Chapter 140: The Shock of the Yan Parents

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No one noticed noon slipping away. When they finally checked the time, it was already past three in the afternoon.

“Rushan! The snow has stopped outside. What do you think—shall you take Yuxiu out for a walk, or go sit and rest in your room for a while?” Song Man asked with a warm smile.

Yan Rushan looked at Zhong Yuxiu, silently asking her opinion.

With a smile, Zhong Yuxiu said, “Why don’t we go sit at my place? We can take a look at the range hood while we’re there.”

“That works too.” Song Man immediately changed her mind.

Yan Hejun nodded eagerly. “Then let’s go. Dad, are you coming with us, or would you rather stay home and get some sleep?” At his age, a person’s energy inevitably waned, and sleeping well at night was no easy thing.

“I’m coming.”

They had barely settled the matter when Yan Ruhai began clamoring to go as well. With one more chatterbox in the group, things became even livelier.

The party left the house and headed for the Zhong residence.

“Wait a moment. I’ll knock.” Zhong Yuxiu gave them an apologetic smile before walking to the front gate and knocking.

Sensing outsiders, Dog Egg began beeping as it approached the closed gate, then briskly opened it. The enormous robot was suddenly exposed before everyone’s eyes.

Old Master Yan and Yan Rushan had long since grown accustomed to the sight, and the initial shock had already passed. Yan Hejun, Song Man, and Yan Ruhai, however, had not. Yan Hejun was accustomed to maintaining a solemn expression and rarely revealed his emotions, but the astonishment and disbelief in his eyes betrayed him. Song Man and Yan Ruhai were even more obvious. Song Man’s hands trembled as she slowly raised her left hand and pointed at Dog Egg.

“What is that?”

“Dog Egg, Yuxiu’s household robot.” Yan Rushan walked over to Zhong Yuxiu’s side. “Grandfather, Mom, Dad, Ruhai, come in and sit down.”

Zhong Yuxiu nodded. “Uncle Yan, Auntie Song, this is the robot in my home. Its name is Dog Egg. It usually does the housework. When I’m busy, it can lend me a hand, and it takes care of all the cleaning, so I don’t have to worry about it.”

“Oh, my goodness!”

Yan Ruhai charged forward and began touching and examining Dog Egg from every angle.

“Beep, beep, beep.”

Dog Egg issued a warning.

Although it was a robot incapable of speech, it still possessed a robot’s dignity. Not just anyone was entitled to put their hands on it.

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“Comrade Yan Ruhai, stop touching it. Dog Egg has a temper too. If you annoy it, it’ll hit you.” Zhong Yuxiu spoke up at just the right moment.

Yan Ruhai turned around with a startled cry. “Sister-in-law, it can hit people?”

“Yes. Dog Egg has a self-defense program, and it’s made of iron. If it hits someone, it hurts.”

It had never hit anyone before, but that did not mean Dog Egg was a particularly mild-tempered machine.

“Then, then I won’t touch it anymore. I’ll just look.”

Zhong Yuxiu smiled and let him be. As long as he did not provoke Dog Egg and get himself beaten, that was fine. She gestured expertly toward the house. “Everyone, please come in.”

“Come inside and sit down.”

Song Man and Yan Hejun were still unable to tear their attention away from Dog Egg, while Yan Guofeng felt embarrassed by their behavior and went into the sitting room ahead of them.

Zhong Yuxiu hurried after him, and Yan Rushan once again invited his parents inside.

“Grandfather Yan, Uncle Yan, Auntie Song, please sit. Dog Egg, serve the tea.”

“Beep.”

Dog Egg beeped twice in response, then pushed the obstructive Yan Ruhai aside and headed into the kitchen. Yan Ruhai was so fascinated that he scratched at his ears, unable to tear his eyes away.

By then, Yan Guofeng had led his son and daughter-in-law to the sofa.

“Ruhai, come sit down.”

Yan Rushan had spoken, so Yan Ruhai obediently came over and chose the sofa nearest to Old Master Yan. Curiosity mingled with dissatisfaction in his voice as he asked, “Brother, Grandfather, had you already seen Dog Egg? You come here so often, so you must see it all the time. And none of you told me! If you had, I would have come long ago. At the very least, I could have kept Sister-in-law company and chatted with her.”

“We live so close, and this is my first time coming to Sister-in-law’s house. I hadn’t even seen Dog Egg. You people are really tight-lipped…”

Yan Ruhai chattered on without end. Yan Rushan’s head began to ache.

“Shut up.”

“He really ought to shut up. You’ve spoiled him so badly that he dares say anything.” Yan Hejun glared at him.

Song Man chimed in, “Stop rambling. What is that brain of yours even for? Anyone can see Dog Egg is a classified piece of technology. Do you think you can just talk about it casually? I doubt there are more than a handful of people in the compound who know the details.”

“A lot of people in the compound know Dog Egg exists, but no one has spoken of it outside,” Yan Guofeng interrupted. “Dog Egg is the product of technology that belongs to a new era. The time has not yet come for mass production and public release. Do you understand?”

After being reprimanded several times, Yan Ruhai pursed his lips, his face full of displeasure. “I understand. But can I come to Sister-in-law’s house often to see Dog Egg in the future?”

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“You’ll have to ask your sister-in-law. But she’s busy and doesn’t have time to entertain you.” One did not need to be so gentle with a son; sons could take a beating. It was a pity he had no daughter to dote on.

“It’s all right. Come whenever you like. Dog Egg is always here.” Yan Ruhai was lively and energetic, but he was not a bad person. More importantly, he was sincere. A younger brother like him was acceptable, even if there was one more of him around.

Yan Rushan shook his head. “Forget it. Ruhai is too mischievous.”

“Dog Egg has scanning and storage functions. It can remember Ruhai. If he comes again, Dog Egg will open the door for him.”

“Yuxiu, don’t indulge him. He’s a grown man, yet he still behaves so irresponsibly. Let Rushan bring him over to play when he has free time. You have important things to do; you can’t let him interfere with them.”

With those words from Song Man, Yan Ruhai’s plans fell completely apart. But he was not unreasonable. Since it was impossible, he did not press the matter.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll have my brother bring me next time.”

Zhong Yuxiu nodded with a light laugh. “All right. You’re welcome to come and play anytime.”

“Wonderful!” Yan Ruhai replied happily.

Dog Egg came out carrying tea and a platter of fruit, delivering a cup to each person. It then turned around and brought over the snacks placed on the dining-room table, followed by more food from the storeroom. Its hospitality was wholehearted.

After setting everything down, Dog Egg moved away. Yan Ruhai continued watching it with great interest, and even Yan Hejun covertly studied it several times.

“Yuxiu, this robot of yours is remarkably nimble. It would be wonderful if every household could have one.” Yan Hejun was intensely envious. With a robot at home, one would never need to bother with housework or worry about entertaining guests. One could return home and simply wait for a meal—more useful than a domestic servant.

Yan Hejun nodded. “It would be even better if we could deploy them in the military.”

“Keep dreaming.” Yan Guofeng dismantled his son’s hopes without hesitation. If he did not tease his son, who else would he tease? “So far, there is only one robot like Dog Egg. Even the small robot Yuxiu handed over to the research institute is nowhere near as perfect. Dog Egg operates through a chip, and Yuxiu has apparently transferred an unimaginable amount of knowledge into it. The cost of production is high, so mass adoption is impossible. The research institute still hasn’t fully understood it. And you’re already talking about using it in the military? You’ll have to wait.”

“Dad, miracles can happen. Isn’t Dog Egg itself proof? Now that Dog Egg exists, I imagine it won’t be long before other robots are created too.” He looked forward eagerly to that day. “I wonder what a robot’s chip looks like?”

Song Man asked, “Is the chip like a human brain?”

“No. It’s merely a tiny chip core, but it can hold an enormous amount of data. That’s why knowledge can be transferred into it all at once. The chip still hasn’t been fully understood. So far, only simple little chips have been produced. The small electric scooters sold outside use that kind of chip.” The chips required by robots were of a much higher grade.