The Sanxing Home Textile Market, like the Zheng Han Street Clothing, Shoes and Hats Wholesale Market where Yu Zhen is located, is very busy in the morning and quiet in the afternoon.

But when you open for business, you have to stay open, you can't just close up because there are no customers.

There's nothing else to do, so Han Shen and his brother-in-law, Ji Xiaojun, come over like usual to keep their eldest and second uncles company by playing cards.

The brother-in-law is married and has his own stall in the market.

But they both came into the business later, so their stall locations aren't as good as their uncles', nor are their stalls as big. And, they mainly do wholesale, not owning factories like their uncles.

In short, without the help of their uncles, they wouldn't be where they are today.

Both uncles like to play Chang cards, so they have to be accompanied properly.

"Ha... Ha You has arrived!"

"Your husband joined the New Fourth Army, carrying several box guns on his back, and red sashes hanging down to his heels..."

Chang card is a card game unique to Binjiang, also known as paper cards or "Du Zi Hu," a folk entertainment game with strong regional characteristics.

The gameplay is somewhat like Mahjong; you can bump but not chow, and the winning cards include "Floating Hu," "Pure Hu," "Tazi Hu," as well as a single-load play and five "happy" cards ("fortune" "prosperity" "longevity" "happiness" "wealth").

Three people play, one watches.

When this round is finished, the watcher joins the game and another player rests.

Coming around in turns, it's not tiring.

Old-school card players like their uncles sing card verse songs while playing.

Card verses are sung when touching the cards, also popular throughout the counties of Binjiang. Humming the card verse with hands moving the cards, and minds calculating. Some lyrics contain puns, both boosting morale and informing card players of card names.

Usually, one person leads and everyone sings in chorus, with most lyrics about historical figures, legendary tales, and worldly affairs, and there are some raunchy jokes.

"Searching for Wang Jinbiao with thirty thousand troops..." said the second uncle as he took out a "three of Wan" matching the Elder Uncle's "three stripes," singing as he did.

Han Shen has not mastered the essence of singing card verses, only picking up some scraps.

While watching the Elders play cards, he hums along to the tune, "I knocked on your house's main door late at night, your family dog's about to bite."

Near red, gets red; near ink, gets black.

Ji Xiaojun, skilled in these vulgar verses, threw a "two tube" card and sang with a nod, "Walking through your back door fearing a mosquito bite, even if bitten by the dog, it's still okay."

Second uncle laughed, continuing the verse, "Once bitten by the mosquito, it's itchy and painful, I don't even know if your sister will open the door or not…"

Singing such verses with the younger generations, it's disgraceful for old men!

Elder Uncle looked up, about to change the verse, just when two police officers from Sanxing Police Station, along with five or six members of the Cooperative Defense Team, stormed in.

"Don't move!"

"We are from the Police Station, put your hands on the table!"

The folks from Sanxing Police Station are notoriously "trash," especially that Li Guangming, always finding ways to catch gamblers and prostitutes to earn fines.

The Elder Uncle was shocked, quickly explaining, "Comrade, we are all family here, just playing a few rounds to pass the time."

"Who's family with you?"

The young officer barked, holding down Elder Uncle's shoulder, signaling his colleagues who came to catch the gamblers to tally up the gambling stakes.

Elder Uncle got anxious, pushing his arm away and standing up to explain, "My name is Luo Yan'an, his is Luo Yan Chang, we are real brothers. This is my nephew, and this is my nephew's brother-in-law, how can we not be family!"

The young officer paused, then looking at the money on the table, rebuked, "Just because it's family, you can gamble? And in the eyes of the law, you're not the same family!"

The middle-aged officer finished counting the money in front of Ji Xiaojun, looking up to say, "One hundred eighty-six, playing big stakes, how is this not gambling?"

The young officer didn't expect catching Han Shen would extract an entire nest of gamblers as well, he was ecstatic, counting the gambling stakes in front of Luo Yan'an while warning, "Everyone stay calm, or I'll detain whoever acts up!"

Ji Xiaojun was terrified, suffering silently without daring to make a noise.

Han Shen regained his composure, urgently saying, "Comrade, we really are family, and I'm not an outsider to you."

"What do you mean not an outsider?"

"My name is Han Shen, my sister is Han Ning, my brother is Han Yu, both my sister and brother are with the police."

"Is that so?"

"It's true, I'm not lying, my sister works at the Binjiang Port Police Station, my brother was at Yanjiang Police Station before, later transferred to Changhang Bureau, and now he's back, currently the Chief of your Linghai Police Port District Bureau!"

Luo Yan'an realizing there's nothing to fear, pulled out his phone emphasizing, "I'm Han Yu's uncle, my nephew is the Chief!"

"So what if your nephew is the Chief, even if he were the Chief of the Linghai Police Bureau, you can't gamble."

"This isn't gambling."

"Not gambling, then what is this?"

"Aren't you being unreasonable?"

"Quit your nonsense, talk back again and I'll cuff you!"

Meeting this gang of scum, having a high-ranking nephew couldn't quench the immediate thirst.

A wise man doesn't court disaster; Elder Uncle quickly motioned his brother and nephew not to act rashly.

To the two officers, having already made the arrests, they feared nothing as Director Li would shoulder the consequences, seeing Elder Uncle about to call Salted Fish, they immediately confiscated his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"This is your shop, right? This is gathering for gambling, who knows if you used the phone to invite others to gamble, once the phone is used, it becomes a tool for committing the crime."

"I spent over ten thousand on this phone!"

"Shut up, stand properly."

"What are you doing again?"

"Put your hands up, search!"

The young policeman, with the help of two Cooperative Defense Team members, pushed Uncle against the wall and searched him, quickly fumbling through his wallet for money.

Uncle was panicked and struggled, roaring: "The money in the wallet is from business transactions I just had, are you all crazy? You are robbing me!"

"Money on the table is gambling money, money brought to the gambling site is also gambling money!"

"This is my shop, not a gambling den!"

"As long as there is gambling here, this place is a gambling den. This is your last warning, if you talk back we won't be polite anymore."

Merchants doing wholesale business in the market all have thousands of yuan on them.

Not only was the 3000 yuan cash Uncle had taken, but even the more than 10,000 yuan in the office desk drawers were confiscated.

Uncle Two's 2300 and Ji Xiaojun's over 800 likewise became gambling money.

Han Shen was in the worst situation, having come with a bag after lunch containing 26,000 yuan in cash, originally planned to settle accounts with the factory in the afternoon, but this too was considered gambling money.

Mobile phones, pagers, all were temporarily confiscated.

And yet it wasn't over, the four men, under the berating of two policemen and six Cooperative Defense Team members, carried out the table and chairs used for playing cards, walking through the market smeared in dust, observed by nearly a hundred merchants who had come to watch the excitement.

When Uncle's wife, Uncle Two's wife, and Ji Xiaohong arrived, everyone had already been taken away.

Uncle's wife and Uncle Two's wife were frantically worried, Ji Xiaohong was so scared she hurriedly called her brother-in-law.

...

After completing the inaugural ceremony's water security task at Shuzhou Port, Han Yu didn't return with 001 to Bailong Port but instead disembarked at the Linghai Ferry while passing through Sanhe Waters.

The Lingda Ferry Police Station also fell under the Bureau's jurisdiction, and due to the shortage of police officers, there were no officers on duty, only four auxiliary police divided into two groups taking turns.

Han Yu checked the work at the ferry police station and stopped a bus coming from the opposite bank, catching a ride to Sanhe.

Shi Shengyong was away at a meeting, Old Wang and Old Jiang both had other plans in the afternoon, and Xu Mingyuan was also out on a case with several police officers; today, Deputy Instructor Tian Gui was on duty at the Bureau.

The special envoy for Lingzhuang Police was investigating a human trafficking case, hitting hard not just at those trafficking but also at buyers, apprehending people all the way to Dinghu.

Traffickers are abhorrent but buyers are equally unsympathetic.

After all, without buyers, there would be no sellers.

Last night after returning, Han Yu had already called his uncle, explained the situation, and said he couldn't intervene, but the incident also served as a reminder for Han Yu. Upon returning to the Bureau, he walked into the Deputy Instructor's office to discuss the Lingzhuang Police special envoy's efforts against human trafficking.

Tian Gui asked subconsciously, "What does this have to do with us?"

"Our jurisdiction is so large, with so many people. We should investigate, understand if anyone has bought women. If such cases exist, we need to resolve them ASAP."

"There probably are such instances. Which place doesn't have bachelors, and which bachelor doesn't want a wife? But if it's been a long time since the purchase, and they've already married and had children, then what do we do?"

"We start by investigating, need to be clear about the situation so we're not caught off guard when others come to rescue and apprehend."

Han Yu thought for a moment, then said, "Regarding your concerns, I'll call and inquire how Si Gang handles it, and we can use it as a reference."

The new division needs a new atmosphere, and some work needs to be ahead of others.

Tian Gui wrote it down and looked up smiling: "Okay, I will call Director Wang and Director Jiang right away. It's not hard to find out about buying wives, we can clear it up by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

The Port District Bureau was established from the Sanhe Police Station, and the office conditions couldn't keep up, with insufficient offices and dormitories.

With the Port District Management Committee, Port District Investment Bureau, Port District Land Tax Branch, Land Management Branch, and Port District Industrial and Commercial Division established, there was no space left for offices in Sanhe Town.

Building an office building was out of the question, firstly due to the lack of funds, and secondly because a distant water cannot quench an immediate thirst.

Han Yu was thinking about discussing with Tian Gui the possibility of setting up the case-handling team in the former Jiangbin Police Station when suddenly he received a call from his sister.

"San'er, when can you come back? It's bad, something has happened!"

"I'm already back, I'm at the Bureau. What's bad, what exactly happened?"

"Uncle, Uncle Two, Han Shen, and Ji Xiaojun were arrested by the Sanxing Police Station! Sister-in-law is panicking, the aunts are crying!"

Han Yu couldn't believe it was true, and standing up, he asked, "Why did the Sanxing Police Station arrest them?"

Han Xiangning held the phone tightly, her face grim, "Sister-in-law said they were playing cards at Uncle's shop, and Sanxing Police Station came to raid the gambling, they arrested them."

"How many were playing cards? Was it a big game?"

"No outsiders, just Uncle, Uncle Two, Han Shen, and Ji Xiaojun. Sister-in-law said they often play, not for high stakes, the biggest win or loss was a hundred or so yuan."

The salary of a cadre isn't much monthly. Winning or losing hundreds isn't considered small.

They made money from apparel wholesale, why did they enjoy playing cards?

Han Yu had a headache, his brows furrowed, he asked: "When were they arrested?"

"Sister-in-law said just a while ago."

"How can I speak up about this to others? To do so would be against the principles."

"These are your uncles and brother, you can't just ignore it! Besides, it was just the family playing, not with outsiders."

Han Xiangning took several deep breaths, then continued, "Also, sister-in-law asked the merchants who were watching at the shop door, they said the Sanxing Police Station not only took the few hundred yuan on the table but also confiscated the money they had on them as gambling funds.

Your brother was supposed to settle accounts with the factory in the afternoon. He took the goods but hadn't paid yet, a total of 26,000, and that 26,000 was also confiscated by the Sanxing Police Station as gambling funds!"

Han Yu realized the trouble was serious, his face troubled he asked, "Is the loss big?"

"It amounts to tens of thousands, sister-in-law said Uncle's mobile phone was even confiscated!"

"Ningning, don't panic yet, it's best not to tell our mom about this for now."

"I know, I also told sister-in-law not to tell your mom, otherwise she'll worry and won't be able to sleep."

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