Chapter 173: The World at the Beginning of the Crisis Era_1

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Jiang Yu and Yang Dong, although married, Jiang Yu was unwilling to engage in any sexual activity.

He explained, "I really don't want our private matters to become a live broadcast for ETO and the Trisolarans. Let's wait until Sophon's threat is gone; it won't be too late to applaud for love then."

Yang Dong also didn't want to have children now, affecting her hibernation plan, so they easily agreed on this matter.

Jiang Yu's parents had both retired, but just last year, PDC countries required retirees to maintain a certain amount of labor to create or save wealth for society.

This labor was mandatory and had to continue until seventy-five years of age or until one was completely incapable of working; otherwise, no pension would be paid.

The policy was proposed because a tremendous amount of the world's wealth had been invested in scientific research, causing a severe shrinkage of global wealth.

Therefore, the PDC resorted to this measure, hoping to make or save whatever little they could.

At first, the elderly had complaints about the policy, but there was no significant opposition because the middle-aged and young people, who were the backbone of society, supported the policy.

After all, the economic pressure on all sectors of society was so great that they were nearly unable to provide for the retirement of this generation of elderly.

Soon retirees also realized that the government-mandated labor was not too demanding.

Especially in rural areas, because the rural pension was small to begin with, even when they reached the so-called retirement age, they still had to perform enough labor to support themselves.

Their normal amount of labor was much more than what's required by the domestic policy and the PDC for retirees, so the policy barely caused any ripples in rural areas.

In urban areas, the work of retirees generally revolved around environmental sanitation and various convenient services. Since the workload was not very heavy and it didn't interfere with dancing in the square or taking walks, the voices of opposition existed, but were few.

After all, the elderly knew they were sharing the burden with their children and grandchildren.

According to related policies, as a Wallfacer, Jiang Yu's parents were exempt from labor after retirement.

However, the couple expressed that they didn't want any special treatment.

Moreover, both of them felt that having things to do was better than staying at home idle, so they were among the more active laborers in the retiree workforce.

Additionally, there were some differences in perspective between Jiang Yu's parents and Yang Dong, something Jiang Yu had already cautioned her about. Although it led to some misunderstanding, it fortunately did not cause any conflict.

However, living at home was always somewhat uncomfortable, so after staying for half a month, Jiang Yu took his leave from his parents, preparing to go on his honeymoon.

On the eve of their departure, Jiang Yu's mother, Hu Huilan, specially prepared a table full of dishes.

Thanks to the further popularization and development of artificial starch technology, the use of food coupons was postponed.

But the fact that grain production was declining year by year could not be denied.

So as the price of grain continued to rise, low-cost starch food appeared on the market.

People who were once reluctant to accept artificial starch started to occasionally purchase it to relieve economic pressure.

Jiang Yu had even asked Qi Guanglu, why, without major disasters in recent years, was there a decrease in grain production?

Qi Guanglu replied, "Our country spans a large area from east to west, north to south, resulting in complex climatic conditions. Every year there will be a variety of disasters.

"It's just that the current redistribution mechanisms are advanced, and losses from natural disasters are quickly offset, so it's rare to have disasters that affect the whole country. Therefore, most people are not highly aware of these disasters.

"Although the effects of disasters are efficiently mitigated by government functions, the losses they cause in grain are real.

"Another significant reason is that there has been virtually no investment in agriculture in recent years, and even the maintenance funds for irrigation equipment have been reduced year by year.

"The aging of water conservancy facilities will increase the cost of planting and affect grain yields.

"At the same time, due to reduced support for private capital, small fertilizer factories have shut down one after another, and big factories have monopolized the market, leading to high fertilizer prices, which also affect both yield and costs."

Having understood the details, Jiang Yu didn't pursue the matter further, accepting these as the drawbacks that humanity must bear during rapid development.

Jiang Yu actually breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, artificial starch was developed one step ahead; this downside was still within a tolerable range.

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Although the grain issue had been resolved, the prices of non-staple foods continued to skyrocket.

In China, the prices of domestic fruits had roughly reached half of those in Japan. The prices of meats and eggs had also risen to about two-thirds of the prices in South Korea. (This was a somewhat bitter joke.)

The spread Hu Huilan prepared could be said to have "cost a fortune", even more lavish than the New Year's Eve dinner.

At the dining table, Jiang Wenhuan opened a bottle of sorghum liquor he had been reluctant to drink and poured a glass for himself and Jiang Yu.

The old man smiled and said, "Both of you are individuals destined for great things, and we, as your parents, naturally cannot confine you to the home.

"However, remember that home is right here. When you are tired from the outside world, come back and rest."

Hu Huilan brought out a cloth bundle and handed it to Yang Dong: "This was given to me by Jiang Yu's grandmother when I first married into the Jiang family. She said that one day I should pass it on to her granddaughter-in-law."

Yang Dong opened the cloth bundle to find a silver bracelet.

"Don't disdain it," Hu Huilan said with a smile: "Back then, there wasn't much of value.

"Initially, I wanted to have a gold bracelet made for you, but after discussing it with my spouse, we decided to have this silver bracelet repaired instead.

"This was the wish of the previous generation, keep it as a memento."

Yang Dong took the bracelet: "Thank you."

She wasn't sure how to express her gratitude verbal, but she could feel the weight of the bracelet.

Just like the pipe Ye Wenjie gave Jiang Yu back in the day, it wasn't worth much, but it held special significance.

At the same time, Yang Dong felt a twinge of guilt because she was unable to fulfill Jiang Yu's mother's wish of being a good mother or his wise and capable wife.

She had her own pursuits and could not devote herself to the trivialities of household life.

Nevertheless, Yang Dong accepted it, unwilling to let Jiang Yu's mother be disappointed.

Hu Huilan said with a laugh: "Things change so quickly nowadays, and we can't keep up with the thoughts of you young people.

"I had been thinking of holding my grandchildren, but it seems unlikely now.

"Do not worry about what we think, just be sure to take good care of yourselves."

Jiang Yu and Yang Dong nodded again and again, and it was only when Jiang Wenhuan changed the subject that the mood at the table lightened.

The following day, Jiang Yu and Yang Dong went to Europe and spent their honeymoon in Logic's Eden.

Yang Dong was truly surprised by the beauty of the place: "Sometimes, I lament that my pursuits have made me miss out on so much beauty.

"But this time, I should be able to make up for all I've missed."

Jiang Yu said with a laugh, "Let's set aside all our work and pursuits for the moment and enjoy life a bit."

Yang Dong nodded, for the first time having a clear goal regarding the enjoyment of life.

Garanin, the rotating chairman of the PDC, and Kent, Logic's liaison with the PDC, had both built new cabins here.

It is said that they plan to retire to this place, and given their roles, they could look forward to a worry-free retirement exempt from mandatory labor.

For now, the place was occupied only by Jiang Yu and Yang Dong, in addition to the staff tasked with protecting them.

In the early morning, they would rise to watch the sunrise, at noon they would read books in the cabin, and in the evening, they would stroll by the lake.

Everything here seemed enchanted, allowing one to forget all the troubles of the outside world.

But, as Jiang Yu's responsibilities demanded, the troubles of the outside world would inevitably come knocking on their door.