Chapter 15
Joe was quite bored at home. He fumbled around to see if there was any projector or anything like that, but he didn't find any.
There is a refrigerator in the house, but it is very large, and he has to stand on a stool to open the top door.
He tried it yesterday, but the refrigerator had strong suction and he couldn't open it with his strength. Today, having nothing to do, he thought about trying to use the principle of leverage.
He found a stick-like tool in the house and was about to try it out when he noticed movement outside the door.
Could it be that Ji Fang has returned?
Impossible, there's still plenty of time!
He ran over, sat on a chair, and looked through the peephole in the door. From the words on his clothes, he could tell that he was a deliveryman.
Did Ji Fang buy something? Why is it being delivered by a person, not a robot?
In the border areas, due to the complex conditions of the remote forests and frequent magnetic field interference, machines often malfunction, and the maintenance costs of mechanical equipment are very high. In contrast, manual labor is relatively cheaper than machines.
In this technologically advanced world, human labor and technology are in a state of balance, and technological development does not cause the working class at the bottom to lose their jobs.
At the same time, there is a severe polarization; the closer a city is to Youyuan Forest City, the more technologically backward and poorer it is.
The poor and the rich are separated solely by their geographical location.
Just as courier Xiao Zhang was about to put the package into the mailbox next to the homeowner, the door clicked open.
It was a child!
Upon closer inspection, Xiao Zhang exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? It's actually a primitive human!"
Qiao tilted her head and didn't speak, looking somewhat wary through the narrow crack in the door.
The neighborhood has strict security measures, so he's not too worried about safety.
Qiao pointed to the package, then looked at the deliveryman, Xiao Zhang, who immediately understood: "This is your package, from apartment 502, right?"
Joe opened the door wider, signaling the deliveryman to put the package inside.
Xiao Zhang carried the package he was going to put in the inbox inside the door and then left.
In the elevator, Xiao Zhang was still feeling a bit excited. He shared today's news in his colleagues' group chat: "Wow, I delivered a package to a homeowner today, and the person who opened the door for me was actually Ichijo Hara! This homeowner is so well-trained! He can even help receive packages!"
"The original humans are very intelligent and humane. With proper training, they can be just like five or six-year-old children."
"The dog I used to keep was also very smart; opening the door was a routine operation for it!"
"They're all other people's original family members, but this one in my family only knows how to destroy the house!"
“The original people are very troublesome. I had a little nephew who went to join the army. He raised a dog, but it didn’t help with the dog’s stress. So he left it with me. It would cry all the time. I thought it was too clingy, so I abandoned it.”
"..."
Joe closed the door and started studying the delivery.
He opened the package and found it contained a small toilet.
So, is this for him?
I didn't expect my owner to notice my inconvenience; that's so thoughtful of him.
Although he left him alone at home, he had to work and there was no other way. Considering how considerate he was, let's be understanding!
*
Ji Fang did indeed return very early today, accompanied by a soldier carrying renovation tools.
Ji Fang opened the door and was surprised to see the package inside. No one was home, so how did the package get here?
He dialed the courier's number, and Xiao Zhang's busy voice came through: "It's like this, your family member opened the door and let me put the package in. Yes, you can contact me if you have any after-sales issues. Okay, sir, please give me a good review."
Ji Fang hung up the call, patted Qiao Ye who had come to greet him, and asked, "You know how to open the door?"
Qiao felt a little guilty. Should he act like he could open the door? That was the question. But he'd already opened it. His cats could open doors too. Opening a door wasn't anything strange.
Ji Fang wasn't blaming Qiao Ye; he just hadn't seen the original person open the door before and wanted to see for himself.
Qiao was also lifted onto the stool behind the door by Ji Fang, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and show him how it worked. He pressed the safety bolt and turned the handle, and the door opened.
Ji Fang casually praised, "Very good, very smart!"
The repairman quickly installed everything, glanced at the general's original body with some curiosity, but did not touch it.
After the soldiers left, Ji Fang picked up Qiao Ye and said, "It seems the door can't keep you locked anymore. If you run out, it will be troublesome."
Qiao Ye's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that because he could open the door, they were going to lock him in a cage or lock him up? The room was already boring enough; if they reduced his space, he would go crazy!
Qiao was also preoccupied. Ji Fang urged him to try out the installed toilet.
It wasn't until an unexpected female guest arrived at the house that Joe's attention was diverted.
This woman is very androgynous and capable. She is also wearing a military uniform, and judging from her demeanor, she must be very capable as well.
The man stared at Qiao for a while, slightly surprised: "I didn't expect our General Ji to keep pets."
Judging from the tone of her voice, Joe felt that she didn't sound like her master's partner.
Ji Fang didn't reply: "Why aren't you in the military camp?"
Ji Rong put down her luggage and sat down familiarly: "I have to go home. Don't you know Dad has been sick lately?"
Ji Fang poured her a glass of water and handed it to her, saying, "I know, it's an old problem of his, and he has a family doctor to take care of him."
Ji Rong knew her brother well and wasn't surprised by his cold response. She said sarcastically, "Fine, you have a lot of responsibilities. You can take care of the pets but not the family. I'll go back and take care of things at home."
Joe understood. No wonder the lady looked familiar; she was the girl in the family photo, the owner's sister.
This younger sister seems a bit dangerous; her cold and aloof demeanor and manner of speaking are exactly like Ji Fang's. No wonder they're family.
Ji Rong was probably here before; she went to the guest room with practiced ease, then went into the bathroom. When she came out and saw Ji Fang, she scoffed, "Is that children's toilet in the bathroom for this original human? He's really taking good care of it!"
Qiao couldn't sense any goodwill from the woman. Her lukewarm attitude made him feel uneasy, so he nestled in Ji Fang's arms, trying to avoid her.
Ji Fang replied indifferently: "Raising a barbarian is much easier than raising a human."
Ji Rong remained noncommittal; neither of them seemed inclined to engage in a lively conversation, each lost in their own thoughts. Qiao Ye, meanwhile, followed behind Ji Fang.
When it was time to take a bath, Ji Fang gave him a bath. As soon as he took off his clothes, Qiao realized that the door was not closed and struggled to close it.
Ji Fang realized that he could now understand what his original human meant: "You're afraid of being seen? You, a primitive human, know how to be shy?"
As they were talking, Ji Rong glanced at them from the doorway, and Qiao hurriedly covered her lower abdomen, insisting that the door be closed again.
In the end, Ji Fang closed the door and wrapped a towel around Qiao Ye's arm when he came out after washing up.
As soon as Qiao came out, he saw Ji Rong sitting on the sofa surfing the internet. He tightly clutched the towel, walked to the corner, picked up a set of clean pet clothes, and quickly ran into the owner's bedroom.
Even though he's a pet, it's already embarrassing enough for him to expose his body in front of other men, so I really can't forgive him in front of other men.
Ji Rong watched him run back into the house and said to Ji Fang, "This Yuanren is interesting; he seems like a real person."
Ji Fang nodded: "I picked it up along the way. It might have been scolded by someone before."
Ji Rong left early the next morning, and Qiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to the boredom of being alone at home, the unpleasant atmosphere of having a stranger around made him feel even more uncomfortable.
*
Qiao's fears of being locked in a cage did not come true. Before leaving, Ji Fang only told him not to open the door and to add a security lock to the door when he went out, so that it could not be opened without the password.
Joe, who silently memorized the password, also felt that his master was doing something unnecessary. He certainly wouldn't demonstrate how to unlock such a difficult password.
To kill time, Qiao gestured to Ji Fang to play him cartoon videos, pointing to the terminal on his wrist.
Ji Fang said, "There is no projector installed here."
Qiao was a little disappointed, but still obediently said goodbye to her owner.
It's not that Joe can't stay at home, it's just that he can't do anything at home and is so bored he's going crazy.
He struggled with the refrigerator at home, recalled doing his radio calisthenics several times, and studied everything in the house again. The house was excessively simple, with almost nothing except for the necessities of life.
He even took Ji Fang's somewhat profound and incomprehensible books to study, eventually making himself sleepy and drowsy.
Ji Fang returned home around evening.
When Ji Fang returned home, he didn't see the original human who had warmly greeted him. He pushed open the bedroom door and found a book covering its face, and it was sleeping soundly.
Ji Fang picked up the book, found that it was not damaged or dirty, and put it away on the cabinet.
Joe was also startled awake and jumped up. He yelled, "I don't want to stay at home! I want to go out with you tomorrow! I'm so bored at home alone. I can't do anything. It's like being in prison!"
Qiao kept rambling on and on, and although Ji Fang couldn't understand her, he could understand her complaints.
Ji Fang reassured him, "Can't stay at home anymore? It's true that the space here is smaller than the previous manor."
Considering the pet's poor condition, Ji Fang was a little worried. He searched for some precautions for raising Yuanren, one of which was that Yuanren should not be kept locked up for a long time, otherwise they would get sick. Even if they were locked up, Yuanren should be given a certain amount of exercise, or some toys should be bought for them.
Ji Fang carried Qiao Ye to the living room sofa and saw that it was studying the place where the terminal was implanted on its left hand. Ji Fang had a thought: since Ling Mu was able to soothe its post-traumatic stress disorder, did Ling Mu also have a certain amount of mental power?
Ji Fang had never heard of a primitive being possessing spiritual power, but out of curiosity, he tried it out. He held Qiao Ye's hand and touched the spiritual realm in an attempt to connect with Qiao Ye's brain.
Sharing a device is something that close friends, family, or partners can do, but with pets, Ji Fang is just giving it a try.
Joe felt a screen suddenly appear in front of him, like a four-dimensional webpage, and then the screen immediately switched to a children's video, the cartoon he often watched.
The owner actually remembered the name of the cartoon he watched.
Qiao blinked curiously, but it didn't affect his viewing. Ji Fang pulled him into his arms and said, "Don't move, watch carefully."
Joe understood; he was now experiencing the network of this world.
This is amazing! You don't need to stare at the screen; the video will automatically play in your mind, making it both private and convenient.
Even Ji Fang was surprised that his family's original members really had spiritual power and could connect to the Star Network with their spiritual power.
Would it work if we equipped Ling Mu with a StarNet terminal?
Ji Fang is starting to feel that his original human is somewhat different from others, and he is thinking about when he will have time to give his original human a mental and intellectual examination.
*
Joe is still left at home to guard the house every day. He can now empathize with the cats and dogs that are left at home waiting for their owners to come home. Maybe cats are suited to living alone and can be quite comfortable by themselves at home, but isn't it too cruel to dogs?
Does he have more dog-like traits than cat-like traits?
Joe shook his head, thinking that he was probably bored and had nothing to do. How could he possibly be a dog?
The original humans were just pets in this world, no different from dogs, right?
Joe stared at the door, wanting to go out.
Anyway, he knows the password, so the password to enter should be the same, right?
Never mind, if he can't get in, he'll just wait outside for his master to come back.
Qiao moved a stool, stood up, and unlocked the safety lock. With a beep, the door opened, and he was startled by the person standing at the door.
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