American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

"Mike, what have you been up to lately? By the way, how did you spend Halloween? Was it fun?" Peggy seemed to have opened a floodgate of conversation.

“I’ve been learning some musical instruments and music theory lately,” Mike casually remarked. “As for Halloween, I went to church to help out…”

Peggy was very envious when she heard that Mike dressed up as an angel on Halloween and comforted a repentant girl.

“You had a very meaningful Halloween,” Peggy said, then complained, “I actually dressed up as Marie Curie that day, wanting to go out trick-or-treating. But my mom stopped me at home. She was afraid I'd be in danger going out at night…”

Although Ms. Linda's intentions were good for her daughter, her approach of depriving her daughter of her right to play was not entirely reasonable.

You can tell from the girl's resentful expression.

"That's a shame, but you'll have another chance next year," Mike said reassuringly.

"Next year? Maybe~" Peggy thought about her family's situation and wasn't optimistic about her future.

This might be considered a problem that comes with exceptionally high IQ and EQ. Smart people often see further than others, let alone a super genius like Peggy.

On the other side, young Sheldon, who had been listening intently, was actually waiting for Peggy's challenge, but instead he overheard the little girl's "secret".

Thinking back to his delightful experience of being "recognized" on Halloween, a victorious smile crept onto Sheldon's face.

Then, undisturbed, he lowered his head again and began flipping through the promotional magazine in his hand.

Intelligence (Main Attribute) +1

After experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, Sheldon successfully contributed a primary attribute orb to Mike.

So, young Sheldon has learned to produce wool himself?

After quietly taking the ball of light from his hand, Mike glanced in surprise at Sheldon, who was quietly reading a magazine beside him.

Although he didn't know why the other party suddenly contributed a ball of light, Mike was certain of one thing: following in the footsteps of the two little geniuses was definitely the right decision.

"Mike, do you have any other fun things to tell me?" Peggy noticed Mike was lost in thought and quickly brought him back to his attention.

Interesting thing? Little George's confession should be considered one.

However, Mike obviously wouldn't gossip about such things. So after thinking for a moment, he shared Mr. Randy's "Seven Deadly Sins" short play.

In his opinion, Mr. Randy was a very interesting person.

"From what you've said, Mr. Randy is a very talented person in the arts," Peggy commented after listening to Mike's account.

“Mr. Randy is indeed very talented. And he’s also a very courageous man,” Mike said. “He’s now out there making his own, determined to direct a classic film.”

"It's great to be able to do what I want." Peggy, who was strictly controlled by her mother, longed for a free life.

"By the way, Peggy, Professor John has a physics research project coming up and would like to ask if you'd be interested in auditing it," Mike said, bringing up Professor John's request.

"A university research project?" Peggy asked, her expression showing interest. But she quickly added disappointedly, "Please thank Professor John for his kindness, but I'm afraid I won't have time to go to the University of Texas anytime soon."

The little girl felt somewhat lost when she thought about the terrible situation at home.

"Is there some difficulty? You can tell me about it," Mike prompted.

He knew something about the girl's family situation. If possible, he would choose to help her.

Looking into Mike's sincere eyes, Peggy remained silent for a long while. After much deliberation, she finally spoke, "I..."

Unfortunately, just as the young woman was about to express her troubles, a female lecturer in her forties walked into the lecture hall carrying documents.

"So many people have come, it seems that natural sciences are quite popular~" the female lecturer said humorously as she strode to the front.

When she saw Peggy and her companion sitting on either side of Mike in the first row, she asked in surprise, "Young man, did you bring them? Actually, we have a special reception room for children here."

The natural sciences lecturer had clearly misunderstood; she thought that Peggy and her companion were children being cared for by Mike.

“No, ma’am. I’m here to listen to a lecture on carbon dating.” Young Sheldon frowned slightly, clearly displeased at being treated like a child.

“Me too~” Peggy immediately chimed in, not wanting to be a generation younger than Mike for no reason.

“Actually, they are both high school students,” Mike explained.

"Oh, sorry. It seems I misunderstood." Seeing the three's reactions, the female lecturer gently admitted her mistake. Then, she smiled and said, "It seems my class not only has handsome young men, but also two child prodigies. May I ask, how much do you know about carbon dating?"

As mentioned earlier, for professional lectures like this, the attendees will have some prior knowledge of the subject, which is a way of showing respect to the lecturer.

“I read your brochure,” Sheldon said, waving the magazine in his hand.

"Very good~" Although the female lecturer still had a smile on her face, she was already certain in her heart that Sheldon didn't know much about carbon dating.

Sure enough, they're still just kids.

Thinking this to herself, the female lecturer turned to Peggy and asked, "And you, little girl. What do you know?"

“I’ve read your paper, ‘Accelerating the Popularization of Law,’ and I found some of the points in it very interesting,” Peggy said confidently.

“Interesting!” The female lecturer was intrigued by Peggy’s answer and continued, “Before the lecture begins, could you tell us what carbon dating is?”

“Of course,” Page replied smoothly. “The 5,430-year half-life of carbon-14 can be used as a geological timescale.”

“Very good answer.” The female lecturer’s smile became much more genuine. Then, she looked at Mike and Sheldon beside her and asked, “Do you have anything to add?”

"No," Mike shook his head. In fact, his knowledge of professional carbon dating methods was very limited, gained only from brochures.

The female lecturer smiled, a knowing look on her face. Then, she looked at young Sheldon and asked again, "And you, little one? Do you have anything to add?"

Young Sheldon was taken aback by Peggy's erudition. Not wanting to lose to her, he thought for a moment and tentatively said, "Perhaps carbon dating could be used to measure how old my grandmother is."

Clearly, the answer that Sheldon came up with on the spot was completely unrelated to today's topic.

His absurd answer drew bursts of laughter from the audience.

It's worth noting that most people who come here are practically experts.

"Okay~" The female teacher chuckled. She knew she shouldn't have too many expectations of the children. Then, she restored order to the classroom and said, "Next, I will explain the knowledge of carbon dating to you."

After the female lecturer went up to the podium, Mike looked at the expressionless Sheldon beside him and asked, "Sheldon, are you alright?"

Even if the laughter is well-intentioned, a normal person would probably feel very depressed after being ridiculed by a group of people.

“I’ve discovered another one of my strengths,” Sheldon said quietly. “Besides being very intelligent, I also have a great talent for humor.”

Well, Mike knew he shouldn't have worried about Sheldon's mental health.

The other person's thought process is clearly different from that of ordinary people.

"Whatever makes you happy~" Mike said with an awkward laugh.

Whether Sheldon genuinely thinks he's funny or is just being stubborn and unwilling to admit he's not as good as Peggy, it doesn't matter.

But at least, he lived a very "self-centered" life.

For a young prodigy like Sheldon, living a more independent life is actually a good thing. It allows him to avoid external interference and protect himself effectively.

Chapter 174 Troubles

On the other hand, Peggy, who has both high IQ and EQ, cannot do this. Her exceptionally high EQ makes this young girl's thinking very mature.

She has the mindset of an adult, but lacks the problem-solving skills of an adult; this may be the root of her distress.

……

At the fast food restaurant outside the museum, George's dad, who had temporarily escaped the "trouble" of little Sheldon, ordered himself a creamy fried chicken leg.

Meanwhile, the TV in the fast-food restaurant was showing a replay of last year's Super Bowl.

Although he still had to drive Sheldon and Mike back later, George didn't get to enjoy his favorite beer.

However, being able to eat chicken legs covered in cream and watch the rugby game already made him feel very comfortable.

"George~" A surprised voice rang out from behind George.

Peggy's mother, Ms. Linda, looked much more haggard than she had a few weeks ago.

George, who was happily enjoying his time alone, looked at the woman who suddenly appeared in front of him and said in surprise, "You are...that..."

Clearly, the last failed family gathering hadn't made George remember Ms. Linda's name.

"I'm Linda, Peggy's mom," Linda said with a smile, then naturally sat down opposite George.

“I remember you, Ms. Linda,” George replied hastily, his weekend relaxation interrupted. “Oh, and your husband, Ba… Ba…”

“Barry~” Ms. Linda reminded him again with a smile.

"Yes, where's Mr. Barry? He's not with you," George asked casually, his eyes already on the game on TV.

Right now, the football game on TV is at a very exciting point. Although he watched it once last year, George still finds the replay very interesting.

"You mean Barry?" Linda, who had been smiling just a moment ago, suddenly turned serious when she mentioned her husband. "Who cares!" she said.

After saying that, her smile returned, as if it had all been an illusion.

While George was mostly focused on the football game, he still noticed Linda's earlier "change of expression".

"Are you alright?" Even the mild-mannered George found it hard to ignore the change in Linda's demeanor.

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern," Ms. Linda said with a polite smile. "I'm sorry to have disturbed your weekend. Don't worry about me."

"Okay~" George clearly saw through the other person's hidden thoughts beneath their smile. However, wanting only to enjoy his weekend in peace, he didn't want to meddle in other people's family affairs.

Generally speaking, things like marital conflicts can be very troublesome just by thinking about them.

Not wanting to meddle, George watched TV while picking up another chicken leg, dipping it in cream from the sauce dish, and happily stuffing it into his mouth.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Ms. Linda across from him was watching his every move.

That hesitant, unspoken look in his eyes made me very uncomfortable.

So George waved the chicken leg in his hand, changing the subject and asking, "Would you like one?"

"No, I need to maintain my figure." Ms. Linda realized that staring at people was impolite. She then said apologetically, "You can continue, don't mind me."

Then, she looked away and picked up the menu on the table. It seemed she was about to order.

However, after staring at the menu for a while, Ms. Linda's face suddenly fell, and she said in a tearful voice, "Apple pie, they actually have apple pie... We came here with Peggy last year, and we even went to Vegas afterwards..."

Clearly, Ms. Linda had bad thoughts in mind.

George, on the other hand, didn't want to get involved in Linda's affairs, but Linda's current state made it hard for him not to pay attention.

Looking around at the other customers and noticing their gazes, George reluctantly put down the creamy chicken leg and formally asked, "Linda, is there anything you can tell me? I'm willing to listen."

It is not gentlemanly to ignore a crying lady.

Although Ms. Linda's emotions were not of her own making, George still planned to try to comfort her in order to spend the rest of the time more comfortably.

"Do you know what? Barry and I are getting a divorce," Ms. Linda said, tears streaming down her face.

“That’s a real shame,” George echoed, “Why is that?”

“It’s because of Peggy’s education that we have a big disagreement…” Ms. Linda wiped away her tears and explained the conflict between her and her husband.

Finally, she asked for help, "Your family situation is very similar to ours. How do you and your wife handle the children's issues?"

When asked about this, George had a lot to say. He shared, "We'll keep our opinions separate, but we'll never argue about this."

"How could that be?" Linda asked in surprise. "What if you have different opinions?"

“That will never happen,” George said definitively.

In fact, the Cooper family's situation is very similar to that of the Barry family, but there are also some differences.

Mary of the Cooper family was strong-willed, while George was gentle. When they disagreed on issues, George, as the husband, often took a step back.

This is also the main reason why the Cooper family has always been able to get along harmoniously.

The Barry couple's situation was different; Linda, the wife, was clearly a strong woman.

As for her husband, Barry, although he appears taciturn, he is actually a very opinionated person.

Thus, it's inevitable that conflicts will arise when two equally strong-willed people live together for a long time.

If it weren't for their prodigy daughter, they might have been able to make do. But Peggy's arrival caused all the pent-up tensions between the couple to erupt.

Ms. Linda was clearly aware of this reason as well. Looking at George, who had a gentle expression, she said, "You are a good husband."

“Hmm~” George smiled, not denying it.

"Can you tell me about your relationship with your husband?" Linda wanted to learn from the Coopers' dynamic to find ways to resolve her own family's conflicts.

“Okay~” George clearly understood Linda’s intention. Being kind, he wanted to share some more of his experience with her.

Before he could speak, Ms. Linda shrank back under the table in a panic, saying, "Don't tell anyone I was here..."

After saying that, Linda, with George looking completely bewildered, hurriedly left through the side door of the fast food restaurant while half-crouching.