Shang Jianyao held the can, neither responding nor putting it down.
After a few seconds, he opened his mouth to ask:
"Does it sing?"
"Huh?" Chen Xianyu, having lived so many years, suspected for the first time that there was something wrong with his ears.
At this moment, Long Yuehong, holding two yellow plastic lunch boxes, darted in from outside the "Activity Center," seeing Shang Jianyao.
He greeted with a smile on his face:
"Let's eat together later!"
"Will you treat me?" Shang Jianyao put down the can and stood up.
Long Yuehong shook his head without thinking:
"No.
"Don't you still have a lot of subsidies?"
Although Shang Jianyao's parents didn't leave much of an inheritance, the company provided a certain amount of compensation, and when he went to college, he received an additional 1200 points of subsidy per month—every college student did.
This allowed Shang Jianyao to barely maintain his basic needs.
The subsidy deadline was one month after the college student was assigned to a job and officially started working.
Shang Jianyao didn't show any embarrassment at being rejected, and said with a smile:
"Shouldn't happy things be shared with friends?"
"Are you saying that treating someone to a meal is the best way to share?" Long Yuehong had become increasingly accustomed to Shang Jianyao's jumping thoughts over the past two months.
Hearing the conversation between the two, Chen Xianyu chuckled and interjected:
"Yes, Xiao Yue, you were so depressed this afternoon, but you've become so happy tonight. Something good must have happened."
"Don't call me by my nickname..." Long Yuehong muttered, then said with a beaming smile, "My mom said we don't have to wait for the unified marriage allocation next year. Some of her and my dad's colleagues have daughters who didn't get into college and just started working. She's planning to introduce us to see if we can develop a romantic relationship."
Company employees only have one chance to take the college entrance exam. If they fail, they will be assigned work (if they perform well after starting work, they will have the opportunity to be recommended to college). At this time, they are often only 18 years old, not yet old enough to be forced to participate in unified marriage allocation.
Young people at this stage yearn for free love, after all, it's definitely better than random allocation. It's not purely about luck and has an emotional foundation.
Of course, not many people can truly have free love, because after starting work, they leave at 7:30 every morning and get off work at 6 in the evening, fixed in one position, with only one hour of lunch break and meal time in between. By 9 in the evening, the "Activity Center" closes, the street lights go out, and everyone has to go home to prepare for rest. Therefore, young people have very few suitable people to meet, and the time they can meet is also limited.
Relatively speaking, free love occurs more frequently in both ordinary schools and universities.
As Long Yuehong spoke, he suddenly became a little melancholy:
"I don't know if they'll like me. I'm only 1.75 meters tall after genetic modification, my looks are average, and my grades aren't that great. I haven't been reserved by any department..."
"It looks like something's happening over there..." Shang Jianyao interrupted Long Yuehong's self-pity and pointed to an old table a few meters away.
A lot of employees were gathered there, as if discussing something.
Long Yuehong was curious and followed Shang Jianyao over.
He scanned around and saw an acquaintance, so he blurted out:
"Aunt Ren, what are you talking about?"
The Aunt Ren he spoke of was a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing a polyester shirt, with beautiful features and her hair simply tied into a bun.
Her name was Ren Jie, and she lived next door to Long Yuehong's house. She was an employee of a department under the company's "Strategic Committee," only at level d3.
Ren Jie glanced at Long Yuehong and sighed:
"We're talking about a recent rumor."
"What rumor?" Long Yuehong asked curiously.
At this moment, Chen Xianyu, the old man Chen, withdrew his gaze, looked at the pile of military canned goods in front of him, couldn't help but touch his stomach, and swallowed his saliva.
He seemed to recall the feeling of opening similar military canned goods when he was extremely hungry.
"It really sings... No, it makes my stomach and soul sing." Chen Xianyu had an association and sincerely sighed.
On the other side, Ren Jie looked around and lowered her voice:
"It is said that the company wants to deprive everyone of their right to reproduce."
"Ah?" This topic was a bit unexpected for Long Yuehong, and he couldn't understand what it meant for a short time.
Ren Jie glanced at Shang Jianyao, who was maintaining a smile, and continued:
"The company may allow couples who want children to submit biological materials under the guidance and assistance of doctors.
"Then, a large 'Fertility Center' will be established in the research area, and in vitro fertilization, artificial womb gestation, infant growth assistance, and intervention will be carried out in a unified manner. In short, when you pick up your children, they may be several years old.
"Alas, it is said that it is to liberate women from pregnancy and childbirth and alleviate the company's labor shortage."
When Ren Jie said this, a woman in her twenties next to her couldn't help but say:
"Isn't this a good thing?"
"How can this be called a good thing?" Ren Jie's face sank. "Nurturing life is a sacred right bestowed on us by the gods, uh, by heaven. How can it be handed over to machines? How will you establish a relationship with your children then?"
"Yes, yes." A man sitting diagonally opposite her stroked his hair and said worriedly, "It is said that the old world was ultimately destroyed because of a series of taboo experiments that did not follow ethics."
Ren Jie nodded frequently and turned to look at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong:
"Xiao Shang, Xiao Yue, what do you think? Do you also think that nurturing life is the key to why people are called people, a sacred right bestowed by heaven?"
Shang Jianyao nodded without hesitation:
"Yes."
Seeing Aunt Ren's eyes wide and bloodshot looking at him, Long Yuehong hissed softly:
"Yes, yes."
"You still understand things." Ren Jie smiled.
At this time, an employee laughed:
"Are you taking it too seriously? It's just a rumor. My uncle works in an institution under the board of directors and hasn't heard of it!"
Ren Jie responded very seriously:
"Just a reminder to everyone. If someone comes to solicit opinions, be sure to object."
Some people were silent, some nodded, and some asked with rich associations:
"If this regulation is really implemented, will marriage be abolished and unified marriage allocation be canceled?"
The man who mentioned the rumors of the old world said in a tone:
"No.
"Director Ji said that harmonious and healthy marriage is the key to maintaining the stable mental state of employees in the current environment."
Director Ji's name was Ji Ze. He was a member of the company's board of directors, vice president, and a level m3 executive. He often gave speeches on the radio, and at the end of the year and the beginning of the year, he would greet everyone through the display screen of the "Activity Center."
Amidst the discussion, a bell suddenly rang from the "Material Supply Market" next to the "Activity Center":
"Ding-ling-ling!"
Except for a few, most people seemed to hear the sound of a charge and stood up at the same time.
This ringing came from the "Material Supply Market," reminding everyone that there were only three minutes left before the cafeteria opened.
Seeing the neighbors start to move towards the "Employee Cafeteria," Long Yuehong glanced at Shang Jianyao beside him:
"You actually agreed with Aunt Ren's words."
Shang Jianyao looked ahead:
"Ask again in another way."
Long Yuehong frowned slightly, thought with some doubt, and said:
"What do you think of the 'Fertility Center' system that liberates women from pregnancy and childbirth?"
Shang Jianyao replied without hesitation:
"Isn't this a good thing?"
"..." Long Yuehong was speechless.
While speaking, the two had already arrived outside the "Material Supply Market."
There was no door here, allowing people to clearly see the situation inside:
On the left was the market with long tables and counters, and many employees who didn't want to eat in the cafeteria were picking and choosing, silently calculating. On the right was the "Employee Cafeteria," with doors and windows and overflowing with fragrance.
Before long, the cafeteria door opened, and the employees of the 495th floor, either holding their own tableware or empty-handed, walked in in an orderly manner.
Shang Jianyao didn't bring a lunch box. After entering, he separated from Long Yuehong, turned to the right, and received two large wooden bowls and a plate.
Then, he held the tableware and followed the people in front of him along a fixed route, heading towards different windows.
"Half a catty of sweet potato rice."
"A serving of braised cabbage."
"Two coarse grain steamed buns."
"A serving of boiled potatoes."
After walking through four windows, Shang Jianyao's two bowls were already full—the braised cabbage was topping the boiled potatoes and two yellow steamed buns, and the sweet potato rice was filling the other bowl, seemingly about to crack open.
This had already cost Shang Jianyao 14 contribution points: half a catty of sweet potato rice was 5 points, a coarse grain steamed bun was two points, a serving of boiled potatoes was 2 points, and a serving of braised cabbage with oil was 3 points.
Finally, Shang Jianyao arrived at the window with the richest fragrance.
This was the meat window.
He looked from left to right, and then from right to left, hesitated, and said:
"Give me a serving of braised pork with more gravy."
The aunt in the gray-blue uniform at the window took a spoon, scooped up three finger-length pieces of braised pork that were interspersed with fat and lean and looked tempting, and poured them into Shang Jianyao's bowl of sweet potato rice.
The soy sauce-colored gravy in the spoon quickly spread out, moisturizing half a bowl of rice.
"It's good that you came early, or it would be gone later." The aunt at the window was in the same "block" as Shang Jianyao's home, and she was very kind to him. "32 points."
Shang Jianyao looked at the heavy three pieces of braised pork, took out his electronic card, and swiped it on the machine.
He then said thank you, took a free clear soup, walked around in the cafeteria, found Long Yuehong, and sat opposite him.
"Wow, extravagant." Long Yuehong saw his dinner and sincerely praised it.
Shang Jianyao ignored him, first moved the part of the sweet potato rice mixed with gravy to the side, then picked up a piece of braised pork and gently took a bite.
Feeling the aroma of the meat explode in his mouth, Shang Jianyao quickly lowered his head and shoveled a mouthful of sweet potato rice that was not stained with gravy.
He ate faster and faster. By the time he finished the three pieces of braised pork, only a little bit of sweet potato rice and braised cabbage was left, while the boiled potatoes and coarse grain steamed buns were completely gone.
Finally, Shang Jianyao poured the braised cabbage into the rice bowl, mixed it with the remaining sweet potato rice with gravy, and finished it in one gulp.
"Satisfied." Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong across from him put down their bowls and chopsticks at the same time and sighed.
After drinking the clear soup, Long Yuehong casually asked:
"Going to the 'Activity Center'?"
Shang Jianyao shook his head:
"Going back to listen to the radio and rest early."
ps: In the previous chapter, I slipped and added an extra 2 when writing Shang Jianyao's birthday. It has now been revised..
ps2: Seeking recommendation tickets~
ps3: I accidentally clicked publish. I originally wanted to schedule it... Well, let's take it as a thank you to everyone. There's more tonight..