Chapter 1400: Chapter 203: Mayor Han’s Lover!
A Vice Mayor has arrived, personally accompanied by the Deputy Director of Jiangnan Maritime Bureau for the inauguration, so the Changzhou Municipal Committee and Government certainly must host a banquet to welcome and honor the new Vice Mayor, inviting leaders from the maritime system like Director Tang.
Just like Han Yu, Han Xiangning doesn’t drink alcohol—she has never drunk it, in fact—and can only express her gratitude with tea instead of wine.
Sister Zhu is a heroic woman, and many male colleagues cannot outdrink her.
While accompanying Han Xiangning, expressing gratitude drink after drink, Han Xiangning’s phone suddenly rings.
"Who is it?"
"Area code from East Sea, probably San’er calling."
"Answer it."
"He doesn’t know I’m here in Changzhou on temporary assignment."
"You didn’t tell him?" Sister Zhu asked in surprise.
In front of so many people, Han Xiangning was too embarrassed to say she wanted to surprise her junior, unsure how to explain, Director Tang lifted his head and smiled, asking, "Xiang Ning, is it Salted Fish?"
"Should be."
"Haven’t seen him for a long time, quick, answer it, I want to chat with him."
Mayor Hou also couldn’t help but ask, "Mayor Xiang Ning, is it your lover calling you to check up?"
"Would he dare check up on me? I almost have to check up on him," Han Xiangning chuckled, pressed the phone’s call button, and seeing Director Tang and Sister Zhu signaling with their eyes, she reluctantly pressed the speakerphone button.
"Ning Ning, Dongdong passed the retest!"
"What retest, what examination?"
"The flying school retest examination."
This was definitely good news.
Han Xiangning paused, then joyfully asked, "Does this mean Dongdong can really become a pilot?"
"It’s not that simple; this is just the retest. After the retest, there’s still selection." Han Yu explained, sitting in the police office at Changhang Hospital and holding the phone: "The prerequisite for selection is that the college entrance exam scores must reach the first-tier cutoff. If the scores aren’t good and don’t reach the cutoff, he’ll only be able to be sent to East Sea Transport University."
If the scores don’t reach the cutoff, he’ll only be sent to East Sea Transport University?
Changzhou Municipal Government currently has only two temporary Vice Mayors, and Deputy Mayor Jiang, already feeling sour these days, is worried about his son’s performance in the college entrance exam. Hearing Han Xiangning and Han Yu’s conversation made him feel even more sour.
It’s important to know that East Sea Transport University is a prestigious university, with admissions so difficult that others can hardly get in; yet it sounded like their relative seemed unwilling to be sent there.
At this moment, Sister Zhu couldn’t help but ask, "Salted Fish, how is Dongdong’s performance now?"
"Director Zhu?"
"Yes, I’m with Ning Ning, and Director Tang is here too."
"Did Director Tang return to Binjiang?"
"Let’s talk about Dongdong’s situation first—can he become a pilot?"
"The current performance is okay; the teacher says as long as he performs normally, reaching the first-tier cutoff shouldn’t be a problem. But exams are unpredictable, and what if he doesn’t perform well, or what if something like today happens with the retest while he’s caught a cold with a fever?"
Dongdong is a child who participated in the ’98 flood relief.
Initially, during Jingjiang flood relief, Dongdong was well cared for, but later, as wave after wave of flood peaks surged, with genuine peril of thrilling waves, everyone resolved to coexist with the embankment, Dongdong included.
It’s said that in the most dangerous moments, Shen Fan, who was said to lead the flood relief without giving much orders, tearily requested Salted Fish through Old Ge to order Dongdong to hurry onto a boat.
But who could pay attention at that moment, and even if they wanted Dongdong to evacuate the breached embankment, it’s uncertain whether they could even find him.
In any case, the Linghai Reserve Camp is not only the reserve camp for Linghai, but also for several law enforcement units on the river. And Dongdong, along with Salted Fish and Han Xiangning when they were teenagers, became one of the children most cared for by the leadership of several law enforcement units on the river.
Dongdong passed the flying school retest, Sister Zhu was genuinely happy, and just as she wanted to inquire whether Dongdong was around Salted Fish to offer congratulations, Han Yu continued: "Even if Dongdong performs well in the college entrance exam and successfully enters the aviation school, he might still be eliminated. After all, not all flight trainees eventually become pilots."
"I have confidence in Dongdong; he persevered bravely during the harsh and dangerous circumstances of the ’98 flood relief, so how could he be eliminated? Oh, please let me say a few words to Dongdong."
"He went back to school—he’s taking the college entrance exam soon and has evening self-study sessions."
"Didn’t you say he was sick?"
"Sick or not, he had to return to school. After finishing the retest examination, he had an injection, took some medicine, and went off to school. He’s more diligent than I imagined, and his workload is much tougher than during my middle school exams. He has evening self-study until midnight each day."
Feeling Han Xiangning pulling at her sleeve, Sister Zhu realized she needed to help Han Xiangning maintain confidentiality and directly switched topics: "Salted Fish, did you meet Director Feng while you were in East Sea this time?"
"Yes, I met him. The first cargo ship for the Reserve Transport Team was supervised throughout the refitting by Director Feng and my brother-in-law, and now it needs inspections, so of course, he must be there. Dongdong attended the flying school retest today, and Director Feng went there as well; we had lunch together."
"Did you ask him when he’d visit Binjiang?"
"With the simultaneous formation of four Reserve Transport Teams, how would he have time to return to Binjiang?"
Director Tang very much wanted to chat with Han Yu, so he leaned over and asked, "Salted Fish, if Dongdong doesn’t perform well and is only sent to East Sea Transport University, what major would he study?"
"It would definitely be a major related to ship navigation; what else could he study besides this?"
Han Yu smiled lightly and added: "But things are different now compared to before—now many colleges are recruiting national defense students. Dongdong has a higher starting point and good overall qualifications, so he certainly can be selected as a national defense student. Going to college won’t require tuition fees, and if lucky, he might even become a team captain or a student council officer."
