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

On August 30, 1961, the autumn heat still lingered in Beijing, and the air was still filled with a sweltering atmosphere.

Yan Jiefang packed his simple belongings.

A clean, faded coarse cloth short jacket, two sets of clothes to change into, a neatly folded old quilt, some stationery, a brand-new admission notice, a household registration booklet, a political review certificate from the neighborhood committee, and a grain and oil transfer slip—that was all he had for starting school.

Compared to the chaos and scheming of the traditional courtyard house, the upcoming vocational school life will be the first springboard for him to completely escape the mire.

Sijiucheng Radio Industry School is located in Jiuxianqiao Industrial Zone, adjacent to the 774 Electron Tube Factory.

It is about ten kilometers away from Nanluoguxiang.

After taking two buses, Yan Jiefang finally arrived at his destination.

At this moment, the school gate was crowded with people. As a top-tier vocational school under the Ministry of Education in Beijing, it gathered top students from all districts of the city, all of whom were outstanding individuals who had survived the fierce middle school entrance examination and fought their way out of the competition.

The registration process is rigorous and meticulous, allowing no room for carelessness, and is entirely in line with the rules of the times.

Teachers at the school gate checked the documents one by one: admission notice, household registration book, political review certificate issued by the street office, and grain and oil transfer certificate. All four documents were indispensable.

When it was Yan Jiefang's turn, the teacher's gaze fell on the family background section of the political background check form—small business owner.

At that time, it was during the three years of hardship, and the whole country was working hard to promote thrift and frugality and uphold class principles.

However, some majors in vocational engineering schools under the Ministry of Education focus on technical training, and their enrollment policies are relatively lenient. As long as one has a clean history and no bad records, they will not deliberately discriminate against applicants.

The teacher simply performed a routine registration and filing process, without asking any further questions, and quickly stamped the document for approval.

The most crucial step was the transfer of grain, oil, ration coupons, and household registration.

From this moment on, Yan Jiefang was officially removed from the family ration system of the courtyard house and incorporated into the school's collective household registration.

Each student receives a monthly ration of 29 jin (approximately 14.5 catties) of grain allocated by the state, with accompanying cloth coupons and non-staple food coupons all issued and registered by the school.

After completing all the formalities, the senior student in charge of receiving him led him to his dormitory.

The dormitory was for eight people, with neatly arranged wooden bunk beds. The walls were relatively clean and white, and the floor was spotless. (In the autumn of 1961, it was a large communal dormitory; it wasn't until the spring of 1962 that it became an eight-person dormitory. This was a few months earlier.)

There are no unnecessary decorations, only a uniform storage shelf at the head of the bed, which is simple and neat.

"The first rule for freshmen is that on campus, orderliness is paramount."

The senior student leading the group spoke seriously, giving them these instructions.

"Bedding must be folded into squares, and clothes, washbasins, toothbrushes, and towels must all be arranged in lines. Inspections will be conducted twice a day, morning and evening. Any items that fail to meet the standards will be publicly criticized and the violation will be recorded in the conduct score."

In 1961, the Sijiucheng Radio Industry School was affiliated with the Second Ministry of Machine Building (later transferred to the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building in 63).

It operates under semi-military management with strict discipline, far surpassing ordinary middle schools or vocational schools. (It's not called that directly, but all elements are covered.)

Yan Jiefang nodded silently, quickly and efficiently making the bed, his movements clean and tidy without the slightest hesitation.

Before long, he had collected all the public property distributed by the school.

A white enamel basin, an enamel mug with the school's name printed in red, and a pure cotton towel.

Students are required to bring their own bedding, clothing, and stationery, which is a standard rule across all schools.

In the afternoon, the first class meeting for freshmen was held on time.

The homeroom teacher was a woman in her forties (Teacher Zhao Hongying). She was strict and spoke concisely, without any formalities, and directly stated the school rules and regulations.

"After entering the school, there are no special students, and everyone must abide by the school rules."

No one is allowed to climb over the wall to go out without permission, no one is allowed to fight, no one is allowed to trade tickets or certificates privately, and no one is allowed to circulate idle or miscellaneous books.

Most importantly, dating is strictly prohibited during school. Anyone found engaging in such a relationship will be expelled immediately, without exception!

Each rule was clearly stated and strictly enforced, instantly putting the new students at the school to rest and quiet.

Then everyone introduced themselves.

Most of the students present were children of workers, relatives of cadres, or ordinary urban residents, with respectable family backgrounds and impeccable revolutionary credentials.

When it was Yan Jiefang's turn, he calmly and frankly stated his name, place of origin, and family background.

The moment the words "small business owners" were uttered, a subtle commotion arose in the classroom.

Several students with impeccable political integrity subconsciously looked up at him, their eyes filled with a scrutiny and detachment characteristic of that era, and a hint of rejection.

In today's world, where collectivism is paramount and class background is important, being a small business owner is not considered to have a privileged background.

Of course, it's not too bad; it's much better than the "five black categories" who have no social status.

Radio technology is one of the very few majors at the Beijing Radio Industry School that doesn't place much emphasis on one's background.

Anyone with a mid-level status can be recruited.

Of course, the corresponding grades must be significantly improved; only truly top-tier students like Yan Jiefang have any chance.

Yan Jiefang remained calm and composed, neither arrogant nor humble, without changing his expression.

He knew perfectly well that this trivial prejudice based on his background was utterly insignificant compared to his solid achievements, top-notch professional prospects, and the benefits of being a state cadre.

However, their promotion after starting work will be more difficult, slower than that of "Red Five" graduates.

But he didn't care about that at all, as long as he could get through those ten years of great hardship.

After the reform and opening up, he will try to find a safer path to start a business, earn some money to support his family, and improve his living conditions.

We will earn more money after 2000 and improve our living standards again.

The pollution in 49 cities at that time was very serious. In order to live longer, he would most likely go to live in the south where spring is warm and flowers bloom.

After a brief self-introduction, the homeroom teacher then announced many welfare policies that were of most concern to impoverished or ordinary students.

"Students of this school are exempt from tuition, accommodation fees, and enjoy national public medical care."

A monthly stipend of 13 yuan is provided. After deducting the food allowance, each student receives approximately 2 yuan in cash living allowance per month, which is collected upon signing at the beginning of the month. A hardship allowance of 0.5 yuan is also provided.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the new students in the class were overjoyed.

In this era of scarcity and hardship, food and lodging were provided, medical care was free, and there was even pocket money every month.

Being directly assigned to state-owned enterprises upon graduation and automatically granted cadre status—this kind of treatment was the way out for the elite of the era.

After the class meeting, it was time for the school-wide unified freshman labor class.

In 1961, during a difficult period, all sectors of the country were promoting "self-reliance, thrift and frugality, and replacing grains with melons and vegetables," and schools were no exception.

There were no easy welcoming activities. All freshmen were assigned tasks: cleaning the campus, leveling the playground, helping the cafeteria prepare vegetables, and tidying up the storage rooms. All of these tasks were counted in the semester's conduct assessment.

These are all characteristics of the era, memories of those who lived through it. (The author's level is insufficient to post directly; there are old photos of our school in the comments section.)