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

The teachers were filled with resentment, but there was nothing they could do.

As the head of the school's sports coaching team, Coach Li had the most say and directly and forcefully suppressed everyone's objections.

"Students have well-rounded talents and are suitable for developing in multiple sports. Basketball team competitions are more prestigious and can bring more glory to the school. I'm the one who decides on this."

The physical education teachers, who were forcibly suppressed, felt extremely aggrieved but were powerless to refute it. They could only angrily declare that they would go to the school leaders to seek justice and file a complaint.

Not long after, several teachers went to the school leaders and reported the whole dispute over the coach's attempt to poach the player.

After hearing the whole story, the school leaders, seeing the coaches arguing back and forth, could only step in to mediate and make a compromise.

"Everyone is doing this for the school and to nurture students; there's no need to keep arguing."

He paused here, pretending to weigh his options, and after a few seconds, looked at the coaches and instructors.

"Then let's arrange it like this. Yan Jiefang will train with the basketball team to hone his physical fitness and skills. Whenever there are track and field events, he will be given priority to participate in the competition. This way, he can balance both sides without interfering with either one."

Although this decision did not completely satisfy the track and field coaches, it balanced the demands of both sides and did not completely bury Yan Jiefang's sprinting talent.

Despite feeling deeply aggrieved, the teachers had no choice but to nod in agreement.

After the leader spoke up, Coach Li immediately included him in the school basketball team, making him the 13th player and a reserve member.

After a period of time, and after comparison, another person will be removed, maintaining a fixed quota of 12 people.

Since joining the school team, Yan Jiefang has set aside time every afternoon after school to participate in the team's regular training.

As a result, he spent much less time going to the library.

Yan Jiefang's daily training sessions on the court were observed by all seven of his roommates, each with their own feelings.

That night, Yan Jiefang returned to the dormitory quite late, but it was only a little past 9 o'clock, and his roommates were still awake.

He lay down on the top bunk.

Li Jianjun, the dormitory head who was lying on the lower bunk, lowered his voice and said softly:

"To be honest, Jiefang's physical condition is truly exceptional, no wonder several coaches are vying for him."

But we're here to study, so while we can play ball, let's not neglect our schoolwork.

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiefang quickly responded:

"Thank you for your concern, class monitor. I'm awake and I won't fall behind in my studies."

Li Jianjun was appointed class monitor by the homeroom teacher and was also the dormitory head, so there's nothing wrong with what he said.

Yan Jiefang naturally expressed his gratitude.

Zhang Weiguo lay on the opposite bed, his tone full of envy:

"I passed by the training ground this afternoon, and his running and jumping endurance was better than those of the veteran athletes who had been training for one or two years."

"She's a natural talent. If I had that kind of gift, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

The others echoed this sentiment, expressing their envy.

Yan Jiefang quickly made a few modest remarks, trying to change the subject.

As a result, Zhao Lei started telling his roommates about all the perks of the school team, talking non-stop.

This drew envy from several of her other roommates.

The topic didn't end until the class monitor reminded everyone to go to sleep.

Every Saturday afternoon from 2:30 to 5:00 is the fixed time for intra-team scrimmages, used to refine the lineup and finalize the participants for various competitions.

The school prioritizes academic studies and has clearly stipulated that training volume should be reduced uniformly one week before mid-term and final exams to fully guarantee the learning of academic subjects.

There are also strict assessments. Team members who fail the academic tests will be temporarily dismissed and suspended from all training until they make up for the deficiencies and meet the standards before they can return to the team.

Although it requires a lot of time to train, being selected for the school sports team is a real and substantial benefit in this day and age, and it is a highly coveted spot that countless students on campus compete for.

Among these, material subsidies are the most direct.

The team has fixed training days on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Regular players can receive an extra half ounce of coarse grain coupons each time, while substitutes and reserve players receive half the subsidy.

If they participate in ordinary competitions or major leagues, the team members can also enjoy free white flour steamed buns, refined grain rice and dishes, and a small amount of soybean oil stir-fried vegetables.

All of these meals do not deduct from the personal food stamps issued by the school, which can effectively save on daily expenses.

Equipment resources are also clearly allocated to this area.

The main players of the school team can apply for exclusive Warrior sneakers and red and blue cotton jerseys first.

Substitute players can borrow equipment.

Reserve players have priority in being loaned out.

Ordinary students have almost no opportunity to have this experience.

If training equipment is damaged, team members can register for repairs and apply for repair materials with priority.

Basketballs, protective gear, and other equipment can also be used preferentially.

Students can also borrow balls for training outside of class without needing complicated approval processes.

Ordinary students must obtain their homeroom teacher's signature of approval to borrow a ball.

In addition to material benefits, academic performance and awards are equally impressive.

School team members have priority in performance evaluations, awards, and recommendations for joining the Communist Youth League!

Those who perform exceptionally well will be given priority in being awarded the title of "Three Good Students" and in joining the Communist Youth League, all under the same conditions!

Your graduation assignment file will also have special notes on your arts and sports skills, which will be a plus for your future job assignment!

In addition, the school team has many hidden advantages.

For example, the schedule management is more relaxed. If a student returns late from extra training on the night before a competition, they can avoid being held accountable for having their dormitory locked up by simply showing a note signed by the coach.

As long as students don't violate rules or cross boundaries during daily training, no one deliberately criticizes them.

At the same time, team members can frequently connect with people from different grades, other technical schools, and factories, thus expanding their network and gaining access to information.

The channels for exchanging grain coupons and exchanging them for daily necessities were far more extensive than those for ordinary students.

Because of the dual benefits, both overt and covert, the competition for spots on the school basketball team is exceptionally fierce.

Even the spots for substitutes or reserve players are highly coveted by many students on campus, with everyone eager to seize this rare privilege and opportunity.

After Yan Jiefang joined the team, the three reserve players and one or two substitute players visibly tensed up.

The way they looked at him wasn't very friendly either. (The school team has 12 players: 5 starters, 4 substitutes, and 3 reserve players (sparring partners, backups))

Yan Jiefang didn't care about the hostility of these people at all.

Because they will soon find that their worries were completely unnecessary.

After all, with the help of the panel [Yizheng Yongzheng], Yan Jiefang will soon become an absolute core player!

Everyone else is just there for the sake of it.

Because Yan Jiefang spent a lot of time training in basketball, coupled with his improved physical condition, his skill improved rapidly.

Among them, shooting and dribbling improved the fastest.

Because these two skills can be trained by one person alone, without the need for the cooperation of others.

Before the end of the month and the holiday, these two skills improved to 60/100 in shooting and 70/100 in dribbling!

They are probably no less capable than many professional athletes.

Coach Li watched his skills improve dramatically and exclaimed in his heart: This is simply a prodigy!

. . .

On October 28, 1961, the monthly holiday began at noon. Yan Jiefang picked up his bag and left the school with many classmates.