Chapter 11: Salary and Benefits

Zhou Weihua first fetched a cup of water, handed it to Lu Cheng, then filled his own teacup, taking some frothy tea from the iron box and adding it.

Lu Cheng looked at his plain water, then at the other's tea.

Zhou Weihua noticed and said, "Would you like some too?"

"Thank you, Team Captain Zhou," Lu Cheng quickly handed over the cup.

"Hehe." Zhou Weihua added some tea leaves for him, and after sitting down, shifted into a comfortable posture.

The Railway Bureau is a state‑enterprise integration; positions like Train Staff and train drivers of the Jiwu Section have salaries paid according to the enterprise's eight‑grade wage system, with an apprenticeship period of three years.

But our Train Police belong to the Public Security system, a state organ, and follow the administrative salary standard, with a one‑year probationary period.

As for you, since you are neither a military specialist nor a technical secondary school graduate, during the current probation your salary is 28 yuan per month; after a year when you become regular, you will be placed at administrative level 27, starting at 30 yuan per month.

After a year, becoming regular makes you a ninth‑grade clerk, a bit better than a general handyman.

Lu Cheng was already quite satisfied; factory apprentices earn only 18 yuan per month in the first year and only become regular after three years.

He'll become regular in just one year—what need does he have for a bicycle?

Zhou Weihua blew a mouthful of tea foam and continued, "Although the probation pays 28 yuan per month, the Capital City applies the six‑category wage‑area subsidy."

"Furthermore, the Railway Bureau provides its own allowances—such as Train Police duty allowance, long‑distance allowance, night‑shift pay—bringing the total to roughly 33 yuan."

That's enough, that's enough!

His mother Chen Xianglan has worked at a cotton mill for many years, earning only a little over thirty yuan a month.

"And also…" Zhou Weihua took a sip of tea.

"After a year, regular staff are allocated a house with centralized heating."

"This includes basic benefits such as grain tickets, Meat Tickets, Coal Tickets, etc., which are considerably more than those of other units."

"As for other extra benefits, whatever the enterprises have, we have; whatever they lack, we also have."

That's why the Railway Boss is so wealthy.

Putting aside everything else, just the fact that a house is granted after a year already puts us far ahead of other units.

Some workers have labored for over a decade and still don't get a house; when a quota finally appears, it's all open competition and covert fighting.

It's no wonder that in his previous life he gave the recruitment quota to Li Huiying, went down to the countryside to join a production team, and his father ignored him for months.

Now that he thinks about it, it really was a mess.

Lu Cheng stood up and extended his hand, "From now on I'll follow Team Captain Zhou; I hope you'll mentor me more. I'll work hard—when do you think I can start duty on the train?"

Xizhimen Train Station, mainly on the Capital‑Bag line, handles mixed long‑distance passenger and freight traffic; a round trip takes two to four days.

Zhou Weihua smiled, "Comrade, you're quite ambitious, but don't be impatient; you've just arrived at our Railway Section, and many things are unfamiliar."

"Later I'll have the train sergeant assign an experienced Train Police officer to guide you; for now, just serve on duty at the station."

Lu Cheng was already thinking that; this departure from the Capital will take several days, and Lin Qingyan still has no outcome yet.

It's convenient, as he also prefers not to serve on the train for now.

During the conversation, a female Comrade walked by; Zhou Weihua saw her and called her in.

"Xiao Lu, this is Section Chief Hu of our Labor‑Relations Section."

"Section Chief Hu, this is our new probationary Train Police Lu Cheng; I need to trouble you to process his onboarding; this is his Introduction Letter."

Lu Cheng greeted, "Hello Section Chief Hu, you look so young, just like my sister."

Hu Lihua wasn't young; she was in her forties, with an appearance below average.

The reason Lu Cheng said that was purely to leave a good impression, hoping the subsequent procedures would go smoothly.

Hu Lihua indeed took the compliment to heart; outwardly indifferent, but inside she was delighted.

"Ah, everyone's pearls have yellowed with age, why pretend to be young? Fine then, Team Captain Zhou, don't worry—I'll handle it clearly. Xiao Lu, come with me."

Lu Cheng followed Hu Lihua to the Labor‑Relations Section, filled out the employee registration form, then she personally escorted him to the Logistics Department, where he received the relevant labor‑insurance supplies: a flashlight, Enamel Jar, Raincoat, and so on.

In addition to handcuffs, there were two sets of the autumn‑winter Style Police Uniforms in dark blue, and a summer white‑top uniform.

Lu Cheng changed into the uniform, stood before the dressing mirror to tidy up, and after donning the Big Brim Hat, looked very sprightly.

Even Hu Lihua, upon seeing him, couldn't help but voice praise.

"Ah, Xiao Lu, it fits so well! I thought the Logistics Department would have to alter it; it's practically tailor‑made."

Lu Cheng stood nearly 1.8 meters tall; although times were lean, he often painted big promises for his sister and took money from her.

Coupled with frequent meals and drinks with friends, his build was fairly robust.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a clothes hanger.

At this moment Lu Cheng didn't know that Hu Lihua, seeing his handsome figure, was already silently searching for a match for him.

"Thank you for the compliment, Section Chief Hu. What else should I do?"

Hu Lihua thought for a moment, "Oh, that's about it—let me take a photo of you, then issue your work badge, and we're done."

After the photo, you just wait for the work badge to be issued; compared with other trainees, waiting one or two days is already fast—some have to wait half a month.

Under Hu Lihua's arrangement, Lu Cheng received his work badge half an hour later.

He had thought that, having just reported in today, his first day would be off work, but after completing all the paperwork he was immediately taken to Xizhimen Train Station.

The Comrade driving the train said the unit was short‑handed, so all Train Police were sent to duty on the train.

After a brief inquiry, it turned out to be a case involving a gang of thieves; not only were they highly skilled at theft, but also extremely cunning.

The Traffic Police Unit had been monitoring them for over a week, yet had caught nothing.

Because of this, the passengers had many complaints, and even Deputy Bureau Chief Tang of the Railway Bureau was alarmed, demanding the Xizhimen Train Police Unit solve the case quickly and give the revolutionary masses an answer.

Just now, while standing at the Team Captain's office doorway, Lu Cheng heard Zhou Weihua getting fired up about the matter.

Since all Train Police were on the train, only one person was on duty on the Platform, making it severely understaffed.

When Lu Cheng met the train sergeant, the latter, without time for a handover, briefly said to have him work with another Comrade to handle Platform security, then hurried onto the departing train.

Platform duty is very leisurely, mainly responsible for dispersing passengers boarding and alighting and maintaining order on site; quite boring.

Lu Cheng is instantly at ease wherever he goes, and he struck up a conversation with another comrade, learning that the other is named Liu Jian'an, also an apprentice, and the two are close in age.

However, Comrade Liu Jian'an arrived a month earlier than him.

Liu Jian'an also finds duty on the Platform boring, complaining, "I've been here for a month already, still they won't let me board a train; now there's a group of thieves on the train, and I especially want to catch them."

One can see that Liu Jian'an is eager to earn merit, assuming apprentices aren't favored by the senior Train Police, so he is very keen to prove himself.

Listening to Liu Jian'an recount the thieves, Lu Cheng suddenly sees a woman's face flash in his mind.

That woman was the leader of the thieves captured in his previous life.