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

Half a minute later, the applause stopped.

After everyone got to know each other, they took advantage of the time before lights out to elect Li Jianjun, the oldest member of the dormitory, as the dormitory head, responsible for managing all the miscellaneous matters in their dormitory.

After this matter was settled, everyone relaxed and chatted about food, courses, and future assignments.

Zhang Weiguo spoke first, deliberately lowering his voice to wail softly:

"Today's meal was really filling, but it was too vegetarian!"

There was no oil or grease at all; my mouth felt completely bland.

I'm really looking forward to a better meal next week. I'd be happy as long as I can get a bite of meat, lean or fatty!

Upon hearing this, Li Jianjun whispered his advice:

"Don't be so ungrateful. The whole country is going through a difficult period right now, and so many people are starving."

We have free meals, lodging, and education, and we even receive a monthly allowance. This treatment is top-notch in the whole city, so stop complaining about what we have to eat.

Also, don't say this to anyone else, or you should think about the consequences if the teacher finds out.

The others nodded in agreement.

Zhang Weiguo broke out in a cold sweat and quickly thanked him:

"Thank you so much, Li Jianjun. I'll never talk nonsense again!"

Zhao Lei immediately changed the subject, but his tone betrayed his undisguised smugness:

"Did you know? Our radio technology major is one of the school's top-ranked majors!"

I've heard that even the worst graduates from previous years can get into a state-owned machinery and electrical plant in the city!

Those who perform exceptionally well will be directly selected for positions in major factories directly under ministries—a golden opportunity with guaranteed job security!

Upon hearing Zhao Lei's words, several other classmates who had only a vague understanding or no knowledge at all immediately surrounded him and asked him for relevant information.

But the conversation quickly veered off-topic, and the guys started discussing the ten or so female classmates who were rare in the class.

They were arguing about which one was the prettiest and which one had the best temperament.

Yan Jiefang lay quietly on the bed, closing his eyes to rest, listening quietly to the chatter of the crowd, remaining silent throughout.

He had already looked at all 12 girls in the class. To try and find a pretty one among the scarce STEM girls was simply asking the impossible!

Anyway, he didn't like any of them.

Let's leave these "scarce resources" to these naive young men in the class! (Author's note: Old photos will be included later)

Not long after, the lights-out whistle pierced the night on time, echoing throughout the entire dormitory building.

Everyone immediately went back to their beds and lay down to sleep.

"Bang Bang Bang~"

A dozen minutes later, there was a knock on the door of the dormitory next door.

The senior students who were assigned by the school to check the dorms have arrived.

Many things that happened today suddenly brought back long-forgotten memories for Yan Jiefang.

These things before my eyes seem as if I've already experienced them before.

...

At exactly six o'clock in the morning, the sharp reveille pierced the tranquility of the campus in the early morning.

The semi-military management of the ministry-affiliated vocational schools meant there was no room for relaxation.

Before the whistle had even finished blowing, the entire dormitory building was instantly filled with the sounds of beds turning over and cloth shoes stomping on the floor. None of the freshmen dared to stay in bed any longer and quickly got out of bed to tidy up their belongings.

Yan Jiefang moved nimbly, folding the quilt, making the bed, and smoothing the corners. He was strong and quickly pressed the bedding into a standard "tofu block".

The toothbrush cup, towel, and washbasin were lined up in a row, perfectly aligned with the edges.

The eight roommates have very different personalities, and their morning routines are also quite different.

Li Jianjun's movements were the most disciplined, and he followed military training standards in every action. While tidying up, he quietly reminded everyone to align their items.

Zhang Weiguo worked quickly, but he was perfunctory at the edges. The blanket was folded crookedly as he hurried to finish and go out to line up.

Sun Qiang was rude, casually shoving the bedding down without a care, showing no concern for the details of housekeeping.

Zhao Lei was dressed neatly and in brand new clothes, his appearance was exquisite and tidy, and he exuded a sense of composure and confidence.

Wang Hao moved gently and carefully arranged each item, afraid of making a mistake;

As Zhou Ming tidied up, he smiled and chatted familiarly with his roommates on the left and right, showing his warm and lively personality.

Wu Xuewen tidied up the fastest. After finishing, he stood quietly by the bed, focusing on memorizing Russian words, undisturbed by the noise around him.

At 6:15, everyone assembled and lined up for morning exercises.

First-year students' morning exercises are not complicated; they mainly consist of lining up, standing at attention, and jogging two laps to cultivate discipline.

In 1961, collectivism was highly emphasized. The whole team had to march in perfect unison. If one person made a mistake, the whole team had to practice again. No one dared to be perfunctory or slack off.

After morning exercises, breakfast is served at 6:40.

The canteen strictly implements quantitative supply, with fixed seating for eight people per table.

Breakfast consisted of cornbread, thin porridge, and pickled vegetable shreds, occasionally accompanied by a small piece of pickled radish, with absolutely no oil or fat.

During difficult times, being able to eat coarse grains at every meal was a privilege far exceeding that of the general public.

Meals must be eaten in complete silence. Talking, laughing, and playing around are strictly prohibited, and wasting food is strictly forbidden.

The teachers on duty patrolled back and forth, and no student dared to violate the rules.

Zhang Weiguo held the cornbread and ate it with great relish, whispering to the person next to him:

"School life is more reliable; you can eat your fill every meal, which is much better than being hungry or full at home."

This makes it seem as if he wasn't the one complaining last night.

Several of my roommates rolled their eyes in unison: This is what they call being "straightforward and not liking to beat around the bush!"

Li Jianjun sat upright, chewing slowly and deliberately. Upon hearing this, he simply nodded slightly and whispered a reminder:

"Cherish the opportunity, study hard, that's your duty, don't let your mind wander."

At 7:20, morning self-study officially began.

In the first year, there was no free study during morning self-study; instead, a unified arrangement was made for political newspaper reading and Russian morning reading.

The whole class read aloud excerpts from the People's Daily, learning about the spirit of diligence, thrift, and self-reliance, and then recited basic Russian vocabulary together.

At 8:00 AM sharp, no more formal professional classes will be scheduled.

1961 Unified Regulations for Ministry-affiliated Secondary Vocational Schools:

On the first day of registration for new students, there will be no professional courses or rushing through the teaching schedule. The whole day will focus on orientation, class building, environmental tidying, and the explanation of school rules. Formal cultural and professional courses will start on the following Monday.

The morning session will consist of a freshman orientation meeting and class meetings.

The homeroom teacher arrived and explained the semi-military school rules, daily schedule, canteen portion control, public property care guidelines, and conduct score assessment standards one by one.

The document emphasizes key rules and regulations, such as prohibiting the waste of food, prohibiting unauthorized outings, prohibiting private trading of tickets and certificates, and prohibiting noisy conversations at night.

Then, the relationships between group members were registered, each person's household registration and grain and oil transfer files were verified, and the student registration information of new students was improved.

At the same time, all the temporary class committees of the Radio Technology class have been appointed or voted on.

Yan Jiefang is a small business owner, so he is naturally not qualified to become a class committee member.

This was expected, and he didn't care at all.

Since the new students had already received their supplies and textbooks yesterday, the second half of the class meeting began with registering information on monthly student grants and public medical care.

He informed everyone of the upcoming course schedule—mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, drafting, and other subjects would all officially begin classes the following day.

Lunch was served at 11:30 a.m.

The meals consisted of a rotation of mixed grain rice, boiled vegetables, and pickled vegetables. The weekly meat dishes had not yet been served, and everyone was eating light meals.

During those difficult times, the school meals were basically the same few dishes, and I won't repeat them again to avoid my friends saying I'm padding the word count.

Fortunately, Yan Jiefang still has many large meat buns, so he is unlikely to suffer from malnutrition.