Yu Jianguo stayed in the lab, initially feeling utterly idle. In his mind, a building entrance always needed one or two security guards to greet visitors and arrange parking. But everything here was already well-organized, and his involvement would be superfluous. Besides, he didn't know how to operate the fully automated equipment, or the electronic screens and cameras that would suddenly "talk."
So he went to clean. He secretly swept the floor for a few days. Why secretly? Because he was too embarrassed to admit he had swept the floor; it was so clean, cleaner than anywhere else he had ever seen. The only places that could be compared to it were probably the operating rooms in hospitals, oh, and the morgues.
Later he learned that the building had a very advanced purification system that left almost no dust behind, and there were also robot vacuum cleaners that had already swept the floor clean before he even picked up a broom to sweep, and even the trash was automatically removed, so there was no need for anyone to do it.
He felt quite ashamed. He had lived to a ripe old age and seen a lot of the world, yet he couldn't even do a simple menial task properly.
He didn't know if the professors upstairs knew about his confused situation, but those talking cameras must have seen it all. Would they report it to them? Old Yu often thought about this, and even secretly told them, "I'm not very good at this, you know so much, teach me sometime."
The camera was watching him, but he remained motionless and silent. Old Yu said, "Look, look, I'm sincerely asking for your advice, why aren't you saying anything?"
No one taught him, Old Yu persisted in sweeping. He said, "I'm a grown man, can't I sweep a floor as well as you, a robot crawler?"
He bought the broom himself from a nearby supermarket; he couldn't find one in the lab. Later, he secretly threw the broom away because after sweeping a few times, it wasn't as effective at cleaning the floor as it was in the building.
Instead of using a broom, he uses a rag to wipe things down, not just the floor, but also the walls, the sculptures, and the decorations—things the robot never cleans. Sometimes, he even wipes the eyes of the talking cameras (https://m. hetushu. com), laughing as he does so, saying, "You're wearing such thick lenses, how nearsighted are you?"
A few days later, the young and pretty professor's assistant came to find Old Yu and said she wanted to train him. Old Yu began to receive training, learning what this equipment was, what this was for, and how to maintain this. Old Yu listened in a daze. This kind of training lasted for two or three months on and off. The people who trained him were all from upstairs. They all liked Old Yu, Old Yu liked them too.
Take that young man named Bian Ziyuan, for example. He's very eloquent and even treated Old Yu to hot pot in private. Old Yu really likes the young man's temperament. He's serious, stubborn, and energetic, but not the kind of person who's solely focused on making money. Old Yu knows that's called an ideal—something he's lost long ago, something that can ignite passion, something precious yet easily discarded by reality.
Old Yu envied young people; youth is wonderful, for only the young are worthy of ideals. But he admired Professor Mei even more—his hair was whiter than his own, yet he was more passionate and determined in his academic pursuits than the young.
In this environment, Old Yu also became highly motivated, as if he had returned to his youth.
He couldn't help but think of Zhao Pengcheng again. What a good kid! What a pity...
After completing the training, Old Yu signed a contract, paid social security contributions, and became a formal employee of Mei Laboratory.
He now knows how to authenticate his identity in front of electronic screens and cameras, how to scan his fingerprints, how to scan his iris, and how to verify his genes. He is also allowed free access to the upstairs and basement to do what he needs to do. Of course, there are some places he must apply to go to, and the top floor is inaccessible under any circumstances; access there is very strict, and only a very few people can enter.
Before leaving, Mei Ziqing handed a key to Old Yu, saying, " Uncle Yu, this is an emergency key. Please keep it safe."
Yu Jianguo asked, "Which door does this key open?"
Mei Ziqing said, "It's for emergencies. There are two keys in total, and they need to be used together. If you encounter an emergency, contact us, and I'll let you know when you need the keys."
Yu Jianguo asked, "Who has the other one?"
Mei Ziqing said, "The other key is in the professor's possession, and I don't know who it was given to. You can't tell anyone that I gave you the key. That's the lab's rule."
"Oh, the rules, I understand the rules." Yu Jianguo nodded and accepted the heavy key, feeling the burden on his shoulders grow even heavier.
He wandered around the empty laboratory alone, looking here and there. These were places he was already familiar with. He didn't look at the places he couldn't go in or see.
He felt that he was now all alone, and if anything happened, it would be his responsibility, so he couldn't be careless. He absolutely couldn't let a thief in! Not even an ant could crawl in, let alone a thief.
After wandering around for a while, he wondered which door the young assistant professor had given him the key to open. Since it was an emergency key, there must be a place where it could be opened, and since it had been given to him, it must be a place he could go. But he couldn't see where to insert a keyhole. All the doors here were automatic, with identification devices in front of them that opened with a beep.
Just as he was looking around, Bian Ziyuan suddenly returned.
Bian Ziyuan, carrying a large bag, passed through the security checkpoint at the main entrance and entered the lobby. Yu Jianguo saw him and quickly went to greet him.
"Hey, Teacher Xiao Bian, didn't you go home for the Chinese New Year? Why are you back again?"
Bian Ziyuan said, "I found an important data error at home and need to come back to correct it."
"Still working hard even on vacation, you're so dedicated! No wonder you're so successful at such a young age!" Yu Jianguo said with deep respect, reaching out to help Bian Ziyuan with his bag. "I had a nephew who worked just as hard as you when he was young."
"Oh, Uncle Yu, please put it down, I can carry it myself, it's not heavy," Bian Ziyuan said as he changed his shoes. "Is your nephew also a computer guy?"
"Oh, he's a doctor." Yu Jianguo picked up the bag, found it wasn't heavy, and put it down.
Bian Ziyuan changed his shoes, stood in front of the dust removal machine to wash off the dust, put his bag into a dust bag, and then carried it into the elevator.
" Uncle Yu, you're busy, I'll go upstairs first!"
Yu Jianguo responded with an "Yes," and saw the elevator doors close. He strolled slowly to the monitoring room, where one of the monitors showed Bian Ziyuan coming out of the elevator and then immediately appearing in the corridor on another screen. He stood in front of a door for a while before the door opened.
Bian Ziyuan inside, and the door closed.
There are no security cameras inside the door, and even if there were, Yu Jianguo knew he wouldn't be able to see them.
He left the monitoring room and started strolling around again. He'd only gone halfway around when he heard the elevator ding. Bian Ziyuan came out again, saw Yu Jianguo, and asked:
" Uncle Yu, do you have an emergency key?"