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

A mandatory lunch break is from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.

The dormitory buildings are uniformly quiet, with chatting and moving around prohibited. Dormitory managers patrol each room, and the discipline is comparable to that of a military camp.

In the afternoon, a collective cleaning was conducted for the new students. This was a fixed procedure on the first day of school in 61. All new students participated without exception, and the results were included in their first conduct assessment.

The division of tasks is clear:

Sweep classroom floors, wipe doors, windows, and blackboards, arrange desks and chairs, clean public corridors in teaching buildings, rinse public restrooms, remove weeds from the corners of the playground, and tidy up clutter in public areas of the campus.

There was no classroom theory, no homework, and the entire process was hands-on.

In many places, this tradition was maintained even after 2000.

Before Yan Jiefang traveled through time, he had experienced similar things every semester. Thinking about them now, they are all memories of his lost childhood and adolescence.

During difficult times, the school advocated "building our own campus," and the first lesson for freshmen was to cultivate a sense of collectivism and a work ethic.

Yan Jiefang is a steady and meticulous worker. He assigns tasks clearly and calmly, sweeping the floor, wiping tables, and tidying up chairs and tables with efficiency and tact. He never tries to steal the spotlight, nor is he ever perfunctory.

There are no new skills to unlock on the system panel yet. The school has arranged for the first day to focus on adapting to the environment and getting used to the routine, and all professional courses will be postponed until the start of regular classes the following day.

The roommates were in different states:

Sun Qiang is strong and works very hard. He would just rinse the stains in the corners of the bathroom a couple of times and then stop, doing a perfunctory job.

Wu Xuewen was extremely strict about hygiene; the blackboard was spotless, and the desks and chairs were perfectly aligned.

Zhao Lei worked slowly and methodically, his eyes constantly scanning all over the campus, silently probing and gathering information. If you looked closely, you could see that his gaze would occasionally fall on the beautiful and vibrant female students.

Zhou Ming was quick-witted and nimble-fingered. Whenever he saw class leaders or teachers on duty passing by, he would take the initiative to lend a helping hand, deliberately trying to gain their favor.

Li Jianjun was clear-headed and proactive in coordinating and assigning tasks, ensuring that everyone performed their duties in an orderly manner throughout the process.

Zhang Weiguo never picks and chooses work; he takes the initiative to do the dirty and tiring work and works diligently and conscientiously.

Wang Hao was reserved by nature. He simply focused on cleaning his own area meticulously, without saying much or joining in the fun.

At 4:30 p.m., the cleaning was completed, and the school conducted a unified inspection and acceptance.

The entire class area was clean and tidy, meeting the standards and passing the test. All students received a satisfactory conduct evaluation, thus concluding the first day of work.

At 6 p.m., the work was finished, and after a quick wash, we had dinner.

At 6:30 p.m., evening self-study started on time.

Evening self-study sessions will not include new lessons or practice problems; instead, they will focus on organizing new books, copying school rules, previewing basic formulas, and memorizing Russian vocabulary.

The whole class sat quietly at their desks, getting used to the pace of vocational school learning in advance, and making full preparations for the official start of classes the next day.

The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sound was the scratching of pens on paper.

Everyone knows that these hard-won vocational school spots represent a future that countless people are scrambling to secure, and no one dares to waste them.

Yan Jiefang calmed down and organized the entire set of new textbooks, browsing the table of contents and basic introduction in advance.

Two hours later, he finally added the professional skills he needed to master this semester, such as mechanical drawing (engineering drawing) and basic electrical engineering (introduction) for vocational school students, to the panel.

Evening self-study ends at 9 p.m.

The group returned to their dormitory and took advantage of the last ten minutes or so before lights out to relax and have a late-night chat.

Zhang Weiguo shook his aching arms, slumped onto the edge of the bed, let out a long breath, and broke the silence by speaking first:

"I've really seen something new today. As expected of a vocational school under the Ministry of Education, the rules and regulations are so well-organized."

Even sweeping and arranging tables and chairs have to follow uniform standards; there's absolutely no room for laziness.

Upon hearing this, Li Jianjun, who was carefully tidying the bed and aligning the pillowcases, continued working without stopping and calmly replied:

"This is what a proper organization looks like."

"We're studying engineering, and we'll be working in state-owned factories in the future. The key is to be neat and orderly, and follow the rules. If we practice these skills now, we'll make fewer mistakes later on."

Zhang Weiguo scratched his head, clicked his tongue, and looked helpless.

"I understand the reasoning, but doing all this housework and cleaning every day is really exhausting. I'm exhausted by the end of the day."

Wang Hao, who had been huddled on the edge of the bed and quietly listening to the conversation, did not dare to interrupt. He simply stroked the cover of his brand-new textbook with his fingers and glanced at the two people who were talking. His docile and timid demeanor revealed his dutifulness.

After listening to their conversation, Zhao Lei, who was leaning against the bed railing, slightly raised his chin and interjected with a hint of smug superiority in his tone:

"Old Zhang, you just can't be patient."

In its first year, the school focused on discipline and conduct in order to win over the students and staff.

Being able to study here already puts me ahead of most of my peers in the city, so enduring some hardship is nothing to me.

Upon hearing this, Sun Qiang, who was lying flat on the bed, immediately turned over, his rough, hoarse voice filled with impatience:

I'm not afraid of hardship, I'm afraid of suffering in vain!

Before I came, I thought I'd be touching equipment and learning about circuits every day, but it turns out I've just been sweeping and weeding all day—a complete waste of time!

Zhao Lei turned to look at him and retorted in a calm tone:

"This is the standard procedure for all new students. All new students are treated equally; it's not like it's targeting you."

If you can't even stick to the basic rules, you'll be even less likely to be able to handle complex technologies in the future.

Seeing that the two were getting increasingly serious, Zhou Ming immediately put on a gentle smile and tried to smooth things over, skillfully mediating between them:

"Alright, alright, stop arguing."

Jianjun's point about discipline is correct, and Sun Qiang's desire to learn technical skills as soon as possible is also true.

We've just arrived, so let's keep a low profile, work hard, and get through the new student adjustment period smoothly—that's more important than anything else.

The crowd's voices fell in disarray, and the noise subsided slightly.

Wu Xuewen, sitting in the corner, kept his head down, buried in his textbook, his fingertips lightly tapping the pages to highlight key points, completely undisturbed by his surroundings. Only when the room was completely quiet did he raise his glasses and say in a serious, low voice:

Instead of arguing about these things, we should use this time to preview the new lessons.

Classes officially start tomorrow. If your math and physics foundation isn't solid, it's easy to fall behind the pace.

Yan Jiefang leaned against the headboard, listening quietly to the chatter of the crowd, understanding the situation perfectly.

Strict schedule, tough meals, solid coursework, and heavy labor—this was the true daily life of a vocational school under the Ministry of Education in 1961.

There is no glitz and comfort; only through diligent study, hard work, and perseverance can one establish a career and take root in this era.

At 9:30 sharp, the lights-out whistle blew on time.

The dormitory lost power instantly, and the entire building fell silent.

The dormitory supervisor walked slowly down the corridor, maintaining strict discipline, and no one dared to move around without permission.

Yan Jiefang closed his eyes to rest.

The petty squabbles, neighborhood disputes, and treacherous schemes of the courtyard houses were completely kept out of the campus.

From this day forward, his life will be defined by knowledge, skills, a secure job, and a brand new path leading upwards.