“I didn’t do it willingly!” To avoid any misunderstandings, Yu Nianqing hurriedly spoke up to distance herself from the situation. She hadn’t agreed to this marriage willingly. If there was a problem, they should take it up with him directly.
At her words, Bo Chen’s face darkened first.
Ivy gave Bo Chen a half-smile, then opened her holographic screen and pulled up the marriage registration guidelines and the Federation Marriage Law, displaying them for everyone to see.
“This is the Marriage Law. It states that, apart from being of legal age, both parties entering a registered marriage must also do so willingly.”
“Bo Chen, even with your special status, you can’t openly violate the Federation Marriage Law, can you?”
Ivy took another careful look at Yu Nianqing. “Wait a minute. Is your wife even of legal age?”
Bo Chen fixed Yu Nianqing with an icy stare, and only then did she stammer, “I… I am.”
“But you didn’t marry him willingly?” Ivy asked. Yu Nianqing was about to nod when she noticed Bo Chen’s gaze shift toward the garden outside.
“I married him willingly.”
“Him?”
Yu Nianqing put on a perfectly earnest expression. “I haven’t even asked your name yet. Do you know what mine is?”
“My name is Yu Nianqing. What about you?”
Ivy froze on the spot. The Regent had summoned her to register his marriage, so why did she get the feeling that these two were meeting for the very first time?
Ivy’s smile vanished, and she solemnly explained to Bo Chen the consequences of forcing a citizen into marriage.
Bo Chen had finally had enough. “Stop wasting time and hurry up with the registration.”
“If you’re really that bored, go develop some uninhabited planets.”
At that, Ivy immediately brought up the marriage registration interface. All they had to do was press their fingerprints simultaneously.
This time, Yu Nianqing no longer entertained the same naive idea she’d had before. In this place, DNA was equivalent to an identity card, and its function was even more important than one.
Once all the formalities had been completed, Ivy took out a mysterious box.
“Congratulations! You are now officially husband and wife. This is a generous gift package from the Kloss Federation Government for newlyweds.” She placed it in Yu Nianqing’s hands and immediately let go.
“So, what do you think? Doesn’t our Federation Government treat everyone well?”
Yu Nianqing nodded repeatedly. The box in her hands was surprisingly heavy. There must be quite a lot of things inside, right?
Sob, sob! So the welfare benefits in interstellar society were this good!
Not only did they provide an at-home marriage registration service, but they also gave out gifts. She wondered how many towels and tubes of toothpaste were inside.
Bo Chen took the box from her, intending to return it to Ivy. “Take this back.”
Ivy looked at him with a bitter expression. The Federation Government had practically piled up these newlywed gift packages to the ceiling, so why was it always so difficult to give them away?
“Wait, this was given to me. Why can’t I keep it?” Yu Nianqing asked in confusion. These were public welfare benefits, and she was supposed to turn them down? Were rich people really so willful?
As Bo Chen’s brows furrowed slightly, Ivy’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! This is the Federation Government’s way of showing its care for the people. This box is worth 999 star coins!”
Yu Nianqing took the box back. Nine hundred and ninety-nine star coins! That was almost as much as she earned from an entire day’s livestream.
Ivy walked briskly toward the door and smiled as she told Butler Lin that there was no need to see her out.
Standing inside the doorway, Yu Nianqing felt that she had been incredibly lucky today. She imagined this gift package was something like a wedding favor on Earth. Perhaps it contained toothpaste, towels, perfume, wedding candies, or wedding pastries…
It wasn’t until she opened the box that Xiao Jiu brought her some snake-belly cow’s milk and asked, as he looked at her, “Pretty big sister, why are you holding a box of adult products?”
Her tone was so innocent that it sounded as though she genuinely had no idea what those things were used for.
Yu Nianqing quickly tossed the box aside. Bo Chen stood nearby, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Didn’t you need them?”
“T-This… This is…!” Yu Nianqing stammered, her mind going completely blank.
Bo Chen smiled faintly. “The quantity distributed by Ivy is guaranteed to last you until the day you breathe your last.”
According to the Federation Government’s welfare tiers, someone in the position of Regent received approximately six times the benefits of an ordinary citizen.
So of course, the supplies would last her that long.
What?! Interstellar society was this open?!
Yu Nianqing was thoroughly traumatized. Back on Earth, these things had to be purchased discreetly. Yet today, she’d insisted on keeping the box in front of all these people. She’d even opened it in front of everyone, only for its contents to spill all over the floor when she threw it aside.
And right in front of a child, too…
Yu Nianqing hurriedly gathered everything up and shoved the box into a corner. By now, both her hands felt like they were burning.
She fled back to her own house as if escaping for her life.
Watching her bolt through the doorway, Bo Chen instructed Butler Lin, “Put those things back in her room.”
After returning home, Yu Nianqing received a friend request from Ivy.
At first, she hadn’t wanted to bother with it. But after thinking about what had just happened, Yu Nianqing grew a little angry again. She accepted the request, and Ivy immediately invited her to a video call.
Once the call connected, Yu Nianqing saw the lively woman with the figure of a mature, sexy older woman once again.
“I secretly memorized your ID just now. Bo Chen definitely wouldn’t have given it to me.”
“You’re Yu Nianqing, the one who livestreams ancient human cooking, right?”
“Did the tomato and scrambled eggs you made yesterday taste good? What did they taste like?”
Yu Nianqing wore a stern expression as she gazed coolly at Ivy.
Ivy was startled. She had no idea what had upset her. “What’s wrong, Miss Yu?”
“And you still have the nerve to ask me what’s wrong? What was in that gift package?” Yu Nianqing grew even angrier. When Ivy heard that, she could only give an awkward, sheepish smile.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Ivy softened her voice even further, sounding almost pitiful. “Please don’t be angry. I… I had no choice, either.”
Yu Nianqing gave her a look that clearly said, Go on. I’m listening.
“Several hundred years ago, there was a breakthrough in reproductive research. Nowadays, conception can be controlled with simple medication or minor surgery. But there’s such an enormous stockpile of these products that, with the technology we have today, they’re practically useless.”
“So nobody wants them anymore, and my storage room is practically overflowing with them…”
Ivy then gave her a little more background on interstellar society.
“So you decided to give them to me?”
“According to the regulations, the Federation Government has to give these little perks to every newlywed couple.”
“You and Mr. Bo just got married, so naturally, you couldn’t be left out.” What Ivy didn’t mention was that she’d given Yu Nianqing six times the usual amount.
Yu Nianqing felt that Ivy had a point, but still… “Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was when I opened that box?!”
Ivy lowered her head. “I thought you knew.” It was common knowledge throughout the entire interstellar world. The problem was that Yu Nianqing wasn’t from this era.
Yu Nianqing could only take a deep breath. “Forget it. It’s all in the past now.”
Ivy perked up. “I saw your update on the Star Network. You’re making shredded green peppers and potatoes today. Have you prepared the ingredients?”
Her reminder made Yu Nianqing remember that she still had a dish to make. It was already almost afternoon, and by her usual schedule, she would have started her livestream by now.
“This marriage has thrown off my whole schedule! Let’s talk later. I still need to get everything ready,” Yu Nianqing said. Ivy nodded understandingly and ended the video call.
To make shredded green peppers and potatoes, she would need green peppers and potatoes.