Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 877 - 596: Kindred Spirits in Misfortune

11:56 AM, Room 208, Linghai Hotel.

President Hao Qiusheng, Vice President He Chun, and Chief Engineer Sun Youyi of the Road and Bridge Company are hosting clients from Dongqi.

The large round table is filled with fine wine and delicacies, and the executives are chatting and laughing merrily.

After finishing the first round of drinks, Hao Qiusheng returns to his seat, busy inviting the clients to eat, when his phone suddenly rings.

"President Wang, Master Liu, excuse me, I need to take this call."

"Work comes first, go ahead and take it."

"Hello, who is this? Oh, it’s the Chief of Staff. Really? That’s great! Yes! I will notify everyone immediately. Please rest assured, Chief of Staff, I guarantee everyone will be informed! Once the order comes, I promise that personnel and equipment will be assembled within the specified time!"

The Road and Bridge Company doesn’t only handle road and bridge projects; they also do earthworks.

President Wang is the head of a construction company in Dongqi, and has been contracting earthworks to the Road and Bridge Company for five or six years.

President Wang only knows that Hao Qiusheng served in the military before, unaware of other details, and asks in surprise, "President Hao, weren’t you discharged a long time ago?"

"I transferred to civilian duties long ago, but I’m also a reserve officer, serving as the Deputy Battalion Commander of our Linghai Reserve Camp."

What Chief of Staff Cui said over the phone was so shocking that Hao Qiusheng was filled with passion and excitement as he said, "Everyone, forgive me, our battalion may soon be going to Beihu for flood relief. As the Deputy Battalion Commander and the Company Commander of the main force, I definitely have to go and urgently prepare for deployment. I can’t accompany you today. After the flood relief, I will host a gathering to apologize to everyone."

The young and pretty secretary brought by President Wang exclaimed, "President Hao, you’re going to Beihu for flood relief!"

"It’s not confirmed yet whether we’ll go, when we’ll go, that’s up to the superior’s order, but now we need to hurry up and prepare for departure."

Hao Qiusheng couldn’t afford to explain further and turned around saying, "President He, please take care of President Wang, Master Liu, and Secretary Yang. I’m leaving the company to you."

"Alright, alright, military orders are like mountains, you hurry and prepare."

"Master Sun, after being nurtured for a thousand days, it’s finally time for action."

"Understood."

"President Hao, let me see you off."

"No need, President Wang, once Master Sun and I return, we will meet again."

As President He said, military orders are as firm as a mountain, and Hao Qiusheng didn’t dare delay for a moment. He downed his glass of wine, placed the glass down, cupped his hands towards everyone, and, along with Master Sun, turned and swiftly left the room without looking back.

Meanwhile, Director Lv from the Party Administration Office of Binjiang Medical College Affiliated Hospital was anxiously waiting outside the operating room.

Director Wu from the Thoracic Surgery Department arrived upon hearing the news, frowning slightly as he asked, "Director Lv, Xiao Liang is on the operating table. What’s so urgent? Can’t it wait until he’s done with the surgery?"

"It’s extremely urgent."

Director Lv glanced at his phone to check the time and explained, "Just ten minutes ago, the City Government Office and the Binjiang Reserve Group called, informing him to prepare for flood relief at Beihu!"

Director Wu suddenly remembered that his subordinate, who was also a student, was indeed in the reserves and questioned, "Shouldn’t regular troops handle flood relief? Xiao Liang is a reserve officer, similar to civilian soldiers, and not a formal officer. How did he get assigned to the flood relief front line?"

"Reserve forces are an important part of the liberation army. Reserve officers are formal officers, only categorized into active and reserve."

"Does he have to go?"

"Both the city and the reserve forces have notified him; refusal would mean defying military orders! Besides, his participation in the Beihu flood relief is a matter of pride for our affiliated hospital!"

"Alright, wait a moment, I’ll replace him."

...

The City Committee summoned key officials from each district and county for a meeting. The City Committee Office only handles meals for the leaders and does not manage the meals for the secretaries and drivers of the district and county leaders.

Chen Jian, who had brought Secretary Ye to the meeting at the Binjiang Municipal Committee, had just entered a small restaurant not far from the City Committee with Secretary Liu, and was about to find a table and order when Secretary Ye called.

"Secretary Ye, is the meeting over? I’ll go pick you up with Director Liu!"

"The meeting isn’t over, and I don’t need you to pick me up. Xiao Chen, your camp is likely to go to Beihu for flood relief. You’re not just my driver but also a city government employee, and at this critical moment, you should take the lead. Quickly head back to prepare, and report back to the City Committee Office and await further instructions."

"Secretary Ye, if I take the car, how will you get back after the meeting?"

"Are you worried that I won’t be able to return?"

"Alright, I’ll head back then."

"Be careful on the road, and I’ll see you off when you depart."

"Thank you, Secretary Ye."

...

Zhang Jiang Kun received the notification as well.

As the squad leader of the mechanical repair team, he not only had to make preparations himself but also notify his subordinates to quickly get ready.

Unlike the reserve officers from various townships and streets in Linghai, the pre-compiled soldiers of the mechanical repair team mostly came from large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises such as the Port Authority and Cosco Shipyard and could be notified by phone.

This was different from the "scattergunners" of the auxiliary construction team, who required the reserve officers from various townships and streets to find people by any means possible.

He called each one and confirmed that his subordinates had all received notifications from the Armed Forces Department or the Party Office of their respective units. After briefing Chen Xue, the wife of Zhang Ping, the deputy instructor of the Linghai Police Station at the Bailong Port branch of the Changhang Bureau, who was a deputy manager at Bailong Port Passenger Station, he returned to the dormitory and told Han Ning, who was cooking, that he might have to go to Beihu for flood relief.

"The news says the flood over there is quite severe, and many places are already submerged. Be careful!"

"I will be careful. Besides, our flood relief is different from others’, we have so many boats and assault boats, we won’t get submerged."

"That’s true."

If they really had to go, he would definitely go with San’er and Xiao Yu, so there was nothing much to worry about.

Han Ning suddenly thought of their son and put down the spatula, saying, "Where’s Dongdong? Dongdong is in Sanhe with Xiao Yu repairing the road. If he finds out, he’d definitely think it’s fun and interesting and might want to go with you!"

Zhang Jiangkun said without hesitation, "If he wants to go, bring him along. The economic development in Beihu isn’t as good as ours. Let him see for himself, he’ll understand not to take good fortune for granted."

"This is flood relief, not a tour!"

"Are you worried about the danger?"

"He’s still a child."

"When I was his age, I was already helping my father steer the boat; you were also helping your parents row the boat. Besides, with me and San’er around, what are you worried about?"

The son was Han Ning’s precious one. Letting him go for flood relief, how could Han Ning bear it?

But thinking about how their son hadn’t faced hardship since childhood and wasn’t aware of life’s difficulties, she thought her partner made a valid point. She could only say with a strained expression, "If he doesn’t want to go, don’t persuade him; if he truly wants to go, then take him."

"He surely wants to go. Even if we prohibit him, it won’t work. If you don’t believe me, we can bet on it."

Zhang Jiangkun knew his son too well. The boy was playful since childhood, and the same remained true now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have persevered with the arduous road repair work till today, simply because participating allowed him to wear a military uniform and be alongside real liberation army members every day.

...

Han Yu wasn’t aware of this, and hurriedly rushed back to Sanhe, only to see the police and auxiliary police from the Water Police Third Team and the Linghai Water Police Patrol Team at the Changhang Bureau moving en masse.

The Water Police Third Team was moving to the second floor of the Lingda Ferry Company—the same floor that the Port Supervision Department previously borrowed. Downstairs was the Wharf Police Office and Security Checkpoint of the Development Zone Branch of Linghai Police Bureau.

The Water Police Patrol Team and the Port Supervision Department both belonged to the Changhang System, so naturally, they needed to move to the office building of the Linghai Port Supervision Office.

Two section chiefs from the group were assisting Yang Jianbo and Zhao Jiang in using the fixed-line phones at the camp and the Sanhe Heroes’ Cemetery Management Office to notify reserve officers above platoon level.

The notification work couldn’t be managed with just those two fixed-line phones, so several staff members and officers, armed with the list and phone numbers provided by Yang Jianbo, were borrowing phones from the Port Supervision Department’s office building to make calls.

Liu Degui and Old Ding were busy inventorying supplies in two large warehouses.

Wu Hai Li, the deputy director of the Linghai Port Supervision Office, was responsible for contacting personnel related to the support fleet.

Wu Heng, the young master from the Linghai Shipbuilding Factory who participated in the road repairs this morning, had already returned. Captain Wu said that once he packed his things, he would find a ship to tow the cooking ship over.

Zhang Erxiao was overjoyed—even though they were just preparing for deployment without any deployment orders, he had gathered more than half of his cooking team in the canteen, sorting out pots, pans, ladles, and seasonings, ready to load onto the ship at a moment’s notice.

He himself was seated in a dormitory, busy organizing a list of grain and oil to purchase.

Everyone was busy, the air filled with the tense atmosphere before deployment.

When Chief of Staff Cui saw Han Yu return, he eagerly came forward to ask, "Secretary Han, can I borrow your cellphone, please?"

"Why not? Make your call."

"I never realized how inconvenient it is without a cellphone until now. If I could afford not only to buy but to use one, I would have bought one long ago." Chief of Staff Cui embarrassedly chuckled, took the phone, and quickly called his wife’s workplace.

Everyone was busy, and Han Yu, not knowing what to do for the moment, simply stood on the side waiting.

Chief of Staff Cui quickly connected his call and urgently spoke into the phone, "Liling, it’s me. Our superiors might deploy us to Beihu for flood relief, and I’m stuck in Linghai unable to return. Quickly head home and pack my luggage. Don’t bring too much, just pack a few extra pairs of underwear and bring along the camouflage uniform.

Once packed, take it to our unit, and a colleague will deliver it for me. By the way, do you have any money on you? Head to the bank and withdraw some money, about three hundred. We might need to go to Beihu; we can’t leave without some money! How could I spend money recklessly, hurry up."

So Chief of Staff himself didn’t have much money on him!

Turns out it’s not just me carrying little cash!

Meeting someone like-minded, Han Yu watched as Chief of Staff Cui looked embarrassed, took back the phone, and smiled, saying, "Chief of Staff, if you hadn’t applied to your wife for funds, I wouldn’t have remembered. I don’t have much money on me either, and I need to ask my wife for some too."

Chief of Staff Cui, less embarrassed now, smiled and asked, "Secretary Han, does your wife manage your finances too?"

"Yes, ever since we started dating, she’s been in charge. I have to hand over my salary every month. Not just the money, but also the payslip!"

"Seems like Chief Han is managed more strictly than I am, my wife only asks for money without auditing or checking."