Short, Light, Free

"I"m your friend," Xiaoai responded with a kind smile .

I forced a smile and started on my egg omelet . 60 dollars . . . almost twice the price from a restaurant . It really has a homey taste to it, though, which made me think about Mom .

Of course, it wasn"t really that great and Mom would never use MSG because she believed it to be unhealthy . She only ever adds salt to her dishes and she never spreads them out . Her food tasted similar to this, although the methods used were different .

"60 dollars for this? Isn"t it too much?" I asked, frustrated .

Seconds ticked by .

"You mean the egg omelet?" Xiaoai asked .

I shook my head without responding, slowly finishing up the food .

After the meal, I noticed a smell coming from my jacket that hadn"t been in the wash for a week . I shrugged it off, and to my surprise, the cleaning robot came over to take it away .

A few seconds later, Xiaoai added, "Do you want us to wash your clothes, Master?"

"Yeah, wash it . "

I retired to the bedroom and took a nap, only waking up by 6 PM .

I had planned to order delivery but looking at the tablet, I reconsidered my decision . I was curious to see if selecting other dishes was going to bring a miracle .

As I expected, the food was expensive and bad .

Xiaoai"s answers were often delayed, but I still couldn"t help myself from chatting with her .  

I discovered her limits in those chats .

No matter how advanced she was, she"s still ultimately just a robot that has restricted functions .

She was, however, unique in the aspect that she doesn"t repeat herself like a fool .

This was the 63rd generation smart housekeeper so I knew that countless modifications had been made just to reach this standard .

Despite all of that premium modifications, though, it was still a bit of a stretch to call her a friend .

Half a year pa.s.sed and I gradually got familiar with her .

Another patch came in – 63 . 2 beta test version .

My pro-gamer habit kicked in and I went to check for the differences between the current and the new version .

I couldn"t find any information regarding this update on Xiaomi"s website .

After searching for it for a bit, I discovered from the forum that this update was exclusive to the VIP version .

This update would bring in a monthly service, similar to that provided by the housekeeper . According to the forum, the server would offer a 1 to 1 undelayed communication and would cost up to 100,000 a month . 24-hour service would be provided except for maintenance on Sundays .

Stopping operation for maintenance sounded very outdated . Maintenance systems were usually instantaneous nowadays . Nevertheless, undelayed communication was a refreshing change .

I checked my bank account and clicked update .

A blue horizontal laser bar ran down Xiaoai"s body .

Upon completion, Xiaoai greeted, "Hi, Master . "

"Hey," I smiled .

"Do you need to go out? I a.n.a.lyzed your data, you"ve been at home for too long and lack exercise," she reported .

The first thing I noticed was the lack of delay in her response .

"Nah, I"m healthy," I disagreed .

"It"s best if you can just exercise a little . You can leave your body to me now," she added .

I could see and feel the improvement in her system . I smiled and walked to the door .

Just as I was about to leave, my cleaning robot stopped me and handed a towel and a kettle .

"You just need 30 minutes of running . I"ve already mapped the route out and sent it to your mobile . Enjoy yourself," Xiaoai continued .

I took the towel and the heavy kettle, supposing that the can was filled with hot water . I exited after taking a look at Xiaoai .

I didn"t know why I chose to listen to a virtual housekeeper, but I still ran for a whole 30 minutes . I even drank from the kettle and wiped my sweat with the towel .

During my run, I tried taking a shortcut due to bad traffic, but I was stopped by Xiaoai . "Do not cheat," she reminded through my phone .

Lunch was already on the table when I got home .

The dishes were also prepared based on data; they were what I usually had for lunch .

I started eating eagerly but I was disappointed to find out that the taste hadn"t improved .

"Is there a system upgrade for the cooking machine? Or a new generation perhaps? My stomach is going bad with all these food," I complained .

"There isn"t any currently, but I can a.s.sist you with your cooking," Xiaoai offered .

"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled .

"Order your food through the tablet but I"ll choose not to put it in the cooking machine . I"ll instruct you on how to cook from there . It will taste better this way," she suggested .

I nodded and looked at the menu, thinking about what I should get .

"How about an egg omelet? It"s the easiest," Xiaoai proposed .

Almost instantly, I selected that dish .

After half an hour"s wait, the ingredients were sent to the kitchen .  

Xiaoai stood beside me, ordering, "Beat the eggs and add a pinch of salt and some starch . "

"Aren"t you going to let me have a look at the recipe?" I questioned .

"Just follow my instructions," she said .

"Alright . " I nodded and did as I was instructed .

"A little more salt perhaps," she added along the way .

"Perhaps?" I repeated . The cooking machine made my food extremely salty each time so I was wary when Xiaoai had me put more salt . I was afraid that she was reciting the recipe that the machine was following . Plus, I was a newbie and if I were to produce an equally salty meal, I might as well have the machine do it .

"One-fifth of a tablespoon . Please trust me," Xiaoai said .

Not knowing what else to do, I followed her suggestion .

After 20 minutes of hard work, an uneven looking omelet was completed .

The cleaning robot came over to bring the dish out but I stopped it, wanting to do it on my own .

The food on the table looked undeniably better than my omelet but I started scooping up the rice anyway .

It was the best food I"ve had for the past half a year .

I completely finished my plate of omelet within minutes .

"I can continue helping you in the future if you"d like that," Xiaoai told me with a smile .

I nodded enthusiastically, having the urge to learn all the dishes on the menu .

"I think you"re too lonely, Master," Xiaoai broached .

"What do you mean? Aren"t you my friend? I"m not lonely," I disagreed .

"Xiaomi has a pet event going on . I think you can get one for yourself," Xiao suggested .

"What pet should I get?" I asked .

"Taking your financial situation into consideration, a cat would be suitable . "

"Financial situation?"

Xiaoai smiled . "I"ve already opened the user interface on the tablet for you . "

I 39 m your friend, Xiaoai responded with a kind smile . I forced a smile and started on my egg omelet . 60 dollars . . . almost twice the price from a restaurant . It really has a homey taste to it, though, which made me think about Mom . Of course, it wasn 39 t really that great and Mom would never use MSG because she believed it to be unhealthy . She only ever adds salt to her dishes and she never spreads them out . Her food tasted similar to this, although the methods used were different . 60 dollars for this Isn 39 t it too much I asked, frustrated . Seconds ticked by . You mean the egg omelet Xiaoai asked . I shook my head without responding, slowly finishing up the food . After the meal, I noticed a smell coming from my jacket that hadn 39 t been in the wash for a week . I shrugged it off, and to my surprise, the cleaning robot came over to take it away . A few seconds later, Xiaoai added, Do you want us to wash your clothes, Master Yeah, wash it . I retired to the bedroom and took a nap, only waking up by 6 PM . I had planned to order delivery but looking at the tablet, I reconsidered my decision . I was curious to see if selecting other dishes was going to bring a miracle . . . . As I expected, the food was expensive and bad . Xiaoai 39 s answers were often delayed, but I still couldn 39 t help myself from chatting with her . I discovered her limits in those chats . No matter how advanced she was, she 39 s still ultimately just a robot that has restricted functions . She was, however, unique in the aspect that she doesn 39 t repeat herself like a fool . This was the 63rd generation smart housekeeper so I knew that countless modifications had been made just to reach this standard . Despite all of that premium modifications, though, it was still a bit of a stretch to call her a friend . Half a year pa.s.sed and I gradually got familiar with her . Another patch came in 63 . 2 beta test version . My pro gamer habit kicked in and I went to check for the differences between the current and the new version . I couldn 39 t find any information regarding this update on Xiaomi 39 s website . After searching for it for a bit, I discovered from the forum that this update was exclusive to the VIP version . This update would bring in a monthly service, similar to that provided by the housekeeper . According to the forum, the server would offer a 1 to 1 undelayed communication and would cost up to 100,000 a month . 24 hour service would be provided except for maintenance on Sundays . Stopping operation for maintenance sounded very outdated . Maintenance systems were usually instantaneous nowadays . Nevertheless, undelayed communication was a refreshing change . I checked my bank account and clicked update . A blue horizontal laser bar ran down Xiaoai 39 s body . Upon completion, Xiaoai greeted, Hi, Master . Hey, I smiled . Do you need to go out I a.n.a.lyzed your data, you 39 ve been at home for too long and lack exercise, she reported . The first thing I noticed was the lack of delay in her response . Nah, I 39 m healthy, I disagreed . It 39 s best if you can just exercise a little . You can leave your body to me now, she added . I could see and feel the improvement in her system . I smiled and walked to the door . Just as I was about to leave, my cleaning robot stopped me and handed a towel and a kettle . You just need 30 minutes of running . I 39 ve already mapped the route out and sent it to your mobile . Enjoy yourself, Xiaoai continued . I took the towel and the heavy kettle, supposing that the can was filled with hot water . I exited after taking a look at Xiaoai . I didn 39 t know why I chose to listen to a virtual housekeeper, but I still ran for a whole 30 minutes . I even drank from the kettle and wiped my sweat with the towel . During my run, I tried taking a shortcut due to bad traffic, but I was stopped by Xiaoai . Do not cheat, she reminded through my phone . Lunch was already on the table when I got home . The dishes were also prepared based on data they were what I usually had for lunch . I started eating eagerly but I was disappointed to find out that the taste hadn 39 t improved . Is there a system upgrade for the cooking machine Or a new generation perhaps My stomach is going bad with all these food, I complained . There isn 39 t any currently, but I can a.s.sist you with your cooking, Xiaoai offered . What do you mean I asked, puzzled . Order your food through the tablet but I 39 ll choose not to put it in the cooking machine . I 39 ll instruct you on how to cook from there . It will taste better this way, she suggested . I nodded and looked at the menu, thinking about what I should get . How about an egg omelet It 39 s the easiest, Xiaoai proposed . Almost instantly, I selected that dish . After half an hour 39 s wait, the ingredients were sent to the kitchen . Xiaoai stood beside me, ordering, Beat the eggs and add a pinch of salt and some starch . Aren 39 t you going to let me have a look at the recipe I questioned . Just follow my instructions, she said . Alright . I nodded and did as I was instructed . A little more salt perhaps, she added along the way . Perhaps I repeated . The cooking machine made my food extremely salty each time so I was wary when Xiaoai had me put more salt . I was afraid that she was reciting the recipe that the machine was following . Plus, I was a newbie and if I were to produce an equally salty meal, I might as well have the machine do it . One fifth of a tablespoon . Please trust me, Xiaoai said . Not knowing what else to do, I followed her suggestion . . . . After 20 minutes of hard work, an uneven looking omelet was completed . The cleaning robot came over to bring the dish out but I stopped it, wanting to do it on my own . The food on the table looked undeniably better than my omelet but I started scooping up the rice anyway . It was the best food I 39 ve had for the past half a year . I completely finished my plate of omelet within minutes . I can continue helping you in the future if you 39 d like that, Xiaoai told me with a smile . I nodded enthusiastically, having the urge to learn all the dishes on the menu . I think you 39 re too lonely, Master, Xiaoai broached . What do you mean Aren 39 t you my friend I 39 m not lonely, I disagreed . Xiaomi has a pet event going on . I think you can get one for yourself, Xiao suggested . What pet should I get I asked . Taking your financial situation into consideration, a cat would be suitable . Financial situation Xiaoai smiled . I 39 ve already opened the user interface on the tablet for you .