Chapter 51 Outsourcing Improves Work Efficiency and Frees Up Agents…
After recovering from her illness, Shi Wan felt as if sunshine had been injected into her body again, and even her breathing felt refreshed and clear.
Standing in the center of the farm, watching the cat grass growing ever greener and the tender cucumbers in the hydroponic greenhouse, watching the call ducks swimming leisurely in the ecological pond, and watching the cats' relaxed figures, her heart was filled with happiness.
She opened the familiar customer service interface, but this time her mood was quite different.
"Agent: Miao, thank you so much for helping me with this illness. Thank you for contacting the doctor, thank you to the farm that took care of me and arranged for Zhizhi to take care of me, and thank you for your constant companionship and help."
This time, the response from the other side was not as quick as usual.
Above the dialog box, the prompt indicating that the other party is typing flashed and stopped, then flashed again, as if the person on the other end was carefully considering their words.
The reply came after a while, and the tone seemed more restrained than usual, yet it carried a hint of warmth that was hard to ignore.
Miao: This is my duty.
After a pause, another line of text slowly appeared.
Miao: Of course, that's my wish too.
As Shi Wan looked at those simple words, her heart felt as if it had been gently brushed by a soft feather, and a subtle, warm feeling quietly spread through her.
Duties and aspirations?
This doesn't seem like the answer a pure program would give.
She seemed to sense that behind the cold data stream and efficient functions lay something more real.
This exchange felt like opening a new window, making online interactions between the two individuals more frequent and natural.
Miao no longer just responds to work instructions; she occasionally shares things on her own initiative, and these shares increasingly make Shi Wan feel a sense of...humanity.
Sometimes it is a textual description with a distinct personal perspective.
"Miao: Farm Observation Log: At 14:37 today, an individual named Bingbing attempted to sneak into the fresh food kitchen but failed. It lingered at the entrance for seventeen minutes, during which time it made twenty-three pleading cries before being legally expelled by Captain Huanhuan. Attached photo: [Bingbing squatting at the kitchen entrance, its eyes filled with such mournful sorrow]"
The photo was taken at a tricky angle and was even accompanied by a nickname like "security captain," which made Shi Wan chuckle.
This teasing tone is unlike a standard log.
Sometimes it's just a landscape photo, but accompanied by a brief sentiment.
Miao: Excellent lighting conditions were detected at sunset. Attached photo: [The pond is bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the water surface shimmers with gold, and the reeds appear as silhouettes]
This moment of tranquility is worth preserving.
That phrase, "worth keeping," stirred something within Shi Wan.
Will AI, composed of electronic data, also appreciate beauty?
On another occasion, Shi Wan complained that she had been hearing some kind of small, unidentified animal making rustling noises near the warehouse at night, which was a bit noisy.
Miao's reply was as follows.
"Miao: Voiceprint analysis has confirmed it's a hedgehog family foraging. We've adjusted the nighttime lighting around the warehouse to ensure safety while minimizing disturbance to them. They're just hungry."
This approach, which is characterized by understanding and even pity, goes far beyond simply solving the problem.
These sharing and interactions made Shi Wan feel that Miao was not just a farm management assistant, but more like a silent observer with his own emotions and preferences, sharing every bit of this land with her in his unique way.
She began to get more used to chatting with him about the day's little things at the end of each day, and he was always the best listener. His occasional responses were increasingly precise and matched her mood, and sometimes even... he would add a touch of subtle humor.
After another busy day, Miao offered suggestions after Shi Wan mentioned that her wrists were a little sore from packing and shipping orders continuously.
"Miao: Analyzing the current order volume and production schedule, the agent is already overloaded with handling packaging and logistics alone. I suggest outsourcing this part of the work."
"Outsourcing?" Shi Wan rubbed her wrist, considering the feasibility.
"Agent: It's true that packing alone takes a lot of time. But wouldn't it be inconvenient to hire outsiders to work on the farm for extended periods?"
"Miao: Large warehouse modules can be purchased from the system store and placed in the farm's boundary area, isolated from the internal production area. Products awaiting shipment can be centrally transferred to the warehouse, where outsourced personnel can complete the subsequent packaging and shipping process without entering the core area of the farm, ensuring privacy and security."
This plan caught Shi Wan's eye!
She immediately opened the system store and found the "Large Warehouse" module.
It was a log-colored building designed as an enlarged barn, with wide eaves that provided shelter from the rain; it looked both practical and charming.
Without hesitation, she used her points to unlock it and chose to place it on an open space to the right of the farm gate, near the external road.
Almost simultaneously, Miao offered another suggestion, this time with a hint of thoughtful consideration in his tone.
Miao: I suggest purchasing small conveyor belts and an intelligent warehouse management system simultaneously. This would allow finished products to be transported directly to designated areas in the warehouse via conveyor belts, achieving seamless integration and eliminating the need for agents to handle goods by hand. The intelligent warehouse management system can automatically inventory incoming goods and generate a shipping list, greatly reducing manual verification errors and time, and further freeing up agents.
He specifically emphasized avoiding manual handling and freeing the agent, as if he were well aware of her exhaustion.
Shi Wan readily agreed and added both items to her shopping cart.
When the upgrade was complete, she saw a conveyor belt with a transparent protective shield extending from the back of the factory, leading to the brand-new warehouse.
The warehouse is neatly organized with shelves and equipped with all kinds of intelligent scanning equipment.
"This is so convenient!" Shi Wan exclaimed repeatedly.
With the hardware issues resolved, the next step is to address the human factors.
What kind of people are we recruiting?
She sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the office building, stroking Huanhuan who was lying on her lap, while thinking.
Tangyuan squatted on the windowsill and also participated earnestly in the decision-making process, although it didn't play much of a role.
But he did seem to have thought about it seriously.
Bingbing became very interested in the conveyor belt passing by the small building and tried to paw at it, but Huanhuan, who was quick-witted and had sharp claws, pushed it away with her head.
“We can’t choose the rough and tumble ones,” Shi Wan muttered to herself. “We need to be careful and patient, after all, our products are going to be delivered to furry kids.”
"Meow," Huanhuan responded, as if to indicate her agreement.
"Ideally... someone who also likes small animals?" She looked out the window at Little Flower and Dot, who were chasing butterflies in the grass with Big Yellow.
Tangyuan flicked its tail, nodded vigorously with a deep gaze, and strongly agreed with the necessity of this condition.
In the end, Shi Wan created a simple job posting that highlighted the farm's warm and natural atmosphere, as well as the requirement for meticulousness and love.
She posted the ad on local community websites and some flexible part-time job platforms.
To her surprise, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Many people have shown great interest and fondness for the name "Meow Meow Farm".
After initial screening, she met with two applicants.
One of them was Aunt Li, who lived in a nearby town. She was in her fifties and retired at home. She was a neat and clean person. She said that her daughter had a cat, and she often helped take care of it. She especially liked small animals.
The genuine affection in Aunt Li's eyes when she saw the cats on the farm was unmistakable.
She also helped Shi Wan tidy up the somewhat messy packing boxes in the warehouse.
Another person is Xiao Zhang, who just graduated from university. He is preparing for the civil service exam next year, so he wants to find a part-time job to earn some living expenses.
He has an outgoing personality, claims to be a fan of the farm, knows the farm's products like the back of his hand, and can even name several of the cats.
During the interview, Bingbing came over and sniffed him. He actually managed to pull out a small, individually wrapped cat treat from his pocket and skillfully fed it to Bingbing. It was clear that he had come prepared.
Shi Wan was satisfied with both applicants, and considering that the workload of packing and shipping might fluctuate, she decided to hire both of them.
Aunt Li is in charge of the morning shift, and Xiao Zhang is in charge of the afternoon and evening shifts, with flexible scheduling.
On the first day the new warehouse was put into use, Aunt Li arrived early.
Shi Wan helped her familiarize herself with the environment and procedures.
Watching the products smoothly transported to the warehouse via the conveyor belt, with the intelligent system automatically scanning and entering the information, Aunt Li only needed to check, pack, and label the orders. She repeatedly praised, "This method is great, it saves so much trouble! And the place is clean and bright too!"
When Xiao Zhang came to take over the shift in the afternoon, he was full of praise for the automated system and even offered a few suggestions to optimize the placement of the packaging.
Standing at the warehouse entrance, looking at the orderly scene inside and listening to the packing sounds coming from within, Shi Wan finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.
She can finally be freed from tedious physical labor and devote more energy to product development, quality control, and the long-term development of the farm.
She shared the good news with Miao as soon as she returned to the main house.
"Agent: The warehouse and the new packers are running very well! It feels so much easier now!"
"Miao: According to calculations, the efficiency improvement is expected to reach over 65%, allowing agents to use the saved time for core tasks and necessary rest."
The words "necessary rest" were enlarged several times, as if they were being emphasized.
Agent: Hmm! I know! Thanks for reminding me. By the way, Aunt Li seems to really like Bingbing; Bingbing actually let her touch her today!
"Miao: Individual cats are generally more tolerant of humans who hold food or show kindness. Record: Aunt Li fed them one cat treat today."
The reply was still based on facts, but Shi Wan could almost feel that the sentence sounded like it carried a knowing smile.
Shi Wan burst out laughing.
Agent: I see! This little glutton!
The interface was silent for a moment, then a line of text appeared.
"Miao: I wouldn't call myself a foodie, but rather a wise individual who knows how to assess situations."
Shi Wan's smile deepened as she read the reply, which was clearly both teasing and protective.
But that vague feeling that something was wrong resurfaced.
Can AI become this human-like?
Can even human emotions be simulated?
She looked out the window; the setting sun was gilding the farm with a golden hue.
With the new warehouse operating efficiently and new members joining, the farm's development has reached a more stable stage.
And the unspoken understanding and connection between her and Miao seemed to be quietly deepening.
A few days later, Shi Wan remembered that it was time to clean up the surveillance video memory again.
To save storage space, she usually skims through the farm's surveillance footage every month, and if there are no abnormalities, she archives and then deletes it.
She opened the storage hard drive, which contained folders arranged by date.
"Hmm... I'll start watching from when I finished cleaning up last month." She muttered to herself, casually clicking on a recent video file, preparing to quickly browse through it using double speed.
The images on the screen began to flow rapidly, recording the peaceful and heartwarming daily life of the farm.
Unbeknownst to her, hidden within these seemingly ordinary video fragments was a secret that would overturn her understanding of the world.
The truth is about to quietly emerge in the fleeting glances of her eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com