Chapter 762: Chapter 517: Smash the Pot and Sell the Iron!
Plans always change faster than we arrange them.
Han Yu originally planned to take Dongdong to Sanhe for so catch-up lessons, but a series of trainings organized by the superiors left him no ti to look after his nephew.
Han Xiangning was just as busy, tasked with ensuring the safety of mariti traffic in Linghai Waters and deciding on the interior design of the newly capped Linghai Port Supervision Office building.
The couple discussed with Dongdong’s aunt and uncle, and after they bought so fruit, sent Dongdong to Master Gao, who he feared the most, for tutoring.
It turned out that tutoring really made a difference, and so did Dongdong’s abilities.
Under the strict supervision of Master Gao, Zhang Erxiao’s fiancée, Dongdong’s grades improved significantly. In the first unit test after the start of school, he passed in Chinese, English, and Math, and even scored high marks in Physics and the newly started Chemistry!
His son’s academic performance was more important than anything else.
Zhang Jiangkun could no longer focus solely on how to expand the passenger and freight services at Bailong Port. After discussing with his wife, they decided it would be better to have Dongdong go to Master Gao’s ho to do his howork after school every day.
Han Yu and Han Xiangning stole so ti from their busy schedules to return to Bailong Port, only to be roped in by Dongdong’s aunt and uncle to discuss Dongdong’s future.
"What are his current grades like?"
Master Gao says that if he can maintain his performance, he might have a chance to get into high school. But it’s just a chance, and getting into Ling Middle School is impossible. Vocational and normal schools used to have higher score requirents, and now vocational schools don’t offer job placents after graduation. Ling Middle School’s admission scores are higher than for vocational and normal schools; the top students all go there."
Zhang Jiangkun had hardly finished speaking when Han Ning chid in, "With Dongdong’s grades, he might barely get into an ordinary high school, and even then, it’s not guaranteed he could get into college."
Han Xiangning, holding Han Han, asked, "Sis, what kind of school do you want Dongdong to attend?"
Han Ning looked up and said, "I want him to go to a police academy. Your brother-in-law and I asked Minister Yang yesterday. Minister Yang said that as long as his grades aren’t too far off, as long as he ets the admission scores for an ordinary high school, the Port Authority can send him to Hanwu to join the police academy."
Zhang Jiangkun added, "Xiao Yu is an instructor at the police academy. Although it’s a bit far from ho, we’d feel relieved with Xiao Yu looking after him."
Han Ning thought for a mont and then said, "Currently, Dongdong has an East Sea blue-stamped household registration. When he’s about to graduate, we’ll try to pull so strings; perhaps we could get him into the East Sea Branch."
The Changhang Bureau’s funding cos from the Port Authority.
Although the Port Authority no longer has a say over the leadership team of the Changhang Bureau, by sending a few children of the Port Authority to the police academies within the Changhang System through commissioned training, it’s still feasible, provided their grades aren’t too poor.
Han Xiangning thought this was a viable option and couldn’t help smiling, "If Minister Yang says it shouldn’t be a problem, then it should be fine. Just focus on the next year, and if Dongdong can maintain his current grades, he really can go to Hanwu to join the police."
"But he’s not willing."
"Who’s not willing?"
"Dongdong."
Han Ning let out a sigh and said with a worried face, "I asked him yesterday. He said being a policeman isn’t interesting at all; he just wants to be a sailor and make big money."
Han Yu asked softly, "Is it because of my influence?"
"It’s not really related to you," Zhang Jiangkun said with a wry smile, "Dongdong grew up in the Port District. Your sister worked at the Sailor Club for several years and often took him there. In his eyes, working in the port is unimpressive, being a policeman isn’t interesting, and only being a marine sailor holds prestige."
Sailors used to have high salaries and social status.
Furthermore, Binjiang Port, an early open inland river port, often docked foreign ships.
It could be said that the Binjiang Friendship Store and the Sailor Club were once specifically for sailors. Countless people envied sailors. Han Yu clearly rembered the dances hosted by the Sailor Club where many people would climb up and peer over the walls just to get a glimpse.
Dongdong, who grew up in that environnt, naturally aspired to be a sailor, even dreaming of circumnavigating the globe to see the outside world.
Realizing this, Han Yu asked with a wry smile, "So what do we do?"
"San’er, he’s at Principal Gao’s house doing howork right now. When he cos back after finishing his howork, you and Ningning need to talk to him for . What’s so bad about being a policeman? Being a police officer is so honorable!"
"We don’t think there’s anything bad about being a policeman; we feel it is very honorable, but he doesn’t see it that way."
"It makes sense. I’m with the Changhang navigation police, and you’re now with the Local Police. To him, police work is not at all mysterious. The work we do doesn’t seem to hold any sense of achievent in his eyes."
Police salaries are low, and police work in port areas is monotonous.
For example, his sister mainly handles indoor tasks at the Binjiang Port Police Station, occasionally performing duties in the waiting rooms or ticket booths during busy tis. It’s really not that interesting.
Han Yu fell silent for a mont, then asked, "What if we can’t convince him?"
If his son didn’t want to be a police officer and they forced him to apply for the Changhang Police Academy, it was hard to predict whether he would continue studying diligently. After all, a child of that age might rebel.
Zhang Jiangkun weighed his options and said helplessly, "If he insists on being a sailor, then let him be a sailor. San’er, Ningning, does your school still have vocational classes?"
"After the upgrade to a college, we only have associate degree courses, bachelor’s degree courses, and short-term training programs, no vocational classes."
"So he still needs to go to high school."
"What’s wrong with high school?"
"He doesn’t want to go to high school."
Seeing the puzzled look on Han Xiangning’s face, Han Ning said with a bitter smile, "It’s your influence, both of you. I’ve worked on his mindset. Whenever I ntion high school, he talks about what his uncle and aunt did. Ultimately, he just doesn’t want to study; he only wants to go out, play, and dream of making big money."
Zhang Jiangkun then fixed his gaze on Han Yu and asked, "San’er, are there any vocational schools that offer specialized classes for ship piloting and marine engineering right now?"
"There aren’t any in Binjiang."
"What about other places?"
"There are many in East Sea."
"Which schools are there in East Sea?"
Han Yu knew the marine schools in East Sea very well and said without hesitation, "East Sea has a Marine School, which used to be under the Marine Bureau. Now the Marine Bureau has beco the Zhonghai Group, and the Marine School is managed by the Zhonghai Group. It offers specialties in ship piloting and marine engineering technology, and it’s a national key vocational school."
Thinking of taking out a loan to buy a comrcial house in East Sea, isn’t it all in hopes that his son could work and live there in the future?
Han Ning’s interest piqued imdiately, and she asked anxiously, "Is the admission score high?"
"Nowadays, running ships isn’t profitable. After the reform of the Marine Bureau, many sailors were reassigned. The won comrades from the passenger departnt either transferred to hospitals or guest houses under the Marine Bureau or moved to the Marine Bureau’s retirent hos. Deck and engineering departnt sailors were arranged to lay telephone lines for the telephone office, which is equivalent to labor export."
Han Yu let out a sigh and continued, "Since the industry is depressed, East Sea people naturally don’t go to learn these, and to my knowledge, the admission score isn’t very high, but the tuition is not cheap. Moreover, Dongdong’s school registration is in Binjiang, so even if he wants to apply, he can’t."
"Besides the Marine Bureau’s Marine School, what other schools are there in East Sea?"
"There is also a Marine Technical School under the Marine Bureau. The Marine School is a regular vocational school, and barely any students apply there, let alone the technical school. As far as I know, this one doesn’t look at your school registration; as long as you have the money, you can attend. But the managent and academic atmosphere aren’t great in the technical school, after all, it mainly focuses on sailor training now, and you can find all sorts of people in the school."
After thinking for a bit, Han Yu went on, "There’s also a Port School in East Sea, run by the East Sea Port Authority. It’s now considered a vocational high school, but it mainly trains port workers. If you want to learn how to operate tugs, you can go there."
Han Ning muttered, "Dongdong wants to be a sailor on sea ships, he definitely doesn’t want to learn how to operate tugs."
"There’s also a Fisheries School in East Sea that offers ship piloting and marine engineering specialties, but it teaches how to pilot fishing boats. From a job perspective, the Fisheries School is a good choice. Most of the crew mbers of the East Sea Overseas Fishing Company graduated from there, and many Fishery Administration Ship crew mbers from the East Sea District Fishery Administration Team are also graduates of the Fisheries School."
"Dongdong definitely doesn’t want to go learn how to pilot fishing boats."
"Then the only option is to apply for the Marine School. Oh, almost forgot, the Marine School used to be the vocational section of the East Sea Mariti College. Graduates of the Marine School can attend the Mariti College through the adult college entrance examination. The East Sea Mariti College is one of the four major mariti colleges. If you can get in, you definitely have a brighter future than us."
Han Xiangning looked up and said, "But Dongdong’s school registration is in Binjiang, he can’t apply."
Han Yu mused, "We need to find out about this, first clarify if the Marine School is recruiting in our Jiangnan Province. If they are recruiting here, Dongdong can apply, but the entrance exam will definitely be harder here than in East Sea, given that it is a national key vocational school after all."
National key vocational school!
And the possibility to further your studies in a specialized course, at the East Sea Mariti College no less!
Han Ning felt that this school offered better prospects than Hanwu’s police academy and suddenly stood up, saying, "School registration can be handled, we now have the official East Sea hukou, and we can help Dongdong transfer to finish his junior high in East Sea."
"Sister, transferring schools should not be a problem, but the key issue is where to live after the transfer."
"I’ll ask Shao Lei tomorrow when the Bai Shen docks, to see if we can rent a place near his house."
"Letting Dongdong go to junior high in East Sea alone?"
"Your brother-in-law and I can’t leave, but we can have Dongdong’s grandparents watch over him."
"Are they not busy with our hotown?"
"The governnt has requisitioned our family’s land back ho. My dad called
yesterday, wanting
to ask if your dad’s ship was short of people because he wants to continue working on ships."
Han Xiangning chuckled and couldn’t help but ask, "How much did the governnt compensate?"
Just as Zhang Jiangkun was about to speak, Han Ning lanted, "The compensation wasn’t much. It only helped Dongdong’s grandma to pay for insurance, so she can start receiving her pension next month. But we didn’t have much land in the first place."
My brother-in-law’s father was also an employee of the shipping company and got ashore by marrying into the company.
As Han Yu was mulling over whether the governnt would also help Dongdong’s grandfather pay for insurance if he was not a retired shipping company worker, his brother-in-law looked very worried and asked, "Han Ning, you’re not joking, are you?"
"What joke?"
"Transferring Dongdong and letting him attend junior high in East Sea."
"I’m not joking. Don’t we bust our humps just for Dongdong? Besides, the Marine School in East Sea is so good, if he really can get in, he definitely has a future!"
"What if he doesn’t get in?"
"Let’s ask him later. If he’s confident and determined, we’ll make it happen for him even if ans going broke."
Going broke again...
With tens of thousands in mortgage just starting to be paid off, life is already tight. They’ve already been "breaking pots and selling iron" once, how many pots do you have left to break?
Han Yu was completely convinced now and couldn’t help reminding him, "Sister, as I said before, although the Marine School in East Sea isn’t considered very good, the tuition is quite high."
"However high the tuition might be, how high can it be? Besides, compared to Dongdong’s future, what’s a little extra in tuition fees!"
"It’s said that the annual tuition is several thousands, after all, it’s for marine training, which includes practice aboard ships."
"If we’re short of money, I’ll borrow from our major uncle and second uncle. Your brother-in-law and I are still young, we can pay it back slowly."
"..."
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