Chapter 56 Reader Mail

After the Lantern Festival.

Zheng Fei rode his bicycle to drop off his younger sister at Yichuan Middle School near Tanyuanwan.

He helped her with the admission procedures, expecting to encounter all sorts of bureaucratic hurdles and cold shoulders, since the distinct characteristics of that era had lingered for a very long time.

Much to his surprise, his luck was good. The person handling Zheng Shuyao's admission was Yao Zhengnian, who had been his own junior high school teacher.

Zheng Fei had also studied at this middle school back in the day. His academic performance was neither top-tier nor particularly poor; he had nearly made it into a specialized college entrance exam and was considered a good student in the teachers' eyes.

Perhaps because Director Wang from the neighborhood committee had given the teacher a heads-up in advance, Teacher Yao actually knew that he was now a manga artist and the creator of *Wind and Cloud*.

The moment they met, the atmosphere immediately warmed up: "Zheng Fei, I never expected you to follow the exact same artistic path as your father."

Hearing this, Zheng Fei paused slightly, only then remembering that Yao Zhengnian had known his father and they had even been romantic rivals back then.

During his junior high school days, he had been looked after quite a bit by this man—genuine care, not petty behind-the-scenes actions.

Zheng Fei smiled somewhat helplessly: "There's no help for it. This is the only path left for me to take."

Yao Zhengnian glanced at Zheng Fei, then looked at Zheng Shuyao, and sighed:

"Director Wang already told me about your father's situation. I truly didn't expect so many things to happen after he went over there. Still, that man remains restless even when he's arrived there."

Zheng Fei smiled awkwardly, naturally understanding what the teacher was referring to. After chatting briefly and settling his younger sister's enrollment, Zheng Fei rode his bicycle toward the publishing house.

Normally, Zheng Fei did his creative work at home, but an individual's productivity is limited.

During the New Year holiday, Zheng Fei had not been idle either, yet he had only managed to draw fifty pages of storyboards and sketches.

Even if he and Suisui continued to work like draft horses, it would still take at least two months to complete the second volume.

Overall, they simply lacked manpower!

If he remembered correctly, that "Little Ma" from Hong Kong should currently be the top star at Jade Dynasty Publications.

The moment his creation *Chinese Hero* was released, it immediately shattered various records. He was currently at the height of his fame, with no fewer than five or six manga assistants.

Zheng Fei genuinely hoped that the assistants the publishing house was arranging for him would arrive soon so that efficiency could be vastly improved.

Fortunately, *Wind and Cloud* was currently published in volumes rather than as a serialized magazine. Otherwise, with just the two of them updating every single week, they would literally be worked to death.

From the readers' perspective, of course, serialization was preferable. If manga weren't so difficult to draw, readers would wish they could see new content every single day.

Zheng Fei had also considered this issue. If he wanted to give newcomers a chance, he would have to take the periodical route.

In the future, it would be best to have a specialized periodical dedicated to manga serialization, and *Wind and Cloud* could be serialized inside it.

They could then allocate some pages specifically for showcasing new artists and their works. In fact, Zheng Fei had even thought of a name for the periodical.

He would call it *King of Comics*, which could also be seen as a tribute to *King of Comic Books*, a publication from his past life that survived for only a year before being suspended.

...

Of course, another reason Zheng Fei liked to work in the studio was that the publishing house had a fireplace.

The weather was too cold; if his fingers froze stiff, it was simply impossible to draw.

After all, drawing was different from writing. Messy handwriting didn't matter much, but ugly artwork had a massive impact.

Zheng Fei mused that he should also install a fireplace at home in the coming days so his hands and feet wouldn't freeze during winter.

He parked his bicycle in the designated parking area downstairs and locked it securely.

"Teacher Zheng, Happy New Year! You bought a bicycle."

"It's too far away; it's a bit inconvenient without a vehicle."

"That's true."

Old man Ma, who was in charge of the reception desk in the hallway, quickly greeted Zheng Fei upon seeing him: "This new bike looks gorgeous."

Through a few months of interaction, Old man Ma had long since learned that Zheng Fei was now the "God of Wealth" of the publishing house.

The entire Advanced Publishing House relied on him for their livelihood. After all, Advanced Publishing House was a joint venture, the kind of unwanted stepchild that neither father nor mother loved. Their wages were less than half of those at the neighboring Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

Ma Youfeng only took home twenty yuan a month, with no bonuses at all.

Old Chen, the doorkeeper next door, took home fifty yuan every month, plus a five-yuan bonus, and received gifts during every festival and holiday.

Every time he saw Old Chen on the street, Ma Youfeng felt inferior. During the New Year, when others ate lavish feasts, he had to meticulously budget, lacking even the spare cash to smoke cigarettes.

One could only say that the same job brought different fates. To earn higher wages, he could only pin his hopes on the publishing house making a profit.

Unlike the animation studio, he had heard that as long as the publishing house made a huge profit, their wages would rise accordingly, with no grade restrictions.

If they earned enough money, paying him a hundred yuan in wages was entirely possible.

Two days ago, when he learned the news that the manga *Wind and Cloud* was going to have a second printing of one hundred thousand copies, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for two nights running.

He felt as though a wage raise was imminent.

Facing such a "God of Wealth," Ma Youfeng naturally had to treat him with utmost respect.

He even walked behind him on the stairs, terrified that Zheng Fei might trip and injure his hands.

"Teacher Zheng, watch your step."

Zheng Fei found it difficult to adapt immediately to Old man Ma's sudden shift in attitude. When he reached the studio, he found that the room was quite warm. Having a fireplace was truly wonderful; it felt just like having air conditioning turned on.

Comrade Xu, wearing loose cotton-padded clothes, was already inside the studio. Perhaps due to eating well over the New Year, her figure and face had rounded out a bit.

This young woman had an exceptionally solid foundation; her only flaw was her poor image management. Wearing thick round glasses and sporting hair that was forever messy, she was sitting cross-legged on a chair, cracking melon seeds with her teeth while reading a manga book.

This current image truly matched the persona of a female shut-in.

Seeing Zheng Fei arrive, Xu San sui hurriedly put on her shoes, stood up, and smoothed her hair: "Teacher Zheng, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

At that moment, Zheng Fei saw that his desk was densely covered with letters.

On almost every single envelope, it was written:

"To Teacher Zheng Fei (Recipient)"

...

Xu Sansui hurriedly said, "Teacher Zheng, most of these letters were sent to you by readers. Do you want to take a look? I can help you open them."

"Go ahead."

Zheng Fei nodded.

However, his gaze was immediately drawn to a red postage stamp. He felt that in this era, it was almost impossible to avoid encountering this famous Monkey Stamp.

Yet the reader who sent this letter was truly extravagant to actually use a Monkey Stamp for postage.

It seemed the Monkey Stamp was the first in the series of zodiac stamps, with a face value of eight fen, but the moment it was issued, the scalper price had surged to twenty fen by that very afternoon.

How much it cost now, Zheng Fei didn't know, but it was already quite a miracle that the stamp hadn't been clipped off by someone.

People nowadays were exceptionally fond of stamp collecting. Xu Sansui, who had come over to help, grinned and said, "Teacher Zheng, with so many letters, can you give me a few stamps?"

Zheng Fei moved aside the envelope bearing the Monkey Stamp, nodded, and said, "Sure. If you like any of them, just take them yourself."

...

Zheng Fei opened a few letters, and they were indeed letters from readers. Some addressed him as Teacher, while others addressed him as Comrade.

The contents were also much the same: the beginning was filled with flattery, and the rest consisted almost entirely of urging him for new manuscripts. Fortunately, no one had sent any razor blades.

However, there was one reader whose envelope was exceptionally thick. When opened, it unexpectedly contained a full six pages, estimated to be over three thousand words.

...

Comrade Zheng Fei:

I am twenty-four years old, arguably just stepping into life, yet all the mysteries and attractions of life no longer exist for me. It seems I have reached its end...

Yet I am unwilling to muddle through life, eating, drinking, and playing away my entire existence.

...

It wasn't until I saw the article you published in the *Wen Hui Bao* that I was filled with strength and hope.

Comrade Zheng Fei, I am writing this letter simply to thank you. It is precisely because brave people like you exist that I am able to take a courageous step forward.

...

Looking at the letter in his hands, Zheng Fei was truly thrown into disarray, feeling that everything had gotten mixed up. Logically speaking, shouldn't this letter have been sent to the *China Youth Daily*?

How on earth did it end up with him?