Chapter 458: How Many Tenants Live in the Portable Residence

Li Banfeng gently pushed open the door to Room Five, not wanting to make the Projector feel too awkward, but just letting it know he had entered.

The Projector was very calm and greeted Li Banfeng: "Director Qi, you're still awake."

Li Banfeng smiled, sat on the sofa beside the Projector, and quietly admired the images projected from the lens.

To the left was text, and to the right, a projected film.

Li Banfeng had read this story in the newspaper before. Unlike the traditional style of Black Stone Slope, its narrative was subtle and understated.

The images occasionally skipped frames, clearly indicating they weren't actual recordings.

Li Banfeng asked, "Who is this young woman? Aren't you going to introduce her to me?"

"Are you referring to this young woman?" The image froze on the female protagonist, and the Projector replied, "She is someone I imagined."

Li Banfeng said nothing. After watching the entire story, he offered a critique: "It's very well-shot, but you'll need to put more thought into the editing."

After speaking, Li Banfeng prepared to return to his room to sleep. As he reached the door, he heard the Projector say from behind him, "Director Qi, my loyalty to you has never wavered. On the battlefield, I am always willing to fight for you until the very last moment."

Li Banfeng nodded. "That, I never doubt."

As an expert in this field, Li Banfeng could accurately conclude that the woman was not merely a figment of the Projector's imagination; she was too real.

If she wasn't a real recording, nor a product of imagination, then what kind of existence was this woman?

Li Banfeng sat in Room Six, deep in thought for a long time, when the Projector's voice reached his ears again: "Don't be shy, this is the frankness born of art!"

"But you're a bit too frank..."

"My heart is pure art!"

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense; he has ill intentions."

There was someone else!

More than one person had entered the Portable Residence!

There was another person whose voice was extremely faint, making it impossible to distinguish their gender.

This person's voice didn't come from Room Five either. Li Banfeng stared at Room Six, where he was, for a long time, sensing that the sound he'd just heard wasn't coming from the same direction as Room Five.

He got up, pushed open the door to Room Seven, and listened for a while, but heard nothing.

Pushing open the door to Room Eight, he found it empty and unfurnished. In the deserted room, there seemed to be a faint sound.

Li Banfeng couldn't discern what the sound was.

He was just short of it; if his Spirit Sound Acuity skill improved just a little more, he'd be able to hear it clearly.

Li Banfeng focused all his attention on his ears until his temples throbbed with pain, but he still didn't hear the sound from Room Eight again.

Recently, due to his advancement, his Spirit Sound Acuity skill had indeed improved significantly, but the infiltrator had suddenly gone silent.

Li Banfeng rubbed his temples, then headed towards Room Nine, when suddenly he heard a woman's voice in his ear.

"What is this madman up to, not sleeping?"

Why was this voice so clear?

Li Banfeng spun around sharply. "Who are you calling a madman!"

Red Lotus shivered. "You heard that?"

Among this family, Red Lotus had arrived even earlier than the Portable Residence.

Yet, this was the first time Li Banfeng had heard her speak.

Red Lotus's voice wasn't as sweet as his wife's, but it carried a touch more intellect and rationality, bringing to mind short hair, rimless glasses, and a professional suit.

Li Banfeng struck a match, lit a candle, and sat beside Red Lotus. "I didn't expect your voice to be quite pleasant."

"How could it compare to your wife's?" Red Lotus scoffed, unwilling to engage with Li Banfeng.

Seeing a halo on the lotus leaves, Li Banfeng realized Red Lotus was still refining elixirs. He asked, "The batch coming out this time shouldn't be Profound Elixir, should it?"

"Does Profound Elixir displease you? Do you know how many Cloud Cultivators would risk their lives for just one of these pills!"

"But I'm not on the Cloud now."

"You should always look at the long term. I'm truly looking out for you; I won't let you suffer any loss."

Li Banfeng paused, then chuckled. "In that case, I've misunderstood you. It truly is a bit unfair for you to stay here. I'll move you back to Room Two."

"No need. This place is fine. I find it peaceful being far from that wicked woman."

"Do you truly find it peaceful?" Li Banfeng looked around. "Have you heard any sounds?"

Red Lotus's lotus leaves trembled for a moment, then she told Li Banfeng, "I have indeed heard sounds. I've heard sounds from every room."

Li Banfeng said in surprise, "You've heard sounds from every room?"

Red Lotus said resentfully, "Every time you opened a new room, I moved. I've lived in every room, so of course, I've heard sounds from every room."

Li Banfeng first asked, "Exactly how many people are in the Portable Residence? I mean, people I don't know."

Red Lotus thought for a moment, then replied, "To my knowledge, there's at least one in every room."

"Who are these people?"

"I can't tell. Their voices are too indistinct; I can't even tell their gender."

Li Banfeng said, "I was just in Room Five and heard a woman's voice."

"I've lived in Room Five too and heard sounds, but I truly couldn't distinguish their gender. Perhaps that wicked woman's Spirit Sound Acuity skill is unique, allowing you to hear more accurately than I can."

Li Banfeng then asked, "Do you know what they said?"

Red Lotus replied, "I can't discern that either. It's likely only your wife in this household can hear clearly."

Li Banfeng said, "Can't the old man hear clearly himself?"

"Who knows? Perhaps he's too lazy to listen."

As the two were speaking, a burst of laughter reached their ears.

"Heheheh..."

Indistinct laughter, impossible to tell the gender.

Red Lotus's lotus leaves trembled. She also wanted to trace the source of the sound, but she couldn't.

Li Banfeng asked, "Are you truly willing to live in Room Nine?"

"Just don't make me move again in the future."

"Alright, then I'll call you Nine Petals from now on."

Red Lotus paused for a moment, then said, "I have a name. I don't need a new one. Red Lotus is perfectly fine..."

Li Banfeng returned to Room Six to sleep.

The next day at noon, Li Banfeng went to the main room, spent some affectionate moments with the Phonograph, and asked, "My dear wife, did you hear anything last night?"

His wife smiled. "My dear husband, I did hear some commotion, but it's nothing to worry about. You don't need to fret; just leave these matters to your humble servant."

With his wife's reassurance, Li Banfeng felt at ease.

His wife knew where the sounds came from and was aware of the other occupants in the Portable Residence. She couldn't disclose it now, but she knew how to handle it.

Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence, just as the workers were on their lunch break.

Night Blooming Jasmine was an evening newspaper, so the afternoon workload was heavy, and lunch breaks were short. Workers usually didn't nap. After eating, they'd smoke a cigarette, read the newspaper, and then get back to their respective tasks.

The foreman brought over the roster. There was extra printing today, and the work was heavy, so he asked the attending workers to sign their names for a bonus at the end of the month.

Li Banfeng glanced at the roster and frowned.

In Black Stone Slope, many people could read, but few could write.

They weren't entirely illiterate, but their writing was often illegible—crooked, missing strokes, and full of small errors.

There was a new young man named Xiao Fu, who truly couldn't write; he didn't even recognize his own name. He could only do odd jobs like folding and delivering newspapers.

After lunch, he imitated the veteran workers, took a newspaper, and began to study it intently.

However, since he couldn't read, he could only look at the pictures. The few illustrations in the newspaper weren't captivating and he finished them in a couple of glances, while others were still reading the front-page news.

"Master Song, what does this section you're reading mean?"

Master Song held the newspaper and, in a low voice, explained a passage to Xiao Fu.

After listening, Xiao Fu's veins bulged. "There's something like this in here! That young lady, she would do something like that? Is this true or false?"

Master Song waved his hand. "Who can say for sure? You'll have to figure out if it's true or false for yourself."

"Figure it out? How can I figure this out!" Xiao Fu, agitated, stood up. He wanted to ask someone else, but after two steps, he sat back down.

His trousers were too thin.

"Master Song, tell me, what are the three characters of that young lady's name?"

Master Song chuckled. "You rascal, you haven't even learned your own name yet, why do you care about hers?"

"I just want to know where else I can find her later..."

Li Banfeng watched Xiao Fu for a long time, then heard Chuanzi beside him say, "When I first came to Black Stone Slope, I also looked at pictures. I thought the pictures here were especially beautiful.

Later, they told me that characters were much more appealing than pictures. I didn't believe it at first, but after they explained a passage to me, I realized that characters really were more beautiful than pictures. Everything was in the characters.

I kept pestering people to read the newspaper to me. Out of respect for you and Fifth Master, they'd read a couple of sentences at first, but reading too much annoyed them, and some things weren't appropriate to read aloud.

So I got a dictionary and taught myself. If I couldn't understand something, I'd ask. If they were reluctant to tell me, I'd offer them a cigarette. Over time, I could read an entire newspaper."

Li Banfeng stared at Chuanzi. "You learned to read all by yourself just to read a newspaper?"

Chuanzi scratched his head. "If it's about reading, I can do it. But writing, I really can't. My strokes are always wrong, and my writing is ugly."

Yuwen Qi chuckled. "When I was young, my writing was also ugly. I taught myself to write, and there were always irregular parts.

Later, I met Old Bai. He came from an ink and fragrance shop, and his calligraphy, stroke by stroke, was truly beautiful.

I wasn't convinced, so I bought a calligraphy copybook on the street. I learned to write and compose articles, associating with Old Bai, and eventually, I also became a scholar."

It turned out that Yuwen Qi and Bai Qiusheng came from different backgrounds; Yuwen Qi was a worker by origin.

Li Banfeng re-examined the sign-in sheet. Almost all the workers present were in this situation.

They learned to read just to read newspapers?

Li Banfeng walked among the resting workers. It was largely consistent with what the peddler had described: about half of the workers could read.

During this lunch break, it was very easy to distinguish between those who could read and those who couldn't.

Workers who could read would hold newspapers, discussing and commenting among themselves. Those who couldn't read could only listen to the buzz from the sidelines, not daring to join the conversation, or even cough.

When work resumed in the afternoon, those who could read picked their tasks first, leaving the leftovers for those who couldn't.

Even if they resented it, there was nothing to be done, as illiterate workers couldn't even understand the work orders.

Among this group of workers, a subset would gradually emerge, compelled to learn how to read.

Was this why the literacy rate in Black Stone Slope was so high?

That's not right.

Factories in other places were like this too; literate workers had an advantage. But he hadn't seen other workers actively learning to read there.

Why was Black Stone Slope so unique?

While Li Banfeng was still pondering, Xiao Fu ran back, drenched in sweat.

In his hand was a dictionary he'd bought from a fellow worker. It was very old, patched up in many places.

But he cherished it, carefully tucking it into his pocket. While folding newspapers, he would occasionally sneak it out for a glance, comparing it with the text on the newspaper.

As long as he could learn to read, every story in this newspaper would be a reward for him.

This reward was cheap; a momentary thrill might run through him upon reading it, but his interest would then quickly fade.

But it didn't matter; there would be new rewards tomorrow, and every day's rewards would be different.

The more newspapers he read, the more rewards he received. His social circle expanded, he learned more characters through mutual exchanges, and his status continuously rose.

If they gritted their teeth and learned to write and compose articles, they would have the opportunity to work in the buildings in the back courtyard.

This was a virtuous cycle!

The key to this cycle lay in these newspapers, specifically in the unique style and special content of Black Stone Slope's newspapers.

Didn't Green Water City have similar newspapers and books?

Yes, similar publications could be found in the corners of bookstores, but one needed to know how to look for them and have some experience to roughly judge the content from the title and summary.

An illiterate person had no ability to judge, nor even the courage to enter a bookstore.

What about Black Stone Slope?

Li Banfeng exited the newspaper office and looked along the street; there were over a dozen newspaper stands on one street alone.

It was simply too easy to get a newspaper.

The roar of the printing presses interrupted Li Banfeng's thoughts and reminded him of something else.

Not only was it easy to buy newspapers, but printing them was even easier here.

Black Stone Slope had plenty of paper mills and printing factories, so paper and ink were very cheap.

The basic cost of newspapers was low, and their prices were also cheap, allowing more investment in content.

This was yet another virtuous cycle.

This was how Black Stone Slope's cultural atmosphere was formed.

Two sets of virtuous cycles were motivating people to learn proactively.

Li Banfeng had thought he was very familiar with Black Stone Slope, but only now did he realize that profound wisdom was at play in its setup, something he had never perceived before.

Who was behind this elaborate scheme?

In an abandoned factory, Tang Shijiang retrieved an iron lunchbox from beneath a lathe and asked, "Are you hungry? Let's eat first."

The Coachman put down the shaft of the carriage. "Senior Brother, how could I eat? I have something to ask of you!"

Tang Shijiang smacked his lips. "Could you stop calling me Senior Brother? Being your Senior Brother is quite embarrassing."