Chapter 22 - 20 The Times Have Changed

Words : 2311 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 22: Chapter 20 The Times Have ChangedAfter lunch, I changed into my work clothes and brought the self-study exam registration materials given by the instructor to the shipyard. The engine room was too stuffy, so I first opened the cabin door to ventilate, and then went back to the pergola to study the self-study exam materials. There were many majors, but there was only one in marine transportation technology. That one matched my field, so Han Yu decided to register for it; after all, the bureau only required a higher degree, not a specific major. Just wondering how Xu Sanye could possibly be a Beijing University graduate, a man in his thirties with a frown walked out of the shipyard office looking somewhat familiar. Following him, Boss Wu came out holding a beautiful crystal cup, sending the man to the gate, and upon seeing Han Yu sitting in the pergola, smiled and walked over. "Xiao Han, your Director is impressive, catching so many ticket scalpers all at once." "Manager Wu, you know." "Now who doesn't know, people assume I have a good relationship with your Director, so they all come to me." "I was wondering why that man looked familiar just now; turns out he had queued up to buy tickets before." "Does that mean you had your eye on him already?" "I didn't say anything; I'm just a ship repairer." This young police officer is quite sly, truly a subordinate of Xu Sanye... Boss Wu set down his teacup and smiled: "Don't worry, I won't blab, nor will I help him seek mercy from your Director." Han Yu was very curious about what kind of person Xu Sanye really was and couldn't help but ask, "Manager Wu, are you very familiar with our Director?" "I used to work at the Water Resources Bureau's fleet, often going to the county, and I had known your Director long ago. But back then he was the Criminal Investigation team leader, everyone called him Captain Xu. I was just a repairman, back then I knew him, but he didn't know me." "Our Director was quite formidable before, wasn't he?" "You don't know?" "No." Han Yu sipped some water, then said with an embarrassed face: "He's sometimes very stern, I don't dare ask, nor do I dare to snoop." Working under Xu Sanye and yet not knowing who Xu Sanye really is... Boss Wu found it unbelievable and couldn't help but laugh: "Your Director is quite a celebrity in our Linghai, every official in the county knows him. Probably because he never worked at Four Factory before, the masses there don't know him well, not many are aware of him." "A big celebrity, how famous is he?" "Very famous, isn't your dad at the shipping company? You can go back and ask your dad, he definitely knows." "My dad is running boats on the river; I can't find him. Manager Wu, please, tell me." "I can tell you, but you cannot let your Director know I told you." "Deal, I promise." Boss Wu pulled out a cigarette and asked with a smile, "Do you know why your Director is called Xu Sanye?" Han Yu instinctively asked, "Why?" "He's famously wild in temperament, has unorthodox methods, and big ambitions, which all together make 'Sanye'. Many people think Xu Sanye is a nickname, but in fact, that's his real name." "How did he get this name." "You're called Salted Fish, what's in a name like Xu Sanye?" Boss Wu teased him, then laughed: "His name has a history, his father was an old revolutionary, participated in the Anti-Japanese War and the Liberation War. He was born when his father was in the Regular Army, and his mother was the village women's director with high ideological awareness, so she named him Sanye." "So Director Xu is the son of an official!" "He's not exactly an official's son." Seeing Han Yu's puzzled expression, Boss Wu explained: "His father wasn't very educated, always a warrior, not an officer. He was wounded during the liberation of East Sea and returned to his hometown, where he was appointed as the Civilian Militia Camp Commander." Han Yu whispered, "Village officials are also officials." Boss Wu thought for a moment and nodded, "To us common folk, village officials are indeed officials. Back then, a Civilian Militia Camp Commander was quite powerful, with Civilian Soldiers under his command and a gun in his hand. The firearms and ammunition of the Civilian Soldiers were stored at his home, and he played with guns since he was a child, becoming the Children's Team Captain at eight, and joined the Civilian Soldiers after graduating middle school at sixteen." "What happened later?" "He had a chance to join the army, back then joining the army was almost like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. He grew up training with Civilian Soldiers, was a sharpshooter, and could even use a small cannon. But he didn't want people to gossip, given his father was the Civilian Militia Camp Commander, so he gave his spot to someone else." "And then?" "When his father later fell ill and passed away, the commune officials, seeing his military quality and commanding authority in the village, asked him to become the Civilian Militia Camp Commander." Boss Wu thought and then added with a laugh: "You are the youngest police officer at the Police Bureau; he was the youngest Civilian Militia Camp Commander in the entire county at that time. Every time they had Civilian Soldiers training, every big competition, his camp always ranked first! In '72, when universities began enrolling workers, farmers, and soldiers after a few years of suspension, he, being politically sound, physically fit, around twenty, and with a middle school education standing out, was recommended to go to university." Han Yu reacted, "Go to Beijing University!" Boss Wu nodded in confirmation, "From the entire county, only a dozen spots were available, and for Beijing University, there was just one. At the time, his father had already passed away, and even if he hadn't, he couldn't be considered the child of a cadre. For him to be recommended to attend Beijing University, would you say he was impressive?" "Very impressive." "I remember when we sent him off, the County Revolutionary Committee held a big meeting, banging gongs and drums, and they put a big red flower on him." "What happened after that?" Han Yu asked further. Boss Wu looked back towards the direction of the Yanjiang Police Station and smiled, "He went to the Capital and studied at the university for two years, actually met the Chairman. After graduating, he was arranged to work at the County Revolutionary Committee's Human Protection Group as deputy head." "What does the Human Protection Group do?" "It's what's now the Police Bureau; back then, they smashed the old judicial system. The Police Bureau was placed under military control, turning into the Human Protection Group of the Revolutionary Committee. The old police officers, some were criticized, some were sent down to the Five Seven Dry School, and some were sent to farms for re-education through labor. Your instructor was sent to the farms back then and was called back only when the Police Bureau was restored." Han Yu asked in surprise, "That means Director Xu was essentially the Deputy Director of the current Police Bureau back then?" "Not essentially, he was more powerful than today's Deputy Director." "How so?" "Back then, there were no Procuratorates or Courts, whenever a case occurred, the Human Protection Group investigated, they arrested, and they judged. Your director, as the deputy head responsible for actual work, had the power over life and death; of course, he was more powerful than today's Deputy Director." "He must have been quite young back then." "Back then, most of the leaders were young rebels; nine out of ten ascended through revolt. But your director wasn't like those rebels. He had righteous roots, mass support, and prestige; the former militiamen all listened to him. He had people, guns, had studied at Beijing University, and had even met the Chairman. With his qualifications, not to mention being the deputy head of the Human Protection Group, he was also eligible to be the deputy head of the Revolutionary Committee." Boss Wu unscrewed his tea bottle and took a sip, "Then later during the reform and opening up, when they were rebuilding the Police Bureau, they had to review everyone who had entered the police forces. Those who had done bad deeds were dealt with, those not suitable for the police system were transferred. Your director hadn't committed any bad deeds, hadn't handled any cases unjustly, and had even protected several old comrades and cadres. During the review, a few old cadres spoke on his behalf, and he wasn't transferred. But it's impossible for him to be reused; after all, times have changed. I heard there's a rule limiting the use of cadres like him." No wonder the advisor only told half the story, it turns out although Xu Sanye studied at Beijing University, he was not admitted through the standard exam, but was a so-called worker-peasant-soldier student during a special period. Huang Jiangsheng, being paraded around with a big red flower at a young age and sent to the North Border to be an educated youth, was looked down upon like a reformed criminal upon his return. Xu Sanye's educational background and life experience were even more awkward than Huang Jiangsheng's, even carrying a political label. In Boss Wu's words, times have changed, the more glorious back then, the more destitute now. Han Yu didn't know what to say, as Boss Wu lamented, "He was the king of the kids in the village when he was young, later became the Civilian Militia Camp Commander, was quick-tempered, assertive, offended many during the strict crackdown in '84, and was transferred from leading the criminal investigation team to being the police station chief in Xin Hai. This spring, a Deputy Town Mayor pretending to be drunk, harassed a beautiful female teacher, which seemed like an attempted rape. Once in your director's hands, there certainly weren't going to be good outcomes." Han Yu asked in a soft voice, "What happened later?" Boss Wu lit a cigarette and said, "It seems the Deputy Town Mayor had some connections, and the county was probably worried about the impact. I heard several leaders greeted him. They gave the Deputy Town Mayor a chance to reform himself, letting him apologize to the lady and compensate her with some money to reduce the issue. The worse it would have been without the greeting, once they greeted, his temper flared up, and he hung the Deputy Town Mayor at the entrance of the Police Station, whipping him with a belt. It's one thing to whip, but to do so publicly, claiming how good the case handling environment was when he was Deputy Head of the Human Protection Group, where superiors dared not call, pass notes for mediation, or dare to come to the police bureau to plead or backdoor." Anything could be mentioned, except the Human Protection Group! That was a relic of the past; saying it was good back then is equivalent to saying that the reform and opening up was bad, which is a very serious matter of thoughts, even ideology. Han Yu suddenly realized and murmured, "Was that Deputy Town mayor processed?" "With such a ruckus, he definitely was dealt with; I heard it was several years." Boss Wu paused for a moment and sighed, "There were bad people among the cadres who came into power then, and there were good ones as well. But the policy doesn't differentiate; this is called a one-size-fits-all." "Director Xu is a good person!" "He definitely is a good person, otherwise if he were bad, he would have been transferred away or even dealt with during the review. Actually, he has nothing to feel wronged about since he had his days of glory." Han Yu thought for a moment and then asked, "Manager Wu, I understand when people say he has a wild character, but when they say he has wild methods and wild ambitions, what does that mean?" "Wild methods mean he has many friends. Although he was a worker-peasant-soldier student during his university days, he still had classmates. Think about it, at that time, anyone recommended to study at Beijing University was capable." "Those few batches of university students, aren't they supposed to be restricted in use?" "It depends on the policy in each place, and moreover, he has many classmates who were recommended by the military. Localities change greatly, military changes little; those who haven't switched careers are at least Regular Army by now, those who have switched won't be at low ranks either." "And ambitious?" "He can't control his mouth. During his time in the children's group, he said he wanted to be the Children's Team Captain. When in the Civilian Militia, he claimed he wanted to be the Civilian Militia Camp Commander. As a child, saying these things, people would praise him for having aspirations. Saying them as a youth also didn't matter much. Saying this beyond thirty, others definitely have thoughts." Boss Wu chuckled and added, "Many current leaders were formerly led by him. Since he is carefree, not considering them leaders, they definitely formulate ideas, thinking he has ambitions." 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Chapter 22 - 20 The Times Have Changed

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