Chapter 83

"Hello, Teacher Dai!"

"Hello, Teacher Cheng. Is there some good news? You sound very happy." Dai Houying was a bit surprised to receive the call from Editor Cheng.

Could it be that Xiao Fei's work had already been reviewed and passed? She felt a bit excited at the thought.

"Yes, it's great news! Xiao Fei's piece 'Literature is Dead, Please Burn Paper if Necessary' has been confirmed for the next issue of the magazine," Editor Cheng said excitedly.

Dai Houying interjected, "Oh? Your efficiency is really high. The manuscript was only submitted yesterday, and it's already been reviewed."

"It's because Xiao Fei's manuscript is excellent. The chief editor really appreciates it. Moreover, we have decided to publish a special issue for long novels. Xiao Fei's long novel 'The Fish Walking on Land' will be the lead story in the first special issue. The first volume of the special issue is expected to be on the market by the end of September, even earlier than the regular issue!" Editor Cheng said with enthusiasm.

"That's wonderful," Dai Houying said excitedly.

"Is Xiao Fei still in SH? If he is, let's meet up tonight. I'll treat you," Editor Cheng finally remembered to ask about Xiao Fei's whereabouts.

"Teacher Cheng, he left on the train last night," Dai Houying said.

"Oh! That's a pity. Well, I'll write him a letter to tell him the news," Editor Cheng said, a bit disappointed that Xiao Fei was no longer in SH.

Such good news should be shared with Xiao Fei as soon as possible.

"I'll send a telegram to his village so he can know the good news as soon as he gets back," Dai Houying said.

"That works."

In this era of limited communication, sending a telegram was still one of the fastest ways to contact people in rural areas. In principle, the local post office would deliver the telegram to the recipient's home, even if it was late at night.

However, the cost of sending a telegram was quite high, at 14.5 cents per character. Generally, people wouldn't send a telegram unless it was an emergency.

Even when it was necessary to send a telegram, people would be very frugal with their words, trying to save as many characters as possible, as each character saved was like saving a steamed bun!

Because of this, many bizarre stories about telegrams circulated among the people.

After hanging up the phone, Dai Houying asked her niece Dai Hui to go to the nearby post office to send a telegram to Xiao Fei.

Xiao Fei was completely unaware of all this.

This time, Dai Houying had used her connections to get him a sleeper ticket, so the journey back was much more comfortable, and he could enjoy the scenery along the way.

Lying on his berth, he made a simple summary of his trip to the metropolis:

He had successfully rescued his idol, making up for a regret from his previous life.

Two manuscripts had been accepted for review, and the chances of publication were not small, but everything was still uncertain until he received confirmation.

Overall, the results were not insignificant.

Many literature enthusiasts worked tirelessly their whole lives to get a piece published in the magazine, and he was now very close to publishing a significant work.

He would return and report to the No. 1 High School.

He missed Xu Fengjuan a bit.

Leaving Xiao Fei to endure the time on the train, on the morning of the 27th, in Xili Village, the construction of the Xiao family's small building was still in full swing, with a bustling scene on site.

The small building had already been topped off. Unlike the common flat-roofed buildings in other rural areas, the new building of the Xiao family had a red-tiled sloping roof, with special heat insulation, so it wouldn't be too hot to live in during the scorching summer.

"Old Xiao, Old Xiao! You have a telegram from SH. Come and see it quickly!" A villager ran over in a hurry, shouting as he ran.

Xiao Youjin was mixing mud when he heard the shout, and his heart skipped a beat.

Calculating the time, the second son had been in SH for about six or seven days. Apart from the telegram he sent on the day he arrived, there had been no news since, and the whole family had been worried. Xiao Fei had never been far from home before, and it was really worrying for him to be in SH alone.

So, when Xiao Youjin heard about the telegram from SH, his first thought was that Xiao Fei must have encountered some trouble.

Thinking of this, he felt a bit anxious.

Xiao Youjin put down the mud bucket, wiped his dirty hands on his dirty clothes, and walked over to the villager who had brought the telegram.

By this time, several people had already gathered around the villager, chattering away.

"Quick, see what the telegram says."

"Xiao Fei must have run into trouble in SH. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent a telegram back."

"Yes, it's very likely. I heard SH is very chaotic, with thieves and ruffians everywhere. Xiao Fei must have been bullied there."

"Oh no, Xiao Fei must have been killed!"

Someone was spreading rumors, with a hint of schadenfreude. This person was Liu Zhenhai's brother, Liu Zhenyang. The rapid rise of the Xiao family had made many people in the village envious, and the brothers of the Liu family were especially jealous.

Someone immediately scolded him, "Zhenyang, you crow! How can you say such things?" It was Liu Zhenbiao, Liu Mingxing's father.

"Yes, yes! That's cursing him!" Others whispered in agreement.

Seeing that he had angered everyone, Liu Zhenyang walked away sheepishly.

Xiao Youjin came to the villager holding the telegram and silently took it. Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan were not at home, and he couldn't read, so he hesitated for a moment and said to Liu Zhenbiao, "Zhenbiao, can you help me read it?"

At this moment, he was very anxious, afraid of bad news.

"Sure! I'll read it."

Liu Zhenbiao took the telegram, and others crowded around to look. The telegram read: "Dead, to be published in next issue. Fish to be published in long novel special issue."

Telegrams were charged by the character, at 14.5 cents per character, so people were very frugal with their words, as long as the recipient could understand.

However, when Liu Zhenbiao read out this incomprehensible sentence, everyone looked at each other, not understanding what it meant.

They didn't understand at all!

They had no idea how to interpret it!

But, there was a shocking word "dead" in the telegram, and the sender was not Xiao Fei himself, but someone surnamed "Dai."

"You still don't believe me! My guess was probably right. Xiao Fei must have met with an accident in SH and was killed," Liu Zhenyang came over again, speaking loudly.

This time, no one scolded him. Many people were silent.

Everyone thought that Xiao Fei might indeed be in grave danger, otherwise, why would someone else send a telegram to the family?

That day, for the Xiao family, turned into a disastrous day. The family fell into despair and grief because of the telegram.

The whole house was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

Hearing the likely bad news, the mother fainted on the spot and only came to after a while of resuscitation. Then she cried incessantly, "My poor child, don't scare your mother! Come back quickly, come back. If you're gone, I don't want to live either..."

Xiao Yan also cried continuously.

Xiao Youjin squatted in the yard like a stone statue, tears streaming down his face silently.

Only Xiao Yang was a bit better. He said to his father, "Dad, I'll go to SH and find the second brother. If the second brother really met with trouble, damn it! If I catch those scoundrels, I'll skin them alive one by one."

Xiao Yang's eyes were almost bloodshot, and his teeth were grinding.

"Rascal! You stay at home. If anyone goes, it will be me. I'm old and don't have many years left. It's worth it to fight those bad people!" Xiao Youjin scolded his son.

In the end, the father and son decided to leave for X City early the next morning, then take the train to Shanghai, even neglecting the construction of the new building at home.