Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

Of course, that was the National Science and Technology Progress Award, first prize. This time, the Municipal Labor Bureau received a third prize for collective work. Moreover, it was a collective honor, and Zhuang Zhongchen was merely one member of the team.

Even so, they still received considerable benefits. In addition to certificates and prizes, most people received early technical skill upgrades.

Engineer Cheng and Engineer Cui both rose to Level 7 and Level 8, respectively. Two assistant engineers were promoted to Level 9. Zhuang Zhongchen was also successfully promoted to Level 8.

The rules for upgrading technical levels generally follow the "369 principle".

After completing a one-year internship, junior college students are promoted to senior technicians; after completing a one-year internship, undergraduate students are promoted to assistant engineers.

After three years of service, a senior technician can apply for the position of assistant engineer; after six years of service, an assistant engineer can apply for the position of engineer; and after nine years of service, an engineer can apply for the position of senior engineer (level 6 engineer).

As for those who go further up the ladder, they are judged solely on their specific achievements and contributions, without being limited by years of service or age.

Therefore, the answer is 369.

Then there are vocational school graduates; after their one-year internship, they become technicians. To become a senior technician, you'll have to slowly build up your experience first!

This shows that after 5 or 6 years of work, a college graduate's income is more than double that of a vocational school graduate. So, how many years earlier should a vocational school graduate start working? College graduates generally just smile and remain silent! Not to mention, there are some unspoken rules. College graduates are always in demand, while vocational school graduates have to wait in line.

For example, even a mediocre engineer like Zhuang Zhongchen, who is completely useless, can be promoted once his service period is up. He gets promoted one level every three years, and will definitely become a senior engineer (level six engineer) in nine years.

But even a vocational school graduate struggles to become a level nine engineer. If they want to become a senior engineer? They have to wait in line, and might not even get a chance until retirement.

That's absolutely true; there's that much discrimination based on educational background. Unless you're an exceptionally brilliant genius!

So it's quite interesting. It must be admitted that not every college student is truly capable. There are indeed many mediocre ones. Later, these mediocre engineers were called—"369 engineers"!

Regardless, Zhuang Zhongchen shortened his service period by a few years, achieving the title of Level 8 Engineer ahead of schedule. However, this Level 8 Engineer title was utterly useless. He received an administrative-level salary, but didn't actually receive a single extra penny.

That said, even though there was no raise, the guy was still pretty happy. It was like getting something for nothing, and it sounded impressive to others!

What's even more gratifying is that now that the company has two more engineers, the work will be much easier from now on.

……

Amidst the steaming heat, the three members of the "Eating and Drinking Trio" reunited. Tonight, they were having a clay pot of braised chicken with pork intestines.

To be honest, pork intestines and chicken were still relatively easy to obtain at that time; these ingredients weren't particularly rare. However, Zhuang Zhongchen added a hot pot base to the cooking. This high-tech, futuristic addition made Qin Huairu and Lou Xiao'e beam with delight.

It's quite interesting that seasonings from the future—a hot pot base and an instant noodle seasoning—are so popular in this era.

"Chenzi, I heard you've found someone. Where is she from?"

"Yes, from the district library."

"When are you bringing him in so we can see him?"

"Alright! I'll have you guys accompany me then."

Just like at his workplace, Zhuang Zhongchen, a high-performing individual, had already attracted the attention of local matchmakers. Therefore, Zhuang Zhongchen couldn't hide it any longer and had to reveal Wen Yumei's identity.

Glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, Qin Huairu remained impassive, slowly and deliberately stuffing a piece of fatty intestine into her mouth. But under the kang table, she subtly kicked it several times…

Zhuang Zhongchen knew perfectly well what was going on, and Qin Huairu was somewhat helpless, but deep down she was still a little jealous.

Therefore, after they had eaten and drunk their fill and left Lou Xiao'e's house, Zhuang Zhongchen secretly carried Qin Huairu to his own kang (heated brick bed).

"Chenzi, Master Chen, I'm scared."

"What are you worried about? As long as I'm here, you and Huaihua will definitely take good care of each other."

"Yes, I believe you. It's just that your future wife..."

"Don't worry, if you behave well, how could I possibly let you off the hook, you little devil?"

"Hehe, you're so annoying!"

The storm had passed. As she left, she gave her a playful, slightly reproachful glare: "Hmph, you heartless bastard."

To be honest, both Qin Huairu and Mi Cuicui were already mentally prepared, knowing that Zhuang Zhongchen would eventually marry and have children. But this clandestine, abusive relationship seemed addictive, making them increasingly inseparable from that scumbag.

Leaving aside the economic dependence, the two women also experienced immense physical and psychological satisfaction. Especially given the current extremely conservative atmosphere, Qin Huairu and Mi Cuicui incurred extremely high sunk costs, making it even more difficult for them to give up.

Plus, despite being a jerk, that guy was definitely a chauvinist. But he was a chauvinist decades later. If he were around today, he'd be caring, comforting, wouldn't be abusive, and would be considerate… wouldn't that make him an exceptionally good man?

Of course, Zhuang Zhongchen didn't care about any of that. He was just living for the moment, who cared about the future? It was simply adding a tiny bit of spice to the boring leveling process in the newbie village…

But just then, they suddenly heard faint shouts coming from afar: "Thief! Burglar!"

Zhuang Zhongchen suddenly stood up, after a slight hesitation.

That place is quite far away. It's only because I have excellent hearing and sight that I can hear the sounds coming from there. But if I rush there, it might be too late?

Forget about it for now, let's go out and take a look first. What if I can find a bargain?

He quickly donned a black outfit, then put on a bandit hat. Pulling down the hat revealed a mask covering his entire face. Next, he put on gloves and tucked his Dream Love Stick into his waistband…

This was the equipment Zhuang Zhongchen had prepared long ago. He never expected to finally be able to use it tonight.

Arriving at the backyard, Zhuang Zhongchen quickly climbed onto the wall and looked in the direction of "catching the thief".

The courtyard was already lit up, and the whole place became noisy. However, in the darkness, no one dared to go out and chase after them; all that could be heard were shouts and screams.

However, outside the courtyard, several dark figures were scurrying away in fear; these were likely the petty thieves who had come to steal.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Zhuang Zhongchen climbed over the wall and gave chase. He needed to be careful for his first attempt.

If any of those petty thieves are alone, try to catch a few. If there are many of them, just give up.

After tracking them for several tens of minutes, they discovered that the thieves had reunited with two others. This group wandered around for a while before finally entering a very dilapidated courtyard house...