water security checkpoint at the ship lock. Xiao Yu and Zhu Baogen are responsible for the Dunship and 001.

Everyone can’t just work without resting.

Given the few personnel, rest times need to be staggered. As the squad leader, Han Yu becomes the "mobile team member," covering for anyone who’s off.

Despite being busy, it feels really good to return home.

In Han Yu’s subconscious, the Dunship is his true home.

Moreover, his senior sister came to reunite with him on her light motorcycle right after work yesterday. Listening to the news on the loudspeaker and watching the rolling river outside the window, it felt like he was back to the days when he truly considered her his senior sister.

The only difference is that he can no longer see his master’s face or hear his master’s singing.

Thinking of the time Sister Zhu involuntarily hummed a mountain folk song in the morning and master spontaneously began singing with her, Han Yu couldn’t help but throw open the window and bellowed, "The spring river flows by in front of the door; a little brother lives on the opposite shore!"

Just having washed up and about to head upstairs, Han Xiangning was startled, looked up with a basin in hand, and sang, "The setting sun touches the bamboo pole, maiden’s heart stirs up waves of affection!"

"The spring river flows through dreams, enriching the scenery along the river. Maiden pays no heed to the beautiful sights, crossing hills and mountains to sing her love songs, songs surpassing the spring river waters, maiden sings as the brother harmonizes..."

The young couple sang together in response to each other.

Singing enthusiastically, Director Jin came out with a cup of tea: "Not bad at all, sing another stanza."

"Just singing for fun, let’s not continue."

Han Xiangning chuckled and hurried to take the towel, basin, and toothbrush into the dorm.

Like the traffic control center, the water rescue center requires night shifts. She had just completed a 24-hour shift and could rest for 24 hours, resting until this afternoon before taking over the shift.

Xiao Yu has a day off today, planning to help his family purchase goods at the wholesale market in Binjiang; Han Yu must stay on the Dunship, otherwise, there would be no one to operate 001 if something happened on the river.

Jin Weiguo holding a teacup laughed: "Salted Fish, I’m watching here; you can accompany Ningning ashore for a walk."

"Going out to play during work hours, Uncle Jin, you’re asking me to make a mistake."

"What work hours? You eat, drink, and sleep all on the Dunship; you spend more time on duty than anyone. Work is important, but so is balancing work and leisure, besides, everyone has things to take care of."

"Xiao Yu has a day off today, and there’s only Uncle Zhu on the Dunship; I really can’t leave."

"I’m here, aren’t I?"

Jin Weiguo leaned over to look below, smiled, and said, "If there really is an emergency, I’ll call you with the walkie-talkie. Even if the walkie-talkie doesn’t reach, I can call the paging station to reach you."

These past two or three months, either fighting fires or preventing floods, and went to Jiangcheng to carry out guard duties. After returning, he had to teach classes everywhere. Finally having some time, he wanted to study the police management courses at Public University properly and hadn’t yet properly accompanied his senior sister for a stroll.

Thinking of Director Zhang at the ship lock, Chief Ding at the station police room, not far from the Dunship, Han Yu grinned and said, "Then Ningning and I will go have a look around Four Factory."

Han Xiangning asked eagerly, "Really? When should we go?"

Without waiting for Han Yu to speak, Jin Weiguo urged, "Go now, better early; we got it covered here."

...

Han Yu changed into civilian clothes and didn’t head directly to Four Factory Town on his light motorcycle with his senior sister, but first visited the station police room and Bailong Port Passenger Pier’s waiting room, then checked the ship lock before heading to Four Factory.

Han Xiangning looked at the familiar scenery along the road and curiously asked, "Who is using the house of the Fourth Squad now?"

"That isn’t the Fourth Squad’s house."

"I know, it was originally Four Factory Water Station."

"Isn’t there a precast concrete yard by the river to the south? The yard’s boss has been growing bigger. Before, they didn’t need an office building, but now they have money and want one, so the Four Factory Town Government sold the house to them."

"Where did Second Senior Brother and the others move?"

"They moved to Four Factory Town."

"Can we go and find him later, just to get familiar?"

"We can’t."

"Why?" asked Han Xiangning, puzzled.

Looking at the distant bridge, Han Yu casually said, "Second Senior Brother now shares a yard with the Four Factory Police Station. Director Shi and Instructor Li were upset with me because I didn’t lend them money a few days ago; it would be awkward to run into them."

Junior brother is famously frugal.

Previously, it was just individual thrift, but now it has extended to being very stingy with public funds.

Han Xiangning is not worried about offending leaders, after all, if one place doesn’t retain him, another will. He has a drawer full of certificates; where couldn’t he find a meal?

It’s no exaggeration to say that wherever he goes, he wouldn’t do worse than in the police system.

But what made him think was that his junior brother’s penny-pinching wasn’t just out of work necessity—it was also not wanting to let down his late mentor’s entrusted hopes. He asked softly, "Is it worth offending so many leaders just to repair ships?"

"it’s worth it."

"But by doing so, no one will like you anymore, not just the leaders, but also colleagues at the station."

"I know, and I don’t care."

"Do you really not care?"

"My path is different from theirs; it’s normal that they don’t understand."

Han Xiangning muttered, "Being water police in the local police bureau is a tough path. You are different from your mentor, and besides, times have changed, even if your mentor were alive, I suspect he wouldn’t get far."

Han Yu has thought about this countless times and had figured it out long ago.

He turned to look at his senior, reflecting, "I’ve considered this, and my mentor analyzed it for me when he was healthy. If he hadn’t suffered from bone cancer, just like you said, times have changed, he might not have gotten far, but I can."

"What do you mean?"

"I can drive and repair ships, I have so many certificates. And these past years, while officially a police officer at Linghai Police Bureau, in reality, I’ve been working for the shipping police."

From Binjiang Port Police Station through Changhang East Sea Branch to East Sea Shipping Public Security Bureau, and now back continuing to assist Changhang Police Binjiang Branch at Bailong Port Police Station, still interacting with Bai Shen and Bai Liu’s onboard police team...

Come to think of it, rather than being local police, he is practically a police officer of the Port and Navigation System.

Han Xiangning felt this was somewhat amusing, and Han Yu further lamented, "Others see me as having been marginalized like my mentor back in the day, but every loss has its gain, and I’ve gained more than I’ve lost."

"What have you gained?"

"The Linghai Police Bureau and the Water Police Station are different, and I’m different from Luo Wenjiang as well. Do you know how hard it is to become a squad leader in the Linghai Police Bureau? Although Big Brother also became a squad leader when he was quite young, it was because he had the remaining influence of our mentor then."

Han Yu smiled and continued, "He became a squad leader at twenty-seven, the second senior at thirty-two, but I became one at twenty-two. If I weren’t water police but regular public security police, I wouldn’t have had the chance to become a squad leader."

"Making you a squad leader doesn’t mean promoting you to Deputy Director, so why are you so happy?"

"Grassroots units are different from large units like yours at the Port Supervision Bureau, and county-level police bureaus are also unlike other entities. Although Linghai has turned into a city now, Linghai Police Bureau is only at full departmental level, where Deputy Director is equivalent to deputy bureau chief! Ninety percent of the police officers can’t reach deputy director by the time they retire, so becoming a squad leader is already quite commendable."

It’s hard to deny, junior’s words made some sense.

Director Ding had been police station chief for so many years, soon to retire, yet only at full department level.

Director Zhang had been in the police system for decades, also having served as police station chief and soon to retire, also at full department level.

Among local police bureaus, where police officers abound, the quotas for full and deputy departmental ranks are scarce, making promotions exceedingly difficult; if Political Commissioner Wang hadn’t been transferred to the Water Police Station, he would probably still be at deputy level.

Han Xiangning didn’t know what to say when suddenly the Bell Tower of Dasheng Fourth Textile Factory, established by the last top scholar of the Qing dynasty, appeared in sight.

Hearing the conch sound, squatting in the house no longer bears thinking!

This was the rhyme popular years ago, meaning when Four Factory’s "conch" sounds, one must hurry to work and can no longer stay home.

However, "conch" actually refers to a large sea conch, which is how Linghai people call the larger sea conches.

People forcefully blow the sea conch to produce a "woo woo" sound, which can travel far in the empty riverside. The steam whistle of Four Factory, in shape, sound production method, and sound produced, resembles the sea conch, thus Linghai people call it the conch.

Four Factory was once known as Nanjing Road of Binjiang.

The town thrived through the prosperity of the century-old Dasheng Fourth Textile Factory, as the saying goes, a thriving factory makes a flourishing town. Most households in the town had someone working in Binmian Fourth Factory, for a long while the factory wages were considerably higher than those of other entities.

Hence, families of factory workers had significantly better economic conditions than collective unit staff families in the town, much better than neighboring villagers.

It’s said that one year, the factory even recruited several hundred girls from the provincial city.

Every Sunday, the town’s stores, shops, streets, and lanes would see Jiangcheng girls with braids and flower dresses everywhere, bringing a fresh breeze to this century-old town.

At its peak, Four Factory was a well-known large enterprise in the national textile system, often visited by textile factory delegations from all over the country for learning and experience.

Now it’s not as prosperous as before, several segments of the factory protection river have been filled in, but the remaining river is still wide. Large and small concrete ships transporting cotton moor at the factory’s small pier, cotton bales being systematically transferred ashore via the pier’s conveyor belt. ƒreewebɳovel.com

The magnificent Bell Tower is the symbol of Four Factory and an iconic building of Four Factory Town.

It’s said that during passionate times, both factions in the factory fought to occupy the Bell Tower.

Under the Bell Tower lay the solemn factory gate, in front of which stands the Big Stone Bridge, locally called the Great Gate Bridge, sturdy and broad.

At night, the area around the Great Gate Bridge is the brightest place in Four Factory.

Children like to play on the bridge, chasing each other around. Once they cross the bridge, the security guards would come chasing after them, afraid that the children would cause a ruckus at the factory gate.

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