I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

Throughout August, Yan Jiefang hardly ever returned to the No. 95 courtyard house.

He spent most of his time in his new home in Dongmianhua Hutong, focusing on self-studying the remaining courses of his fourth year of vocational school.

He originally planned to complete all the courses of vocational high school in the second semester of his first year, and then learn other skills.

However, due to the large amount of time spent studying traditional Chinese medicine in the middle of the course, the original learning rhythm was disrupted, resulting in the suspension of some courses in the fourth grade.

This long summer break is a perfect opportunity to make up for it.

The fourth-grade curriculum wasn't particularly complex for him, and Yan Jiefang progressed very quickly.

At his current learning pace, he should be able to finish all his vocational school courses by the end of August and completely achieve his phased self-study goals.

Besides reading, Yan Jiefang also frequently visited various trust shops in Beijing while sightseeing.

He knew that subsequent electronic operations and equipment inspection and improvement would require a lot of related tools, so he took advantage of his free time to start procuring them in advance.

He specifically chooses second-hand tools that offer good value for money.

We have gradually collected practical consumables and tools such as screwdrivers, needle-nose pliers, diagonal pliers, medical tweezers, small files, steel rulers, small wrenches, insulating tape, and scrap wires.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he did not have industrial tickets.

The tools weren't brand new; they were all secondhand goods circulating in the market. However, most of them were intact and usable, and could barely meet the needs of future use.

My luckiest moment this month was finding a used analog multimeter at a trust store I frequent.

The sales clerk looked at the young Yan Jiefang and quoted a price directly:

"This meter is ten yuan, no bargaining. The meter head works, but some resistance ranges are inaccurate, it's missing a probe, and the back cover is cracked, but it's usable as is."

Yan Jiefang picked up the multimeter, flipped through it, checked the meter head and wiring, nodded, and paid.

"I want it."

He didn't see this minor issue as a problem, believing it could be fixed by replacing parts and calibrating the circuitry, and wouldn't affect its use at all.

In this day and age, it's really not easy for someone without many connections to buy a second-hand multimeter.

This time, I was incredibly lucky.

After that, he bought three more second-hand radios.

A partially disabled unit that can still be powered costs twenty-five yuan.

The other two were completely unusable and could not be turned on, costing a total of twenty yuan.

The sales clerk was a little curious upon seeing this:

"Young man, what are you going to do with three broken radios? Do you know how to fix them?"

While packing up the machine, Yan Jiefang replied:

"I don't know how yet. I bought it to disassemble and assemble as practice."

The sales clerk nodded knowingly and didn't ask any more questions.

In times of scarcity, ordinary people simply couldn't bear to spend money on discarded electrical appliances.

Only technically skilled vocational school or college students are willing to tinker with these junk items to hone their practical skills.

Yan Jiefang's plan was clear: to use three old radios as a base, disassemble the intact parts, and assemble them into a working finished product.

It not only allows for the reuse of waste materials and saves money on the purchase of new equipment, but also provides practical training in circuit welding and equipment maintenance skills, laying a solid foundation for subsequent professional studies.

Day after day, life was peaceful and fulfilling.

Yan Jiefang spends his days studying and assembling/disassembling equipment regularly, only going out for leisure in his spare time.

He doesn't get involved in the trivial matters of the neighborhood at all; people in No. 95 Courtyard and Mianhua Hutong almost never see him.

As the end of August approaches, the weather remains hot and humid, with the afternoon sun being glaring.

Yan Jiefang was sitting inside tidying up radio parts when a soft knock came at the door.

He put down the branding iron in his hand, got up and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was Yu Haitang, clutching a brand-new copy of "Beijing Literature and Art" in her hand, wearing a clean floral shirt.

Upon seeing Yan Jiefang, Yu Haitang immediately smiled:

"Yan Jiefang, I am your sister-in-law Yu Li's younger sister. I finally managed to find out where you live, so I came here specifically to find you."

Yan Jiefang stepped aside to let him in, his expression calm and expressionless, his tone distant: "What is it?"

He understood Haitang's personality perfectly.

The other person is indeed quite good-looking, standing out among their peers, but they are vain and materialistic, have poor judgment of character, and only care about personal gain and future prospects.

Yan Jiefang had made up his mind that no matter what, he would not have any romantic relationship with Yu Haitang, let alone make her his partner.

This woman's personality isn't stable either; if you date her, you might get yourself into trouble during a major storm later on.

Yu Haitang walked into the room, her eyes quickly scanning the tidy room, the books on the table, the electric fan, and the electronic components.

She had been reading Yan Jiefang's novels and originally thought he was an artistic youth, but now she discovered that he was actually a dull science and engineering student.

However, she still handed over the magazine she was holding.

"Yan Jiefang, I've read and listened to your novels and songs; they're excellent. This magazine published one of your works; could you please sign it for me?"

"It's nothing."

Yan Jiefang took the magazine, picked up his pen, and wrote neatly and succinctly, without any extra signature. He then handed it back directly after signing it.

Yu Haitang took the magazine, carefully put it away, pulled up a chair and sat down, and took the initiative to start a conversation:

"Yan Jiefang, you're doing so well in your studies now, and you can even write books and songs. You're really amazing! I really admire you."

Yan Jiefang did not respond, but simply lowered his head to tidy up the parts on the table, his attitude indifferent.

Yu Haitang didn't care about his indifference at all.

In her eyes, Yan Jiefang is a truly top-tier prospect.

Studying at a top-tier vocational school now guarantees a bright future.

They can also write and publish books, earning a steady stream of royalties;

His original song "Me and My Motherland" has been sung throughout the country, and he has everything: fame, ability, and a promising future.

No one of his peers in the college and school could compare to him.

She could tell that Yan Jiefang was distant, but she still refused to leave. She sat in the house chatting about this and that, from trivial matters at school to the current situation in the alley, and sat there for the whole afternoon.

During the meeting, Yan Jiefang rarely spoke, mostly just giving simple responses and not initiating conversations, maintaining his distance throughout.

As the sun set and darkness fell, Yu Haitang, seeing that it was getting late, got up to say goodbye.

After leaving Dongmianhua Hutong, Yu Haitang did not go straight home, but turned around and went to find her older sister, Yu Li.

Upon seeing Yu Li at home, Yu Haitang immediately began to complain:

"Sister, I went to see Yan Jiefang today, hoping to spend more time with him, but he was so cold to me and barely paid any attention to me the whole time."

Upon hearing this, Yu Li put down her needlework and said calmly:

"Yan Jiefang was a man of few words and was very indifferent to his family members except for his two young children."

"But he's not this distant with other people."

Yu Haitang's tone was filled with resentment.

"He's such a good catch, I don't want to miss out."

Yu Li gently shook her head:

"There's nothing I can do. He's very deep in his thoughts, and no one can influence his ideas."

Hearing her sister's reply, Yu Haitang was still not discouraged.

She comforted herself, saying that Yan Jiefang was still young and currently focused on his studies and writing, so it was normal that he had no time for romantic relationships.

There's plenty of time in the future to get to know each other and spend time together. As long as you keep taking the initiative, you can gradually build a closer relationship.

Having figured this out, Yu Haitang's impatience temporarily subsided, and she planned to gradually maintain their relationship in the future.

Even a good man fears being pestered three times!

Especially a beauty like her!

Meanwhile, after Yu Haitang left, Yan Jiefang closed the door, restoring the usual quiet.

He was fully aware of Haitang's feelings, but he didn't care at all.

A vain and materialistic nature means you're not on the same path as yourself, so there's no need to waste time trying to win them over.

He sat back down at the table, picked up his tools, and continued disassembling and repairing the radio.