Chapter 1404: Chapter 206: Putting Yourself in Others’ Shoes
His subordinates were all taking rotating combat tours in the South Sea, and good news kept coming back.
As the person in charge of the Water Anti-Smuggling Department, Han Yu had to clear away worries at home for the subordinates fighting smuggling far away in the South Sea, and let his colleagues’ families feel the warmth of the organization.
On the first day back at work after completing the mission assigned by the Military Region, Han Yu was preparing both military training and political study for the Rescue Boat Team while calling his colleagues’ families one by one.
Most of them were New Binjiang people; first he’d ask whether they were used to working and living in Binjiang, then ask whether they had encountered any difficulties in work or life. Finally he’d ask whether they had any plans for next weekend, and whether they were willing to take part in the trip organized by the bureau.
This was a benefit from the Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch: they planned to take the bureau’s police and staff to Guzhou to play for two days in two batches. The personnel of the Water Anti-Smuggling Department were all doing rotating tours in the South Sea and definitely couldn’t go, so they might as well give this opportunity to their families.
Just as he was happily busy with it, Political Commissioner Zhou arrived at Lang Mountain with a police officer around thirty-eight or thirty-nine.
Han Yu suddenly recalled what Xu Haoran had said about the provincial bureau assigning a new person, and hurriedly invited the old leader and the new colleague to sit.
"Salted Fish, this is Comrade Yang Haiguang, just transferred from Jiangcheng. Comrade Haiguang is one of the military transfer officials. Before transferring, he served sixteen years in the Border Police Coast Guard, successively as squad leader, Deputy Captain, Big Commander, and Deputy Division Commander, and he has been awarded one First-level Merit, one Second-class Merit, and four third-level merits."
Zhou Huixin smiled and went on, "After study by the bureau party group, Comrade Haiguang is appointed Deputy Director of the Water Anti-Smuggling Department. Strictly speaking, we should convene the comrades for a meeting to officially announce and formally introduce him. But the comrades are all on rotating tours in the South Sea, so we can only keep it simple."
So the new colleague had been in the Coast Guard before his transfer.
The Coast Guard had cracked down on smuggling before, and was still cracking down on smuggling now. His transfer into the smuggling crime investigation system was a perfect match, and Han Yu quickly expressed his welcome.
Yang Haiguang had been formally transferred to Binjiang for half a month and had been helping out in the office. He had heard more than once about the "Binjiang Water Army Commander," and did not dare to underestimate this young immediate superior of his. He stood up and raised his hand in salute.
Han Yu quickly stood up to return the salute, then gripped his new colleague’s hand tightly and asked, "Director Yang, where were you in the Coast Guard before your transfer?"
"Yungang."
"Yungang!"
"Mm, I worked in Yungang for eleven years."
Thinking that the Political Commissioner had just introduced him as having served sixteen years in the troops, Yang Haiguang added with a smile, "I enlisted after junior high, served two years as a conscript. Then I sat for the exams and went to Ningbo Sea Police School for three years. After graduating from the secondary technical program, I was assigned to the Yungang Coast Guard Brigade, later transferred to the Main Corps for half a year, then sent to Dacang for a year."
No wonder he could work his way up from warrior to Deputy Division Commander; turned out he was a Coast Guard school graduate.
The Border Guard Main Corps of Jiangnan Province had only one Coast Guard Brigade, and the brigade headquarters was right across the river. Han Yu asked with a smile, "Director Yang, are you familiar with Chief Pei?"
"Yes. Chief Pei was my leader, and when I worked under him, he mentioned you more than once."
"Is that so? How is Chief Pei doing now?"
"He’s doing well, he’s still the Branch Captain."
"You’re his comrade-in-arms. You transfer into our branch and he doesn’t even give me a call. I’ll have to ask him what’s going on when I see him—he’s really not caring enough about his old comrade!"
"Director Han, you can’t blame Chief Pei. At first I transferred to the provincial bureau; it was only recently that I was reassigned to Binjiang. Chief Pei doesn’t know I’ve come to Binjiang. I haven’t dared to call him these past few days, for fear he’d call me over across the river for a drink."
Old Pei was very good at drinking.
That said, among those who’d been soldiers, how many weren’t good at drinking.
In the Armed Police Force, a brigade was at the regiment level.
A Deputy Division Commander was a deputy-regimental-level officer; when a deputy-regimental-level officer transferred into the Smuggling Crime Investigation Bureau, he could only serve as a Deputy Director.
Of course, Yang Haiguang wouldn’t be Deputy Director for long.
Once he himself, the Director, was transferred back to the Changhang Bureau, Yang would be able to take over as full Director.
But a deputy-regimental-level officer transferring into the Smuggling Crime Investigation Bureau could at most be given an actual Director-level post. Han Yu still felt Old Yang was being wronged.
As he was silently sighing over it, Zhou Huixin looked up and said, "Salted Fish, Comrade Haiguang wants to get into the role as soon as possible—in other words, he wants to go down to the South Sea and fight side by side with the comrades of the department on 825 boat. Ma Guan and I also think it’s very necessary. What do you think?"
There weren’t many comrades who took the initiative to ask for business trips, especially someone transferred from the provincial capital.
Han Yu could sense that Yang Haiguang was someone who wanted to do things, and he agreed at once: "I think there’s no problem. If he’s going, he should go soon—825 boat has already been out for more than four months; who knows when the Superior will tell Jiang Shengqi and the others to sail back."
Having served on boats all those years, Yang Haiguang was eager to see 825 as soon as possible, and couldn’t help asking, "Then I’ll set off tomorrow?"
"Sure!"
"Haiguang, if you’re setting off tomorrow, you’d better hurry and get ready today. I’ll have Xiao Wang drive you back first."
"Political Commissioner, I’ll be going then. How are you getting back later?"
"This is Salted Fish’s turf. The Armed Police Force has vehicles, the Binjiang Reserve Regiment at the foot of the mountain has vehicles. As long as Salted Fish is here, and you’re still worried I can’t get back?"
"That’s true. Director Han, I’ll get going then."
"Safe trip."
The new colleague who could take over his position at any time was in a hurry to head down to the South Sea to rendezvous with 825; there was no need to ask to know this was at the bureau leadership’s behest. After all, as the future Water Anti-Smuggling Director, he couldn’t be someone who didn’t know the troops—he had to seize the time to get familiar with his subordinates and their equipment.
After seeing the new colleague off, Han Yu turned back and asked with a smile, "Political Commissioner, are you hoping I’ll show you around Lang Mountain, or do you have something else?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to chat with you."
"Talk about what?"
"Come on, the environment up in the hills is nice. Let’s walk and talk."
Han Yu realized the old leader had something to say. He said a word to Armed Police squad leader Wang Xiaoshan, then accompanied the old leader, strolling along under the trees.
Looking at the mountainsides covered in green and then at the small buildings not far away, Zhou Huixin sighed, "The air in the mountains is really good. It’s a pity I don’t have the time, otherwise I’d really like to come and stay a few days."
"Old Leader, what is it you actually want to say?"
"I heard a certain someone can’t quite get over his wife taking a post as a city leader. What era do you think this is? Women comrades can hold up half the sky. If my wife had that kind of ability, I’d be grinning in my sleep. I’d go all out to support her work, and I’d never make the mistake of being a male chauvinist and dragging her down."
"Political Commissioner, are you criticizing me?"
"So what if I am? You’re a tiger, your backside can’t be touched?"
"I haven’t dragged Ningning down. I really support her work. It’s just... it’s just..."
Zhou Huixin stopped walking, looked at him with a smile and asked, "It’s just what?"
Han Yu hesitated, then said helplessly, "It’s just that I can’t even see her in person, and it’s hard to get her on the phone. I don’t even know how to support her."
"You’ve got feelings about it, you’ve got opinions!"
"No."
"And you still say no? We’ve known each other how many years, you think I can’t tell when you’re being honest?" Zhou Huixin shot back, then coaxed him along: "I know Xiang Ning went to Changzhou on secondment without discussing it with you first. You probably weren’t too happy about that. After all, you’re a married couple; something that big should be talked over."
"No need to discuss it. She runs our home; she makes the decisions on everything. I’m used to it."
"You’re still holding a grudge."
"No."
"Don’t be so stubborn with me!" Zhou Huixin snorted, then explained, "At first I also thought Xiang Ning didn’t handle this properly, but then I ran into Director Zhu and found out it was all a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Han Yu was half convinced, half doubtful.
"At the beginning, the Superior only arranged for her to go to Binjiang on secondment. The Maritime System considered that the work of the Changzhou Maritime Office couldn’t be affected. Secretary Lu and Mayor Wang and the other leaders considered that the construction of the Yangtze River Bridge definitely couldn’t be affected either, so with the consent of the Provincial Party Organization Department they had Xiang Ning go to Changzhou on secondment."
Zhou Huixin patted his arm and said with a smile, "You’ve seen a seconded vice mayor before, and even worked with one. For example, that woman vice mayor who went to Linghai on secondment back then, she even represented the Linghai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government on a trip to East Guang. In short, under normal circumstances they generally don’t assign specific work to a cadre on secondment. Xiang Ning’s situation is even more special, since she has to juggle the Maritime Department, so at the beginning everyone just assumed it was in name only."
"So what?"
"You really don’t get it? Whatever she did before, she’d still be doing afterwards. Before, she went to Changzhou every day; afterwards, she’d still go to Changzhou every day. Her work and life wouldn’t change much because of it. It would just sound nicer, because she’d ’become’ a vice mayor."
Afraid his old subordinate still couldn’t turn the corner, Zhou Huixin paused and patiently explained again, "Since neither her work nor her life would really change, it doesn’t count as such a big deal. Compared with making a fuss and discussing it with you, better to give you a surprise. After all, a vice mayor on secondment is still a vice mayor; at least it sounds good when you say it out loud."
Thinking about it, if it was just a vice mayor in charge of nothing concrete, it really was no different from before.
Han Yu caught on and couldn’t help asking, "Then how did she end up entering the Standing Committee?"
"That was at the request of Secretary Lu and Mayor Wang. Their main consideration was the Yangtze River Bridge project. After all, the bridge is to be built in Changzhou. Every time higher-level leaders and experts come down to conduct research, Xiang Ning has to accompany them and even report to them. To show how much the local Party committee and government value the bridge project, they brought Xiang Ning into the Changzhou City Committee Standing Committee so that when she reports on the work, her words carry more weight."
"So it’s just about the bridge construction, and she doesn’t need to handle other affairs?"
"That’s how Secretary Lu and the others were thinking at first. But the two city leaders in Changzhou were just itching to develop the economy and didn’t want to miss this opportunity. So they pushed more responsibility onto Xiang Ning, letting her concurrently serve as Party Secretary of the Yangtze River Bridge Industrial Park, carving out a big patch of territory for her and letting her govern one side on her own."
"The Changzhou city leaders really think highly of Ningning."
"They don’t just think highly of Xiang Ning; they also think highly of you—and of your Salted Fish network."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"They say in a marriage the husband sings and the wife follows. Now that Xiang Ning has been entrusted with a heavy responsibility, shouldn’t it be your turn to follow your wife’s lead?"
Zhou Huixin threw the question back at him and said meaningfully, "All these years past, whenever you wanted to go somewhere, you just went. When did Xiang Ning ever object? She didn’t. She’s always quietly supported you. Now she’s been entrusted with a major task and wants to live up to the Superior’s trust and achieve something. Shouldn’t you support her? And besides, she’s a City Committee Member and Vice Mayor on secondment—at most she can only stay two years."
Hearing the old leader say this, a wave of guilt rose in Han Yu.
Putting himself in her shoes, his senior had given so much for him back then. Now, when she needs support the most, he, the one who should be supporting her the most, actually... actually doesn’t even understand her.
He thought again of what she’d said back when they’d been introduced on that blind date: "Dating you makes my dad happy, my mom happy, the whole family happy—and I’m going to be happy too!"
She was two years older than him. To openly start a relationship with a guy two years younger, people would laugh at her. She really had endured public pressure.
Now she’s gone to Changzhou to serve as a vice mayor on secondment. The whole family is happy. He ought to be happy too.
The more Han Yu thought about it, the more he felt he’d been too much of a male chauvinist. With a tinge of guilt, he said, "Political Commissioner, I was wrong."
"So you realize you were wrong now?"
"I should support her. I must support her."
"Now that’s more like it. I knew you weren’t the type to get stuck in a dead end."
