Fourteen

14 is possible...

In the future, marriage registration becomes extremely simple; there’s no such thing as waiting in line. You only need to hand over your bracelet at the entrance of the civil affairs bureau, and within three minutes, it’s all done. There’s no need for ID cards or household registration documents, no processing fees, and, of course, the legendary red certificate no longer exists.

Wearing a black bracelet, Wang Fei rushed up to Zhu Anfu. Zhu Anfu patted his pocket and pulled out a large red date, tossing it to Wang Fei.

“What’s this?” Wang Fei didn’t care about cleanliness; he just took a bite. “Isn’t this just a date?” He took another uncertain bite, chewing carefully. It seemed to be a date, though its size was unusually large.

“Eat the whole thing, then go get tested,” Zhu Anfu said, curious to see how soon the effects would manifest after eating the date—whether immediately or the next day. Wang Fei hesitated, but thinking of Zhu Anfu and Yuchi Ankang, he decided not to linger and ate the date in one go.

Unlike Wang Fei, Zhao Long held his oversized date and glanced back and forth between Zhu Anfu and Yuchi Ankang. Seeing both were calm and untroubled, Zhao Long finally brought the date to his lips and began to eat. No sooner had he finished than Wang Fei dragged him toward the strength testing facility. Zhao Long held him back: “You don’t have an appointment; there won’t be anyone to test you.” Wang Fei looked helpless—everything else was convenient, but this was a nuisance; many departments wouldn’t do anything without an appointment.

Zhu Anfu invited both to his home for dinner. In the future, there are restaurants, but not small eateries; a restaurant is several stories tall and looks grand. The hygiene standards are said to be strictly enforced: if a single hair is found in a dish, even if the customer doesn’t complain, severe penalties follow. The kitchen is under full surveillance, with frequent spot checks; gutter oil is impossible. Still, Zhu Anfu had no fondness for restaurants. A dish at home cost so little, but in a restaurant, the price was several times higher. Nothing Yuchi Ankang cooked was inferior to a restaurant chef’s fare.

To celebrate the two newlywed couples, Yuchi Ankang thought there was enough food at home and extended the invitation. Now that they had the means to help friends, they wouldn’t refuse. As the saying goes—when you leave home, rely on friends; and now, out in the world, friends were their only support.

Wang Fei and Zhao Long didn’t stand on ceremony. Upon arriving at Zhu Anfu and Yuchi Ankang’s home, they first asked Prince to make an appointment for their strength test the next day, then began chatting with Zhu Anfu. Zhao Long couldn’t bear the topics between Wang Fei and Zhu Anfu and slipped into the kitchen to see if he could help.

After dinner, they saw Wang Fei and Zhao Long off. Yuchi Ankang had just sat down when Prince appeared beside them. “Master Yuchi, there’s an invitation from the military. Would you like to read it now?”

“No, just summarize it,” Yuchi Ankang replied. Though he was a teacher, he had little patience for official documents. An invitation from the military could hardly be good news.

“The military asks if you’d like to train with the mecha corps or apply for the mecha specialty at the academy. You meet the basic qualifying standards.” Prince summarized simply. “Master, both the mecha corps and the mecha specialty are excellent and highly respected. Not just anyone can join—the requirements are very strict.”

“If I go to study there or join the corps, I won’t be able to stay home. Forget it!” They had just married, and he didn’t want to be separated. Yuchi Ankang kissed Zhu Anfu, who pushed him away. Prince was a robot, but… a thinking robot, and Zhu Anfu didn’t want to appear too affectionate in front of him.

“Master, there’s no requirement to live on campus. Even in the corps, it’s like being at the academy; first you learn about mechas, and the academy teaches just that,” Prince explained simply. “Master Zhu, the site manager has sent invitations for two days in a row; I think you should meet them. If you’d rather make them wait, I’ll decline.”

“Huh? They want a meeting? Where? At home? Is it safe?” Zhu Anfu’s thoughts were truly unique.

Yuchi Ankang shook his head helplessly. “We’ll meet them at home. Have them come at one in the afternoon. Our terms: we want shares but won’t take part in management. The shares must be substantial. Prince, you understand the market; just make sure we don’t get cheated.”

“I guarantee to fulfill the task,” Prince said, almost saluting, delightedly sending a message to the site. Among all robots of his generation and those before, none had been so fortunate as to help their masters with such important matters. Though the masters’ unfamiliarity with the system played a role, he believed they were good people and treated him with respect.

“Why meet at home?” Zhu Anfu pushed Yuchi Ankang. He felt home was private, not to be shared with strangers.

“If we dislike them after meeting, Prince can blacklist them and cut ties. We’ll withdraw our funds in one go, and there’ll be no further contact. Besides, these days they’ve ridden the Ice Dance hype; we’ll charge a fee, even if they didn’t mean to.”

Zhu Anfu finally nodded. “Are you thinking about studying mechas?” Changing the subject from the website, he was fascinated by mechas, though he disliked going out and felt anxious about attending school.

“I do want to learn. I know you’re interested, too. I’ll study, and when I come back, I’ll teach you—you’ll learn along with me. Prince can handle the site; I trust him to manage it well.” Yuchi Ankang finished speaking and picked Zhu Anfu up. “I find the future’s bathroom very comfortable—let’s go enjoy it again.”

After sending the email, Prince realized both masters were no longer in the room. Using his sensors to locate them, he didn’t barge in; they were taking a lovers’ bath, and interrupting would surely end badly.

The two spent over an hour in the bathroom before emerging. Prince didn’t dare enter the bedroom, waiting quietly in the living room. He felt he might be forgotten tonight, and was feeling down when he heard the bedroom door open. Prince turned, and saw Master Yuchi coming toward him. The little red heart on his robotic body flashed and flickered—he knew his master wouldn’t forget him after all.