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

After Sha Zhu left, He Daqing slumped into a wooden chair in the main room, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away, leaving him with nothing but endless dejection and powerlessness.

The argument and scuffle with Sha Zhu just now was still vivid in his mind, and he clearly realized that he was really getting old.

In the past, he could easily discipline his son, but now, age catches up with him, and in terms of strength and imposing manner, he can no longer suppress the young and powerful Sha Zhu.

Forget about disciplining him physically, even trying to say a few words of restraint was met with his son's firm rebuke.

The young widow who had recently married into the family glanced at his dejected appearance silently, offering no words of comfort or advice.

She simply bent down, picked up a broom and rag, and quietly tidied up the messy furnishings and chaotic floor.

This is the most common image of a woman in this era: gentle, dutiful, and never quarrelsome.

She quietly focused on her household chores, never getting involved in or asking questions about the conflicts and disputes between the He family father and son.

Looking at her broken home, He Yushui felt increasingly devastated.

I originally thought that when my father came back, he could pull my brother back from his reckless path.

So what was he doing?

He wandered around aimlessly every day, and then found himself a wife who was about the same age as his brother!

Moreover, it was done without consulting the siblings beforehand.

Now, my brother has completely fallen into the abyss.

Or rather, he was already in the abyss, and no one could pull him back.

With this thought in mind, He Yushui's resolve suddenly hardened.

From now on, she will no longer hope that her father will turn back or that her brother will come to his senses.

She wants to learn from Yan Jiefang: to be independent, self-reliant, hardworking, and self-reliant in everything she does.

Stand firm on your own abilities, break free from this messy family affairs, and live your own life.

...

After returning to school, Yan Jiefang continued to study, live, and practice his ball skills as before.

After two months of study, he has completed all the courses for the first year of vocational school in the school library.

Prepare to continue learning the second-grade content.

His plan is to spend a year learning all the courses and knowledge of radio technology.

In addition, I also use my spare time to study music and traditional Chinese medicine, do some writing, and participate in basketball team training and games.

In his second year, without the task of studying a specific major, he will spend more time exploring other areas.

We must take things one step at a time and not be too anxious.

In early November, a mailed letter from "Beijing Literature and Art" arrived in the class.

Yan Jiefang opened it to check, and just like last time, it included a remittance slip for royalties, a sample copy, and an editor's reply.

Nearby students noticed this and it quickly spread.

This instantly caused quite a stir in the radio corps.

Zhao Lei leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with envy, and exclaimed loudly:

"To be featured in *Beijing Literature and Art*, Jiefang, you're amazing! It's one of the top publications in Beijing!"

Many classmates turned to look at him, their eyes filled with envy.

These days, it's an extremely prestigious honor for vocational school students to publish articles in top-tier city-level publications.

Yan Jiefang was quite generous; he took out two sample copies and handed them to everyone to read. The students thanked him profusely, carefully flipping through them and cherishing them dearly.

Yan Jiefang unfolded the editor's reply slip and read it carefully on his own. In the letter, he highly praised Yan Jiefang's solid writing skills and upright intentions.

With the personal approval of editor-in-chief Lao She, his royalties were directly increased to twelve yuan per thousand words.

At the end of the letter, the editor specifically urged for more updates, stating that the readers' response had been enthusiastic and they were all eagerly awaiting the next update.

Yan Jiefang smiled knowingly, fully understanding the readers' eagerness to keep up with the updates.

That's like wanting to tie the author to a computer to write.

Fortunately, he had sent out a follow-up manuscript of 5,000 words during his holiday, and judging by the time, it should have been delivered to the editorial department by now.

He picked up the remittance slip and saw that the single manuscript fee was a full sixty yuan, which had been settled according to the new standard after the price increase.

Yan Jiefang thought to himself, "Mr. Lao She, the editor-in-chief of Beijing Literature and Art, is indeed a down-to-earth, reliable, and easy-going person!"

A few days later, it was the first weekend of November.

It was a day off, and the students were free to arrange their time as they pleased.

Early in the morning, Coach Li found Yan Jiefang and pulled him aside.

"Jiefang, you've been training with the team for a while now, and I've seen all your progress, hard work, and understanding."

Coach Li spoke gently, with a hint of approval, and slowly explained:

"This afternoon, we have a friendly away game against Dashanzi Electrical Engineering School, who are our old rivals."

Our opponents have been our benchmark for years, and their strength is by no means weak. Playing away from home is always a disadvantage.

I specifically got you this opportunity; you'll be playing in the second half so you can get a feel for the rhythm and atmosphere of the game.

He took precautions in advance, patiently giving instructions:

"It's just that the opponent is very strong and it's an away game, so I can't give you too much playing time. Don't be disappointed. Just make the most of every minute and gain experience."

Yan Jiefang immediately stood up straight, his gaze firm:

"Thank you, Teacher Li, for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely follow your instructions and do my best!"

Coach Li nodded in satisfaction and gently patted his shoulder.

In his mind, Yan Jiefang was definitely a rare and promising basketball talent.

Young, tall, physically fit, and hardworking in training.

What's most valuable is that he's quick-witted and adaptable when playing, and doesn't act recklessly. With proper training, he has a very promising future.

After Coach Li left, Yan Jiefang continued his dribbling training.

I took a quick look at my panel.

After more than ten days of contact, with the help of the "diligence can make up for lack of talent" special effect, his basketball skills improved significantly.

【篮球：62.5/100。（分技巧有运球90/100、传球40/100、投篮80/100、脚步与防守40/100）】

Don't be fooled by the score of 62.5, which is barely passing; it's judged by the highest standards in basketball.

Many professional athletes don't necessarily have as high a score as him.

Moreover, his strengths are dribbling and shooting.

With these two skills, becoming a professional shooting forward is absolutely no problem!

The morning passed by in the process of practicing.

After having a more upscale lunch, the basketball team rested for a while before returning to the court to continue honing their skills.

A number of students had already gathered at the sidelines.

In an era of limited entertainment, watching the school team train or playing table tennis on weekends when there were no classes was the most popular pastime for students.

Before long, the area around the stadium was filled with students who stayed on campus to watch the excitement.

Yan Jiefang was like a nobody, dribbling the ball in the corner.

He didn't deliberately use a lot of fancy and dazzling techniques.

With his current strength, he can pull off those fancy moves with ease.

But he knew that what mattered in the actual competition was solid skills and teamwork; fancy moves were almost useless.

It was 1:30 pm, and the sun was shining brightly.

Coach Li promptly gathered all thirteen members of the team, counted the number of people, briefly emphasized discipline, and then led everyone on a hike to Dashanzi Electric School.

The distance from Beiwu Electric to the Electrical Engineering School is two or three kilometers, and it takes about half an hour to walk there.

The competition officially starts at 2:30 pm. Departing at this time allows ample time to adjust one's condition and arrive at the venue in advance to make final pre-match tactical deployments and matchup arrangements.