As night fell, Jiang Ye disembarked from the fishing boat and headed straight for the town center.
He stopped after just a few steps.
A little girl was squatting by the beach, feeding wolves with canned meat. Four or five large wolves were wagging their tails around her.
"Be careful, these are wild wolves," Jiang Ye said as he walked over.
The little girl stood up. "Hello, Mayor!"
She lowered her voice. "They're very well-behaved and don't bite."
"Of course, they don't bite; I've tamed them. But still, be careful. They are wild animals, after all."
Jiang Ye nodded, tacitly approving her feeding the wolves, and turned to leave.
"Goodbye, Mayor!" the little girl called from behind.
Jiang Ye waved his hand without looking back.
Upon reaching the asphalt road, he encountered a white uncle.
The uncle bowed respectfully, but his large belly only allowed him to bend slightly. "Hello, Mayor!"
"Hello," Jiang Ye said, glancing at him and walking straight ahead.
A little black girl, startled by Jiang Ye, exclaimed, "Hello, Mayor!"
"Hello," Jiang Ye nodded.
The further he walked, the more residents he met.
Everyone greeted him.
"Hello, Mayor!" "Hello." "Hello, Mayor!" "Hello." "Hello, Mayor!"
Jiang Ye's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a secret thrill.
It was a feeling of regal authority, like a king inspecting his territory.
Finally, he reached the town center.
Glass doors, a black plaque: the police station.
He pushed the door open and entered.
"It's good to be early, but it's even better to be on time." Shao Wan was on duty in the hall today.
Shao Wan looked up and immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Hello, Mayor."
"I have a matter," Jiang Ye said, walking over and leaning on the counter. "I found a mine across the strait and need ten workers. They will accompany me to mine tomorrow. These ten people must be farmers. Have the other officers go and ask around."
"We can ask online," Shao Wan said, pointing to the computer. "We just created a town chat group. You are the group owner, and all town residents, including Isabel from the express delivery center, are in the group. You can send a message, and everyone will see it."
"Good, that's great," Jiang Ye nodded. "Also, you five officers should discuss it and send someone fully armed to accompany me. After all, we're going out to sea. Without a gun, I'm worried about problems."
Jiang Ye's concern was realistic. Being a captain has always been a high-risk profession. When a group of people are gathered on a ship, surrounded by vast seas, it's easy to ignite primal instincts. Mutiny, beating the captain to death, and fleeing with the ship – such incidents have occurred tens of thousands of times throughout history.
"I'll go with you. I don't trust young people to handle things," Shao Wan said. "I'll be waiting outside the dock tomorrow morning. When people arrive, I'll organize them."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble," Jiang Ye nodded and turned to leave the police station.
He returned to the base vehicle and opened the chat channel.
As expected, there were already two messages:
[Shao Wan invited you to join the group chat Jiang Ye Town Police]
[Shao Wan transferred group ownership to you]
The group had 101 members, all present and accounted for.
Many town residents were already chattering inside, with hundreds of messages in the chat history.
Uncle Qiang: "Looking for a spouse, looking for a spouse. Owns a house and a car, works at the soda factory, has 300,000 in savings. Requirement: must be female."
Gunter Tami: "I saw many white wolves on the shore. Can I take one home to raise?"
Ji Quan: "Anyone want to play cards tonight? I made a deck of cards from corn husks. Anyone up for Dou Dizhu?"
Hui Jing He Mei: "Hello everyone! I have a few tomatoes here that are a bit rotten. I can't finish them. Does anyone want them? Giving them away for free!"
Jiang Ye searched the group chat's function area for a while and found a "Group Announcement" feature.
He opened it and edited a new announcement.
[Hello everyone, I am Mayor Jiang Ye]
[Tomorrow, I need 10 miners. The requirement is farmers, not factory employees or animal breeders.]
[The job is simple: mining. For every sack dug, you earn 500 yuan, and three meals are provided, including canned meat and fruit.]
[If you are willing to participate, click 'I want to sign up' below this announcement. The first ten to sign up will be selected.]
[Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, bring your shovels and gather at the dock on time.]
The announcement was edited and sent.
Immediately, this announcement popped up on the group chat interfaces of all town residents.
Jiang Ye waited for two minutes, and ten people signed up. It was very efficient.
This matter was settled.
Feeling a bit weary, he went upstairs and collapsed onto the bed to sleep.
Just as his consciousness began to drift, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.
Jiang Ye sat up again and went downstairs.
"Who is it?" he asked from the doorway.
"Brother Jiang, it's me," Tian Rao said softly. She also had a slightly childish voice, a soft and cute tone.
Jiang Ye opened the door. Tian Rao stood outside, holding a white bath towel. She wore a fiery red knee-length skirt and a small denim jacket draped over her shoulders, looking very beautiful.
"I want to take a bath, but there are too many men by the sea," Tian Rao said, her cheeks flushed, a little embarrassed. "I wanted to ask if you have..."
"I have a bathroom on my boat. I'll take you there," Jiang Ye said, understanding immediately.
"Thank you!" Tian Rao's eyes lit up, and she smiled.
The dock wasn't far, and Jiang Ye led her forward.
There were indeed quite a few figures by the sea, bathing in the shallow water. There was one person every twenty to thirty meters. It was too dark to see anything clearly beyond recognizing them as people.
There was no choice; the conditions were rudimentary, and everyone had to bathe outdoors in the dark. No one could recognize anyone anyway.
They arrived at the dock and boarded the fishing boat.
The boat sensed someone boarding and immediately lit up.
Jiang Ye found this function quite useful. If someone were curious and tried to board secretly, the lights would scare them away.
"Is this your boat?" Tian Rao asked.
"Yes, I use it for going out to sea," Jiang Ye replied. "You can use the bathroom on this boat anytime you want, no need to tell me."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose," Tian Rao stammered.
"There's no imposition," Jiang Ye said, opening the bathroom door. "You go in and wash. There's a small bolt on the back to secure the door. I'll head back to sleep now."
"Good night, Brother Jiang," Tian Rao said as she entered the bathroom, waving goodbye to him before closing the door.
The gentle sound of the bolt sliding into place, the bathroom light turning on, followed by the sound of rushing water.
The bathroom door was frosted glass, allowing a faint glimpse of the figure and light inside.
Jiang Ye's face flushed, and he turned away, leaving the boat and returning to his base.
He had just lain down on his bed when the door to his base vehicle was knocked on again.
Jiang Ye sighed and went downstairs to open the door.
Ju Lanlan stood outside, waving excitedly. "Hello, am I disturbing your rest?"
"No, no," Jiang Ye said with a forced smile. He was truly exhausted.
Ju Lanlan was wearing a tight brown sweater, a white khaki skirt, and long boots. A section of her fair thigh was particularly eye-catching. She didn't stand on ceremony, entering directly and sitting down on a bear-skin stool, crossing her legs.
"I have a great idea that can help you make money," Ju Lanlan said with a bright smile.
"Oh?" Jiang Ye's spirits finally lifted.
"Have you seen people bathing in the dark by the sea?"
"Yes, I just came back from the seaside."
"You can build a public bathhouse, with separate areas for men, women, asexuals, and bisexuals, and charge people to use it," Ju Lanlan snapped her fingers. "The weather is getting hotter, and it will be a goldmine!"