My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 49: Reporting for Duty

“No.” Section Chief Li flatly refused. “Xu, you were originally scheduled for a new employee orientation organized by the Municipal Bureau, but it’s been delayed due to the current situation. I think this police officer rotation training program is a great opportunity—it’ll allow you to make up for your onboarding training and earn a certificate of completion from the rotation program at the same time. It’s a win-win.” "Besides, in our Security Department, Old Zhang and the others are getting on in years, and Xiang Xin is a girl. The training program is looking for 'elite' personnel, and right now, you're the only one we can put forward." “But…” Xu Dong tried to protest a little longer. “No need to say more,” Section Chief Li cut him off. “I’m doing this for your own good. Old Zhang hasn’t been feeling well lately and is already planning to take early retirement. By the time you return from the training program, you’ll have the seniority, and I’ll be able to officially promote you to team leader.” Xu Dong pursed his lips. It was just a team leader position—apart from a pay raise of a thousand or so yuan, he’d still be at the bottom of the Security Department’s hierarchy. Besides, he had no desire to climb the ladder; his previous life had been too exhausting, and in this one, he just wanted to live a carefree life. However, since Section Chief Li had gone this far—and his name had already been put forward—it would likely be pointless to back out now. Life is like that—since you can’t resist it, you might as well just go with the flow! “Fine, I’ll go, okay?” Section Chief Li nodded with satisfaction and instructed, “Then go back and prepare properly. The training course lasts ten days in total—remember to bring plenty of a change of clothes.” “Ten days?” Xu Dong exclaimed, “How can it be that long?” “Do you think this is some kind of kids’ make-believe game? Ten days is actually quite short. Back when I first started working, training lasted three whole months.” “Uncle Li, heroes don’t boast about past glories.” “Don’t try to talk your way out of this. Meet at Municipal Bureau Headquarters at 9:30 tomorrow morning. Don’t be late under any circumstances.” “Got it!” Xu Dong said dejectedly. After getting off work and returning home, Xu Dong immediately shared the “bad news” with his wife. As expected, Yang Lina wholeheartedly agreed and even urged him to take the training seriously and strive for a good result. After dinner, Yang Lina began packing her husband’s bags. She made sure to pack several extra sets of clothes, as well as gloves, a scarf, and a down jacket, just in case there were nighttime field exercises. After all, he’d gone through military training in high school, so the program was likely to be similar. Xu Dong, meanwhile, went down to the basement alone. He’d need to pack a few extra packs of cigarettes—a necessity for social occasions; no need to bring alcohol—it’s definitely prohibited during the rotation training; High-energy snacks like chocolate bars and beef jerky—he could bring plenty of those to replenish his energy at any time. That was all Xu Dong could think of for now; he could give it some more thought before going to bed that night. Early the next morning, Xu Dong stood at the front gate with his suitcase, formally saying goodbye to his family. The atmosphere was a bit somber—after all, he’d be gone for ten days. “Dongzi, do your best in the training class and don’t bring shame to the Xu family,” Xu’s father encouraged him. Xu’s mother held Xiao Bao in one arm while smoothing Xu Dong’s collar with the other. “Take care of yourself out there. If you feel unwell, don’t try to tough it out—be sure to report it to your superiors right away.” “Mom, I’m not a kid anymore. I’ll take good care of myself,” Xu Dong said with a nod. Yang Lina held Er Bao in one arm and held Da Bao’s hand with the other; her eyes were a little red. She had so much she wanted to say, but didn’t know where to start, so in the end, it all boiled down to a single piece of advice: “Call home often when you have time!” “We’ll see. I don’t know if they’ll confiscate our cell phones over there,” Xu Dong said with a wry smile. “Even if they confiscate your cell phone, there’s bound to be a landline.” Xu Dong nodded, then added, “I’ve already spoken to General Manager Wang at the real estate agency. I’ll handle the property transfer procedures when I get back—you don’t need to worry about it.” “Got it.” “If there’s an emergency at home, you can go to the Municipal Bureau Headquarters—they’ll definitely be able to reach me there.” “Got it. It’s about time—let’s get going. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late,” Xu’s father said, glancing at his phone. Before leaving, Xu Dong hugged each of the triplets in turn; these three little ones were the ones he worried about the most. The Municipal Bureau Headquarters wasn’t too far from the Siheyuan. Instead of driving his Mercedes-Benz, Xu Dong took a taxi and arrived in about ten minutes. Taxi fares had gone up as well; the base fare was now twenty-eight yuan. Upon arriving at the Municipal Bureau Headquarters, Xu Dong simply gave his name and the name of his department, and was then escorted into a conference room. The conference room was large, and two-thirds of the seats were already filled—there were about two to three hundred people in total, most of whom were wearing police uniforms. Xu Dong found an empty seat and sat down. A middle-aged man sitting next to him—who was also not in uniform—immediately struck up a conversation: “Bro, which department are you with?” “Yanjing City Power Company. And you?” “Nice place to work,” the young man said, giving a thumbs-up, before introducing himself. “I’m from Yan Steel. My name is Wang Lixin. What’s your name, buddy?” “My name is Xu Dong. Brother Wang, how many people did your unit send?” “Just me. Security departments at state-owned enterprises like ours usually only get one spot. We’re really just here to make up the numbers for this training session,” Wang Lixin said in a low voice, showing off a bit. Xu Dong furrowed his brow. Drawing on his experience from his past life, he had a vague feeling that this training wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. Coupled with the frequent recruitment announcements for auxiliary police officers lately, it appeared that the higher-ups were already preparing for the future. “Is that so? Brother Wang, do you know where we’re going for this training?” Wang Lixin thought for a moment before answering, “Barring any surprises, it should be at the Yanjing Police Academy. That’s the only place big enough to accommodate all of us.” Xu Dong pulled out his phone to look up the location and was surprised to find it was quite far—almost near the Great Wall at Badaling. “Brother Xu, what’s your current rank?” Wang Lixin asked again. “I guess you could call me a captain!” Xu Dong didn’t want to lose face, so he kept his answer vague. Wang Lixin slapped his thigh excitedly and said, “What a coincidence—I’m a captain, too.” In reality, however, there was a huge difference between the two “captains.” Xu Dong’s “team leader” title was essentially just the head of the security guard station, overseeing two or three temporary workers and holding no real authority whatsoever. Yan Steel, on the other hand, was a massive factory with over ten thousand employees. There, it was the Security Department—a rank even higher than Xu Dong’s. Although Wang Lixin was also a “team leader,” he managed at least several dozen people—more than the entire Security Department at Xu Dong’s facility. Of course, when it comes to benefits and compensation, Xu Dong’s place is still leagues ahead of Yan Gang’s—one is a sunset industry, while the other is a monopoly, so there’s simply no comparison. “Captain Xu, let’s exchange contact information. Keep in touch whenever you can.” Xu Dong certainly wouldn’t refuse. Even though Wang Lixin didn’t hold a high-ranking position, he was, after all, part of Yan Steel, and the future of the steel industry was equally crucial. One more connection meant one more layer of security.