The street was teeming with people, a sea of young men and women around twenty years old. Each person wore entirely different clothing: modern t-shirts and skirts, ancient ruqun and mamian skirts, and even era-specific Zhongshan suits and qipaos.
At first glance, it appeared as if history had become dislocated, with various eras converging.
"Xue'er," Jing Mingqiu squeezed Mo Ruixue's small hand, "Is this a cosplay convention? Why don't I see any cosplayers?"
Mo Ruixue whispered, "Husband, this isn't a convention. This is how they normally dress?"
"Huh?" Jing Mingqiu was greatly surprised, "When did the Dragon Country's customs become so liberal? Aren't they afraid of being criticized for wearing odd clothes like this?"
"That's a long story, husband. Let's go buy something to eat first, and then I'll explain it to you slowly."
"Alright," Jing Mingqiu agreed readily.
The three of them, hand in hand, arrived at a breakfast shop. They first ordered two baskets of steaming hot soup dumplings, a few small side dishes, and three bowls of soy milk.
Jing Mingqiu, relying on his enhanced physique, didn't bother waiting for the soup dumplings to cool. He directly picked one up, threw it into his mouth, and with a forceful bite, the fragrant and piping hot soup splashed out. His eyes instantly lit up.
After eating two baskets in one go, he noticed Mo Ruixue and Jing Rou hadn't started eating yet. Jing Mingqiu felt a bit embarrassed. "The food in A-Qiong Country is too delicious, I couldn't help myself."
"It's okay, it's okay," Jing Rou looked at Jing Mingqiu with concern. "A'qiu, you've suffered. Boss, please bring us three more baskets!"
"Coming right up!"
Soon, three baskets of steaming hot xiaolongbao were served. Jing Mingqiu first put two pieces each onto Mo Ruixue's and Jing Rou's plates before he began to devour his own.
Although it was just two insignificant xiaolongbao, Jing Mingqiu's thoughtfulness made Mo Ruixue and Jing Rou feel warm inside.
After a simple interlude, Mo Ruixue began to explain what had recently happened in the country.
"Husband, after you invented the medical pod and upgraded it multiple times, all disabled people within the Dragon Country recovered their health, all elderly people regained their youth, and those unsatisfied with their appearance or gender were given the opportunity to change."
"These people were initially invisible in society. Although they accounted for over thirty percent of the Dragon Country's population, you rarely saw them on the streets. They usually stayed at home or in some unknown corners."
"After their bodies fully recovered, they finally had the courage to step out onto the streets. However, due to their long lack of social interaction, they were not immediately accustomed to the current cultural trends and fashion."
"Especially the elderly people. After regaining their youth, they didn't want to wear the old clothes of the elderly anymore, but they also didn't like modern clothing. So, they found a way to recreate the clothes they remembered as most stylish and wore them on the streets."
"At first, there were only one or two, but as more elderly people from the same era were reminded of the past, the number of elderly people wearing clothes from the last century gradually increased, eventually forming a trend. Naturally, no one looked at them strangely anymore..."
"Wait, wait a minute," Jing Mingqiu suddenly interrupted Mo Ruixue, "Xue'er, I can understand Zhongshan suits and qipaos; they were indeed characteristic of the previous era."
"But how do you explain the ruqun and mamian skirts? These are traditional Han Chinese costumes from the Tang and Song dynasties. Are you trying to tell me that someone has actually lived from the Tang Dynasty until now?"
Mo Ruixue couldn't help but laugh, "Hahaha, husband, you're overthinking it. They aren't ancient people who have lived for over a thousand years. They are modern people just like us, but they are fond of traditional culture and want to revive Hanfu."
"There were people who tried to revive Hanfu before, but society was too irritable back then. Physical discomfort was a very important reason for this. Being confined to rooms and not seeing the light of day due to disability, or lying awake all night due to illness, these things greatly affect a person's mood. After most people recovered their health, the irritability in society naturally subsided considerably."
"Moreover, social chronic problems like elderly people staging fake accidents or discriminating against disabled people were fundamentally resolved after the widespread promotion of medical pods. With all elderly and disabled people becoming healthy young individuals, societal irritability decreased even further."
"Additionally, according to relevant experts, with the medical pod, humans can maintain a twenty-something, healthy, and most energetic physical state until the very last moment of their lives."
"And, according to incomplete calculations, through continuous use of the medical pod, the maximum human lifespan can easily exceed two hundred years. Even if someone is already over a hundred, they can still live for more than ninety years, which is basically another lifetime."
"With ample time, no worries about illness, no need to care for aging parents, and no concerns about retirement and old-age care, people's minds are also less strained."
"Wages are sufficient, so there's no need to save for pensions and medical expenses in advance. If a child's academic performance is a little poor, so be it. They can study for a few more years. If they're truly not cut out for academics, they can still make their way in society, as they'll live for over a hundred more years anyway."
"A'qiu," Jing Rou said indistinctly, her mouth full of bun, "At first, my mother kept urging me, saying I should do what's appropriate for my age and get married and have children early. She said I'm young now, recover quickly, and he can help take care of the child."
Jing Mingqiu, worried she might choke, handed her a bowl of soy milk and asked, "Oh? A'rou, what about now? What do they say now?"
Jing Rou took the soy milk, gulped it down, and swallowed the food in her mouth before raising her eyebrows, "Now? Didn't they recently relax the three-child policy? My parents are busy creating a little brother for me now!"
Although they hadn't officially registered their marriage yet, the two had long confirmed their relationship. Jing Mingqiu had already changed his address. "Our parents have quite a bit of energy. I just researched a plugin for painless childbirth a while ago. I'll send it to Wen Liu later and ask her to help upgrade the medical pod."
"From now on, women will no longer need to endure excruciating pain, level nine or even ten, when giving birth."
Mo Ruixue's eyes lit up when she heard this, "That's wonderful! I thank you on behalf of the thirty million pregnant women due to give birth this year!"
"Thirty million pregnant women?" Jing Mingqiu was taken aback, "Didn't they say the birth rate was declining? How did thirty million pregnant women suddenly appear? Where did so many people come from!"
Mo Ruixue smiled and explained, "That's just the conservative estimate. If they really liberalize birth policies, the birth population this year has the potential to break fifty million."
"After all, there are over three hundred million people aged sixty and above, plus another hundred million disabled individuals. Most of them are unemployed and live on pensions and government subsidies."
"After recovering their health and turning into twenty-something young people, due to their low educational qualifications and outdated skills, they couldn't find suitable jobs in the short term."
"The country has done its best to arrange various skill trainings, but with thirty percent of the population affected, it's hard to get everyone in place quickly. Furthermore, with a labor force of a full four hundred million, there's truly no place to absorb them all."
"In the end, like before, they can only continue to be given money to ensure they don't starve to death, and then find solutions slowly."
"These people have money and leisure. Plus, some elderly people still retain old ideas about having many children being a blessing. They are 'making babies' at home every day, so the birth population today will definitely increase significantly."
Mo Ruixue said it very casually, but the more Jing Mingqiu listened, the more his brow furrowed.
"No, this can't continue. This will lead to great trouble! Xue'er, A'rou, eat slowly. I need to go find the boss immediately to get a clear explanation..."