Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 442 - 311: Three Kids!

As dusk fell, Han Yu sent off the last ferry between Bailong Port and Niu Peng Port for the day and was about to go to the cafeteria with his schoolmate when Old Wang and his wife arrived with a couple who seemed very honest and straightforward.

Han Yu was so concerned that he invited the four into his office without bothering to eat.

Before Han Yu could ask, Old Wang eagerly introduced the others as the parents of a student who had also run away from home and was likely to have gone to East Guang with Wang Xiaosheng.

"How did you find out?"

"Xiaosheng told a child surnamed Hu that he was going to East Guang to learn mechanics and earn a lot of money. We asked that child yesterday, and he might have been too scared to tell us the truth. This afternoon we asked him again, and upon mentioning the technical school in East Guang, the child didn’t dare hide it anymore and told us everything."

Old Wang had just finished speaking when parent surnamed Li took out an envelope with the technical school’s contact on it and handed it to Han Yu with a distressed look, "Captain Han, my son Junjun showed me his acceptance letter. I’ve been too busy with work to pay attention, but I should have known sooner."

"There’s even an acceptance letter!"

"Yes, it’s inside."

From the return address and the date on the postmark, the letter was sent to Four Factory Middle School half a month ago.

The envelope was official, and the acceptance letter inside looked very formal, even including a brief introduction to the school.

The school boasted solid teaching resources, high-quality education, and promising employment prospects. Over the past few years, it had sent thousands of students to clothing, electronics, and automobile repair enterprises in places like Shenzhen and had been recognized as a national key vocational technical training school by superior management departments.

After scrutinizing the letter, Han Yu asked, "Old Li, when did Junjun disappear?"

"It was also the day before yesterday. I thought he had gone to his uncle’s house until Brother Wang told me that he might have gone to East Guang."

"Did he have any money with him?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Four thousand six hundred." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"How did he have so much money?"

"I’m a tile worker at Four Factory Construction Station. Last year, the construction station didn’t collect payment from the client, and only a bit of living expense was paid in the last month. We received the payment recently. I took it home and haven’t managed to deposit it in the credit union; it was always at home. Before coming here, I checked, and the money was gone."

"Did Junjun leave any letter for you?"

"No."

His family situation was similar to that of Old Wang’s. It appears that keeping money at home isn’t wise, and even if one does, children shouldn’t know where it’s hidden.

Han Yu again looked over the acceptance letter and the school’s brochure, then picked up the phone to contact Four Factory Police Station.

Shi Shengyong was on duty today. After hearing the details over the phone and frowning, he said, "They even sent acceptance letters; does a technical school in East Guang have the authority to recruit students here?"

"I don’t understand much about the education system, and it seems that the technical school falls under the labor system."

"Any recruitment definitely needs to go through the local education department’s admissions office!"

"Director Shi, are you familiar with anyone from the education department?"

A technical school thousands of miles away has lured away two children from Four Factory Middle School, one of whom is from Four Factory Town, and possibly others.

Shi Shengyong didn’t dare to take it lightly and pondered, "I don’t usually interact with them much, but I have a few acquaintances in the department. Also, we have an education assistant here. Let me make a call and ask; you wait for my news."

"Okay, thank you."

Just as Han Yu hung up the phone, Old Ding and Old Zhang walked in carrying a bag.

Old Ding nodded slightly to Han Xiangning, who was sitting aside, then turned and looked at the two sets of parents. He took out Wang Xiaosheng’s photo from the bag and handed it back to Han Yu with a wry smile, "I have inquired just now."

"Uncle Ding, did any driver recognize Xiaosheng?"

"There is a long-distance bus in Yuelai Town that runs especially to East Sea, making two trips a day. This afternoon’s trip starts at 5:30 PM from the front door of Yuelai Town government, goes to Linghai Bus Station, and then to Bailong Port to cross the river to Zhuangming Bus Station, and from Zhuangming it goes to East Sea Long-distance Bus Station. It stays overnight in East Sea and returns the next morning at five."

Having asked Han Xiangning to pull up a chair, Old Ding sat down and added, "Just now, while the bus was waiting at the ferry crossing, I went aboard and asked around. The driver remembered clearly; upon seeing the photo, he recalled that three children boarded their bus at the crossing and went to East Sea."

"Three children?"

"Three, yes. He saw this photo and confirmed one of them was Xiaosheng. The other two children were rather thin, taller than Xiaosheng. One of them wore a white Dique Liang shirt and dark blue pants, with a pair of blue flip-flops."

Old Ding took a cigarette from Wang Xiaosheng’s father and continued, "Another child had a small parted hairstyle, three to seven ratio, with mousse applied. Those three rascals were quite excited, chatting non-stop from the crossing all the way to East Sea."

"The one wearing the Dique Liang shirt must be my Junjun!"

"Director Ding, Salted Fish, the one with mousse and the small part must be from Bailong Port second team. I don’t know his full name, just that he is called Xu Er and often comes to the docks to play with my Xiaosheng!"

"Is that child in the same grade as your Xiao Sheng?"

"The same grade, both graduated this year, but not in the same class."

"Did you go to look for him yesterday?"

"I did. His parents work in East Sea, and he lives with his grandparents here. The old couple is aged and often clueless."

...

It’s fine not to know such matters, but once aware, one must clearly understand them.

Bailong Port Team 2 is not far from the pier; Han Yu decisively called the village officials, summoned Old Wang and the couple Old Li, and drove to the village.

The village officials were very helpful and led everyone to Xu Er’s grandparents.

After grasping the situation, the elderly couple realized that their grandson might have run away from home and hurriedly opened the door for Han Yu to check the grandson’s belongings.

Unexpectedly, Xu Er was more reliable than the other two rascals. He left a letter for his family saying he was going to East Guang to learn skills and make a lot of money; he planned to return after making a decent life, sadly his grandparents are illiterate.

Back at the Police Station, using the contact provided by the elderly, they reached out to Xu Er’s parents working in East Sea.

As expected, learning that their child had run away from home and gone as far as East Guang, Xu Er’s parents were incredibly shocked, insisting they must find him and planned to head directly to East Guang from East Sea.

Old Wang and his wife, along with Old Li and his wife, were also resolute, planning to take a long-distance bus to East Sea early the next morning to meet up with Xu Er’s parents and asked them to help buy train tickets.

The three scoundrels had just run away from home, not kidnapped, thus there wasn’t much Han Yu could do.

After comforting them and reminding them of the considerations for long-distance travel, he quickly returned to the dorm to eat the dinner heated up by Sister Xue.

While eating, the phone rang.

Checking the caller ID, to his surprise, it was an area code from East Guang.

Mobile calls were charged both ways, and the call rates were expensive. Han Yu quickly put down his bowl and went back to use the landline at the Police Station.

After two rings, the call connected.

"Hello, may I ask who is..."

"Director Yu, right? My surname is Wu, Wu Yue Ming. I am originally from Liangzhuang. Secretary Lu called me this afternoon, asking me to inquire about Gaozhou Huayuan Vocational Technical School and to contact you as soon as I had information."

"So, it’s Camp Commander Wu!"

"Deputy, I’m the deputy."

"Then I’ll call you Brother Wu, Brother Wu, sorry to trouble you."

"It’s no trouble at all."

Deputy Battalion Commander Wu was not only unbothered but pleased to help Secretary Lu. Glancing back and speaking in a low voice, he said: "Director Yu, our military base is in Gaozhou, but not in the city center. We don’t usually interact much with local affairs, apart from a few comrades who have locally transferred from the military, I don’t have many acquaintances here, hence the delay in calling you to report."

Han Yu, feeling rather embarrassed, quickly said: "Brother Wu, you must be joking about ’reporting’."

"Right, right, moving onto the main topic."

Deputy Commander Wu looked up at his veteran friend transferred to the city center, clutching the phone with a bit of awkwardness, and said: "Director Yu, although I’ve been stationed in Gaozhou for nearly ten years, and should consider it my home base, making me half a Gaozhou person, I must admit I’m not very familiar with local matters.

If it wasn’t for your request through Secretary Lu, I wouldn’t even know there are so many vocational training schools here. Moreover... many of these vocational technical training schools are not very legitimate and have bad reputations. A friend who transferred here tells me that many out-of-town students are being deceived."

I’ve long suspected that school had issues, but it really does have problems!

Han Yu instinctively asked: "Brother Wu, what about Huayuan?"

"After an afternoon guided by my friend who transferred here, we finally found a few classrooms in an office building; they seemed to be rented, nothing like the campus advertised."

Deputy Commander Wu lit a cigarette and continued: "When we found the classrooms, the students were just coming out from classes. We kept an eye and discreetly followed the students to a village within the city and found that the school has no proper dormitory, but rents residential houses for students."

False advertising, it seems to be a scam school!

Han Yu didn’t know what to say next, but Deputy Commander Wu added: "Judging by accents, most students here are from other places. Although the school provides board and lodging, the living conditions are poor, and the food is worse. We went around inconspicuously and found that the evening meal is very basic, just some winter melon soup."

"Thank you, Brother Wu. The information you’ve gathered is really important and a great help to us."

"Just lifting a finger, no need for thanks,"

Deputy Commander Wu flicked ash from his cigarette, reflecting: "Such schools mislead the youth. We in the military shouldn’t interfere with local issues, but the least we could do is to warn children from our hometowns against being deceived. So, in a moment, I will call Secretary Lu to report.

Moreover, if parents from your side come searching for their children, they can contact me, since I’m more familiar with the area here. I have a comrade who has transferred to the Police Bureau; if the school refuses to release someone or other incidents occur, he could also assist."