Shipmen may call everywhere home, but they still celebrate the New Year.

Even if they want to continue sailing to earn more money during the Spring Festival, people onshore are on holiday, so it’s not certain they can find a source of goods. Even if they can find it and deliver it to the destination, the dock workers don’t work, so they can’t unload.

Because many inland river cargo ships are far from home, shipmen celebrate the New Year simply, anchoring wherever they happen to be. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

If they’re lucky, they may encounter fellow countrymen or friends who also run boats, anchoring several ships together, gathering to drink, play cards, and chat. At night, they eat New Year’s Eve dinner, watch the Central TV’s Spring Festival Gala, and then set off fireworks together.

Some shipmen already calculate where the last cargo before the Spring Festival should be delivered, and call home in advance, asking their family to bring the children over to celebrate a reunion year together.

Communication wasn’t as convenient in the past, so when phone calls couldn’t be made, they could only send telegrams.

Such New Years, Han Yu remembered experiencing three times.

Driving with Xiao Yu to the Bin Qi River Lock, looking at dozens of large and small cargo ships anchored by the river, he couldn’t help but recall the scene of celebrating the New Year on the ship with his brother and sister.

"Salted Fish, someone from the Second Team is here!" Xiao Yu pulled up the handbrake, removed the car key, pushed the door open, got off the car and quickly walked to a police van parked by the roadside.

Han Yu gazed at the river, vaguely seeing one of the cargo ships crowded with people. Turning back to look towards the ship lock management office, he clearly saw two police cars parked by the roadside, saying quietly, "Those should be the cars from Yungang Court."

Xiao Yu tuned the walkie-talkie to the frequency of the Water Police Second Team and called out, "Second Team, Second Team, this is Liang Xiaoyu from Changhang Bureau, I’m with Secretary Han at Bin Qi River Lock, please respond!"

After waiting about half a minute, the voice of Old Chen, a police officer from the Water Police Second Team, came through the walkie-talkie: "Received, Director Yu, please speak."

"What’s happening on the river?"

"Yungang Intermediate Court brought drivers to seize ships, they took the ship’s certificates and want to sail the ships away. The shipmen block them from seizing, won’t let them sail away, or even get ashore."

"Did they start fighting?"

"They’re shoving each other, haven’t truly fought yet. Luckily we arrived in time, otherwise they might really have fought."

Han Yu took the walkie-talkie and asked, "Old Chen, it’s me, Han Yu. Yungang Intermediate Court should be carrying out the procedure, and they’ve reported to the police. Logically, you should assist them, how did it become like this?"

"Secretary Han, they should request assistance from Binjiang Maritime Court. If someone obstructs official duties, their court police have the authority to enforce the law; they can arrest and detain as necessary. It’s not up to us to assist their execution."

Old Chen’s words made sense.

The court is not like the police, and when seeking assistance in different locations, they can only request help from the local court.

Besides, the court isn’t lacking court police. If someone doesn’t cooperate, they can take compulsory measures, first control them, and then send those obstructing official duties to the local police bureau’s detention center according to procedures.

Han Yu realized that it wasn’t the Water Police Second Team not taking action, and overlooking the river he said, "Old Chen, find an iron dinghy and take us on board for a look."

"Alright, on it."

To encounter such trouble during the New Year.

Clearly, it’s outside the jurisdiction of the Water Police Station, but they can’t not respond. Otherwise, if the two sides fight with bloody heads, it’d be even more troublesome. The disagreements between the sides are too great, and mediation isn’t working.

Old Chen was already troubled, seeing Salted Fish and Xiao Yu arrive and wanting to get on board, he was more than happy, immediately having a ship owner bring an iron dinghy over.

Han Yu and Xiao Yu reached the anchorage by the river in an iron dinghy, surprisingly finding that more than half of the ships anchored here for the New Year were Nanhe Boats. A new year calls for new atmosphere; the ships were all decorated with couplets, and two cargo ships even hung red lanterns.

However, there was no festive atmosphere of celebrating the New Year, only seeing two judges and four court police confronting dozens of shipmen, both sides extremely emotional, some pointing fingers, some cursing loudly. Neighbors were crowded on the bows, sides, and sterns of adjacent boats, and judging by their stance, they all sided with the ship being executed.

It’s normal for countrymen to help each other.

Han Yu steadied himself and, with Old Chen’s help, climbed aboard.

Xiao Yu raised his credentials and shouted, "I am Changhang Police, please make way!"

"Captain Han, you came at the right time, help us figure this out." A middle-aged ship owner squeezed over excitedly and said, "Yungang Court wants to seize my brother-in-law’s ship, which was bought for over three hundred thousand and has been running for two years, how can they seize it?"

Han Yu recognized the middle-aged ship owner; his ship had experienced a malfunction in the North Branch Channel, and it was Han Yu and Xiao Yu who had driven the 001 to the river to help tow it to Boss Wu’s boat factory for repairs.

"Boss Huang, don’t get excited, it’s the New Year, speak calmly if there’s anything." Han Yu patted the middle-aged ship owner’s arm, jumped onto the second ship, and said as he walked forward, "Let’s first understand the situation. Don’t all crowd here; there are so many kids, what if they get squeezed into the river?"

"If we don’t stop them, they’ll run!"

"Boss Huang, you’ve got guts, the court only wants to seize your brother-in-law’s ship, yet you intend to detain the court’s judges and police? Do you not want to celebrate the New Year?"

"We initially respected them, they wanted to see the certificate, so we showed them the ship’s certificate. But after looking, they wouldn’t return it. If the certificate is taken by them, what about my brother-in-law?"