Chapter 59

"Amazing! To be able to publish so many articles and earn so much稿费 at once, such a person hasn't appeared in our county for many years! No, not just our county, even in the entire city, such people are rare."

"Teacher Lin, what kind of person is Xiao Fei? Is he just a farmer? How old is he?"

Master Wang was muttering.

Lin Chunli said, "Xiao Fei is still a student. He just finished the college entrance exam this year. He is only 19 years old."

"Ah?! At such a young age, he can write and earn a lot of money. If my son had half, no, even a bit of his talent, I would wake up smiling in my dreams!"

Master Wang was once again surprised.

6,000 yuan in 1996 was definitely a large sum of money.

With this money, one could easily get married in the countryside, buy a tractor, build a house with modest requirements, or even earn nearly 100 yuan in interest each month by depositing it in the bank (the bank deposit interest rate in 1996 was high, reaching 10.08% for a three-year term).

Such a sum of money meant a lot to a rural family.

It's no wonder Master Wang was so surprised.

After Master Wang left, Lin Chunli held the stack of稿费 slips and Xiao Fei's few letters, feeling uneasy. She thought it would be best to return them to Xiao Fei as soon as possible. If anything happened to them while they were in her possession, it would be too terrible.

During the third class in the morning, Lin Chunli let the students study on their own.

She then hurriedly rode her bicycle to Xiao Fei's house.

When she reached Liu Zhenhai's house, she had to get off and push her bicycle slowly to pass through the tent set up on the village street.

By this time, the tent was already full of people.

There was a gift table set up under the tent, and people were constantly coming to offer gifts.

Liu Zhenhai, wearing a brand new white的确良 short-sleeved shirt, light gray trousers, and shiny black leather shoes, was smiling and accepting people's congratulations.

Lin Chunli passed by the tent.

Liu Zhenhai saw her and called out warmly, "Teacher Lin, where are you going?"

Lin Chunli had to stop and talk to him, "I have something to do and need to find Xiao Fei."

"Remember to come for lunch! We owe a lot to your guidance for Xingmei! I must have her thank you and offer you a drink!" Liu Zhenhai said.

"Of course, of course, Xingmei's success in the college entrance exam brings glory to me too!" Lin Chunli smiled.

As she spoke, she walked to the gift table and took out 50 yuan to offer a gift.

She originally planned to come after school, but since she was passing by, she thought it might be more appropriate to offer the gift first.

At this moment, Liu Zhenhai noticed the letters and汇款单 tightly held in Lin Chunli's hand.

Liu Zhenhai, who had seen汇款单 before, asked, "Teacher Lin, whose汇款单 is that in your hand?"

Lin Chunli replied, "It's Xiao Fei's."

"Oh, who sent the汇款单 to Xiao Fei?" Liu Zhenhai asked again.

"It's from magazines and newspapers."

"Can I take a look?" Liu Zhenhai asked to see it.

Lin Chunli hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Sure, but be careful, don't damage it."

Liu Zhenhai chuckled, "It's just a汇款单 for a few dozen yuan. If it gets damaged, the village can issue a certificate, and he can still get the money from the post office."

Lin Chunli carefully handed the stack of 8稿费 slips to Liu Zhenhai.

"There's a lot of money, not just a few dozen yuan," she said.

At this moment, the villagers under the tent also gathered around, stretching their necks to see the novelty. For so many years, no one in Xili Village had received稿费 slips except for Xiao Fei.

Everyone wanted to see what a稿费 slip looked like. It was just a thin, narrow piece of paper. Could you really get money from the post office with this piece of paper? It seemed too magical.

"Village Chief, tell us, how much is this slip worth?"

"Zhenhai, let me see too after you."

"Ha! Xiao Fei, the second son of the Xiao family, has really made it!"

People were chattering.

Liu Zhenhai was stunned when he took the stack of稿费 slips. Not one, but many? "Teacher Lin, are these all Xiao Fei's?" Liu Zhenhai asked in surprise.

"Yes," Lin Chunli said.

Liu Zhenhai silently flipped through them. When he saw the first one, he was stunned, not believing his eyes. It was a稿费 slip from Storytelling, and the amount on it shocked him.

My goodness! A single稿费 slip for over 4,000 yuan. Is this real?

Although he was shocked inside, his face didn't change much. He tried to remain calm and finished looking through all the稿费 slips, feeling completely overwhelmed.

Shock.

Jealousy.

A bit of disappointment.

He, Liu Zhenhai, managed the finances of Xili Village and did some business, but he only made about 20,000 yuan a year.

Xiao Fei, this kid, received 6,000 yuan in稿费 at once.

How much could he earn in a year?

Even if he earned 3,000 yuan a month, it would be nearly 40,000 yuan a year!

And Xiao Fei was just a kid, not even fully grown.

Moreover, earning稿费 was not just about making money; it also brought fame and the potential for a bright future.

Xiao Fei was really going to make a name for himself!

His thoughts were swirling.

The onlookers were chattering, and several hands reached out to take the稿费 slips from Liu Zhenhai.

Liu Zhenhai shook his head, trying to calm his chaotic emotions. He raised his hand and pushed the hands away, scolding, "You don't understand, what are you looking at? Do you know how much these pieces of paper are worth? They are worth over 6,000 yuan! Can you afford to replace them if they get damaged?"

The villagers were stunned by Liu Zhenhai's words.

"What? They are worth that much? Are they made of gold?"

"Village Chief must be joking, right?"

"Impossible! How can稿费 be worth so much?"

"Old Xiao, Old Xiao, come here! Xiao Fei's father is here, ask him to confirm if it's true."

Xiao Youjin, who was sitting nearby, was pushed to the front.

Xiao Youjin felt like he was in a dream. He had been standing there all along, and when he heard Liu Zhenhai say the稿费 slips were worth over 6,000 yuan, his mind exploded.

Previously, he was very dissatisfied with Xiao Fei, who spent all day writing at home, thinking the child was too lazy and should help with the household chores.

How could he have imagined that his second son could earn so much just by writing?

Over 6,000 yuan!

In such a short time!

In just a little over a month, he earned more than the whole family worked hard for a year in the fields.

So, when he was pushed to Lin Chunli and Liu Zhenhai, he was in a daze, just smiling foolishly, unable to say a word.