Chapter 853: The Lights Come On
After a long journey, Gu Yanwu finally arrived at Gao Family Village proper.
By the time he stepped off the train, dusk had already fallen.
Standing on the train platform, he witnessed the sun slowly sinking in the west, tumbling down the other side of the hill. This tumble seemed a bit severe; it wouldn't recover overnight. He probably wouldn't see Old Man Sun again until tomorrow morning.
Gu Yanwu wasn't fond of poetry, so he had not the slightest interest in composing a single verse about such a scene.
He pondered inwardly, "The immortal guided me here, but what exactly am I meant to see?"
Just as he thought this, he heard people who had disembarked with him discussing nearby: "Oh, the sun has set! How lucky we are; we'll get to see the moment the 'lights come on'!"
"Yes, yes, the moment the lights come on in Gao Family Village proper is a truly magnificent spectacle."
Gu Yanwu was greatly surprised. He turned to them and asked, "Excuse me, sirs, could you tell me what 'lights coming on' means?"
The men chuckled and replied, "Gao Family Village proper has begun to widely use electric lights. Every day, after the sun completely sets, all the public facilities illuminate simultaneously. That moment is incredibly beautiful to behold."
Just then, a cheer erupted in the distance, a collective shout from many voices. Outside the main fortress walls of Gao Family Village, a large crowd was watching the time on their tablet computers, waiting for the lights to come on: "The lights are coming on!"
"Lights countdown!"
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
Gu Yanwu was even more baffled.
The moment the crowd finished their countdown and collectively shouted "Lights on!"
A row of lights suddenly illuminated along the eaves of the train station.
Then, lights flared on everywhere throughout Gao Family Village proper.
The main fortress and the Gao Family Village business district were the most intensely lit. Brilliant, colorful lights instantly lit up the buildings in both areas, outlining their forms and making them appear suddenly dreamlike.
Gu Yanwu gasped in shock: "Ah!"
The others, who had been waiting for this moment, cheered in unison: "We see it! So beautiful, so beautiful—we could watch it a hundred times and never tire of it!"
Gu Yanwu asked, "What kind of lights are these? Why are they so bright? Oil lamps? Candle lamps?"
The person next to him chuckled: "Electric lights!"
"Electricity?" Gu Yanwu pointed at the sky. "Like lightning?"
The person next to him laughed: "Yes, exactly! Lightning electricity."
"Really?" Gu Yanwu pressed.
An uncultured, burly villager chuckled, "The Heavenly Lord caught the lightning from the sky and uses it to light our lamps."
Gu Yanwu: "!!!"
This shock was truly immense; it nearly made his cerebellum shrivel.
But just then, Shi Kefa appeared from nearby, chiding the talkative villager with a laugh: "Stop spouting nonsense and scaring the visitors."
The burly villager stuck out his tongue and bolted away.
Only then did Gu Yanwu get a clear look at Shi Kefa. He wore official robes, and judging by the decorations on them, he appeared to be a seventh-rank official.
This was merely a small village in Chengcheng County, so for someone in seventh-rank official robes to appear, he must be the magistrate, right? The Chengcheng County magistrate was quite famous: the renowned Donglin Party member, Liang Shixian. It was said that a few years ago, in order to protect the populace, he refused to collect taxes. He openly defied the emperor and was ultimately reprimanded. He wasn't promoted or transferred, essentially stuck in his position as Chengcheng County Magistrate, where he had served for over seven years.
Gu Yanwu hastily bowed: "Greetings, Lord Magistrate!"
"Magistrate?" Shi Kefa laughed. "No, no, I am not the magistrate here. I am Shi Kefa, the Judicial Commissioner of Xi'an Prefecture."
"Judicial Commissioner of Xi'an?" Gu Yanwu was baffled. "How is a Judicial Commissioner from Xi'an doing in a mountain village in Chengcheng County? Is there some mistake?"
"Don't bother with such trivialities here," Shi Kefa chuckled. "Official rank is worthless in this place. What truly matters here is ability."
Gu Yanwu: "???"
Shi Kefa began, "Look at this..."
"...radiant expanse of lights. They were created by a student named Ji Menghan, and his standing and respect in Gao Family Village are far greater than mine, a mere Judicial Commissioner of Xi'an.”
Gu Yanwu simply managed, "Uh."
Shi Kefa sighed, "I, too, greatly admire him! Ah, his grasp of physics is truly exceptional. If only I were as brilliant as he."
Gu Yanwu uttered another bewildered, "Uh?"
Shi Kefa glanced at Gu Yanwu's young, yet utterly perplexed face, and smiled, "Young man, you've come from afar, haven't you? There are many fascinating things in this village, far more than just these lights. Take your time, explore, and see for yourself."
With that, Shi Kefa turned and walked away, disappearing into the bustling crowd in the blink of an eye.
Gu Yanwu: "???"
Utterly bewildered, he was truly bewildered.
Feeling hungry, he decided to find something to eat.
Gu Yanwu set off towards the brightly lit, bustling Gao Family Village business district.
Under the glow of countless colorful streetlights, the Gao Family Village business district seemed utterly dreamlike.
In the center of the town, there stood a strikingly luxurious building. From a distance, it clearly resembled a brothel.
Gu Yanwu thought to himself: "Eating dinner while listening to music in a brothel wouldn't be a bad idea."
He walked up to the entrance, only to discover, upon closer inspection, that it wasn't a brothel at all! Its name was "Shuixian Grand Restaurant."
Gu Yanwu was somewhat perplexed. "Why would a restaurant be designed to look so much like a brothel? Is something wrong with them?" he wondered. "But never mind, I'm too hungry. As long as there's food, I'll go in."
Gu Yanwu stepped into the Shuixian Grand Restaurant. Immediately, a young waiter, neatly dressed and quite handsome—unlike a typical tavern server—approached him with a smile: "Esteemed guest, please follow me. Do you have a reservation?"
Gu Yanwu shook his head: "No, I don't."
The waiter smiled: "Just one person? Then please come this way; we have small tables over here."
He led Gu Yanwu to a small table, poured him some tea, and then smiled, "What would you like to eat? We offer a full range of northern and southern delicacies here."
Seeing how boastful the waiter was, Gu Yanwu thought: "A restaurant in a small Shaanxi village dares to claim it has a full range of northern and southern delicacies? Who are you trying to fool? I'll have to put you to the test, won't I?"
Gu Yanwu hummed, "Do you have Jiangsu cuisine?"
The waiter smiled: "Of course! I'll fetch the Jiangsu cuisine menu for you right away."
The waiter quickly departed and returned moments later with a menu. Listed were: Nanjing Roast Duck, Pengcheng Fish Balls, Old Duck Soup, Stewed Shengqiao, Roast Pork Square, Lamb Hidden in Fish, Crystal Pork Hock, Stewed Crab Roe Meatballs...
Gu Yanwu was utterly bewildered! If he didn't know he was in Shaanxi, he would have thought he was back in his hometown of Jiangsu, sitting in a grand Jiangsu restaurant, ordering dishes.
He pointed at Nanjing Roast Duck on the menu: "This one."
The waiter nodded: "Right away, one Nanjing Roast Duck coming up."
Gu Yanwu pointed at another dish.
The waiter said, "Alright, one Pengcheng Fish Balls.”
Wait a moment!
Something felt off.
Gu Yanwu was suddenly startled: "Waiter, you can read?"
The waiter chuckled, "I know a few characters."
Gu Yanwu exclaimed in surprise: "You can read, yet you're working as a mere waiter?"
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