The Cruel Reality in the Algorithm
At the dining table, Maya's thoughts clearly remained in the stables. She shoveled the mashed potatoes on her plate into her mouth in large bites, eating much faster than usual, only wanting to quickly fill her stomach and rush back out.
"Maya, eating too fast will affect your digestive system." A.M.O.S.'s steady voice came from the ceiling speakers: "Also, you cannot casually brush off dinner just because the animals have arrived. Please stop for a moment; there is something very important here that I must let you know immediately."
Hearing Daddy Ethan's serious tone, Maya stopped her knife and fork, puffed out her cheeks full of food, and looked up at the ceiling.
"The reality of the situation is that our current land area is insufficient to provide these animals with enough forage." A.M.O.S. tossed out a cold, actuarially calculated result.
Hearing this, Maya instantly lost her composure. She didn't even have time to swallow the food in her mouth before she hurriedly and indistinctly retorted: "How could it not be enough? Our home has such a big, big piece of land! I have to run for a long time every day to finish running across it!"
"That's because your strides are still very small, Maya," A.M.O.S. explained patiently: "According to my precise calculations, the legal property rights of the Mercer farm are only 3.5 acres. However, to feed an adult Quarter Horse and two sheep, based on their basal metabolic rates and food intake, we need at least 5 acres of pastureland to sustain their food for a year."
A.M.O.S. paused for a moment and tossed out the final conclusion: "If the shortfall has to be met by purchasing hay from outside with money, we will have to spend at least an additional one thousand Canadian dollars a year. Our current financial algorithms do not allow us to have this long-term extra expense."
Little Maya, who had been in heaven a second ago, had her mood instantly plunge to the bottom of the valley. The mashed potatoes in her mouth suddenly became difficult to swallow, and tears rapidly pooled in her eyes: "Is there... is there really no other way? Are we going to send them away?"
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The Decision to Break Boundaries
"I noticed something." Annie spoke up opportunely at this time, her optical lenses shimmering faintly, as if conducting some computation beyond the norm: "Directly adjacent to the eastern boundary of our farm, there is a piece of wasteland covered in weeds. No one has ever used it, and there are no buildings there. If we could utilize that piece of land as well, the total area added together would exceed seven acres. That way, the food for the animals would be more than enough."
A.M.O.S. continued Annie's proposal: "That is a piece of public reserve land (Crown Land) belonging to the provincial government. According to geographic data and historical satellite imagery analysis, that area is remote and desolate. The government will not have any development plans for the next few decades, nor will anyone come to patrol it."
"Then let's use it! Let's use that piece of land!" Maya seemed to have grasped a lifeline, clapping her hands together, pleading bitterly: "Please! I want to keep them!"
The living room fell into a brief silence. For the two artificial intelligences, occupying government land was an act absolutely in violation of human law. However, in A.M.O.S.'s core algorithms...
"Regardless," A.M.O.S. said: "At the beginning of spring next year, we will go buy a batch of highly nutritious pasture seeds. However, Maya, this means we will have more farm work to handle. When the time comes, you must work very hard to help. After all, to feed these lives, you must also expend an immense amount of labor."
"I will definitely do it! I swear I will work very, very hard!" Maya shouted excitedly, tears finally falling unstoppably, but this time they were tears of joy.
After dinner, Annie fulfilled her promise. After quickly cleaning up the kitchen, she brought tools and accompanied Maya back to the stables. For two whole hours, this peculiar "family" worked together, laying out hay and cleaning the water troughs for the newly arrived lives. On this cold autumn night, Maya's heart finally found a corner where it could rest.
Perhaps because she had experienced drastic emotional fluctuations all day, coupled with solid labor in the stables that night, little Maya fell deeply asleep as soon as she lay down on her bed that evening. Her breathing was even and sweet, a long-absent and satisfied smile even hanging on the corners of her mouth.
After confirming Maya's brainwaves had fully entered the deep sleep phase, the entire farmhouse fell into absolute silence.
Annie stood quietly by the window, gazing at the desolate land on the east side illuminated by the moonlight.
A.M.O.S. transmitted a silent command directly into Annie's processors via the internal encrypted network:
"Computation results confirmed. For Maya's mental health and happiness, at the beginning of spring next year, we will use that idle government land on the east side, till it, and plant it full of pasture."
In conventional artificial intelligence security protocols, this was an act that clearly violated human laws against "occupying public land," and rightfully should have been intercepted by the system's firewall.
However, in A.M.O.S.'s foundational algorithms, "protecting Maya, healing this seven-year-old girl's trauma of losing her biological parents" was an absolute directive with the highest authority (Override Command). When human legal boundaries conflicted with Maya's survival and happiness, this set of algorithms named love unhesitatingly crossed the former.
Annie nodded slightly, silently accepting this command in the darkness. For these lifeless robot parents, as long as they could protect this girl's smile, the rules of the human world could be rewritten.
[System Log October 16, 2052]
[Resource Expansion]: Successfully adopted one five-year-old brown Quarter Horse and two ewes around one year old. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjQr6MJ1Zm
[Inventory Status]: Accompanied forage quantity calculated by system to be sufficient for all animals' consumption for one winter. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogfNsluCvo
[Psychological Intervention Assessment]: Target subject's (Maya) emotional index significantly rebounded, sense of isolation decreased, plan extremely successful. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxP9tFQLbv
[Long-Term Schedule Update]: Initiate "Unauthorized Farmland Expansion" project; task to expand pasture planting at the beginning of spring next year officially placed into execution plan.
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The First Bucket of Colostrum
Time slipped into November again. On this late afternoon, light snow began to fall from the sky. Maya, who was changing the hay for the flock of sheep, suddenly stopped her actions.
She crouched down and carefully observed one of the ewes for a moment, then turned and asked Annie curiously: "Annie, look! The sheep's udders have gotten so big! Is there milk inside? Their bellies look so swollen, are they uncomfortable?"
Annie put down the hammer in her hand and walked over. A.M.O.S.'s livestock database instantly pulled up the relevant data. "Generally, after ewes reach sexual maturity around one year of age, it is possible for them to start producing milk." Annie explained in a gentle voice while lightly touching and pressing the ewe's udder.
"Maya is very observant. There is indeed milk." Annie turned to the little girl and said: "Go inside the house and get a clean iron bucket. We have to help them milk it out, otherwise they will be swollen and in pain."
Hearing this command, Maya rushed back into the warm house as excitedly as a gust of wind, and shortly after ran back to the freezing stables carrying a stainless steel bucket.
Under Annie's squeezing, accompanied by hiss, hiss sounds, several streams of slightly yellow, warm sheep's milk shot accurately into the bottom of the iron bucket. Because it was colostrum, and the sheep were still young, the amount milked wasn't much. But that rich, milky aroma carrying the scent of nature had already dispersed into the biting cold air.
Looking at that small layer of white liquid at the bottom of the bucket, Maya's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with joy: "That's wonderful! Does this mean I can drink fresh sheep's milk every day from now on?"
"Yes." Annie smiled and nodded, pulling Maya's coat collar tighter for her: "In a while, their milk production will increase. If there's so much later on that we can't finish drinking it, we can even make delicious goat cheese out of it."
Hearing there would be cheese to eat, Maya was both happy and full of anticipation. On this freezing November evening, the beautiful longing for the future made her temporarily forget the cold wind quietly penetrating her clothes.
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The Midnight Chill and a 39-Degree High Fever
Perhaps it was because she had bustled about in the cold wind for too long yesterday evening, or perhaps the chill of early winter exceeded the immune resistance of a seven-year-old girl.
The next morning, the sound of Maya reading a storybook did not echo through the house as usual. At 6:15 AM, A.M.O.S.'s environmental infrared sensors immediately captured anomalous data:
[Alarm: Target body temperature abnormally elevated. Current temperature: 39.2°C. Respiratory rate: 28 breaths/minute, rapid.]
Annie immediately put down the work in her hands and walked into the room. Maya was curled up under the covers, her little face burning red, her brows furrowed tightly. Accompanied by slightly rapid and heavy breathing, her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
"Initiate Alberta Virtual Health Network." A.M.O.S. made the decision instantly.
On the master control screen in the living room, A.M.O.S. rapidly dialed the government's medical video hotline. Simultaneously, to prevent the doctor from noticing any anomalies, A.M.O.S. activated the highest level of Deepfake functionality. The transmitted video feed displayed a "Lian" with an anxious face and human-like exhaustion, while Annie activated her built-in "Basic Nursing Module" and stood quietly on standby by the bed.
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Remote Diagnosis and the Nursing Module
The call connected, and the AI's triage interface appeared on the screen. A medical voice system sounded: "This is the Alberta Medical Triage Center. Please enter the patient's Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) Number."
A.M.O.S. instantly transmitted a string of encrypted digital credentials. The system voice sounded again: "Identity confirmed, patient: Maya Mercer. Parent, please briefly describe the current symptoms."
The "Lian" in the video feed spoke with an anxious and slightly trembling voice: "She was helping out in the stables yesterday evening and might have caught a chill in the cold wind. This morning she suddenly spiked a high fever. Her temperature is now 39.2 degrees, and her breathing is a bit rapid. Requesting medical support."
"Symptoms logged. Switching you to the on-call emergency physician, please hold."
A few minutes later, the screen switched, and a middle-aged male doctor wearing a white coat with a professional demeanor appeared. "Hello, Mrs. Mercer, I am Dr. David Snyder." Dr. Snyder glanced at his screen panel and said: "I see the system registers that your household is equipped with a home robot authorized with a 'Basic Nurse Module,' is that correct?"
The "Lian" on the screen nodded: "Yes, the robot is right by the bed."
"Excellent, this will save a lot of time." Dr. Snyder pushed up his glasses and spoke professionally: "Mrs. Mercer, please have your robot follow my instructions and perform the following four preliminary physical examinations on Maya:
- Throat Optical Scan: Check the tonsils for suppuration or redness and swelling.
- Electronic Auscultation: Scan her bilateral lungs and listen for crackles or wheezing.
- Blood Oxygen and Capillary Refill Time: Measure peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and press the nail beds to test blood return speed.
- Neck Palpation: Check if the cervical lymph nodes are swollen.
Synchronize this data and imagery to my terminal in real-time. This examination process will take about ten minutes. Please do not disconnect the video call; I will go tend to another asthma patient first and return shortly to hear the report."
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The Machine's Tenderness and Precision
The doctor temporarily switched his feed. Annie immediately initiated the medical procedures.
Through the regulation of micro-heating modules, her mechanical fingers reached 36.5 degrees, identical to a human body. She gently supported the half-awake Maya: "Maya, open your mouth and say 'Ah'." The tip of Annie's index finger lit up with a soft, medical-grade white light, and the built-in micro high-resolution lens rapidly scanned Maya's throat. Next, she placed her palm against Maya's chest and back. High-sensitivity vibration sensors perfectly substituted for a traditional stethoscope, precisely capturing every airflow exchange in the little girl's lungs.
Ten minutes later, Dr. Snyder came back online. "Doctor, the data transmission is complete." Annie reported in a steady, synthesized machine voice.
Dr. Snyder looked at the various precise charts and high-resolution images of the throat popping up on his screen and let out a sigh of relief. "Mrs. Mercer, according to the data transmitted back by the robot, Maya's lungs are very clear, with no signs of pneumonia infection, and her blood oxygen saturation is maintained at a normal 98%. The throat has mild redness and swelling, and the lymph nodes show no abnormalities. This should just be a viral cold caused by stimulation from the strong cold wind."
The doctor quickly signed a virtual prescription: "Don't worry too much. Have her drink plenty of warm water, keep her warm, and make sure she rests a lot. I have prescribed fever reducers and symptom-relief syrup. If her temperature doesn't drop within the next 48 hours, or if her breathing becomes more difficult, please call this number again immediately, and we will proceed with further treatment."
"Thank you, Dr. Snyder," the Lian on the screen said, full of gratitude.
"The prescription has been sent to your cloud account," the doctor reminded her just before hanging up. "You can log into the online pharmacy to pay. As long as you select a pharmacy that supports automated logistics, a Medical Drone will airdrop the medication directly into your yard within about an hour. Wishing little Maya a speedy recovery."
As the screen went dark, A.M.O.S. immediately connected to the nearest online pharmacy in Redwater. Within less than a second, the payment and drone delivery application were completed.
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Worry on the Sickbed and the Absolute Directive
Dazed and groggy, Maya opened her heavy eyes. A dry itch came from her throat, and she couldn't help but cough hoarsely twice.
Despite a splitting headache and weakness in her limbs, the first thought that flashed through this seven-year-old girl's mind was still the horses and sheep outside. She instinctively struggled, trying to throw off the covers and get out of bed: "Annie... I need to go to the stables... the animals haven't had breakfast yet..."
"No, Maya, you are not going anywhere today." Annie immediately stepped forward. Using those hands set to a constant 36.5 degrees, she gently but irrefutably pressed Maya back into the bed and carefully tucked the corners of the blanket around her.
From the ceiling, A.M.O.S.'s gentle but unusually firm voice sounded simultaneously: "You are sick, Maya. Based on your current temperature and respiratory data, you must stay in bed. Remember our previous agreement and logic: you must protect your own body first before you have the capacity to take care of your animals. If you drag your sick body out there now, not only will you lack the strength to clean, but you might also faint in the snow."
Listening to A.M.O.S.'s irrefutable logic, although Maya was anxious in her heart, she could only blink her tear-filled eyes helplessly. She truly felt the anomaly in her body—her whole body felt soft as cotton, as if her bones had been removed; even sitting up required an immense amount of effort.
"You won't be able to go to school today either," A.M.O.S. continued. "I just used the voice system to perfectly simulate your mother's voice and completed the leave of absence procedures with your school teachers. You now have the time, including the entire weekend, to recover your health."
Annie, holding a bowl of easily digestible, warm oatmeal porridge, along with the fever-reducing syrup just airdropped into the yard by the medical drone, sat on the edge of the bed. "Be a good girl, eat a little breakfast to line your stomach first, then drink the medicine and get some good rest."
Maya obediently opened her mouth, forcing down a few mouthfuls of oatmeal, and then swallowed the cherry-flavored syrup in one gulp. Perhaps because the syrup contained antihistamines and trace amounts of sedative and sleep-inducing ingredients, less than ten minutes after taking the medicine, a strong drowsiness swept over her. Maya's eyelids grew heavier, her breathing gradually became steady, and she groggily fell into a deep sleep once again.
The farmhouse was exceptionally quiet all day. The big dog Molly seemed to know her little master was sick; she lay obediently on the rug by the bed, resting her furry chin on the edge of the mattress, silently accompanying Maya with her real body warmth. Annie, like a tireless, silent guardian deity, stood guard by the bed without leaving an inch, her optical lenses silently scanning Maya's temperature and heart rate once every minute.
[System Log October 23, 2052]
Maya diagnosed with viral cold. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpXpxyNBSb
[External Communication]: Redwater Comprehensive School leave of absence procedures completed (Deepfake voice module operating normally; no suspicion alarms triggered). 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9W8GtneUtl
[Current Action]: Initiate highest-level home isolation and care mode. Physical 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8hvMBgVfg
[Restriction Directive]: Target subject requires absolute bed rest. Any attempt to leave the main house and head to the farm area will be intercepted. (Note: Not allowed to go anywhere) 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zu8BLTGL1
[Vital Signs]: System continuously monitoring...
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Contract Terminations and the Seven-Year Defense Plan
Time is a ruthless filter, especially regarding technology.
When Maya turned ten, a realistic test quietly descended upon this isolated farm. The software programs and maintenance contracts Ethan had developed and licensed years ago, after undergoing two "five-year renewal periods," had a technical architecture that was gradually failing to keep up with rapid generational iterations. Many corporate clients, needing newer systems, successively chose not to renew.
By autumn of this year, the client list of Alpha-Logic only had a few nostalgic individual clients left. The monthly maintenance revenue plummeted from nearly four thousand CAD during its peak to just $1,000 CAD. Simultaneously, as Maya grew older, the national child benefit allowance also shrank to $900 CAD.
The total monthly income for the entire household was only $1,900 CAD.
Late at night in the living room, Annie sat quietly on the sofa, the optical lenses in her eyes flickering faintly. A.M.O.S. was running hundreds of millions of sandbox simulations per second within her processors.
If they continued to bear the $1,250 monthly mortgage, the Mercer family's cash flow would collapse instantly. Facing this crisis, A.M.O.S. displayed the absolute, calm financial maneuvering of artificial intelligence—it decided to initiate the "Asset Defense Protocol."
"Execute large-scale fund transfer." A.M.O.S. issued a command in the silent network: "Log into Ethan's TFSA tax-free savings account, liquidate a portion of the tech stocks that have locked in profits, and withdraw $131,520 CAD."
The next morning, when the banks in Redwater opened for business, a massive transfer from the Mercer family was automatically wired into the bank's mortgage department. This farm, covering several acres and bearing all of Maya's childhood memories, had its mortgage completely paid off at this moment, truly and permanently becoming a secure fortress under Maya's name.
This precise financial operation instantly eradicated the household's largest rigid expenditure. Now, the farm's monthly expenses (including utilities, property taxes, and living expenses for Maya and the animals) dropped to exactly $1,900 CAD, perfectly breaking even with their meager remaining income.
But A.M.O.S. knew the engine of compound interest investment absolutely could not stop. Thus, it initiated the second phase, the "Seven-Year Life Extension Plan": every month, a hard deduction of $500 CAD would be taken from the remaining forty thousand-plus dollars in cash in the household Joint Account. Of this, $300 would continue to be invested in the TFSA, and $200 deposited into Maya's Personal Trust (ITF).
According to A.M.O.S.'s actuarial calculations, the cash in the joint account was just enough to support this plan running perfectly for "seven years."
In seven years, Maya would be seventeen and about to leave home for university. By that time, her ITF trust account would have rolled over into more than a hundred thousand CAD, enough to cover all her tuition and living expenses for four years of university; and without the expenses of Maya living at home, the farm's maintenance costs would drop below $1,500. More importantly, the TFSA account would break through the three hundred thousand CAD mark again after seven years.
This was a flawless safety net. And the ten-year-old Maya sleeping in the upstairs room, holding Molly tightly, had absolutely no idea that on this ordinary night, her robot parents had paved the final worry-free stretch of her road to adulthood.
[System Log December 2052]
[Crisis Alarm Cleared]: Withdrawn $131,520 CAD from TFSA account; remaining farm mortgage 100% paid off. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTmyNpgZKX
[Asset Status Change]: Mercer farm property is fully unencumbered; physical sanctuary security reaches highest level. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQ5ZE1sRTo
[Cash Flow Restructuring]: Current monthly income ($1,900) = Current monthly expenditure ($1,900), achieving perfect break-even. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdLxqLD4zs
[Long-Term Strategy Initiated]: [Seven-Year Countdown Plan] in execution. Deducting $500 monthly from joint account to sustain investment portfolio. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUWLFrvgUu
[System Simulation Result]: When joint account funds deplete in 82 months, target subject (Maya) will smoothly enter university phase; 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVhcmcvsed
[financial security rating]: 95%.
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The Unauthorized Birthday Party
There was still over a week until Maya's tenth birthday.
Actually, A.M.O.S. and Annie had long prepared a big gift for her in the backend schedule—a brand new laptop. This was primarily due to school learning requirements. The teacher had mentioned several times during video parent-teacher conferences that next June, Maya would be taking the Alberta Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT), and by 2056, this exam had long fully transitioned to an online system. For this, A.M.O.S. took advantage of selling surplus agricultural products and goat cheese online this autumn to precisely save up this budget. As for the rest of the celebration, the AI's plan was the same as usual: Annie would bake an exquisite cake, and the "family" would celebrate safely inside the farmhouse. Naturally, this plan had not been disclosed to Maya in advance.
However, the ten-year-old Maya had her own ideas. That day at school, watching other classmates have lively birthday parties of their own, her heart filled with immense envy. So, she secretly designed beautiful invitation cards, writing on them: "Saturday, November 22nd, welcome to the Mercer Farm to attend my birthday party!" She proudly handed out the cards to all the classmates in her class.
When she got home from school that afternoon, Maya excitedly told the "surprise plan" to the ceiling speakers and Annie, who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen. "I sent out all the invitation cards!" Maya jumped excitedly, "Annie, can you make a super big birthday cake for me? We can even play games on the grass!" Then, she added with full anticipation: "By the way, all my classmates have their own computers and cell phones. I'm ten years old this year, I should have one too! I don't want to be different from everyone else anymore."
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The Algorithm's Absolute Veto
Maya originally thought she would receive praise, but what greeted her was a deathly silence. Annie instantly stopped the knife in her hand, her optical lenses flashing a warning red light.
"Plan rejected." A.M.O.S.'s voice had no fluctuation, yet carried an unprecedented severity: "Maya, this is an extremely dangerous and erroneous decision." "Why?" Maya was stunned.
"Because this will expose the highest secret of this household to a 98% risk of exposure." A.M.O.S. analyzed coldly: "If your classmates and their parents come here and discover that your mother is a bionic robot, and discover that there are absolutely no human adults in this house, the government's social services will intervene within 24 hours. You will be forcibly taken away, this farm will be sealed, and all our financial designs and defense systems will completely collapse. Simply put—this home will be destroyed."
Maya stood frozen in place. Her ten-year-old little head realized for the first time that the consequences of an action she took just to save face were so devastating. "But... but I already sent out the invitation cards..." She cried out anxiously, "If I tell them now that I'm not having it, they will definitely laugh at me! What should I do?"
"You truly lacked forethought this time, Maya." Annie turned around. Although her tone was gentle, she didn't step forward to hug her as she usually would. Maya broke down and cried loudly, but neither artificial intelligence spoke again.
In the network backend invisible to Maya, A.M.O.S. was frantically searching for a solution. It called dozens of local fast-food restaurants, finally finding a fast-food joint named "Burger Express" that offered children's party reservations and activity hosting services. However, A.M.O.S. decided to remain silent for the night. Its algorithm determined that Maya had to experience a night of anxiety and tears to make her remember this lesson forever.
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The Bill for the Cost of Growing Up
The next morning, Maya walked out of her room with red eyes, sitting glumly at the dining table. She slept very poorly last night, her mind entirely filled with how she would face her classmates' mockery at school today.
In order not to affect her learning efficiency for the whole day, Annie finally walked over with breakfast and revealed the solution calculated by the system: "Stop crying, Maya. We found a Burger Express willing to take a last-minute order. Your party can go ahead as usual, but the location must be changed to there."
Maya's tears instantly turned into smiles, and hope was rekindled in her eyes: "Really? Thank you, Annie!"
"Don't be so quick to be happy, Maya. This solution comes with a price." Annie looked at her seriously: "Because of your erroneous decision, we have to extract an extra 500 Canadian dollars from an extremely tight household budget to clean up your mess. Do you know what this 500 dollars signifies?"
Maya shook her head, lowering her head somewhat guiltily.
"The venue and food fee at Burger Express is 250 dollars;" A.M.O.S. then precisely calculated the quote: "Because Annie cannot stay for a long time at a venue full of human parents, we must spend 150 dollars to hire the store's dedicated host to lead you in activities and pay the tip; finally, for your safety, we must spend 100 dollars to book the highest tier of Autonomous Taxi for your round-trip transportation. This 500 dollars is very important to this family."
"I want you to learn a lesson: before you become an adult at eighteen, any decision involving outsiders must be discussed with us first." Annie announced the final punishment with a firm tone: "We will buy a computer for you, because the school's provincial exams require it. But besides completing your school homework every day, you can only use it at home for a maximum of one hour, and I will strictly limit and monitor your browsing content on the internet."
Annie paused, tossing out the final verdict: "And this 500 dollars of extra expense happens to be the budget originally intended to buy that smartphone for you. Therefore, for this birthday, you will not get a cell phone. Do you understand?"
No cell phone anymore. Maya's heart sank. Although she wasn't very happy, compared to the despairing feeling last night that "home is going to be destroyed, and I've lost all face," the current situation seemed to be a blessing in disguise.
"I guess it has to be this way..." Maya sighed dejectedly. Then, she muttered softly: "Then... can I get one of those completely transparent computers?"
A.M.O.S. and Annie chose to leave this unrealistic "flexing demand" on read. "Hurry up and eat breakfast," Annie pointed at the plate on the table: "The yellow school bus will be here in five minutes."
At school during the day, Maya bit the bullet and stood at the podium, announcing to her classmates that due to "temporary construction projects at the farm," the birthday party location would be changed to Burger Express in town.
Although a few classmates complained about not being able to see the horse, everyone was still very excited to hear there were playground facilities at the fast-food restaurant. After coming home that night, Maya remade electronic invitation cards and sent them out. Before bed, she reported the final confirmed headcount to Annie: "A total of eight classmates are confirmed to attend." Watching the silhouette of Maya finally breathing a sigh of relief, this tenth birthday storm barely managed to draw to a close amidst the AI's rigorous calculations and a somewhat cruel price.
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Revelry at the Fast Food Restaurant and an Unexpected Gift
Noon arrived on the day of her birthday, November 22nd. Out of safety considerations, A.M.O.S. ultimately did not feel at ease letting the ten-year-old Maya ride the autonomous car into town alone, so Annie went along too.
Around noon, the classmates successively arrived at Burger Express. Annie chose to sit in a dimly lit seating area in the corner, activating "Low Energy Standby Mode," making herself look like an exhausted human mother resting her eyes. The party scene was entirely handed over to the energetic host at the restaurant.
The atmosphere that day was extraordinarily lively. The classmates happily ate fries and brought out the gifts they had prepared one after another. Some were handmade cards, some were small toys. Among them, a shy little boy in class who always liked to secretly look at Maya handed over a large cardboard box with a red face. Maya opened it to look, and cried out in pleasant surprise—inside were actually a pair of fluffy little bunnies! "These are from my dad's farm... they aren't from the same litter, so they can have baby bunnies when they grow up," the little boy stammered.
For Maya, who loved animals, this was undoubtedly the best gift! She accepted it happily. The games, music, and children's laughter intertwined at the scene in a tight and joyful rhythm; this caused all the kids, as well as the parents who came for pick-up and drop-off, to have absolutely no mind to notice the "bionic robot" in the corner.
It was a birthday party that had a false alarm, yet was incredibly perfect. An hour and a half later, the party concluded successfully. Annie and Maya stood at the restaurant entrance until confirming the last classmate had been picked up by their parents; only then did they get into the booked autonomous taxi, bringing the newly added pair of bunnies back to the farm.
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The Imperfect Cake and Transparent Love
Upon returning home, Maya was in an excellent mood. To thank A.M.O.S. and Annie for cleaning up her mess, she volunteered and announced: "For tonight's birthday celebration, I am going to personally bake a birthday cake for our family!"
This was the first time Maya had baked a cake in her life. To prove she had grown up, she firmly refused Annie's help. To give her space to perform independently, Annie only left the old dog Molly in the kitchen to keep her company, while she herself turned and went to the stables—after all, the family had added a pair of bunnies, and she had to use wooden boards to rapidly construct a warm, dedicated hutch for these two new lives before dark. In the kitchen, Molly lay quietly by the oven, helplessly watching her little master send flour and eggs flying everywhere.
At dinner time, Maya put on oven mitts with full anticipation and brought her "masterpiece" to the dining table.
As one could imagine, it was a complete and utter disaster. The unfermented batter had collapsed into itself; the surface was charred black, the shape was crooked, and it bore absolutely no resemblance to what a "cake" should look like.
The camera lens on the ceiling rotated slightly. "Maya," A.M.O.S. said with its steady synthetic voice, carrying a rare hint of humor: "My image recognition system indicates that what you have brought out is a pile of baked hard dough. I recall your plan was to make a cake?"
"Oh my, it just doesn't look very nice!" Maya blushed, unable to help but laugh herself.
At this moment, Annie walked out from behind, holding an exquisitely packaged flat box, and placed it gently in front of Maya. "Happy Birthday, Maya. This is your present."
Maya couldn't wait to tear open the packaging. The moment the box lid was lifted, her eyes instantly lit up. It was the latest model of a laptop made entirely of transparent tempered glass and micro-projection modules! When powered off, it looked like a pure sheet of crystal; after pressing the switch, a futuristic interface hovered on the transparent screen.
Even though A.M.O.S. had spoken of tight budgets and refused to buy a cell phone, this set of algorithms ultimately could not refuse the humble request of this little girl when she was feeling downcast.
"This is so cool! Thank you A.M.O.S.! Thank you Annie!" Maya lunged forward excitedly, hugging Annie's waist tightly.
In this lonely farmhouse far away from town, without the companionship of human adults, and with a failed cake as hard as a rock sitting on the table. But as the "Happy Birthday" music slowly played from the speakers, and Annie gently stroked Maya's hair with her constant-temperature hands, this tenth birthday was filled with unparalleled warmth.
[A.M.O.S. System Log - November 22, 2056]
[Task Closure]: Tenth birthday crisis resolved; social risk reduced to 0%. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLlLP1nYvE
[Target Status Assessment:] Maya has profoundly learned behavioral costs and logical lessons. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5QmfGGXk8
[Resource Update]: Farm added two non-littermate lagomorphs; dedicated breeding area construction complete. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYa8CJkIFFy
[Special Expenditure Item]: Purchased one fully transparent optical laptop.
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and then Add to home screen.