Chapter 111: Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop

Greenwater City, as the evening lights began to glow.

Having been in Pro Province for over three months, this was Li Banfeng's first visit to a city. Ma Wu had said that cities in Pro Province might not compare to those in other provinces, but Greenwater City's nights also had their own light. Li Banfeng saw the light. The lighting of the lamps was a grand daily ceremony in Greenwater City.

Since electricity couldn't be transmitted over long distances, gas lamps were the main source of light at night. Patrolmen, carrying torches and long poles, lit the streetlights along both sides of the road one by one. Each shop sent out its assistants to light the illuminated sign boxes one by one. The gas lamps were very bright, no less so than some electric lights. What surprised Li Banfeng even more was that the gas lamps could flicker. On the gas outlet pipes, there were steam-powered valves. Using the heat generated by the gas lamps themselves, these valves opened and closed in a regular rhythm, controlling the gas flow. When the valves were fully open, a large volume of gas made the sign boxes very bright. When the valves were half-open, the reduced gas flow made the sign boxes dim. Some valves were even equipped with special powders that made the sign boxes continuously change colors.

Ma Wu was right; Greenwater City was a city, a big city. Perhaps its buildings weren't as tall as Yue Province's, nor its streets as wide, but it was a true city, and Li Banfeng could smell its unique scent.

The tallest building was called Peace Plaza, a Lu family business. It housed a shopping mall, restaurants, and reportedly, a cinema. The building occupying the best location was called Paramount, also a Lu family business. There, one could find endless wine, ceaseless dancing, and countless high-slit qipaos. Ma Wu said the most promising place was called Leisure Cove. It boasted dance kings, singing queens, and over a hundred rising stars in training. Leisure Cove had once been Ma Wu's property. Li Banfeng had promised Ma Wu he would visit it someday, but now was not the time. Li Banfeng currently only wanted to find Miaosheng Phonograph Shop. Ma Wu often had them engrave records, and their phonographs were known for their quality.

After some searching, Li Banfeng found the phonograph shop. The storefront was small. Li Banfeng pushed open the door and stepped inside; the shop space was only about five or six square meters, with a counter over a meter long and two hand-cranked phonographs displayed on it.

"Did I come to the wrong place?" Li Banfeng stepped back to the doorway and glanced at the sign. "No, I didn't. It's Miaosheng Phonograph Shop."

Behind the counter sat a man wearing a black top hat, a black tailcoat over a white shirt, a black bow tie, no mustache below his lower lip, but two prominent mustaches above his upper lip, styled like the character '八' (ba, meaning 'eight'). At first, the man seemed to be dozing. Li Banfeng's retreat to the doorway to re-check the sign woke him. The man with the distinct mustache stood up and smiled at Li Banfeng, saying, "Hello, sir, welcome! I am Ling Miaosheng from Miaosheng Phonograph Shop. May I ask which phonograph you are interested in?"

Li Banfeng looked at the two flimsy-looking hand-cranked phonographs on the counter and shook his head, saying, "Definitely not these two."

Ling Miaosheng was taken aback, looking at Li Banfeng in surprise. "Sir, neither of these two models appeals to you?"

"That's right!" Li Banfeng didn't find anything special about these two phonographs.

Ling Miaosheng's expression grew serious. "It seems what you're looking for is quite specific. Please tell me, what kind of phonograph are you seeking?"

*What kind of phonograph? What kind of phonograph could this small shop possibly have?* Li Banfeng said, "Show me your best phonograph."

"Certainly, sir." Ling Miaosheng stepped out from behind the counter, waved a hand, and suddenly a section of the wall lifted like a curtain. The curtain was the exact same color as the wall. Not only was it identical, but it was also seamlessly fitted, showing no hint of a seam. Behind the curtain was a wooden door. Ling Miaosheng pushed open the wooden door, extended a hand into the opening, and said, "Sir, please come in."

Li Banfeng followed Ling Miaosheng through the wooden door. Beyond it was a corridor, where the light was so dim that even with Li Banfeng's keen eyesight, he couldn't see its end. *This shop isn't small. It just has a peculiar layout.*

Ling Miaosheng led Li Banfeng to another door, gently pushed it open, stepped inside, and motioned for Li Banfeng to be quiet. *Why so cautious? Is someone sleeping in here?* Ling Miaosheng went to the center of the room and quietly lit a candle. This room was also quite large. By the candlelight, Li Banfeng could barely make out the four walls. In the center of the room, an object the size of a bedside table was covered with a cloth. *This must be the shop's most expensive phonograph.* Li Banfeng felt a little anticipation.

Ling Miaosheng first grabbed a handful of golden granular material and placed it beneath the cloth. Li Banfeng's heart stirred with excitement. *Is this fuel? Is it a steam-powered phonograph too?* As Ling Miaosheng slowly uncovered the cloth, the answer was revealed. The phonograph had a very white body, a very red "head," and two very bright "eyes." The "fuel" Ling Miaosheng scattered was actually corn. The phonograph extended its head, ate the corn, and then clucked, clearing its throat. Ling Miaosheng instructed, "Sing 'The Beloved in Autumn Waters.'" The phonograph stretched its neck and began to sing:

"Cluck, cluck, cluck...""Gazing through autumn waters,The beloved's graceful figure is nowhere to be seen,Night draws to a close, the hourglass runs out,Two or three cries of a lone wild goose..."

Li Banfeng looked at Ling Miaosheng and asked, "Is this... a singing chicken?"

Ling Miaosheng nodded and said, "This is our shop's finest phonograph. It can sing over thirty songs, and with patient nurturing from its owner, it can learn many more."

Li Banfeng didn't understand why this large rooster, with its fiery red comb and snowy white feathers, could sing songs, but it was clearly not what he was looking for.

"Mr. Ling," Li Banfeng said, "I'd like a more conventional phonograph, for example, one produced in Amikan. Do you have any?"

Ling Miaosheng nodded. "Yes, sir, please follow me." Li Banfeng followed Ling Miaosheng into another room, which was much more spacious. Over a dozen phonographs, all manufactured in Amikan, were displayed there.

Ling Miaosheng introduced them: "Phonographs made in Amikan aren't as durable as those from Cheman, nor as exquisite as those from Engli. However, what they produce has a unique charm. It's hard to describe that unique charm; their products always feel particularly unrestrained."

As he spoke, Ling Miaosheng unveiled the first phonograph. "This is a spring-wound phonograph. You wind it once for each song. It offers clear sound and has a lightweight, space-saving casing." Ling Miaosheng played a song on the phonograph, and Li Banfeng subtly shook his head. The sound quality of this phonograph was too different from Niangzi's, and the phonograph was too small; he probably couldn't use its parts.

Ling Miaosheng then unveiled another phonograph. This one was very large, nearly two meters in both length and width. The tray above the phonograph was somewhat similar to Niangzi's, and a large lever was attached to the casing. Ling Miaosheng pulled the lever, and a whooshing sound came from the phonograph's "belly." *It turned out to be a lever-operated bellows.* Driven by the rushing air, the internal windmill began to turn.

Ling Miaosheng explained, "The windmill is equipped with a governor, allowing it to rotate at a constant speed regardless of the wind force. Normally, you can listen to music while pumping the bellows, though the downside is a bit of noise. Alternatively, you can pump the bellows to store energy in the spring, and then listen to music. The spring can store up to two hours of power." After fully winding the spring, Ling Miaosheng wiped off his sweat, flipped a switch, and the phonograph began to play. Surprisingly, the sound quality of this bellows phonograph was somewhat close to Niangzi's.

After one song finished, Ling Miaosheng displayed the third phonograph. This model was also very unique; it ran on electricity. In Pro Province, while electricity couldn't be transmitted over long distances, it wasn't impossible to store. Ling Miaosheng took a battery, about the size of a tea box, placed it in the phonograph's rear compartment, flipped the switch, and the phonograph began to turn.

"Electric phonographs rotate steadily and are convenient to use, but charging them is a hassle. During the day, you have to place the phonograph under the sun to charge it." Only then did Li Banfeng notice that the phonograph had solar panels on its surface. Ling Miaosheng smiled. "On a sunny day, a full day's charge can provide eight hours of listening, but on a cloudy day, it's hard to say."

*If there's electricity, can I charge my phone? Charge it for what? What good is a phone? Waiting to hook up with Kuixiu?* The layout and construction of this phonograph were too different from Niangzi's, so Li Banfeng wasn't interested.

Unveiling the fourth curtain revealed a sewing machine. Ling Miaosheng threaded the needle, placed his hand on the flywheel, and pressed the pedal. The sewing machine began to clatter, stitching the clothes on its platform while singing "Roses Bloom Everywhere." "Roses, roses bloom everywhere, youth, youth is everywhere, the irresistible spring breeze..." Once the cuff was sewn, the sewing machine stopped, and the music ceased.

Ling Miaosheng turned and said, "The beauty of this phonograph lies in its ability to relieve fatigue during sewing work. Of course, if you don't want to listen to music while sewing, you can also wind the spring to store power and enjoy the music after your work is done." Although this phonograph was unusual, its components were very similar to Niangzi's.

Ling Miaosheng unveiled the fifth phonograph, which was also the largest: "This is also a wind-powered phonograph, but unlike the bellows phonograph, this one is driven by an external windmill. This means you'd need to hang a twenty-eight-centimeter diameter windmill outside your window. Once the windmill turns, you can listen to music. If you don't want to listen, you can also use it to wind the spring. When fully wound, the spring can provide up to twenty-two hours of listening. As long as the wind outside doesn't stop, the music in your home will never cease..."

Ling Miaosheng introduced over a dozen phonographs to Li Banfeng in one breath. For each model, Li Banfeng found something appealing, yet none were entirely satisfactory.

Ling Miaosheng looked at Li Banfeng, paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Sir, you're looking for a steam-powered phonograph, aren't you?"

Li Banfeng was startled. "How did you know?"

Ling Miaosheng suddenly smiled. "I heard the hiss of steam, from within your heart."