Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 4 - I Can Fix Boats

Li Weiguo was mentally prepared and asked Han Yu to wait a moment, then followed Xu Sanye into the office and began explaining the situation.

Seeing that Xu Sanye looked unhappy, he quickly said, "I didn't want to, but the superior insisted I take him back, saying it's a political task."

"You just bring people back because they asked you to?" Xu Sanye asked angrily.

Li Weiguo said helplessly, "These days with the surge in prices, the county is in chaos, the superiors are all stressed out, it's not okay to disobey orders."

Xu Sanye slammed the table and stood up, "They are stressed out, and I'm stressed out too. Sending me a young lad who's barely grown any fuzz, do you think Yanjiang Police Station is a daycare?"

"Keep your voice down, don't let the kid hear this."

"So what if he hears?"

Xu Sanye became even more annoyed and exclaimed with hands on his hips, "I don't care if they want to arrange positions for their contacts, but not here. Old Li, you're the one who brought him back, so please run another trip and send him back!"

"What's the rush, let me finish first."

"Speak."

"This kid is not a connection, he got here on his abilities, ranking sixth in the county on the junior high exams. He may be young, but he has the status of an official, assigned here by the Personnel Bureau."

"You know he's a kid too!"

"I argued with Director Wang based on reason, and Director Wang said he would recruit two contract-based police officers after training and give us two of them."

It would've been better not to mention Director Wang, mentioning him made Xu Sanye even more angry, "You believe Wang Xiazhi when he says he'll give us two contract officers? Despite looking like a responsible person, he hardly holds sway; out of ten things he says, you can barely believe half."

Li Weiguo's expression became serious: "He is a member of the Party Committee and a leader, can't you show some respect for your superior?"

"I respect him, has he ever respected me? If he respected me, he would not be pushing this inexperienced kid onto me. Old Li, I know you can't take losing face, so no hard feelings, I'm sending him back."

"Sanye, this decision was made by Director Yang."

"So what if it was made by Director Yang, when I'm right, I'll stand my ground anywhere. Am I supposed to fear him?"

Li Weiguo grew anxious and pointed at him, "Xu Sanye, haven't you suffered enough losses, can't you learn from past mistakes! It's already been established as a political task, there's no room for bargaining."

"What political task, with so many police stations, why specifically send the person here? It all comes down to them taking advantage of us. Even if other stations have difficulties making room, he could be placed in a security company or labor service company, or even Jindun Hotel!"

"I've already told you this kid holds an official position, it's not appropriate to place him in those locations. Sanye, what we lack the most is manpower, having more hands is always better than fewer. Even if he can't help much, he can still assist with shifts and answering the phone."

"Shifts and answering phones, you make it sound so simple. A child this young, left alone at the station, with vehicles coming and going in front and boats moving behind, would you be at ease?"

These words had some merit, leaving Li Weiguo speechless.

Xu Sanye continued, "Staying is actually not an issue, since the three of us rotate on duty, we won't leave him alone at the station. But the major problem is his meals. We usually bring lunch from home. Where does he live, can he bring his own meals? If not, what will he eat?

Are you not going to work and just stay here to cook for him? Or should I not work and cook for him every day? He can't assist us with important tasks, only adding to the confusion, it's trouble!

Also, when it comes to personnel arrangements, it's one person for each position. Today, Wang Xiazhi could sneak a young lad in, tomorrow he could use the excuse of already having given us a person, and refuse to send us capable officers."

Li Weiguo spoke in a low voice, "Director Wang promised me."

"What good is his promise, besides it's still uncertain whether the department will recruit contract-based police officers, you believe in something that's not even set in stone."

Xu Sanye grew increasingly angry and spoke vehemently, "I've put up with being this nominal station chief. Now facing this, I can't tolerate it any longer! I'm not afraid to take this to Director Yang, I want to see if they have the ability to dismiss me."

...

Xu Sanye's voice was loud, making it impossible for Han Yu not to hear.

It seems that it wasn't an illusion at the police bureau at noon, this Xu Sanye is just as assertive as assumed and indeed plans to send me back.

Being sent back would be terrible; I can't just sit back and wait for doom.

Han Yu's heart raced nervously, mustering the courage, he stepped out of the office and facing the furious Xu Sanye approaching, said, "Director Xu, I've grown hair."

"So you've grown hair, huh? Come on then, take off your pants and let me see." Xu Sanye paused a moment, his anger turning into a laugh.

Han Yu looked up and defiantly said, "I can take them off when I bathe, asking me to do it now is an insult to my dignity!"

"How old are you to talk about dignity? Come on, I'll take you on my motorcycle."

"I won't go. If I do, you will send me back to the station."

Xu Sanye didn't expect this kid to be so fearless and decided to start with a gentle approach, asking in as soft a tone as he could manage, "Salted Fish, huh? How did your father come up with that name?"

Binjiang is a strange place, with almost a different accent every few dozen kilometers, people from one county can't understand the dialect of another, it's like being in a different province.

Specifically in Linghai, there are two dialects, but whether it's the Qiling dialect spoken by northerners or the Shadi dialect similar to the East Sea Language spoken by southerners, "咸" is pronounced as "han" with the second tone.

Like '咸淡,' which is 'Han dan.'

Again, like Han Yu, it sounds the same as Salted Fish.

Because of this, he was often laughed at by classmates as a child.

The natural nickname "Salted Fish" had followed him from elementary school to technical secondary school, and unexpectedly, it stuck even when he started working.

Han Yu was filled with frustration and said awkwardly, "I was born on a boat. When my mother was giving birth to me, the boat was just loading cargo in Mountain City. Mountain City is briefly called Yu, so my father named me Han Yu."

"Han Yu, Salted Fish, it's all the same. Salted Fish, I mean this for your own good. We are from Yanjiang Police Station, and it's dangerous to run around the riverbank every day. What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to explain to your parents?"

"Director Xu, I have probably spent more time living on the river than you and the instructor combined. Running along the river bank is dangerous for others, but not so much for me."

Xu Sanye found this kid interesting and asked with a smile, "Can you swim?"

"Definitely better than you, don't believe it? Let's go down to the river and see."

"Can you dive?"

"One dive for fifty meters, if I come up for air midway, I lose."

Not many dare to challenge Xu Sanye. Li Weiguo did not expect this seemingly quiet kid to be so bold and couldn't help but laugh, "Director Xu, his family has generations working on boats. If it's about swimming or diving, you probably really can't beat him."

Xu Sanye, regardless, came over and put his arm around Han Yu's shoulder, coaxing him like a child, "Salted Fish, the conditions here are too harsh. Listen to me and come to the bureau with me. I'll talk to the bureau leaders and make sure to find you a good position."

"I like it here, I'm not going anywhere."

"Why won't you listen, kid? This is a unit for real action, a place for doing actual work. What's the use of just being able to swim? We're not a swimming team!"

Seeing this little Salted Fish clutching the steel bars of the sealed window, refusing to leave, Xu Sanye's face immediately turned stern.

Han Yu, driven to defiance, retorted sharply, "I was assigned here by the bureau, by what right do you ask me to leave? The police station belongs to the Police Bureau, not your personal property. I definitely won't take your salary!"

"I'm the Director, and my word is final."

Resorting to force might break his hand, Xu Sanye took out handcuffs, held them up to Han Yu's face to frighten him, "You don't even recognize this place. Behave, or I'll handcuff you!"

Han Yu didn't believe he would dare to do it and shouted, "You dare to handcuff me, I'll sue you!"

"People who want to sue me are many, those who think about suing me are even more. You, little Salted Fish, are not significant enough." Xu Sanye grabbed Han Yu's arm and clicked the handcuffs on.

This was just bullying a child; it would be laughable if word got out.

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Li Weiguo hurriedly pulled him back, "Director Xu, what are you doing!"

"Back off."

Xu Sanye pushed away Li Weiguo and, glaring, said: "This is what happens when you don't toast, you take a forfeit. Are you complying now? Go back and ask your parents what I, Xu San, do."

I've seen unreasonable people, but never one as unreasonable as him.

Han Yu, defiantly and with a hint of sarcasm, said, "No need to ask, I know what you do—a Yanjiang Police Station Chief without even a law enforcement vessel."

"You dare to talk back!"

"This isn't talking back; I'm stating a fact."

"Alright, you're right, I, Xu Sanye lack ambitions, being a Yanjiang Police Station Chief without even a law enforcement ship, staying here has no future for you. Come on, I'll help you find something better."

Han Yu wouldn't miss this chance and said very seriously and sincerely, "I can pilot a boat; I have a license!"

Xu Sanye hadn't expected the little Salted Fish to say this, quickly replied: "We don't have a boat here, your license is useless."

"There's a tugboat by the river."

"It's broken."

"I can fix it."

"You can fix boats?" Xu Sanye asked instinctively.

Knowing this was his only chance, Han Yu stated matter-of-factly, "The tugboat by the river was originally purchased by the state-owned Brick and Tile Factory II to tow barges to the East Sea for transporting bricks and tiles. After two years, they realized running their own shipping wasn't cost-effective. Coincidentally, they owed debts to our shipping company who then took the boat in lieu of payment."

Xu Sanye genuinely didn't know this and asked quietly, "What happened after that?"

"The shipping company used it for over a decade until the company was restructured. Each family contracted one or two small boats—nobody contracted a whole fleet—so the tugboat was left unused, always parked at the small dock of the Phosphate Fertilizer Factory. As to how it became property of the Police Bureau, I don't know that."

"Knowing that doesn't help. Come on, I'll buy you an ice-cream popsicle."

"I don't eat popsicles; I'm not a little kid."

"You are a kid, not to scare you, but I'm someone who might hit you if you don't listen."

Han Yu certainly didn't want to be escorted back to the police by him, nervously adding, "This tugboat was built by the East Sea Port in nineteen sixty-seven, its main engines are two 6135s from East Sea Diesel Engine Factory.

6135 is China's first self-designed medium-power high-speed Diesel Engine, I don't know how many have been produced. They're still being manufactured; the parts aren't hard to buy, I really can fix it!"