Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 850 - 577: Senior Engineer! (Part 2)

This is what it means to leave and cool down like a teapot.

Han Xiangning thought what her mom said made sense and asked with a bitter smile, "So what plans does dad have next?"

"I originally wanted him to focus on taking care of Han Han, but he said he has a part-time role as a chief meteorology expert with San’er, and he just went over to your place to see San’er."

"Got it, I’ll go over and check in a bit."

...

Meanwhile, Han Yu had already received the news that his father-in-law was retiring to a secondary line and planning to make his part-time role at the Reserve Camp a full-time job.

To get the latest weather forecast is quite simple: watch TV, listen to the radio, there are plenty of channels, and even the Port Supervision Bureau Traffic Control Center broadcasts weather information over high-frequency radio every day.

The camp doesn’t need a meteorology expert; back then, they only gave him the appointment letter to make him happy, and he actually took it seriously!

Han Yu found it amusing. Xiao Yu puzzledly asked, "Salted Fish, isn’t Deputy Chief Engineer a title? Does the Deputy Chief Engineer also need to retire to a secondary line?"

"Deputy Chief Engineer is a position, not a title."

"Then what is Uncle Han’s title?"

"Professor."

"What is a Professor?"

"It’s the highest-ranking title; it’s just named differently. In their system, he’s a Researcher-level Senior Engineer, also known as Professor-grade Senior Engineer."

Xiao Yu didn’t really understand and continued to ask, "Then what about Master Xi?"

Han Yu patiently explained, "Master Xi also holds a Professor rank, but not as a Researcher-level Senior Engineer. Instead, it’s Professor-grade Senior Engineer. Similarly, Reporter Wang holds a Professor rank but is not called Researcher-level or Professor-grade; he’s just a Senior Reporter."

Xiao Yu laughed, "So Uncle Han is the highest-level engineer, I always thought he was the deputy!"

"Like I said, Deputy Chief Engineer is a position; it has nothing to do with the title, but without a title, you certainly can’t achieve it."

As soon as Han Yu finished speaking, Director Ge, who came to hang around the camp with nothing else to do, laughed, "Salted Fish, Xiao Yu, when it comes to titles, I have one too. I’m also a Professor-grade Senior Engineer."

Xiao Yu was skeptical, "Director Ge, are you also an engineer?"

"Why would I lie to you? I have a certificate. If you don’t believe me, I can show you when I get back."

"Director Ge, what kind of engineer are you?"

"I’m a transportation engineer. Not to brag, but I oversaw or participated in designing, planning, and constructing more than half of the highways and bridges in Linghai. Actually, transportation is quite similar to water conservancy. I worked at the county committee and at the Water Resources Bureau. When I was responsible for building dikes in Longyong, Longyong was still just a sandbar; during that time, your master wasn’t even a cadre yet, and he was the Civilian Militia Camp Commander, taking labor from their village for river work."

Old Ge chuckled proudly and said, "Salted Fish, you really could give me an appointment letter, let me join your expert group."

He claimed he had a Professor title, and Han Yu believed him.

After all, he was a former Transportation Bureau Director; when the transportation system evaluates titles, they certainly prioritize their director.

The same goes for the Education Bureau; most of the ones who get high titles are leaders, while it is quite challenging for those truly teaching in classrooms to get evaluated.

Han Yu was thinking we equally don’t need experts like you, yet the old Secretary of the former Jiangbin Town jokingly asked, "Secretary Xiao Han, I’m a Senior Economist; does your expert group need an economist?"

Han Yu still didn’t understand what an economist actually did even to this day.

But this rather distinguished-sounding economist is frequently encountered; in the development zone’s Investment Promotion Bureau, many of the deputy directors have business cards, and many of those cards are printed with Senior Economist!

A while ago, when visiting Uncle Zhang from Longgang Rice Industry, his newly printed business card had it too.

One could imagine that a Senior Economist isn’t very valuable, almost ubiquitous.

By comparison, Old Lu was more domineering; the front of his card read Secretary of the Liangzhuang Town Party in Sigan County, Jiangnan Province, and the back read Chairman and General Manager of the Jiangnan Province Sigan County Liangzhuang Agricultural and Industrial General Company!

In short, these predecessors were good at flaunting and showing off, even using official positions for show and display.

Han Yu found it amusing. Xiao Yu curiously asked again, "Salted Fish, Uncle Han just said on the phone that he isn’t traditionally trained and wants to make way for the younger generation. What do you mean by traditionally trained?"

Before Han Yu could respond, Old Ge comrades chuckled and said, "Both you and Salted Fish are police. You never even attended elementary school, but you’ve been an instructor at the Changhang Police Academy, which is higher than attending the police academy itself; at least within the Changhang Police System, your background is better than Salted Fish’s. You are traditionally trained, and Salted Fish isn’t."

"And what about with the local police?"

"The same, after all, Salted Fish didn’t attend the police academy."

Xiao Yu was surprised to find out that his background was higher than Salted Fish’s and grinned, saying, "So Uncle Han never attended a meteorology school either?"

Han Yu nodded and explained, "My father-in-law used to be in the Air Force ground crew, specializing in maintaining and repairing fighter radar systems. He later took an exam for a military school and studied radar specialization. He was assigned to the meteorological station at an Air Force facility, working on both radar and meteorology, but mainly focusing on meteorological radar.

His path is quite similar to mine; we are both in the technical field and never formally studied meteorology, weather dynamics, atmospheric detection, or atmospheric physics and such. His Professor title is also in radar technology, not meteorology, so within the meteorological system, he isn’t traditionally trained."

Xiao Yu, half-understood, asked, "Just like us, we study ship repair and navigation, unlike our senior brother who went straight to the police academy from the start?"

"That’s about right."

"Uncle Han is really impressive, doing radar and becoming a Deputy Chief Engineer at the Meteorological Bureau!"

"Not anymore; he’s retired to a secondary line now."

"Salted Fish, let’s talk about me first. Give me a word, whether to let me into your expert group, whether to hire me as your expert?"

"Director Ge, we are a flood control and emergency response camp!"

"I know, I am familiar with flood control; I built the Longyong embankment, and I am still the Deputy Commander of the development zone’s Flood Control and Drought Relief Command Center!"

The actual worth of Old Ge’s Senior Engineer designation in the expert group is unknown to Han Yu, but it must be admitted that in flood control, Old Ge indeed has substantial experience.

In fact, the leaders of various towns along Yanjiang in the past could all be considered local flood control and emergency experts, because over the years, floods occurred frequently, and during each flood, these predecessors had to command flood control and drainage efforts.

An appointment letter was already given to his father-in-law, making the expert group long lose its true meaning.

Considering the elders just wanted some face, a big red appointment letter to show off, Han Yu straightforwardly laughed, "Warmly welcome, but for now, I can only issue the appointment letter without holding the induction ceremony."

"As long as there’s a certificate, there’s no need for any ceremony. I dislike attending events with leaders present."

"Coincidentally, we have blank appointment letters ready; I’ll fill one out for you later."

"Secretary Xiao Han, what about me? I’m a Senior Economist!"

Old Ge sincerely believed the expert appointments shouldn’t be given out loosely, otherwise, they would devalue, and before Han Yu could say anything, he turned and laughed, "Secretary Wang, this is a senior flood control and emergency response expert group. You are an economist, not an engineer, so don’t join in this commotion."

The old Secretary was unhappy and assertively said, "It’s just flood control and emergency response; isn’t it common knowledge? Besides, I’m like you now, the Deputy Commander of the Development Zone’s Flood Control and Drought Relief Command Center!"

"I say no means no."

"You are not even the group leader of the expert group."

"Used to be, now I am. Senior Economists should focus on economics. Ask Salted Fish to enquire Mayor Shen and Secretary Chen if you could be an economic advisor for the development zone."

"Economic advisor? I’ve never heard of that. Even if it exists, an economic advisor doesn’t sound as grand as an expert."

"So vain, nearly sixty years old and still so vain, aren’t you afraid of the kids laughing at you!"

"If you’re not vain, why insist on being an expert?"

"I’ve always been an expert; I am a Senior Engineer, and a Professor-level Senior Engineer at that."

"What Senior Engineer? Others may not know, but I do. If you weren’t a Transportation Bureau Director, could you have achieved a Professor title? That’s an abuse of power for personal gains!"