Electronic Nezha

Chapter 13 Fighting Landlords

The bamboo pole man returned to the stove and said while cooking, "Dinner will be ready in five minutes."

Then I noticed that there was already a plate of spicy stir-fried shredded cabbage and a steamed fish on the table. The final dish was the sweet and sour pork that Liu Zhenhua had ordered. After it was served, I took a bite and couldn't help but nod in approval—it tasted like the kind of food served in a high-end restaurant. I took another bite of the cabbage, which was crisp, spicy, and delicious, with a lingering aroma. This dish actually requires a lot of skill; it has to be stir-fried over a high flame like in a restaurant. It's amazing that they managed to make it taste like this using a home stove. The sauce from the steamed fish was also very authentic. This group of experts really didn't lie; they are masters of various cuisines. If I owned a large restaurant, I would be willing to pay them around 20,000 yuan a month for their skills.

Liu Zhenhua moved his chopsticks frequently across the various dishes, nodding and saying, "Not bad."

I responded with a "hmm".

The bamboo pole man stood obediently to one side and said meticulously, "Thank you for your praise. I just followed the procedure strictly. Theoretically, it can be rated around 7.5 points. Please give me more feedback. If I can grasp your tastes, I believe I can reach 8 points."

I said, "So how do you plan to make up for the remaining 92 points?"

The bamboo pole figure said calmly, "Master is joking." It seemed quite confident in its craftsmanship.

Liu Zhenhua said, "Dad, why don't you give it a name?"

The bamboo pole man faced me solemnly, seemingly full of anticipation.

"Let's call it Yuanyuan." Actually, I had already decided on it. With its round head, it would be a waste not to call it Yuanyuan.

The bamboo pole man asked, "Is it the 'round' in 'square' and 'round'?"

I was stunned for a moment: "You can read?"

Liu Zhenhua laughed: "It recognizes all existing human writing systems."

I was stunned for a moment, only now realizing it was an AI from the future. Seeing its diligent and submissive nature, I subconsciously mistook it for a country girl raised by a wealthy landowner. I asked it, "What do you think of this name?"

"It sounds great. If I could choose, I would like to use the 'Yuan' from 'Yuanqi' (vitality)."

"What if I don't agree?"

"Of course, no problem. I'll call myself Yuanyuan from now on."

"No, we'll do it your way. From now on, you'll be called Yuanyuan."

Yuan Yuan's tone revealed her happiness: "Thank you, Master. You are really hard to guess."

"Uh, Yuan Yuan... go and tear up the smoked chicken I brought back and bring it up."

"Yes, Master." Yuan Yuan responded and left without even asking me what "Tear it apart" meant. It seems like it probably knows all the dialects from around the world.

I asked Liu Zhenhua in a very low voice, "This thing you made... won't Yuanyuan be angry?"

Liu Zhenhua said in a normal tone: "No, it doesn't have human feelings and emotions. The reason it looks like a normal human is because its computing power is strong enough. Every time it responds to a human, it makes a choice after calculating millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of times based on the scene, the relationship between people, and the individual's personality. Of course, there is one exception: if its 'owner' thinks that it is fun for the robot to act out sometimes, it will occasionally cater to you."

I quickly waved my hand: "No way! Haven't I suffered enough from your mother already?"

Liu Zhenhua scratched his head and said, "I feel like what you said is a bit strange—just treat it like a robot vacuum cleaner."

"Why would a robot vacuum cleaner need to know so many words?"

"Yuanyuan is a domestic helper-type service robot that I copied from the database. It has to be able to understand the instruction manuals from different countries."

"It depends on the intended use?" I said. "So, it's good at making sweet and sour pork, but not so good at writing academic papers?"

"Hmm, but the papers written with its database might be sufficient for the current situation. Dad, are you going to take the postgraduate entrance exam?"

"Stop being silly!" I suddenly said mysteriously, "So, will there be robots specifically designed for war in the future?"

Liu Zhenhua chuckled: "This is classified information, I can't tell you."

Yuan Yuan brought out the smoked chicken, and Liu Zhenhua and I each took a bite and then stopped—it was dry, salty, and rancid. His grandma had probably been ripped off at the morning market again. "Let's throw it away," I concluded.

"Okay." Yuan Yuan lightly picked up the plate and neatly dumped it into the trash can.

I whispered to Liu Zhenhua, "Why do I always feel that Yuanyuan has her own ideas?"

"Because it is AI from the 'Homo sapiens' era, it was the most advanced robot before the Earth was destroyed. The massive amount of data and precise calculations were made to make it seem like it has its own personality. As you spend more time with it, it will become more and more 'understanding' of you based on your habits. So Dad, you should watch your words and actions."

"It's so high-end, I'm not used to it yet."

Liu Zhenhua said, "I'm afraid you won't believe me if I make a low-end one. Besides, the more advanced it is, the safer it is. Even if a group of scientists rushed in and dissected it, there would be absolutely no risk of leaking secrets."

"Won't it self-destruct at a crucial moment?"

"This version won't. I can add a program to it if you need it."

I silently touched my slippers, and Liu Zhenhua grinned and raised his hand in surrender.

After dinner, Yuanyuan quickly cleared the table, while I, as usual, strolled into Liu Zhenhua's room with my phone and leaned against the headboard. It's always been like this: after dinner, I rest for a while and then "accompany" him while he studies. Actually, this means I play on my phone for a bit and supervise his homework, staying for about ten or twenty minutes before going back to my own room to lie down. As far as I know, most fathers can't even do this much, and I've always felt a sense of superiority, thinking I'm being particularly dutiful.

Today, Liu Zhenhua openly picked up the tablet and started swiping on it, saying, "Dad, I don't need to pretend anymore, right?"

"You still have to do your homework, right?"

"I finished writing it at school; I didn't even bring my backpack."

"Uh, no need then." This little brat's head is filled with the whole world and how to save it. You can't expect him to sit there pretending to recite the abbreviations of various provinces or ask foreigners for directions to the toilet in English. Even the old brat thinks it's unnecessary.

Li Yunlong said it best: Study? Study my ass!
I pointed to the tablet and said, "The games on there probably won't appeal to you, right?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then why do you secretly play with it?" I've caught him a few times before. He pretends to be using the tablet for class, but he actually switches to playing games. It makes me nervous whenever he picks up the tablet.

"To fit the persona, all of my classmates have done things like this, even the top students. It wouldn't be good if I acted too out of place."

"That must have been hard work for you." I said, looking at the 2B anime girl on the wall. "Do you like her because she's a robot?"

"It's all for the sake of my image. Wouldn't you have to overthink it if I were to pair myself with a handsome young man?"

At this moment, Yuan Yuan also came in: "Master, the dishes and chopsticks have all been cleared away. May I clean the house thoroughly?"

Liu Zhenhua said, "Let's talk about it after we've all left tomorrow."

I agreed, "Yes, stop making a fuss." Don't let Han Shiya's pampered upbringing fool you; she used to do all the housework herself. The downside was that you couldn't go anywhere she cleaned until the lockdown was lifted. When she was mopping the floor, Liu Zhenhua and I felt our living space shrinking inch by inch. It felt like even breathing was wrong, which gave us both a psychological trauma.

The current situation is that the children don't have to study, the maids don't have to work, and the family atmosphere is more harmonious than ever. I suggested, "How about the three of us play some games, like playing cards?"

Liu Zhenhua said, "You can't beat the two of us unless we go easy on you." He spoke to me casually while staring at the tablet, trying not to laugh.

I think that makes sense. These are two super cold computers. Putting aside everything else, the card counting function is welded to them. In terms of relationships, one is my son, and the other calls me master. The one who calls me master is my son's subordinate. They have their own niche when playing cards. What's the point of winning by throwing the game?
I waved my hand and said, "Dismissed, everyone do your own thing." I peeked at Liu Zhenhua's tablet and wondered what he could be doing. I saw that he was watching those kinds of bizarre videos on a certain website, and they were extremely poorly made, with noise and photoshopped celebrity portraits twisting frame by frame.

"All the world's artistic treasures are in your head, and you're just making these ridiculous videos?" I was furious and shivering.

"That's why I can only look at materials that aren't in the database."

I said speechlessly, "Do whatever you want, just remember one thing—protect your eyes."

Liu Zhenhua said firmly, "Don't worry, Dad. Technology has advanced for another 75 years. No one knows more about eye health than me."

(End of this chapter)