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

Ever since the last confrontation at the dinner table, the Yan family's long-standing rules against deductions have been completely broken.

From the next day onwards, the food at home visibly improved.

The cornmeal porridge, which used to be bland and watery and so clear you could see your reflection in it, has been cooked to a thick and rich consistency.

Those dry, hard-to-cough mini cornbreads mixed with coarse bran have been replaced by plump, substantial, and delicate cornmeal staples, finally allowing people to fill their stomachs with peace of mind.

While eating, Yan Jiekuang unconsciously revealed a long-lost relaxed smile on his face.

Having spent years in a state of semi-starvation, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a full meal.

Now, a bowl of hot porridge and a good steamed bun fill my stomach with peace of mind, and my heart is filled with warmth.

He was only glad that things were finally starting to look up, completely unaware that this hard-won improvement felt like a painful loss to Yan Bugui.

After breakfast, Yan Bugui sat alone behind closed doors, his face dark as he opened his personal account book, gritted his teeth, picked up his pen, and forcibly increased the monthly food expenses by a large margin.

He spent half his life being shrewd and frugal, accumulating wealth by squeezing every last drop of food from his entire family. Now, he is easily manipulated by Yan Jiefang and forced to break his long-held rules of saving money.

Filled with resentment and heartache, yet lacking even the slightest courage to resist, she could only silently increase the cost of raising several children in her ledger.

To be settled in the future.

A gentleman takes his revenge, even after ten years!

As time goes by, those unlucky kids will definitely forget exactly how much the meal cost, and then we'll just use his account book as the standard.

He just didn't expect that he wasn't the only one who knew how to keep accounts.

Yan Jiekuang took out his treasured notebook and carefully recorded everything, stroke by stroke:

On May 28, 1961, the family finally got to eat normal cornbread and cornmeal porridge and stopped going hungry.

A line of childish handwriting fully expresses the poverty and grievances of the past few years, and also records the rare peace and stability of the present moment.

What Yan Bugui didn't expect was that his second son would actually keep a lot of cornbread that he hadn't eaten before as evidence!

When that familiar cornbread is placed in front of him, it will surely be quite interesting!

The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the high school entrance exam is getting closer and closer.

All graduating students in the school were on edge, burying themselves in studying day and night, fearing failure and uncertainty about their future.

Only Yan Jiefang remained calm and composed, his mindset as steady as Mount Tai.

With a personal panel showing his proof, Yongzheng had already thoroughly mastered all the junior high school knowledge, and his grades were consistently among the top in his grade. Ordinary pre-exam review was no longer meaningful to him.

While his peers were still struggling with textbook exam points, Yan Jiefang had already broken free from the established rhythm, pulled out the complete set of high school textbooks that Yan Bugui had specially left behind, and began to study the high school curriculum on his own.

Soon, subjects like math, physics, chemistry, literature, history, and foreign languages ​​replaced junior high school subjects, and the learning pace began to gradually increase.

At the same time, I persisted in honing my writing skills, and my writing ability became stronger and stronger.

His overall abilities have long surpassed those of his peers.

When he first transmigrated, he originally planned to finish three years of high school step by step before planning his future.

After all, he didn't want to go to an agricultural and forestry vocational school and then be exposed to the wind and sun every day.

That would significantly reduce his chances of living to 2025.

However, as he gained a deeper understanding of current policies, background restrictions, and employment trends, he completely changed his mind.

Although the social status of the small business owners is incomparable to that of the "red five categories," it has not completely cut off their upward mobility.

With his top grades, besides agriculture and forestry, he could also apply to relatively good vocational schools in fields such as radio/electronics, electrical engineering/instrumentation, building materials, and industrial arts.

These four vocational schools not only offer highly valuable degrees, but also guarantee job placement in state-owned enterprises upon graduation, providing a secure and stable employment.

Moreover, the vetting process for those from small business owners is extremely lenient, making it the safest and most suitable option for him at present.

To determine the best application direction, Yan Jiefang took the initiative to consult with his homeroom teacher, Ms. Chang, and grade leader, Ms. Gao, in detail about the application policies and career prospects.

In the teachers' office, Teacher Chang looked at the composed and outstanding young man before her, her face full of doubt:

"Yan Jiefang, with your grades, you're a shoo-in for high school. Why are you suddenly considering vocational school?"

Yan Jiefang responded calmly:

"Teacher Chang, I'd like to make some extra preparations. I'd like to ask about the application requirements for vocational high schools this year, the popular majors, and the specific job placement situation after graduation."

Teacher Chang nodded knowingly and patiently explained in detail:

"I understand your concerns. Your family is a small business owner, which does indeed impose considerable restrictions on you."

With vocational school places becoming increasingly scarce in the past two years, it's definitely wise to prepare in advance.

Even if they aren't admitted to a vocational high school, our No. 22 Middle School will be their backup plan, so they won't be without a way out.

Yan Jiefang followed up with another question:

"Teacher Chang, are there any vocational schools or majors in our 49 cities that have the least impact on employment and offer the most stable job prospects?"

"Let Team Leader Gao answer these questions; he knows more about these things than I do."

"Purely technical majors are preferred."

Teacher Gao spoke frankly.

"In industries like machine repair and grain processing, skills are valued more than background. State-owned enterprises are always short of staff, so recruitment and job placement are stable, and political vetting is almost never a problem."

Conversely, the vetting process for arts and public administration majors is extremely rigorous, making applicants highly susceptible to being negatively impacted by their background; therefore, it is not recommended to apply.

At this point, Teacher Gao sincerely praised:

"Your vision is more far-reaching than that of most of your classmates."

Too many people blindly flock to high school, gambling on an unknown future, but they fail to see how precious the guaranteed job placement for vocational school graduates is right now.

Of course, with your grades and talent, as long as you keep it up, getting into university shouldn't be too difficult.

However, we will still face the same problems as we do now; this is unavoidable.

He shook his head and continued to give instructions:

"With your current grades, you can be almost guaranteed admission to any technical vocational school that does not involve military or classified information."

I don't know how good you are at art, so I won't recommend a vocational school in that field.

The remaining good options include the Radio Technology program at the 49 City Radio Industry School.

49 cities' electrical engineering schools select electrical machinery or industrial instruments.

49 urban construction engineering schools selected industrial and civil buildings.

When filling out your college application, remember not to make any mistakes!

The two teachers' words completely dispelled the last trace of doubt in Yan Jiefang's mind.

With everything settled in his mind, the plan was finalized:

Instead of blindly attending a regular high school, prioritize applying to a vocational school to precisely avoid disadvantages related to one's family background and secure a stable future in advance.

Graduating from a vocational high school meant you were automatically a cadre, which is infinitely better than graduating from a top university in later generations and being forced to find your own work.

Moreover, attending a vocational school would perfectly avoid the strong winds, which perfectly matches his goal of living a stable life.

In the following days, during his spare time from studying, Yan Jiefang began to collect information about various vocational schools from all sources, striving to ensure that it was completely accurate.

He didn't want all his efforts to be in vain.