Chapter 4: Name Change

When Jiang Miao was in the middle of kindergarten, she passed a test and directly skipped to the first grade in elementary school.

It was only at this time that she learned about the Citizen Comprehensive Assessment and Scoring System, which evaluates individuals from birth, encompassing aspects like intelligence, health, academic performance, and social credit.

Her grade advancement clearly gave her a good boost, benefiting both herself and her parents.

Zhang Ya happily called Mr. Coso, and on a day that wasn’t a designated visitation day, Mr. Coso made a special visit. The three of them went to a restaurant together to celebrate.

Through the conversation at the dinner table, Jiang Miao learned that due to her grade advancement, both Zhang Ya and Mr. Coso received additional points, primarily in the pension weight and tax reduction coefficient.

Jiang Miao was no longer surprised at this point.

For successful white-collar elites like Zhang Ya and Mr. Coso, who can be considered accomplished in their careers, choosing to spend time and energy on having a child goes beyond the natural drive for reproduction. It’s primarily due to the various subsidies and incentives provided by the government.

However, even with these incentives, Zhang Ya was gradually losing patience with the idea of raising a child.

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Rd vbl lyazu pvytlp, Kkydt Ykys, wple bla yehydvytl yp y vaydpxktayvsa vs yehydnle y qlo tayelp. Tsolhla, kd vbkp kdvlapvlzzya lay, vbl vlnbdszstknyz zlhlz sq vbl Qkvy Slrwczkn qya pwarypple Oyavb. Mbl qwavbla pbl rastalpple, vbl xsal Kkydt Ykys qlzv vbl kdnalypkdt ekqqknwzvu. Ohld vbswtb pbl wple vs cl y vsr pvweldv, Kkydt Ykys bye vs rwv kd pwcpvydvkyz lqqsav vs xykdvykd yd yehydvytl.

Gv vbl pyxl vkxl, yp pbl vaydpqsaxle qasx y zkvvzl tkaz kdvs y vlldytla, obknb nywple pktdkqknydv kdnsdhldkldnl vs vbl lxsvksdyz yde plmwyz yprlnvp sq Hbydt Zy’p zkql .

Kkydt Ykys, rspplppkdt vbl pswz sq yd yewzv, dyvwayzzu dsvknle vbkp. Fbl nswze sdzu takv bla vllvb yde osaj byae vs pvweu, ykxkdt vs tlv kdvs wdkhlapkvu yp pssd yp rsppkczl.

Gv vbl ytl sq qkqvlld, Kkydt Ykys oyp yexkvvle vs Uzlhld Bdkhlapkvu sd vbl plnsde pyvlzzkvl sq vbl nyrkvyz rzydlv, cakdtkdt talyv alzklq vs Hbydt Zy.

Ya. Usps, ewl vs osaj nsxxkvxldvp, bye vs vayhlz vs ydsvbla rzydlv qsa plhlayz xsdvbp yde nswzed’v xyjl kv cynj kd vkxl vs pll Kkydt Ykys sqq. Tsolhla, bl nyzzle vbaswtb y hkels nyzz, ldvbwpkypvknyzzu nsdtayvwzyvkdt bla yde tldlaswpzu tkqvkdt bla y qkapv-nzypp vknjlv sd y prynlpbkr cswde qsa vbl nyrkvyz rzydlv yp y aloyae.

Rv’p osavb dsvkdt vbyv vbkp fswadlu zypvle qsa y xsdvb yde y byzq.

Jlqsal csyaekdt vbl prynlpbkr vs vbl nyrkvyz rzydlv, Hbydt Zy tyhl Kkydt Ykys y qyalolzz bwt, pyukdt, “Zsw’al olznsxl vs nsxl cynj yduvkxl.”

Jwv Kkydt Ykys jdlo nzlyazu vbyv vbkp oyp y sdl-oyu vknjlv. Xdnl pbl zlqv, pbl rascyczu oswzed’v alvwad. Gv zlypv, Hbydt Zy bye dlhla bsrle qsa bla alvwad; pbl bye rynjle yzxspv yzz sq Kkydt Ykys’p clzsdtkdtp.

Because by the time Jiang Miao finished university, she would be legally an adult, and Zhang Ya would have no legal obligations towards her.

Zhang Ya’s welcome (to come back) was sincere, not just a formality.

However, this welcome was for Jiang Miao to visit. The concept of “visiting” implies a brief, temporary event and does not involve becoming a part of her life.

In essence, Zhang Ya is Zhang Ya, and Zhang Mary is Zhang Mary. From here on, the two paths diverge.

When the shuttle took off, Jiang Miao found herself less emotional than when Mr. Coso left initially.

It might be because back then her body was still small, lacking the ability to take care of herself, and instinctively hoping for the protection of two adults simultaneously, she thought.

Over the years, she had figured it out. Isn’t this society, this family model, exactly what she wanted in her previous life?

Parents are parents, and children are children, and everyone refrains from interfering in each other’s lives. Parents fulfill their nurturing duties, and children fulfill their responsibility of support.

In the Gita Republic, even the support phase can be omitted.

For individuals like Jiang Miao, who have excelled throughout their journey and maintained a consistently high Citizen Comprehensive Index score, it is said that there will be a comprehensive assessment when they graduate from university. As long as she continues to excel and earns high scores in the assessment, her parents will receive generous rewards.

Especially for Zhang Ya Ya, who is responsible for raising Jiang Miao, as the caregiver, her coefficient rewards are significantly higher than Mr. Coso.

In this way, the responsibilities of elderly care are fulfilled in advance for individuals who excel in this manner.

This is a society where no one will pressure you to get married, and there won’t be people pointing fingers at you for being old and unmarried.

Jiang Miao thought, isn’t that great?

Although she thought so, when she boarded the interstellar flight through the shuttle and looked at the planet she had lived on for fifteen years through the porthole, thinking about Zhang Ya’s relaxed appearance at boarding—Jiang Miao even sensed an eager anticipation in her expression.

Somehow, Jiang Miao felt her nose was a little sore.

Jiang Miao still remembered her mother on Earth in her past life. When she was admitted to the capital’s university, her family was in the hot southern region. Her mother was full of worries, fearing that she might suffer from the cold winters in the north. When she took the train to go to university, her mother even shed tears.

While she was studying at school, her parents at home kept an eye on the weather forecast. Whenever they saw wind and snow in the north, they would quickly call her.

As the final exams approached, her parents would incessantly call, asking when she would be coming home, which train she would be taking, so they could pick her up at the station.

In her previous life at that time, Jiang Miao took all of this for granted. Later, as she advanced in her studies and grew older, tired of the constant pressure to get married, she didn’t bother going home even for the Spring Festival, also considering it as a matter of course.

Anyway, her family was there and wouldn’t go anywhere. She could return whenever she wanted.

But in this life, Jiang Miao knew that nothing was so certain anymore, and there was no longer a home waiting for her to return to at any time.

Indeed, after the first month, Zhang Ya only called Jiang Miao once to inquire about her well-being. She never took the initiative to call Jiang Miao again.

Jiang Miao insisted on calling her once a month to greet her. Having been nurtured and cared for by Zhang Ya for fifteen years, she still hoped to maintain a relationship with this intelligent and elegant woman that was at least a little closer than “strangers.”

Jiang Miao didn’t think it was too much to ask.

But obviously, Zhang Ya didn’t see it that way. After Jiang Miao persisted for six months, she received a call from Mr. Coso.

“Hey, kiddo!” Mr. Coso’s face seemed like it had never changed, still resembling a young man in his twenties. He spoke with a friendly smile, “Zhang Ya called me, she’s a bit worried about you. I heard you call her every month?”

He said, “Child, although you are not yet eighteen, you are already a university student. You should have a mature mindset that matches your knowledge and status. Excessive attachment to the caregiver is not the behavior expected of a university student.”

Was a monthly phone call, lasting only five to ten minutes each time, considered excessive attachment?

Jiang Miao felt a slight sense of powerlessness.

“Alright,” she said after a moment of silence, forcing a smile. “I won’t bother her anymore in the future.”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Miao thought, isn’t Zhang Ya already remarkable?

Many of Jiang Miao’s high school classmates lived in dormitories. Adolescents in their teens are the most challenging to deal with, and many caregivers, unable to cope, transfer guardianship to the school during this stage, handing the troublesome children over to professionals.

However, in response, once guardianship is transferred, the bonus rewards obtained for the child’s outstanding performance are also transferred to the school. Zhang Ya’s ability to care for Jiang Miao until she entered university was already much better than many caregivers.

Although, in reality, this has nothing to do with the fact that Jiang Miao’s body houses the soul of an adult.

Jiang Miao, therefore, no longer called Zhang Ya. Zhang Ya and Mr. Coso also stopped calling her. In this society, regardless of a child’s age or grade level, it is assumed that they should have emotional intelligence and capabilities commensurate with their circumstances.

Jiang Miao received calls from these two again when she turned eighteen, after the final assessment.

Not surprisingly, Jiang Miao achieved a high score.

This brought substantial rewards to Zhang Ya and Mr. Coso. Both of them called to congratulate and thank her.

Zhang Ya was in a very good mood and asked, “Any plans for this vacation?”

With only one semester in an academic year and a vacation lasting four months, Zhang Ya and Mr. Coso had prepaid Jiang Miao’s tuition and living expenses. Additionally, she had a scholarship, making her financially comfortable. With no home to return to, Jiang Miao spent her three-year vacations traveling.

“I plan to visit Constellation Six. I heard the scenery there is excellent,” Jiang Miao said.

“Yes, it’s really nice there. I went after graduating from college. Have a great time!” Zhang Ya said. “Well then, goodbye, Mary.”

Jiang Miao replied, “Goodbye, Zhang Ya.”

Mr. Coso also said in the video, “Goodbye, Mary.”

Jiang Miao responded, “Goodbye, Mr. Coso.”

As the screen went black, Jiang Miao knew that from now on, she had no connection with them.

In this society, every adult is independent, and most people do not get married. Even if they collaborate to have children, they will at most raise them to adulthood. Hardly anyone continues to have children with the same parenting partner. Those who have multiple children most likely collaborated with different parenting partners.

Even parents do not maintain contact with their children after they reach adulthood, let alone these half-blood siblings. Therefore, it can be considered that everyone has no siblings, and naturally, there are no uncles, aunts, and the like.

Ethical concepts are very different. The definition of incest is narrowed down to sexual relations between parents and their biological children. Even half-blood siblings and those separated by generations fall outside this definition.

However, if a man and a woman plan to have children, they must first check their blood relationship within three generations through the government system. Collaborative childbearing within three generations of blood relations is prohibited.

The concepts of home and family only exist in the upper echelons of society. In this country, only the wealthy in the upper echelons of society are still adhering to the ancient tradition of marriage, maintaining social relationships such as family and even lineage.

Every marriage is accompanied by significant financial transactions, advanced technological collaborations, and extensive resource sharing. It is precisely because of these reasons that the wealthy choose to get married.

For ordinary people like Jiang Miao, Zhang Ya, and Mr. Coso, as long as they live their lives well, it’s sufficient.

When Jiang Miao turned eighteen, after her last call with her biological parents, she stared at the blank screen for a moment. After a while, she opened the screen again and searched for government public services. She found the household registration service and submitted an application to change her name.

As an adult, she didn’t need anyone’s consent other than the government to change her name. The central computer of the government approved the application within minutes.

From then on, Zhang Mary changed her name to Jiang Miao.

Sansukini: Spoiler: The ML has a different mindset when it comes to relationship compared to this era’s mindset. I won’t say he’s traditional, but he’s… (for lack of adjectives I can think of) domesticated.
Anyway, thinking of this kind of society, I don’t think I would like it. Although I am an introvert and usually don’t like getting along well with other people except for the occasional greetings, I do have a very close relationship with my family, especially my sons. I see this kind of mindset on the internet all the time where the generation now would say that they are independent and rejects marriage and family. But it’s not really ideal, it leads to a lot of loneliness and helplessness when you get older because you won’t have that emotional support when you need it the most in the latter part of your life. Or maybe, I’m just too old-fashioned.

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