Chapter 55 Buying a Bicycle

Zheng Fei had originally thought that pursuing a career in comics in this era would be quite difficult, but to his surprise, the leaders were quite open-minded.

Come to think of it, though, anyone who could rise to such positions was bound to be sharp-witted.

In his past life, Zheng Fei had also dealt with people of this sort; they were absolute schemers. Whenever they acted obtuse, nine times out of ten it was merely to cover up something else.

......

Almost without realizing it, he had already printed one hundred thousand copies. As more and more volumes of *Wind and Cloud* were published, his royalties would steadily increase.

At this rate of publication, by the end of the year Zheng Fei would easily be a ten-thousand-yuan earner, and in the future, he could practically coast through life on the success of this single comic.

After all, back in the day, Hong Kong’s "Little Ma" truly lived off this very manga for a lifetime, remaining famous throughout his entire career.

While Zheng Fei’s interception of the work wasn't exactly fair to "Little Ma," it might well turn out to be a blessing in disguise for him.

If he ever went to Hong Kong, Zheng Fei really wanted to meet this legendary figure from his past life and impart a few manga concepts to him by way of compensation.

In truth, once a manga takes off, an author really can live off a single title for a lifetime. Aside from Little Ma, there was also Togashi’s *Hunter x Hunter*, Oda’s *One Piece*, and Gosho Aoyama’s *Detective Conan*.

Whenever he thought of these famous names and masterpieces, Zheng Fei suddenly felt a heavy wave of pressure. Chinese comics still had a long way to go.

Yet, for the industry to truly flourish, it needed a healthy environment—to put it bluntly, it required creators to be able to make a comfortable living.

For now, Zheng Fei felt quite content; thanks to *Wind and Cloud*, he could become a ten-thousand-yuan earner within a single year.

In fact, there were many picture-book artists whose royalties were exceptionally high. His re-edition of one hundred thousand copies was really nothing special compared to them.

Some picture-book artists had initial print runs starting in the hundreds of thousands. Even if a single copy sold for just twenty cents, the royalties from that scale of circulation were quite substantial.

Zheng Fei believed that the domestic market wasn't lacking the fertile soil for comic development; rather, no one was properly cultivating the field.

Once he made enough money, Zheng Fei planned to fund a training class out of his own pocket to gather a group of talents first.

Since the cash in his hands didn't have much immediate use anyway, he might as well become the "godfather" of the comic industry.

Thinking about all this now, however, was still a bit too distant. Chief Editor Mo had given him a bicycle coupon, and his most urgent task was to hurry up and buy a bicycle for transportation.

Otherwise, getting around every day was a massive headache. He truly despised squeezing onto those packed trolleybuses.

The next day.

Zheng Fei took his younger sister and headed to the nearby bicycle shop to pick out a bicycle.

To his surprise, just past the New Year, the bicycle shop was completely packed with people. If you wanted to buy a bike, you actually had to wait in line.

It was genuinely exasperating.

Fortunately, the inventory of bicycles was quite large, sparing him from hearing the sales clerk declare the moment his turn arrived:

"Sold out for the day."

The bicycle coupon in Zheng Fei’s hand was for a standard model—the most ubiquitous "Twenty-Eight" heavy-duty bicycle with a crossbar.

"Twenty-Eight" referred to the size of the wheels, while the "crossbar" referred to the horizontal metal beam running through the middle of the frame.

The coupon even specified the model of the bicycle, meaning he couldn't use it to purchase a women's bike.

In the original owner's memories, his family had owned a Forever-brand bicycle when he was a child.

It even had a double crossbar.

Back then, he often sat on the front crossbar while his father rode, with his mother seated in the back, cradling a baby in her arms.

He wondered how many people in Tanzowan had envied their family back then: one picture-book artist and one people's teacher.

Yet, looking back, it was truly poignant.

Such a happy family had been utterly ruined overnight.

......

While inspecting the bicycles, Zheng Fei ultimately chose a Phoenix-brand bicycle. There was a popular saying among the locals: Phoenix has the best paint, while Forever has the best steel.

However, Zheng Fei was a hardcore visualist; primarily, the logo of the Phoenix-brand bicycle was simply gorgeous.

After paying one hundred and forty yuan plus the bicycle coupon, Zheng Fei finally wheeled his new bicycle away.

Looking at the glistening paint of the bicycle before her, Zheng Shuyao was overjoyed, itching to immediately hop onto the back seat.

Seeing her thrilled expression, Zheng Fei asked with a smile, "Do you know how to ride? Want me to let you take it for a couple of spins first?"

Zheng Shuyao shook her head like a rattle-drum.

"Brother, I don't know how to ride."

Yet, the very next second, she immediately added, "Though I don't know how to ride a bicycle, I know how to ride a horse."

Zheng Fei was stunned for a moment, suddenly recalling that when he used to browse short video clips in his past life, he had indeed seen students riding horses to school, and even some riding ostriches.

Just as they were planning to head back, Zheng Fei heard someone calling his name. Turning around, he didn't expect to run into an "acquaintance" here.

His eldest cousin, Zheng Yuanqiang.

In the original owner's memories, although his eldest aunt was thoroughly unpleasant, his eldest cousin was alright.

When they were young, his cousin had often played with him and had never bullied him.

Right now, however, his eldest cousin was accompanied by a female companion, who, by all appearances, was most likely his fiancée.

"Zheng Fei, long time no see."

Zheng Fei smiled and replied somewhat awkwardly, "Cousin, long time no see."

After the two sides greeted each other, Zheng Yuanqiang immediately introduced her to him: "Your sister-in-law, Wang Chunhong, works at the same unit as me."

"Hello, sister-in-law."

The young woman frowned and said with a hint of playful annoyance, "We haven't even registered our marriage yet, stop introducing me like that."

Zheng Yuanqiang scratched his head. "Our unit leaders have already signed off on it anyway, we can register the day after tomorrow."

Zheng Yuanqiang glanced at the bicycle Zheng Fei was wheeling, and then shifted his gaze to the young girl whose appearance bore little resemblance to the locals.

"Xiao Fei, who is this? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Her? My younger sister."

Zheng Yuanqiang was startled for a moment before saying, "It's been a few years, and you've grown bold enough to joke with your cousin. Didn't you only have a younger brother? Where did a sister come from?"

"She really is my sister, believe it or not."

"A relative from your mother's side, I suppose?"

Zheng Fei sighed, having no intention of over-explaining. Truth be told, had they not crossed paths by chance, Zheng Fei had virtually cut off all contact with these relatives on this side of the family.

Moreover, he still had a score to settle with his eldest aunt's family; his father's old heavy-duty bicycle from back in the day seemed to have been unceremoniously swindled away by them.

Zheng Yuanqiang looked Zheng Fei up and down, noticing that his clothes were of good quality and that he possessed a brand-new bicycle, prompting him to ask:

"Coming out to buy a bicycle? It looks like your father's affairs have been sorted out, and the neighborhood committee has arranged a job for you."

Zheng Fei frowned slightly, then replied, "It wasn't arranged by the neighborhood committee, but you could say I have a job."

Zheng Yuanqiang asked curiously, "Which unit?"

"A publishing house."

Upon hearing the word "publishing house," both Zheng Yuanqiang and his partner froze for several seconds, their expressions turning somewhat unnatural.

His eldest cousin feigned composure and said, "Then let me congratulate you first. A publishing house is a great unit, much better than my coal briquette factory."

Zheng Fei smiled. In this era, a coal briquette factory could be considered an exceptionally lucrative workplace with plenty of perks.

His eldest cousin had been decent to him in the past, but the man had been fiercely competitive since childhood. If he found out that he was now a renowned comic artist and that the creator of *Wind and Cloud* was none other than him, his ego would probably become quite unbalanced.

The two exchanged a few brief words.

It turned out that his eldest cousin was here to buy a stylish bicycle for his future bride, since the "three rounds and one sound" were still required wedding gifts in this day and age.

"I'll be heading off then," Zheng Yuanqiang said with a smile. "Stay in touch when you have time."

Zheng Fei smiled faintly. He genuinely wanted nothing to do with his eldest uncle's family; if they could live the rest of their lives as strangers, that would be for the best.

After all, when the original owner needed help the most, they had all chosen silence and looked the other way.

......

Zheng Fei pedaled his bicycle and pressed the bell twice. Accompanied by the crisp *ding-ding-ding* sound, the bicycle rolled leisurely along the Suzhou River in the direction of Tanzowan.

Seated on the back, Zheng Shuyao was overjoyed. "Brother, riding a bicycle is much more comfortable than riding a horse."

For a moment, Zheng Fei didn't know how to respond. If given the choice, he would definitely choose a horse.

After all, horseback riding looked cool!

Ever since he started riding this brand-new heavy-duty bicycle, Zheng Fei noticed that everyone's gazes toward him had changed.

Especially as he passed by the textile factory, quite a few young women cast sidelong glances at him. Zheng Fei felt as though possessing this contraption gave him priority access in the marriage market.

......

Meanwhile, back at the bicycle shop, Zheng Yuanqiang had just purchased a women's bicycle for Wang Chunhong.

Yet, he remained deeply preoccupied with Zheng Fei's words, prompting Wang Chunhong to ask, "Yuanqiang, does your cousin really work at a publishing house?"

"It's hard to say for sure, but if Second Uncle were to return, it's entirely possible. Second Uncle used to be a picture-book artist, after all."

"Should we go pay them a visit?"

Zheng Yuanqiang hurriedly shook his head and said, "Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"You just can't go, that's all. As for the exact reason, you'll understand in the future."

How could Zheng Yuanqiang dare to tell her? Their entire family had wronged his cousin. If Second Uncle ever came back, they would undoubtedly be the first people he sought out to settle accounts.