Chapter 5

For a moment, Xiao Fei's heart was filled with surging emotions.

If rebirth was a jest of fate with an uncertain outcome, then the gift of a rich trove of memories was a tremendous stroke of luck.

The benefits of this memory trove were obvious.

The most apparent one was that he no longer had to worry about the college entrance exam. He could wait calmly for the 1997 exam, and as for university? He could choose any domestic university he wanted; it was no big deal.

This would save him a year, allowing him to plan and work hard to accomplish something.

The first thought that came to Xiao Fei's mind was: find a way to make money.

His family's situation was not good, even dire. Five people were crammed into three dilapidated rooms, barely able to fit, which is why his older brother, Xiao Yang, had to live with others.

Xiao Yang was 25 years old, an age considered old for marriage in the countryside. His marriage was still unresolved, and his parents were so anxious that their hair had turned white.

His sister, Xiao Yan, was 23, and because her brother was not married, she could not get married either.

In his previous life, in 1996, to solve his brother's marriage, his parents reluctantly accepted the practice of arranged marriages. His sister married a fool, and his brother married a tyrannical woman. Their family was never at peace, and they never found happiness. His parents, burdened with worry, passed away in their sixties.

Thinking of the various tragedies of his past life, Xiao Fei clenched his teeth.

Since heaven had given him a chance to be reborn, he would not allow the calamities of his past life to happen again.

But how could he make money?

He thought for a long time but found, to his frustration, that although he knew many opportunities to get rich, they were either too slow or required significant capital, none of which he could achieve at the moment.

Xiao Fei knew his time was tight, and he couldn't afford to plan slowly.

Sighing, he thought, it seemed he still had to start with writing and submitting articles, a field he was relatively familiar with from his past life.

In 1996, the reform and opening-up had already entered a deeper phase, and the economy was rapidly developing. The economic conditions of the people had greatly improved.

Against this backdrop, various evening papers, city newspapers, and leisure and entertainment magazines began to flourish, emerging like mushrooms after the rain.

This was the nascent period of the domestic freelance writing industry, and the number of professional writers gradually increased.

From the perspective of稿费 (manuscript fees), they were also relatively generous.

In general, the manuscript fees for newspaper supplements ranged from 30 to 100 yuan per thousand characters, while some leisure magazines offered up to 1,000 yuan per thousand characters. For example, *Zhizhi* (a magazine) had once offered 1,000 yuan per thousand characters in the early 1990s, and some well-distributed journals and magazines offered 300 to 500 yuan per thousand characters.

This was already quite high.

It's worth noting that in 1996, the annual income of an ordinary rural family was at most 4,000 to 5,000 yuan, and the average monthly wage of urban workers was only 400 to 500 yuan.

A 2,000-character article in a story session could earn 500 yuan, equivalent to a month's salary. Even a 1,000-character article in newspapers like *Yangcheng Evening News* or *Xinmin Evening News* could earn 100 to 200 yuan, a significant supplement to the family income.

Xiao Fei had been writing for about 20 years in his past life.

He had written essays and sketches for newspapers, emotional essays, love stories, and romantic and suspense novels for magazines.

He was extremely familiar with this field.

He knew all the writing techniques for newspaper essays and the various style requirements for magazine articles.

The most crucial point: his mind was filled with countless ideas.

As long as he wanted to, he could write them down effortlessly.

In his past life, whether as a newspaper writer or a web writer, Xiao Fei could not be considered successful. However, being reborn in 1996 was different.

He was 18 years ahead of his time, and his mind was filled with all kinds of fresh ideas and creativity. More importantly, he had mature writing skills and strong integration abilities.

Xiao Fei believed he could make a living as a writer.

He was confident that he could change his and his family's current situation with just a pen.

However, if he only aimed for a modestly comfortable life after being reborn, it would be a waste.

He needed to look further ahead.

He needed to set higher goals.

A bit of ambition gradually rose in Xiao Fei's heart: he wanted to write great works that would shock the stagnant literary world; he wanted to seize the opportunity to start a business and build a wealth empire with his own mark.

Right, in his past life, after 2000, various singing talent shows emerged, and many new singers were discovered, even achieving overnight fame.

Xiao Fei had been envious and jealous.

Because he thought he could sing well, with a naturally high voice, and he had been a karaoke king, praised by many.

Now that he was reborn, could he also break through in this area?

Besides these, there was one more thing Xiao Fei wanted to do.

To have a proper romance with Xu Fengjuan.

He wanted to pursue her passionately and give her a fiery love. In his past life, he owed her a lot. She was his benefactor, giving him a harmonious family and taking care of him meticulously.

Thinking of this, he felt heartache.

Others were men who protected women, but she appeared in his life like a towering tree.

His past life was too wretched.

Since he had a chance to start over, he wanted to repay her more.

No, this was not just a matter of gratitude. Xiao Fei thought no other woman could be as virtuous, tolerant, and compatible with him as Xu Fengjuan.

She was naturally meant to be his wife.

Although they were not acquainted yet.

Xu Fengjuan attended high school in Xugang Town and only came to Heyang No. 1 High School for her second year, where she and Xiao Fei were in the same class.

During the entire second year, they hardly spoke a word to each other.

It wasn't until college that he received a letter from her, in which she gently told him that she liked the poems he wrote. Their romance began with this letter.

At that time, she was attending a national key university.

He was only in a vocational school.

In the eyes of the world, they were not in the same social class. However, with her persistence, they still managed to be together, like a fairy tale.

The past was not just a memory.

Xiao Fei's eyes were a bit moist.

The door creaked, and Wang Lika, swaying and smiling drunkenly, walked in. This bedroom had two beds against the wall, and they had been sleeping in this room for the past few days.

"Hehe! Brother, why, why are you crying?" Wang Lika stood by Xiao Fei's bed.

Xiao Fei wiped his eyes and forced a smile: "Crying? The dust from the ceiling fell into my eyes."

"That's a lousy excuse. Never mind, I'm too drunk to talk much. Xiao Fei, I'll just say one thing."

Wang Lika raised a finger: "When I become successful, I won't forget you. Just wait for me to shine, and you'll benefit from it!"

He patted Xiao Fei's shoulder, walked back, and fell onto the bed, snoring.

This guy had a big mouth, just like in his past life. Xiao Fei was taken aback, thinking that in his past life, Wang Lika didn't go to college, served in the army for two years, and then married a woman in the village. He had approached Xiao Fei several times, but after Xiao Fei went to college and left Heyang, their contact gradually faded, and eventually, they almost never spoke.

Regardless of whether Wang Lika's words were just formalities or genuine, Xiao Fei felt he owed him a favor. In his past life, he owed too many debts. In this life, he had to find a way to repay them.