Binjiang Police Affairs

Chapter 1478: Chapter 261: Brotherhood! (Part 2)

Director Xiang came over with the freshly cooked dish.

Han Xiangning quickly stood up, helping to set the plates while continuing, "The leadership of Binjiang Port Group also wants to welcome you. You might not remember Director Gu Pengfei from Binjiang Port No.3 Pier, but Chief Li and Master Dai surely do. Director Gu will come to invite you tomorrow."

"I remember Gu Pengfei well, and very distinctly!" Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang recalled the scenes from the flood resistance, laughing, "He was in charge of maritime rescue, just like Director Wu from your Maritime Bureau, commanding an ’aircraft carrier formation.’ He was later even commended as an Anti-flood Model."

"That’s him, he’s coming to invite you tomorrow."

"Oh, how can I accept that? I’m here leading the training, not for drinking sessions. There’s something going on every day, and it’s making me look like a glutton."

"Commander, you really joke well."

Just as Han Xiangning finished speaking, Li Jun, who was seated with Xiao Yu, Ma Jintao, Zhang Erxiao, and others, came over accompanied by Master Dai and saluted.

"Commander, this is Li Jun, Chief of Staff at Binjiang Border Control Station. During the big flood of ’98, Chief Li and Secretary Han went to Jingjiang for flood resistance. You might remember the party member assault team from the Linghai Reserve Camp. Chief Li was one of the assault team members back then."

"I thought you looked familiar."

Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang stood up, shook Li Jun’s hand warmly, laughing, "Armed Police, the only active Armed Police in Salted Fish Camp. Comrade Li Jun, am I right?"

"You’re spot on, Commander, your memory is incredible." Li Jun said excitedly, "Commander, Secretary Han didn’t invite me tonight; I came shamelessly. Our station chief and political commissioner asked me to see when you’re available, as we’d like to invite you to our border inspection station to guide our work."

Guide what work? Isn’t it just for a meal.

Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang never thought that nearing the end of his service, leading training at Binjiang would make him so popular. He was feeling emotional when Guo Weitao approached and saluted.

"Commander, during the ’98 Jingjiang flood, Binjiang Customs and our Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch also participated. Director Zeng and Director Ma from our branch, along with Political Commissioner Zhou, have asked me to invite you to Customs. They say it’s an order, and if I can’t invite you, I better not return."

"Does that mean I have no choice but to go?"

"Commander, if you don’t honor us with your presence, I can’t go back and explain."

"Alright, alright, I’ll go. There’s food and drink; where else can you find such a good deal, hahaha."

...

Back then in the Jingjiang flood, Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang, Li Shousong, Master Dai truly shared life and death, fighting alongside these old platoon leaders from the Linghai Reserve Camp!

Commander Liu knew well that the enthusiasm wasn’t due to Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang’s high position, because however high it is, it can’t really help anyone; it truly stemmed from camaraderie.

At the same time, he envied Li Shousong and Master Dai, who were able to participate in the flood resistance back then and form a deep friendship with these old platoon leaders from Linghai.

Director Xiang, not wanting to keep everyone waiting, decided not to start the prepared soup yet and quickly joined the table after cooking the dishes.

Toasting each other all around, the atmosphere was lively.

The commander was accompanied by the elders, while Han Xiangning, under the pretext of taking care of the child, ran to sit at Xiao Yu’s table with Little Han Han in her arms.

After toasting Li Shousong and Master Dai with tea substituting for wine, Han Xiangning curiously asked, "Xiao Yu, where are my sister and Liang Xiaojun? Why didn’t they come?"

"They’re at the camp taking care of the sick and injured soldiers."

"Are there training injuries?"

"Not exactly injuries. It’s more like the training load is a bit heavy, so everyone ended up with aching backs and cramped arms, unable to move once lying down."

Even Li Shousong’s arm hurt so much that he struggled to hold his chopsticks and complained, "What do you mean by ’a bit heavy’? It’s really heavy!"

Han Xiangning asked curiously, "How heavy?"

Li Shousong chuckled wryly, "According to the original training plan, today was supposed to be a ten-kilometer armed swim, five kilometers in the morning and five kilometers in the afternoon. But instead, it turned into a seventeen-kilometer stretch without breaks."

"Were the soldiers overexerted?"

"This was an armed swim with heavy gear; anyone would be overexerted." Li Shousong turned around, whispering, "Look at our commander; he’s barely touched his food. It’s not that he doesn’t want to eat; his arms hurt too much to lift them!"

Han Xiangning didn’t expect their training to be so intense and whispered, "Why not take it step by step?"

Xiao Yu replied without hesitation, "We’d love to take it slow, but those new recruits from the Marine Corps joined us. We can’t lose to anyone, especially not them, so we pushed ourselves."

"Did you win?"

"We did. They started off quite cocky, even running ahead and mocking us, but they couldn’t maintain it. We surpassed them after twelve kilometers, and eventually, they all dropped out before us, hahaha."

It was a win, but not an easy one.

Li Shousong sighed, smiling wryly, "The entire Marine Corps dropped out, but weren’t we the same? It’s been just a few days of training, and we already need a rest day tomorrow."

Han Xiangning asked in surprise, "The training volume is too high, and the soldiers can’t get up?"

"Even if the soldiers manage to stand up, we officers can’t. For me, it’s not even that moving hurts—it’s that it hurts even without moving!"

"Xiao Yu, are you hurting?"

"A little."

"Just a little?" Yu Zhen stared at him.

Xiao Yu forced a smile, picking up a large crab, enduring the pain and feigning nonchalance as he said, "Just a little. It was only a seventeen-kilometer swim, no big deal!"

No big deal?

Before, whenever you saw Little Han Han, you’d not only hold them but even lift or toss them into the air until she giggled. Today, not only did you not play with Han Han, you didn’t even hold Little Crocodile. It’s obvious your arms hurt too much to hold anything.

Pride before comfort—exactly what he embodies.

Both exasperated and concerned, Yu Zhen decided to ignore him.

Compared to Xiao Yu and Li Shousong, Guo Weitao was in much better shape. It really was just "a bit of pain." Noticing Li Shousong wanted to eat the crab but struggled because of the pain, he helped to peel it while smiling, "Shousong, eat more; crabs are the fattiest in this season, and cheap too. Usually, you’d never eat this often."

"How cheap?"

"Three or four bucks a pound. Every time they’re in season, my family eats them every day."

Thinking about how they all came from Beihu, where seafood isn’t available, Han Xiangning looked up and said, "President Zhang, you’re in charge of logistics. Get more crabs later so the soldiers can try them. We can’t have them come all the way to Binjiang for training and not treat them."

Before Zhang Erxiao could respond, Li Shousong blurted out, "Forget the crabs. The current meals are quite good, with either chicken legs or ribs every day. If you let them have seafood, how am I supposed to manage them when they return?"

Really a matter of perspective.

Back during the Jingjiang flood relief, his old leader Captain Peng seemed to say the same.

Zhang Erxiao couldn’t help but laugh, "Mayor Han said just to let the soldiers try it. Not to eat it every day, not even every meal."

"Even trying is no good. Eating seafood could cause stomach issues; what if they eat it and get sick?"

"If seafood causes stomach problems, why are you eating it?"

"Fine, let’s arrange one meal, one per person."