Liangfeng Community

At 5:55 in the evening, the Zhao family had already turned on the lights, and the warm yellow light illuminated the entire living room. Many guests had arrived and were chatting everywhere. The pumpkin soup in the kitchen had a very sweet smell wafting out.

Mrs. Zhao changed into an exquisite little dress and leaned against the wall at the entrance with a scarf draped over her shoulders. Because there were guests coming today, the door was left open.

At six o'clock in the evening, she looked at the number on her watch and thought that being ten minutes late was reasonable.

Half an hour later, she felt her legs were a little stiff and the cold outside seemed to be getting heavier, so she pulled her scarf tighter.

Turning around, I saw everyone waiting for the meal to start.

"Let's wait. The new neighbors haven't arrived yet."

Two hours later, when the moon was already high in the sky, I finally heard footsteps coming from the door.

Melodic jazz music was playing from the old gramophone. Ding Can and his party appeared at the door, looking like they had come in a hurry.

And he was still wearing the same clothes he wore when they met during the day, and he hadn't prepared anything for the evening party.

Mrs. Zhao looked them up and down and said, "You..."

Before he could finish his words, Ding Can interrupted, "I'm so sorry, Madam Zhao. The water pipe in the kitchen burst while we were preparing food. We've only just now fixed it. I'm afraid you've been waiting for so long."

She glanced at the guests who had already taken their seats at the long dining table. In front of them were only empty plates, and it was obvious that the meal had not yet begun.

The men were in suits, the women in dresses appropriate for a dinner party, and they all looked like tramps who had strayed into polite society.

Mrs. Zhao's lips twitched: "It's okay. Family matters are more important. Is everything completely fine now?"

"Thanks to you, everything has been taken care of. I'm sure everyone is hungry. Let's try the meal we prepared first. We've been stewing it for an entire afternoon, so it's guaranteed to be fresh, fragrant, and tender."

Ding Can moved half a step to the side, revealing Gao Wenwen who was holding a large iron pot behind him.

When the guests heard that they could finally eat, their eyes began to light up and they stared intently. Although they couldn't smell any fragrance because the lid was covered, everything they ate would taste delicious at this time.

Gao Wenwen lifted the pot up again. It was obvious that it was a big pot with a lot of filling. "Let's taste our beef stew first. Everyone, please feel free."

Shi Yan showed a few white teeth, and then stretched out her hands from behind her back, holding a long-handled soup spoon.

The two walked to the dining table and started to serve the food starting with the first person.

Gao Wenwen looked at the time carefully and held his breath silently the moment he opened the lid.

The man in a suit and white bow tie, who was leading the group, folded his hands on the table and nodded politely: "Thank you."

"You're welcome, I'm just making a meal." Shi Yan quickly scooped out a large spoonful of stewed beef and put it on the plate, and then the two moved to the next position.

The man in white tie looked at the stewed beef on the plate expectantly, but he stopped swallowing his saliva halfway and looked at the lump in front of him.

The plate was shallow, and a lot of soup was poured out, almost filling the plate. Also, because the soup was thick, there was no sign of it flowing down even at the edge.

There were a few pieces of almost broken potatoes in the brown-black soup, and some bark-like things were suspected to be beef, with dark spots on them from being burned.

Especially when the strange smell reached his nose, the look in the man's eyes became even more disbelief.

"Is this goulash?"

In just a short while, the food in the big pot was completely distributed, and the living room, which was originally filled with the fragrance of scented candles, gradually became filled with an indescribable smell.

Shi Yan began to introduce it in a torrent of words: "Yes, I have carefully prepared every step."

From processing the beef, to adding various spices, and finally controlling the heat, it took her most of the day, and she could almost be said to have put in all her effort.

There were a few empty seats left for them at the table, and Ding Can had already found a seat and sat down. "Yes, you're welcome. Come and try my cooking."

Mrs. Zhao rummaged through the food on her plate, feeling like even just looking at it would make her mentally poisoned. She then noticed that these people's plates were empty: "Why aren't you eating?"

"It's just home-cooked food. We're all used to it. I think the pizzas you prepared there are pretty good. We can just eat those."

Gao Wenwen held the plate, took some pizza and dessert from the side, and soon started to eat with relish.

Ding Can made an inviting gesture: "Mrs. Zhao, please give it a try."

Mrs. Zhao looked at the food in front of her with a smile on her face for a long time. Finally, she was willing to pick up the spoon and take the first bite. Then, she swallowed it with difficulty under the expectant gaze of the guests.

"How is it?" They had to ask at this time.

Mrs. Zhao's throat rolled over, and then she picked up the goblet beside her and said, "Let's welcome our new neighbor first. Cheers to our new neighbor."

She took a few gulps of red wine and finally felt relieved. She began to regret why she held this party today.

"By the way, I don't know how many years everyone has been in the community. I heard today that the community is selecting staff for the service center. I was thinking of serving everyone, but now it seems there are no vacancies."

Mrs. Zhao pointed to an elderly man with white hair and gold-rimmed glasses at the table and said, "Mr. Qiao Si works in the library at the service center. We don't usually have to do anything, but they really work hard."

"Not at all," Mr. Joss said with a kind smile. "I enjoy reading books anyway. I'm only occasionally responsible for filing at the center, and most of the time, robots help me."

Xia Jialian turned her head away: "Robot?"

Mr. Jos explained, "Yes, the community is very technologically advanced. In addition to the unmanned transport vehicle you saw today, many robots have been produced at the same time and have basically covered the service center. If you need one, each household can apply for one, but you must go to the center management office in person."

"Thank you for your notification. We will pay attention to it in time."

Mrs. Zhao then continued to introduce the big and small things in the community, fearing that if she stopped, she would have to eat the stewed beef that Shi Yan had carefully prepared.

The others followed suit. During the dinner, the jazz music played changed many times, but no one touched the food on their plates.

However, the few invited guests ate a lot of Western food that the Zhao family had prepared, and everyone went back in high spirits.

Before leaving, Ding Can went over to say goodbye to Qiao Si: "Mr. Qiao Si, I'm also very interested in books and knowledge. Can I come to the library to see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," Jos said, his eyes revealing a certain satisfaction. "I'm so happy to see more people wandering in the world of knowledge."

"That's great, see you tomorrow." Ding Can thought silently in his heart, I hope you won't be too happy tomorrow.

*

The next morning, Ding Can drove to the community service center just in time for it to open.

Compared to the multi-story houses in the community, this one only has one floor, but it occupies a much larger area, almost half a block.

Looking at the huge propaganda banners and slogans posted outside, it really looks like part of the convenience facilities.

There is only one entrance here, but there are many staff members wearing badges at the door. They are afraid that residents will lose their way, so they will come forward to ask where they are going and point out the corresponding route.

"Hello, what business do you need?"

"I'm not doing business here. I'm a new resident of the community. I come here occasionally and want to see where the library is. I want to learn about the history of the community and become a better part of it."

The staff were very pleased to see residents with such high levels of self-identity, and they became more enthusiastic.

"Of course you can. Look to your left. Follow the green line to the end and turn right. You'll see the library sign. I'll send a robot dog with you."

He had a silver remote control in his hand. After pressing a few buttons, a robot dog parked beside the hall crawled over.

"Thank you." As Ding Can took a step forward, the robot dog moved forward half her body length to lead the way.

She noticed that in addition to the robot dog, there were many other robots with different purposes in the hall.

"Do you have a name?" She started talking to the robot dog on the way over.

"Hello, we only have our own numbers, you can call me Dog No. 35." When the dog starts to speak, it has to stop and sit firmly before it can answer.

Ding Can bent down slightly and saw the robot dog's eyes blinking in an animated manner. "Are you only active in the center?"

"Yes. Some of these same species, programmed with other programs, are also being used as pets. For those who want a pet but don't have the energy to care for it, we can automatically replenish our energy when we detect low battery levels. We're a great helper to humans, aren't we?"

"Let's go."

There is a huge book display at the entrance of the library, and it is easy to find its place.

When she stopped within one meter of the door, the robot dog detected it and left on its own.

When I walked in, the library seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Jos was sitting in front of the computer, reading a book and taking notes.

"Mr. Jos, I'm here to borrow a book."

"Ms. Ding, I didn't expect you to actually come today. Most people who enter the community want to try out other projects first, and only come to me after the novelty wears off. It seems you really have a strong desire for knowledge."

"I usually like to read in my bedroom. I want to borrow a book and bring it home. What procedures are required?"

"The door has automatic sensor recognition. When you walk in, it will automatically recognize your face and then record the name of the book. You have to return it in a month. If you forget for some reason, don't worry, a special operator will notify you in advance."

Ding Can blinked. "It's so simple, won't it make mistakes?"

"Don't worry, we've all been tested many times and there haven't been any problems over the years."

"Is that so... Then I feel relieved." She walked to the library and began to select books silently.

Mr. Joss, with the book still open, had just picked up his pen when he saw a crowd of people appear at the door. "We're here to borrow books."