Chapter 480: The Carriage Dilemma
Chapter 480: The Carriage Dilemma
"Well...I guess we'll try to live a few more years then..."
Faced with Lyon's unique question, the elderly manager hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she couldn't resist the temptation of witnessing the completion of the new almshouse. She agreed to Lyon's suggestion.
However, she still couldn't help but advise:
"But there's no need to go overboard. My husband and I have lived this long, and we're already very content. There's no need to start a big fuss just for us."
"Mhm, I definitely won't."
Hearing the manager's words, Lyon smiled and nodded on the surface, but in his heart, he had made up his mind. When the new almshouse construction begins, he must figure out a way to ensure the safety of the elderly couple.
If the couple truly feels they've had enough and wants to rest forever, he has no reason to stop them. But right now, they clearly still have concerns, and they just don't want their existence to affect the completion of the new almshouse. So, Lyon must engage in some 'behind-the-scenes manipulation'.
Just as Lyon, with his conflicting thoughts, was pondering how to play the role of a 'privilege dog' and discreetly preserve the Happiness Apartments, three familiar sets of footsteps approached from outside the door.
Following closely behind was Anna, her face slightly darkened, dragging William, who remained calm, with one hand, and pulling Melanie, whose eyes were filled with despair, with the other.
"Anna, slow down, please. Can't we take it a bit easier?"
With one ear reddened from being twisted, Melanie pleaded with a mournful face:
"It's not even five o'clock yet. Do we have to rush home so soon? And just now, I saw Uncle John fixing the fence in the small garden. Why don't you go help him first?"
"Melanie, you might as well accept your fate."
Before Anna, with her dark expression, could respond, William, with one ear also reddened, spoke calmly:
"Based on my understanding of Anna, this beating is inevitable. If we let her vent her anger now, we might get off with a few less hits. But if she holds it in for a while longer, who knows what might happen."
"..."
Damn...I finally get a couple of days off, and the moment I return, it's chaos...
Watching her younger brother and sister, who were at each other's throats outside the gate, Lyon's lips twitched slightly. Then, with a slightly amused look from the manager, he took the initiative to greet them, asking with a hint of helplessness:
"Anna...what trouble did these two cause this time?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Lyon's voice, Anna, who was struggling to keep her feet on the steps and refusing to go home, was surprised and looked up, a bit delighted:
"Why are you back today...?"
"Big Brother!!!"
Before Anna could finish her sentence, Melanie, who had just been struggling to climb the steps, suddenly sprang into action. She darted into the hall and, with practiced ease, hid behind Lyon, grabbing his pant leg.
"Big brother, you don't look so good!"
Seeing the savior of her little behind, Melanie's face, which had been filled with despair, instantly lit up like a blooming hibiscus. She signaled to Lyon with her eyes and pleaded earnestly:
"Are you tired from work? Can I give you a shoulder massage?"
"We'll see..."
Facing his little sister's unusually well-behaved behavior, Lyon understood and patted her head affectionately, offering her a helpless smile.
"We have to listen to Anna. Only after she explains what happened will I know if I'm tired or need a shoulder massage."
"It's not that dramatic..."
Hearing Lyon's words, Anna's cheeks reddened slightly, and she pouted in mock complaint. Then, amidst Melanie's despairing gaze, she unleashed her secret weapon against her sister—ear-twisting." She grabbed Melanie's ear and gave it a good twist.
"I'll settle the score with you when we get home!"
After issuing a tactical threat to her younger sister, who had failed to find refuge, Anna greeted the manager and then turned to Lyon, asking curiously:
"Why are you back so early today?
"Hmm... I've been working overtime recently, so the bureau gave me a few days off."
He didn't mention the "business trip" to the Cole Ambassador, instead offering a casual excuse to brush off the question. As he spoke, Lyon picked up his younger brother, who remained calm, and walked towards the stairs. He asked curiously:
"Never mind about me, what kind of trouble did those two get into this time to make you so angry?"
"Big brother, you're being biased."
Hearing Lyon's question, William's face turned serious as he retorted earnestly:
"Although Melanie and I may have been a little mischievous, we're not just troublemakers."
"So, you haven't caused any trouble recently?"
"We did."
"..."
"Big brother, don't get the wrong idea."
Seeing Lyon's speechless expression, William immediately explained earnestly:
"Although we did cause trouble, Anna's anger this time isn't because of that. It's purely because of our poor academic performance, which is an intelligence issue, and it's not our fault."
"How dare you say that!"
Upon hearing William's explanation, Anna, who was following behind, turned even darker in the face. She couldn't help but pinch him lightly in annoyance and then complained to Lyon:
"Brother! You don't know how infuriating those two are!
The last question in the math exam was like this: Due to the long wait for public carriages, the Road Department plans to add more carriage services on Ship Bridge Street. However, due to limited funds, they can only allocate two new carriages.
Given that there are originally four carriages on Ship Bridge Street, and each carriage operates for 18 hours a day, and every carriage can return to the starting point to pick up passengers after three hours, how should they arrange the carriages to maximize the solution to the waiting problem?"
After listening to Anna's words, Lyon tried to ponder this math problem.
The Road Department has limited funds and can only allocate two new carriages. Adding to the existing four, that's a total of six. If each carriage runs every three hours, and the total operating time in a day is 18 hours, then each carriage can run six trips, which equals 36 trips in total.
If we calculate it this way, 18 hours and 36 trips mean one trip every half hour... Wait! At this thought, Lyon suddenly realized that this seemingly simple problem had a rather devious trap hidden within.
Although it seems that each carriage can run six trips in 18 hours, in reality, these six carriages do not depart simultaneously; instead, they depart at intervals. Therefore, in reality, only one carriage can complete six trips in a day.
"Hmm... This question is indeed quite challenging for children."
Lyon furrowed his brows slightly and said with a puzzled expression:
"William and the others are transfer students, and they've missed out on a lot of lessons compared to the other kids. It's normal for them not to be able to answer, is it necessary to get so angry?"
"I'm not angry that he couldn't answer, I'm angry that he did answer!"
Anna, upon hearing this, became even more annoyed and said:
"William's solution was to first give a speech on the street, criticizing the Road Department for misusing funds and stirring up dissatisfaction among the residents of Ship Bridge Street. He then pressured the management by demanding an audit of the carriage company's accounts to check for overspending.
After finding mistakes in the Road Department and the carriage company, he plans to approach a member of parliament to expose them, threatening to influence the local vote and force the parliamentarian to propose additional funding.
Once the proposal is on the agenda, he will raise funds to bribe the tabloids to create a sensation, questioning whether the Road Department, which is already short of carriage funds, is too corrupt, and even colluding with parliamentarians. With public pressure, the parliamentarians will be forced to vote in favor of the proposal to increase carriages, ensuring there will never be a shortage of carriages again!"
(End of Chapter)
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