Chapter 64

"His name is Wang Fei, a real pain in the neck. He’s so arrogant because of his good grades, and I guess he just didn’t like the look of you." Yan Zhang, swinging his long arms, came to Xiao Fei’s side and said.

"Oh, I see." Xiao Fei nodded.

Xiao Fei remembered that Heyang No. 1 High School had started the weekly exam system for graduating classes in the second half of 1996, using exams as a substitute for learning and practice, with an exam every week.

This was the first major move by the new principal, Zhu Wangnian, after he took office this year.

It was likely that the remedial class had already had its first weekly exam.

And Wang Fei had stood out in the exam, making a stunning debut...

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so arrogant.

"Xiao Fei, are you here to register? Come on over. Right now, this class is like a mountain without a tiger, and the monkeys are calling the shots. This Wang Fei acts all high and mighty, and just looking at him makes me angry!" You Gui, who seemed to have no good impression of Wang Fei, said angrily.

The three of them chatted for a bit.

Xiao Fei mentioned to Yan Zhang that he wanted his father to help with the construction of a building. Yan Zhang said that his father’s current workplace wasn’t doing well, so he had taken a leave of absence and started a construction team, working as a contractor. He said there would be no problem with what Xiao Fei wanted.

After morning classes, Xiao Fei went back to Yan Zhang’s house with him.

As Yan Zhang had said, his father readily agreed.

Yan Zhang’s father was a graduate of the provincial architecture college and had been working in construction for over twenty years.

Xiao Fei knew that although Yan Zhang’s father was currently down on his luck, he later started his own construction company and became very successful in real estate, making a lot of money.

But that was a story for the new millennium.

Yan Zhang’s father was named Yan Kaishun. He was of medium build, with long arms, glasses perched on his nose, and a scholarly appearance. He bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Yan Zhang in demeanor.

Yan Kaishun looked at the design sketches Xiao Fei had drawn and praised them for their originality, asking how Xiao Fei had come up with the idea.

At that time, even in Heyang County, people were only building single-sided buildings.

The design Xiao Fei had drawn was cutting-edge and fashionable for 1996.

But by 2005, similar small villas had started to become popular in Heyang County. The design Xiao Fei was now drawing was actually a copy of a standalone villa design from around 2012.

"Uncle, this is just something I came up with on a whim. I don’t know much about architecture, so I’m not sure if it’s practical or even possible to build." Xiao Fei smiled and responded to Yan Kaishun.

Yan Kaishun stared intently at Xiao Fei’s sketches, marveling at them. "To come up with such a design on a whim is truly remarkable. Xiao Fei, you should consider studying architecture in college. I think you have a natural talent for architectural design. Although the drawings are not standard, the planning is very reasonable. It will be both beautiful and practical to live in."

Xiao Fei scratched his head, only able to laugh awkwardly.

It was just a copy of a future rural villa design, yet it had earned such high praise from a professional, who even thought he had a talent for architecture.

This left him feeling quite embarrassed.

Yan Kaishun made a rough calculation and came up with a minimum construction cost. If he were to take on the project, the small building would cost about 22,000 yuan.

This was far beyond Xiao Fei’s family’s budget for the house.

The Xiao family had only about 20,000 yuan in total.

But Xiao Fei still agreed enthusiastically.

Yan Kaishun had explained in detail the types of foundation beams, main beams, and secondary beams, the specifications of the rebar, and the type of cement to be used. He was building the small building to withstand at least a magnitude 7 earthquake, which naturally increased the cost.

He and Yan Kaishun agreed that he would come to the site the next day to conduct a survey and, if possible, start construction within the next two to three days.

After lunch at Yan Kaishun’s house, Xiao Fei stopped by the newspaper stand where Wu Aizhen worked.

Sure enough, Wu Aizhen had already accumulated a large stack of sample newspapers and magazines. She told him that if he didn’t come soon, she would have to take them to his house.

Xiao Fei flipped through them.

Among the sample newspapers and magazines were the 8th issues of Youth Digest, Zhizhi, Ai Ren, Family, and Girl Friend.

Seeing these sample issues, his heart, which had been in suspense, finally settled.

There was still a significant gap in the funds needed to build the house, and without the support of future稿费 (manuscript fees), the Xiao family might face a financial crisis.

The articles he had submitted to Zhizhi, Ai Ren, Family, and Girl Friend were all short emotional stories, excerpted from classic works he remembered from the future. There was no reason they wouldn’t be published.

"Xiao Fei, don’t work yourself too hard. Look at you, you’re much thinner than before." As Xiao Fei flipped through the sample issues, Wu Aizhen looked at him with a concerned tone.

Xiao Fei smiled and showed her the muscles on his biceps. "Don’t worry, I’m not thinner; I’ve just turned fat into muscle."

"You’re just making excuses. You’ve published so many articles recently, almost everywhere. You must have been writing day and night. When do you have time to exercise?" Wu Aizhen pouted and rolled her eyes.

"They’re just small pieces; they don’t take much time to write." Xiao Fei laughed.

"You’re just showing off. I’ve been keeping track. Just from what I’ve seen, you’ve already published over forty articles. I know a few literature enthusiasts, and they work hard for years and can’t even publish a few articles! You’ve published so many in just over a month. Are you trying to make other writers feel bad?" Wu Aizhen smiled.

They chatted for a bit, and Xiao Fei said he had to go home because of an urgent matter.

Wu Aizhen said, "Then go quickly."

Before leaving, Xiao Fei insisted on paying for the sample newspapers and magazines she had bought for him, giving her 50 yuan.

Wu Aizhen refused to take it.

Xiao Fei left the money on the stand and rode away on his bike.

He rode far away and looked back to see Wu Aizhen still chasing after him, out of breath.

When Xiao Fei got home, he told his family about the results of his trip to the county. When his father heard that Xiao Fei’s classmate’s father had quoted 22,000 yuan for the construction of their small building, he gasped and exclaimed, "What? How can it be so high?"

"Father, this price isn’t high. He’s quoting based on very high construction standards." Xiao Fei explained to his father, repeating what Yan Kaishun had told him.

"But we don’t have that much money. What can we do? We can’t borrow it from anywhere." His father said.

"Father, don’t worry about the money. In a few days, I’ll have more manuscript fees coming in." Xiao Fei explained that he had published articles in Zhizhi, Family, and Girl Friend, and that the manuscript fees from these magazines were very high.

His father finally felt relieved.