Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

In the office, a woman in her thirties came up to Zhuang Zhongchen with a smile and handed him a driver's license: "Manager Zhuang, Chief Sun from the traffic police just came by, and your driver's license has been processed."

"Oh, thanks, Sister Tao."

"Don't mention it. Would you like me to get you an intermediate-level vocational certificate?"

"Huh? Are you mocking me? What would I need this thing for?"

"Giggle giggle..."

This woman, named Tao Ping, is the head of the internal affairs team and the newly arrived military spouse.

In fact, not all vocational skills level examinations fall under the jurisdiction of the labor bureau. For example, driver's licenses are definitely issued by the traffic management department; while the high-voltage and low-voltage electrician certificates are issued by the power department.

This is called certificate exchange, and no additional exam is required. You can take these certificates directly to the Vocational Skills Section of the Labor Bureau to obtain your vocational skills level certificate.

That's absolutely right. A trainee driver is equivalent to a Level 3 skilled worker, while a regular driver is Level 4 or higher. Eventually, when there are tens of millions of drivers nationwide, that will be tens of millions of Level 4 skilled workers!

Perhaps spending a few hundred yuan could get you an intermediate-level worker certificate from the Labor and Social Security Bureau. But in real life, I don't think I've ever heard of such a fool, have I?

However, things are completely different now. Driver's licenses and electrician's licenses don't specify the skill level at all. How can an employer pay your salary if you're a level four driver or a level five electrician? Therefore, a separate vocational skill level certificate is required.

Here's a little-known fact: the highest driver's license level is Level 6. It's not that there aren't skilled drivers, but rather that the current situation doesn't allow it. There aren't professional car races, rally races, or Formula 1 these days, so higher-level driver's licenses aren't necessary!

Of course, if someone has exceptional driving skills, they're usually assigned to drive the cars for the leaders. Then comes the fleet dispatcher, fleet captain, office director, and so on.

In those days, it was easy for drivers to get promoted. They would usually go through the administrative cadre process.

Another situation is where a major certificate is used to subcontract a minor certificate. An engineer certificate is the major certificate, while a grade-level worker certificate is the minor certificate.

For example, engineers specializing in construction machinery will certainly be able to operate large cranes and imported excavators, right? Therefore, it's assumed they already possess basic qualifications. They don't necessarily need crane operator certificates, excavator operator certificates, etc.

However, driving here involves personal safety, so it's safer to get a driver's license. Since we're all affiliated companies, I don't even need to go to a driving school; I can just contact the traffic police's license department.

This also includes both high-voltage and low-voltage electrical certificates. In the future, it's helpful to inform the power company beforehand; this will make things much easier if you encounter any live electrical work environments.

……

When Zhuang Zhongchen got home from get off work, he was just about to cook dinner. Should he make vegetable soup with noodles or mixed vegetable pancakes? Luckily, it was the middle of summer, so there was no shortage of vegetables.

But just then, Yan Fugui's shouts suddenly came from the courtyard gate: "Chenzi, someone's looking for you!"

A few minutes later, Zhuang Zhongchen welcomed two men dressed in Zhongshan suits into the house: "I apologize for the inconvenience. We don't even have any tea leaves at home, so I'll pour you two cups of hot water."

"No need. Engineer Zhuang, I didn't expect you to be so young. We thought you were some senior expert."

"Haha. I learned a little foreign language in college, and translated a few articles in my spare time. Please excuse my amateurish attempt."

"Not at all. Ambition knows no age. You must be quite knowledgeable in hydraulics, right?"

"Hehe. I've just read a few more books. As for practical experience, it's just the little bit I gained from my factory internship during university."

"oh oh!"

Zhuang Zhongchen truly hadn't expected that someone would contact the editorial department and even come to visit him after he had only translated a lousy paper.

A hint of disappointment flickered in the eyes of the two men. They hadn't expected that Zhuang Zhongchen wasn't an expert at all; he was just a novice who could only translate.

But since we're already here, we can't leave empty-handed; we should at least exchange some information.

"Mr. Zhuang, do you have a moment? We have a few questions we'd like to ask you." As they spoke, one of them took out several blueprints from his bag.

Zhuang Zhongchen glanced at it briefly; it was one of the most basic machines—a hydraulic press. By the time of the Industrial Cthulhu Age, this kind of old-fashioned hydraulic press would have long become archaeological material. It was only because Zhuang Zhongchen had worked with secondhand equipment that he was relatively familiar with its basic structure.

"Mr. Zhuang, we'd like to make some improvements here. But we've discovered..."

"And here too. In terms of craftsmanship..."

"There's a problem here too. This is what we were thinking..."

"..."

As Zhuang Zhongchen listened, his expression became subtle. Something was clearly wrong. Although they were all questions about hydraulics, it certainly wasn't the hydraulic press shown in the blueprints.

"Hmm..." After considering for a moment, Zhuang Zhongchen smiled and said, "I understand what you mean. However, in the field of mechanical manufacturing, it's not simply a matter of scaling down or enlarging. In some areas, it's indeed possible to make bricks fly with tremendous force..."

"So strong that bricks fly?"

"Uh... it's describing constantly adding more power. If one engine isn't enough, then add two, three..."

"Understood."

"That's good. For example, your problem should be solvable by strengthening the structure. The specific parameters need to be calculated. As for this equation... I'm not an expert in this area. If you want to solve it, it's best to find some people who are good at math."

"Zhuang, are you not up to the task?"

"I definitely can't do it. Didn't I tell you I don't have much practical experience?"

"What about this one?"

"This can't be done with heavy bricks flying around; it needs a redesign. I'll draw a sketch for you. I can't guarantee it's completely accurate, but I hope it can serve as a reference..."

Zhuang Zhongchen chuckled inwardly. These two had come for the large-tonnage hydraulic press. To put it more bluntly: a 10,000-ton hydraulic press!

In the industrial sector, especially in the defense industry, 10,000-ton hydraulic presses play an extremely important role. They are capable of forging special steels, which are generally used in aircraft, rocket, and other engines.

By the time of the Industrial Cthulhu Age, China possessed the world's largest 80,000-ton hydraulic press. There were dozens of hydraulic presses exceeding 10,000 tons, and over a hundred around 10,000 tons. Therefore, in Zhuang Zhongchen's eyes, a 10,000-ton hydraulic press like this was nothing more than a "toy"!

However, Zhuang Zhongchen spoke casually, but upon hearing these valuable facts, the two men were immediately stunned.

It's important to understand that in another dimension, in 1962, China successfully produced its first 10,000-ton hydraulic press. Therefore, at this stage, this is one of the most important equipment projects in China.

That's why, when the project team saw this latest translated paper, they immediately dispatched two senior technicians.