Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

He knew his son wasn’t clear about maritime matters. According to industry practices, a chief engineer’s understanding of their own vessel is ingrained, but this exclusive experience might become a burden under the new shipowner system.

The new shipowners typically operate according to their own technical standards and management processes. Before the transfer, the new owner would conduct a strict inspection of the engine system, usually arranging a trusted engineering team for comprehensive maintenance and tuning.

His son gulped down another sip of beer and suddenly pulled out his phone, ”Dad, there’s a travel blogger I follow who’s recruiting crew members, and the first position is chief engineer—interview’s tomorrow.”

He then added meaningfully, ”This blogger doesn’t even have a ship yet.”

Chen Tiefeng was taken aback for a moment, frowning as he asked, ”What are you trying to say?”

His son replied slowly, ”You see, he has no ship, no chief engineer. If—and I’m just saying if—you applied and got the chief engineer position, then...”

”Convince him to buy that research vessel. Hey, what’s the name of that ship again?”

”Explorer No. 3!”

”Ah, right, right, that’s the Explorer No. 3. Buy it, this blogger will definitely want to upgrade and refurbish it...”

Upon hearing his son’s words, Chen Tiefeng was stunned. Then he said, somewhat incredulously, ”A travel blogger? Buying a ship?”

”Actually, to be accurate, this blogger wants to build his own ship.”

”Dad, you know this stuff well. Which is more reliable: him building a ship or buying your Explorer No. 3?”

At this question, Chen Tiefeng slapped the table and said without hesitation, ”There’s no comparison!”

”Our ’Explorer No. 3,’ aside from not having icebreaking features, is superior in every way compared to building a new ship!”

”After all, it’s made for scientific research, designed by top-notch experts with the best materials in the finest shipyards, adhering to the highest standards.”

”First of all, I won’t even talk about the cost-effectiveness. Time-wise, if he builds a ship, it would take at least two years, right?”

”But under my guidance, refurbishing this Explorer No. 3, it could be ready to sail in at most half a year.”

”But those aren’t the most important factors. More importantly, our Explorer No. 3 is made with military-grade steel, anti-seismic structure, and has passed 20 years of sea condition validation.”

”You’ve never witnessed shipbuilding; you don’t get it. Building a ship is far more complex than you imagine. If any step goes wrong, it might need to be redone. Every step requires precise control.”

”Moreover, our ship was initially built for scientific research, equipped with laboratories. What’s most crucial for a lab? Stability! Those instruments and devices are incredibly precious. Although our ship is only 56.8 meters, it’s more stable than those four to fifty-meter yachts!”

His son chuckled, ”There you have it.”

”The blogger I follow is really smart but not very knowledgeable in this area. If you tell him all this information, he’ll surely know how to evaluate it.”

”See, if you could become his crew member, not only could your beloved ship stay with you longer, but also—since the blogger is a travel blogger—his main work is for fun. No matter where you go, it’s for fun, definitely much more relaxing than doing scientific research as you did before. You should be enjoying life at your age.”

Chen Tiefeng snorted, ”Sailing is a serious matter, not about enjoyment. Every day’s inspection must be carried out meticulously and carefully...”

”Ah, yes, yes, yes.” His son was clearly reluctant to argue with Chen Tiefeng and just went with the flow, ”So you see, if you could become his crew member and help Li Younan successfully obtain that ship—oh, plus, with your connections from old colleagues, you could get some original equipment from the previous unit, right? Then all your worries would be solved at once, wouldn’t they?”

Listening to his son’s analysis, Chen Tiefeng fell into a prolonged silence, quietly drinking beer. He drained the last sip, twisted the can into a pretzel, tossed it into the trash, then slapped the table and stood up: ”So, how can I attend the interview?”

His son said triumphantly, ”Well, in fact, I’ve already sent your resume to that blogger a few days ago.”

Chen Tiefeng was dumbfounded again and, after a moment, snorted: ”You rascal...”

”Hehehehe, you said it yourself, our generation is an ungrateful one.”

”Hah...”

...

Li Younan conducted interviews online with the ten shortlisted candidates for the chief engineer position. After all, Li Younan was an expert in sailing skills, so this time, the interviews were primarily to see if those who submitted resumes truly had the capability.

After a round of brief interviews, Li Younan finally identified four candidates who were indeed competent chief engineers. He put their profiles on the table but didn’t know how to proceed with the next step.

The four candidates were respectively: Chen Tiefeng, chief engineer on an ocean bureau research vessel; a chief engineer named Zhao from a deep-sea bulk oil tanker; Lin Xiaowen, a 35-year-old chief engineer from a near-sea container ship; and Wang Haitao, chief engineer from a special engineering ship.

Truthfully, judging by their experiences and abilities, each one had extensive deep-sea sailing experience and their own specialties. Li Younan genuinely didn’t know whom to choose at that moment.