Chapter 325 - 230: How Salaries Increase

Words : 2696 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 325: Chapter 230: How Salaries Increase""" Six years ago, the Port Supervision Bureau began urging shipping enterprises and individual boat operators engaged in river transportation to install very high frequency radios and join the Yangtze River Communication Network, but even now many small boats still have not installed one. Some boats don’t even have a radio and cannot receive notifications from the Ministry of Transport about the suspension of navigation on the entire lower Yangtze River. 001, sailing from Yingchuan Port to Bailong Port, intercepted fourteen cargo ships one after another, ordering the owners to quickly take their vessels to the nearest Cha Port for shelter. There are also many small fishing boats on the river who are completely unaware of the imminent typhoon—they too must be urgently warned to return. The most troublesome issue is that more than twenty cement ships of various sizes are anchored along the river without anyone on guard! It is impossible to contact the owners immediately, and once the typhoon hits and anchors are dragged, even if they don’t capsize and block the waterway, they will drift downstream with the waves. The only solution is to arrange by radio for people to come and take watch, wait for the typhoon to pass, and then find the owners to deal with them according to regulations. The ferry ports have done a good job in typhoon preparation; the ferries have all been taken to shelters to anchor, and there are people on guard on the ferries. On the way to the Yanjiang Police Station’s Dunship, Han Yu was planning to send the leaders of the Port Supervision Bureau to Niu Peng Port before turning back, but Director Tang, seeing that the Dunship had become the flood and typhoon command center for the Yanjiang area of Linghai City, gave a quick greeting to the city leaders who had just arrived at the Dunship to take command, then switched to the Supervision Boat of the Third Team of the Port Supervision Bureau and left. Typhoons cause economic losses every year. City leaders and leaders of riverside towns like Four Factory and Sanhe were on high alert, and in the command and dispatch room, the calls from phones, radios, and walkie-talkies overlapped, creating an extraordinarily tense atmosphere. Han Yu was just a boat captain and had no right to chip in. Moreover, the city leaders seemed to be in a bad mood and were furious. After saluting the leaders under Commissioner Ding’s introduction and assuring them that 001 was ready to set sail at any time, he hurried to get tools from the cabin below deck, calling Zhu Baogen and Liang Xiaoyu to row the Iron Dinghy and race against time to check and reinforce the steel pontoon. Old Qian boiled several bottles of water for the leaders and chased after them to the pontoon, asking anxiously, "Xiao Yu, where is Yu Zhen?" "She’s taking the boat to the Fourth Squad’s pier; she should have passed the lock by now." "Will she come back tonight?" "There’s going to be a typhoon tonight; she wouldn’t dare leave the boat." "She’s alone on the boat!" Old Qian is now almost as close as Xiao Yu’s great-grandfather, and, loving the house and its crow, began to worry about his granddaughter-in-law. Han Yu was a bit envious and, without waiting for Xiao Yu to speak, looked up and smiled, "Uncle Qian, our squad has people on duty; Yu Zhen will be alright." Uncle Qian was uneasy about his granddaughter-in-law going to Yingchuan Port to do business. He rode his bike to check on her twice and also went to the Water Police Fourth Squad to check on Salted Fish, knowing the dock is right in front of the squad’s door. Only then did he nod and light a cigarette. After checking the main and auxiliary engines of 001, Captain Wang, wearing labor protection gloves, ran over to help. As he reinforced the pontoon with Wang and the others, Han Yu puzzledly asked, "Uncle Qian, where’s Director Zhang? I haven’t seen him." Old Qian looked up at the Dunship and said in a low voice, "When the typhoon comes, it’s going to rain. Now we not only need to prevent the typhoon but also prevent flooding. With the river embankment built so high, we don’t have to worry about flooding on the river, but the leaders are mainly worried about urban waterlogging. Director Zhang and Old Yan have taken 002 into the Bailong River. They’re going to take the city leaders to inspect along the river in a bit." "Where’s Chief Ding?" "Chief Ding... Chief Ding went to investigate a case." "The typhoon is about to come, what case is he investigating?" Old Qian looked at the Dunship again, smiling bitterly, "A big issue has emerged. If it wasn’t for the typhoon, we wouldn’t have known, but since the typhoon is approaching, we found out. The transformers at the three sluice gates for drainage into Bailong River have been stolen. Can you believe it? Such a lack of conscience. With heavy rain imminent, without electricity, the water pumps won’t run, and if they don’t run, we can’t pump out the water. If it rains continuously for two days, who knows how many fields will be flooded." "The transformers have been stolen!" Han Yu was shocked. Old Qian said helplessly, "All three of them, from all three sluice gates, were just discovered an hour ago. City leaders blew up, ordered the power supply bureau to urgently deliver three transformers for installation, and instructed the Police Bureau to solve the case quickly." Liang Xiaoyu couldn’t believe it was true and exclaimed, "Even transformers are being stolen, those are high voltage lines, aren’t they afraid of being electrocuted?" Captain Wang mused, "Those bastards who dare to steal transformers must know how to avoid electrocution." More than how the transformers were stolen, Han Yu worried about the leadership at his former unit, anxiously asking, "Were Director Zhang and Chief Ding criticized?" "The city leaders didn’t criticize them, but the fact that the transformers used for drainage were stolen at this critical moment definitely displeased them. Otherwise, they would not have demanded an immediate solution." "How can Chief Ding solve the case alone?" "Commissioner Ding called Fang Zhiqiang; it seems Chief Ding and Fang Zhiqiang have gone together to inspect the scene." ... The typhoon will only arrive in Linghai around ten o’clock tonight, but the weather has already begun to change. The wind and waves on the river are growing stronger, with the Dunship and pontoon swaying continuously with the surging waves. After finishing the meeting on the Dunship, the city leaders and several town leaders put on raincoats and walked up the shore along the pontoon, looking like they planned to go to the ship lock and board 002 to check the inland river’s typhoon prevention and drainage preparations. Commissioner Ding followed them as well. Han Yu didn’t even have the chance to report to Commissioner Ding about his plan to take a part-time job after receiving his pilot certificate, when he noticed another cargo ship on the river. All three members of the Third Team of the Port Supervision Bureau had boarded the Supervision Boat, and he hurriedly climbed to the second floor and entered the command and dispatch room, turning on the loudspeaker to order the cargo ship to berth quickly. At this time, the sky was filled with dark clouds moving swiftly. Fierce winds swept across the river surface, and torrential rain poured down. Had the typhoon arrived this quickly, or was his father-in-law’s weather forecast inaccurate again? Thinking of his sister-in-law on the Supervision Boat with her bureau leaders, Han Yu quickly turned on the very high frequency radio and tuned to channel 16: "Yanjiang Police Station calling Supervision 37, Yanjiang Police Station calling Supervision 37, if Supervision 37 receives, please respond." "Supervision 37 received, Yanjiang Police Station, please go ahead." """ "The wind is picking up, the force on the river surface is at least six. Where are you now?" "Is that Salted Fish speaking? I’m Jin Weiguo, don’t worry, we are berthed at Shuzhou Changsheng Pier." "It’s good that you’ve docked. Over." There isn’t a high-frequency radio on board 002, but a large radio previously sponsored by the Binjiang Port Police Bureau has been installed on 002. Outside, the storm rages on, and navigating inland rivers is also very dangerous. Han Yu switches on the powerful radio to contact Director Zhang. Old Zhang replies that the Bailong River has the shelter of embankments and riverside trees, the rain is heavy but the wind over the river isn’t too strong, and they will soon enter a minor traffic river, so braving the rain to sail isn’t much of an issue. The city leaders are aboard 002, and they would certainly not be at ease without seeing first-hand how well prepared the dozens of drainage outlets along the river are, and whether people have been arranged to stand guard at those drainage outlets in each village. Han Yu doesn’t feel right asking Old Zhang to turn back, so he can only remind him to go slower. The only thing to do now is wait, wait and see where a dangerous situation arises and then go rescue. But he couldn’t really sit in front of the command desk waiting, he casually picks up the walkie-talkie: "Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu, Salted Fish here, how are things on your end? Do you need our help over there?" Director of the Bailong Port Police Station, Old Liu joyfully asks, "When did you get back?" "I got back a little while ago. I’m on a Dunship right now." "Bai Liu and the high-speed passenger ferries have all been properly moored, and there are people standing guard on them. Bai Shen should be nearing Sixteen Piers Pier by now, we have no problems here." "With passenger ferries ceasing operation and such heavy rain outside, what about the passengers who are stranded? Will the waiting room be able to accommodate them?" "If the waiting room can’t accommodate them, there’s always the bus station’s waiting room, which will stay open today. Besides, things are different now, there are indeed many stranded passengers, but not as many as in previous years." With the opening of the ferry routes from Bai Niu, Lingda, and Yangtze University, the number of ferry passengers has decreased compared to before. After all, taking the bus is more convenient than the ferry, people can go straight from their doorstep to East Sea by bus, without having to change transportation along the way like before. Additionally, in terms of time, taking the bus also has its advantage—not because it is much faster than taking the ferry, because even if it’s faster, it’s not as fast as high-speed hovercrafts, but because the ferry’s departure time is uncertain. Over the past few years, silt accumulation in the waters of Bailong Port has been getting more severe. Bai Shen and Bai Liu both have to wait for the tide before setting sail, and must navigate in an S-shape after departing; otherwise, they risk running aground, which has resulted in never being on time for the last two years. And they are also greatly affected by the weather, frequently suspending operations. Although they have a slight price advantage, once the costs of transfers are included, it evens out. It was said that the Bai Niu car ferry route, which had only been open for a couple of years, might have to be moved to Lingda Ferry due to silt buildup. Thinking of the dwindling number of passengers, Han Yu could not help but ask, "How many passengers do we have per day now?" Old Liu looks out at the pouring rain outside the window and sighs, "Around three thousand, only a third of what we had in the previous years." "That few!" "The other day, Captain Yao said that the Bai Shen route is not making money, and cannot raise prices further; even higher prices would drive more people away." "What about the high-speed passenger ferries?" "The tickets are too expensive, and hardly anyone rides them; it’s a loss for every trip and I reckon they can’t keep running for long." "There are still a lot of ferry passengers over at Binjiang Port, maybe it’s just because our location is too remote." As the roads keep getting better and road transport develops, the number of ferry passengers will only continue to decrease. We will no longer see the bustling scene of tens of thousands of people coming to take the ferry every day. Old Liu could even imagine that in a few years, Bailong Port would become cold and desolate. As a port policeman, he felt uneasy and quickly changed the topic: "Salted Fish, did you receive the notification about the firefighting exam? I was at the station yesterday for a meeting, and Xiao Yang from the firefighting department said exams are coming up soon. "I’ve received it, not only do we have to take the exam, but we also have to be evaluated. Having to take this exam and that exam, and now when it’s so busy, to be honest, I don’t even want to take the test." "Don’t worry, Uncle Liu, I have enrolled. Once the typhoon passes, I’ll cram and study intensively to see if I can pass." "You’re so clever, just need to take some time to study properly, and you’ll definitely pass." Old Liu is referring to the firefighting exam, which is actually about professional qualification. Four years ago, his master noticed that no matter how well one learned to pilot a ship, it was difficult to achieve a professional title. Previously, the Human Resources Department and the Ministry of Transport had issued a document correlating mid- and junior-level professional technical posts with Seaman’s Competence Certificates, but there were no detailed implementation rules. Even if there were rules, an experienced ocean-going cargo ship captain could only obtain a mid-level title, and there was no way to progress further. Moreover, in Jiangnan Province, there was no such examination and review. Although becoming a captain is difficult, requiring much knowledge, in the eyes of others, no matter how well you pilot a ship, you are still considered a driver. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Superiors can grant the title of Subtropical High-level professor or engineer, but not a Subtropical High-level driver. At that time, he was second officer on a cargo ship and was responsible for the ship’s firefighting, his master had a sudden inspiration, suggesting that he take the professional qualification exam for firefighting. It was difficult to register in Linghai, so it was with the help of the leadership at the Binjiang Port Police Bureau, which is part of the Transportation Port and Navigation System, claiming that only with a professional title could he get a salary increase. A public security police officer who knew how to pilot a ship had to take a roundabout way through the firefighting professional qualification route to get a pay raise. Thinking back, it seems ridiculous. However, this was his master’s earnest goodwill, and it didn’t cause much delay after all, since firefighting was already a part of service on the ship, and now that he had returned, both firefighting management and rescue remained part of his job. And after meeting the relevant conditions, four years ago, he obtained the title of assistant fire engineer. Now that he has a self-study college diploma in marine-engineering technology, meeting the conditions of having an associate degree, six years of professional technical work, and four years of holding an assistant title, he was qualified to apply for the evaluation of the intermediate fire engineer title. Once evaluated, his monthly salary could increase by more than ten yuan. Han Yu couldn’t help but think of the scene when his master encouraged him to take the exam years ago, instinctively opening the drawer, he rummaged to find the cassette tape his master had enjoyed listening to before his death.

Chapter 325 - 230: How Salaries Increase

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