Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 1132 - 22: Looks So Familiar! (Part 2)

The hotel we stayed in last night, we can't stay again tonight.

The dormitory is empty, with just a few sets of bedding that Yu Zhen brought along.

The young couple had lunch at Master Han's house, then went with him to the furniture market to buy a truckload of furniture. They had the staff help them move and set it up in the dormitory, then went out again to buy a pile of pots, bowls, spoons, and daily necessities.

They cleaned, continued setting things up, and were busy until 4:30 in the afternoon. The new home finally started to take shape. Just as they were thinking of buying some groceries to cook dinner in the new home, Master Han rode over on his bicycle again.

"Start cooking tomorrow, come to my house for dinner tonight."

"Uncle Han, we just went over at noon, we won't go again tonight."

"San'er is back, and Ningning will be back after work. You haven't seen San'er since you've returned."

"Salted Fish is back!"

"Yes, at first I didn't know what his mission was. It was only when Ningning called just now that I found out he went on a trip to sea and returned on a high-speed ferry from Wusong Pier. He should be home by now."

"He went to sea?"

"Cracking down on smuggling, it seems they came up empty-handed, didn't catch the smuggling ship."

Xu Haoran only learned last night that Salted Fish would also be transferred to Customs. He was eager to meet Salted Fish to discuss future work matters. Besides, since Master Han personally came by bike to invite them, they simply locked the door and went with him to the Meteorological Bureau residential area.

When they arrived at Master Han's house, it was indeed true that Salted Fish was back. He was in the living room acting as a horse for little Han Han to ride on, and little Han Han was gleefully riding on his back.

Xiang Fan was in the kitchen busy and complaining: "San'er, don't spoil Han Han like this, you'll spoil her rotten."

"Okay, no more riding, Han Han be good."

"Hello, Uncle! Hello, Auntie!"

When Han Han saw Xu Haoran and Lin Xiaoqin entering, she obediently greeted them.

Han Yu hurriedly got up: "Brother Haoran, sister-in-law, sorry for not giving you a proper welcome last night due to an urgent task."

"No worries, we're not outsiders."

"Please sit down, take a seat, I'll just wash my hands."

Ever since becoming a special professor at the National Meteorological College, Master Han's status at home significantly improved, and he no longer had to help cook meals.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lin Xiaoqin quickly went to the kitchen to assist Director Xiang.

Han Yu finished washing his hands and sat at the coffee table to chat with Xu Haoran.

"You want to start work tomorrow?"

"It's uncomfortable to stay idle. Besides, I'm not very familiar with Binjiang, and I don't even know many people here."

"What about your wife if you start working?"

"She'll also start, first get familiar with the school environment and she'll follow the school management's advice on whether to teach or not."

Others might visit relatives and friends when they return to their hometowns, but they don't have many relatives, and they're all in Linghai. The couple would rather visit their unit and start working than linger idly in Binjiang without anything to do.

Han Yu nodded, smiling and holding his daughter: "Okay, let me call Uncle Zeng later to report this. Tomorrow morning, join me at Sanhe for anti-smuggling. We're severely understaffed there."

"Is it really that busy, really understaffed?"

"Why would I lie? Many ocean-going vessels' captains know we're conducting inspections. They're worried about not having an anchorage point and are queuing to anchor, drifting on the sea without daring to enter the Yangtze River."

"During dinner last night, Chief Liu mentioned that smuggling isn't so much of an issue here in Binjiang, so why are you so busy?" Xu Haoran was bewildered.

Han Yu released his daughter and explained with a smile: "After the flood relief at Beihu, we had to wait for the water level to drop to return, leading many in our hometown to believe that large ships can't reach the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River mainly because the Jiangcheng Yangtze River Bridge and Hanwu Yangtze River Bridge aren't high enough.

Indeed, that is a factor but doesn't greatly affect navigation for ten-thousand-ton freighters. What truly affects is the waterway.

Let me put it this way, from Wusong Port to our Binjiang, the waterway is 12.5 meters deep, allowing ships with a draught of about 11 meters to pass in all weather conditions.

When measured by bulk carriers, it's generally between forty to fifty thousand tons. With an additional 2.5 meters tide height, it can accommodate bulk carriers ranging from eighty to one hundred thousand tons, larger ocean-going vessels must adjust loading to enter and exit from the Yangtze River estuary.

Xu Haoran realized: "So big vessels can only reach Binjiang?"

Han Yu smiled and nodded: "That's why many freighters have to transship cargo to river ships at Binjiang Port or opposite at Shuzhou Port and Zhangjia Port for upward transport, meaning many import and export goods must clear customs here. You can imagine the checkpoint pressure."

Thinking about it, Xu Haoran asked again: "Is the upstream waterway very shallow?"

"The section from Binjiang to Jiangcheng is less than 11 meters deep, while it's even shallower upstream from Jiangcheng, with some parts under 6 meters."

"But I've heard that many river ships are also quite large."

"The ship designs differ, river ships are flat-bottomed and relatively wide, allowing for shallower draught. In recent years, many shipyards have been building or retrofitting river-sea direct ships considering the waterway depth."

"I see now, Binjiang is a transshipment hub and distribution center for river-sea freight."

"That's why Binjiang Port is the largest port on the Yangtze River."

"Salted Fish, I don't know anything about anti-smuggling, you've got to teach me."

"I don't know much either, I just steer the ship, and my future task is to transport customs officers to the ships for inspection and ensure their safety during the mission."

Understanding the business, it's challenging to achieve success at a new unit without it.

Filled with anticipation, Xu Haoran said: "Salted Fish, perhaps discuss with Director Zeng, let me join you. I can't steer a ship yet, but I can learn. Ming Yuan didn't know how to steer a ship either, nor did he ever really sail on an ocean-going vessel, yet he obtained a seaman certificate."

"He got a new, unopened certificate."

"I don't care what kind of certificate it is, if he can get it, I can get it too."

"Going onboard is tough; extremely hot in summer, bone-chilling in winter, following me on the boat is really not as good as learning anti-smuggling from our senior brother. He does challenging work, and it brings more sense of achievement compared to mine."

"I'm not good at anything else, but I can endure hardships!"

Work on ships tends to be monotonous, making it easier for crew members to get along.

Master Han thought Xu Haoran going on a boat was more fitting than following Xu Mingyuan into anti-smuggling since Xu Haoran had been in the military with limited social experience, and he joked: "San'er, just let Haoran join you aboard the ship."

Xu Haoran was full of anticipation, and with his father-in-law also suggesting it, Han Yu could only agree: "Alright, we happen to need an additional machine gun operator in our crew. Brother Haoran, this should be easy for you."

"There's a machine gun?"

"Not now, but we'll have one once we receive the anti-smuggling boat. Then, we'll head out to sea for target practice, and you can show us how it's done."

"I know how to shoot on land, but I've never shot at sea, in fact, I've never really gone out to sea."

"No worries, there will be plenty of chances to go out in the future. Just hope you don't get seasick."

"I have good physical fitness, shouldn't get seasick anyway, plus my dad took me on the 001 back when he was around."

"The mild waves on the Yangtze River are nothing compared to those on the sea. Brother Haoran, be mentally prepared for possible seasickness."

...

PS: Not feeling well, with a severe headache, only two chapters today. Will resume three updates once I recover.