"I am back."
DiDi... The fingerprint reader sounded a crisp tone, and the anti-theft door with a small advertisement slid open.
Zhou Jing returned home, Junxiu's face was tired, and he was carrying a small cake box in his hand.
The full-length mirror by the door showed his appearance, simple short hair, delicate appearance, gentle, white clothes, black pants and leather shoes, and a serious job search attire.
Today is another day for job interviews. As a fresh graduate of a secondary institution, his GPA has not passed the excellent line, so he can only apply for a place in an institution of higher learning. In the past three months, Zhou Jing has been looking for a job in addition to reviewing.
The competition for employment in Xihai City has become more and more fierce, and it is not easy to find a job with a standard degree. Today, I received a bunch of "go back and wait for the news" that my ears are numb. Zhou Jing's mood is not disturbed. It is already a toad who wants to eat swan meat - he is used to it.
After putting on his slippers skillfully, Zhou Jing suddenly realized that the house was a little too quiet.
At this time, the family should be filled with the slapstick of the younger siblings, as well as the TV sound that my mother used to turn up when she was watching dramas in the afternoon, but at this moment, the usually noisy room was unbelievably quiet.
"Is nobody home?"
Zhou Jing whispered and walked around the door cabinet, only to find that his parents and siblings were all sitting quietly at the dining table, turning their heads to look at them.
There is no food on the minimalist dining table, only a bunch of daffodils that are gradually yellowing in a glass vase on the table, swaying gently.
Zhou Jing was stunned by this scene.
What's the matter, the Family Court? Could it be that I secretly played cards with my brother yesterday and won all his pocket money, and the incident happened
But the two brothers who moved out came back anyway. It's only been eight days since the last family gathering. We usually only get together once a month or two, so we won't get together for this trivial matter...
At this time, the mother Zhao Jing spoke, her tone seemed to be the same as usual, but her voice trembled faintly.
"Third, how was your interview today?"
Hearing this, Zhou Jing suppressed the doubts in his heart, shook his head and said, "It's still like that, you know, many basic positions are now occupied by mechanical workers. I'm a new graduate with no work experience, and it's too hard to find a job."
"Then you... what are your plans?"
This kind of thing seems to have been said before, have you forgotten? Zhou Jing was a little strange, but he mentioned it again:
"It's not easy to find a job with a standard degree. I have already applied for an institution of higher learning and want to get a higher degree. If I can't find a job during this period, I can only borrow tuition from you... But don't worry, I will work in the future. I'll be back later."
Zhou Jing explained in a low voice, while taking off his tie and pulling off his collar, he sat down at the only vacant seat left at the dining table.
He put the cake box in his hand on the table and pushed it towards his three underage younger siblings.
"Here, the cake is bought for you."
"Wow, thank you Third Brother!" "Third Brother is the best!" "This was bought with my pocket money! Only I can eat it!"
The three younger brothers and sisters cheered, mixed with a discordant voice, and hurriedly opened the box together and competed for the cake.
Zhou Jing smiled, then turned to look at his father, mother, and two older brothers, and found that the four of them looked very serious.
Hmm, the atmosphere is weird, why are you staring at me, even if I'm pretty handsome, don't keep staring at me...
Zhou Jing couldn't help but wonder: "Why are all the people here today, you still have such an expression, what happened?"
Father Zhou Wei'an exhaled a long breath from his nose and said in a low voice: "Have you seen that news, the newly developed habitable planet by the Community Government has started a new round of immigration, because the number of active applicants is not enough this time, so it started randomly. Forced immigration by lottery."
"...I know about this." Zhou Jing nodded, his heart suddenly stunned.
Zhou Weian said solemnly: "Our family was selected, and we have to pay for a compulsory immigration quota... Your future plan needs to be changed."
When the words fell, Zhou Jing's expression froze, and his eyes slowly widened.
He finally understood why the family members were so abnormal today.
Forced immigration... I didn't expect such a low probability thing to fall on my own head.
Since the era of interstellar navigation, dozens of countries that have emerged from the mother planet have formed an "interstellar union" and become the supreme ruling government of human civilization.
As human civilization's spacecraft cruises through stellar systems, more and more habitable planets are incorporated into the territory of civilization.
Humans and leeks have a lot in common, and they are endlessly growing and cutting, but the premise is that the seeds are planted. And each new colonized planet requires a lot of manpower to develop and multiply, so under the decision of the Interstellar Union Community, the leek transplant... The interstellar immigration system was established.
Yawen Library
One of the options is "forced immigration".
If the number of interstellar immigrants voluntarily applied for is not as expected, countries may randomly select eligible objects from the nearest "surrounding planets" and implement compulsory immigration. When the target of the lottery is a family, then the family will discuss and decide which member will take the compulsory immigration quota.
About half a month ago, the authoritative media of this planet broadcast relevant news, reporting that the number of active immigrants in this new planet has not yet reached the standard, and the planet where I live is just within the scope of this forced immigration.
Zhou Jing didn't take it to heart at the time, because compared to the population of the entire planet, the number of forced immigrants was limited, and the chance of "winning" was slim. He thought it had nothing to do with him.
But I didn't expect this kind of thing to be hit by myself.
"It's not so bad..."
Zhou Jing's mood sank.
He is very clear that although human civilization has left the home planet, the current glorious civilization is created by interstellar immigrants. The residents of all colonized planets have been counted for generations, and they were all immigrants at first... But this is the brilliance of civilization, and it may not necessarily be the case for interstellar immigrants. what a good thing.
Interstellar immigrants are not allowed to leave the new planet at will within a specified period of time, and the communication and transportation technology of human civilization has not improved by leaps and bounds for many years. Therefore, for ordinary people, colonizing planets is like an isolated island with isolated information.
At present, only high-end technology can communicate across planets, and it is not easy to open to ordinary people. Civil base stations can only be networked within the planet, which is equivalent to a local area network with planets as the unit. Ordinary people on the two planets can hardly communicate.
In addition, due to the limitations of spaceship technology and transportation technology, the cost of traveling across planets is extremely high, which is unaffordable for ordinary people. As a result, although human civilization has entered the interstellar era for many years, the interstellar population circulation rate is still extremely low. Generally, only when new planets are developed, there will be large-scale immigrants organized by various countries.
Therefore, in the life of ordinary people, interstellar immigration is like being cut off from the past life - having to leave the familiar planet and come to a strange world, isolated from friends, relatives, and news, and from then on alone and without support .
The vast majority of people will only live on one planet in their entire lives.
My family was selected for forced immigration, which means that one person here will leave this planet, and it may be difficult to meet other family members for half a lifetime... And listening to Zhou Wei'an's meaning, this candidate is obviously himself.
Zhou Jing took a deep breath: "So... I was drawn?"
Zhou Weian knocked on the table and said solemnly: "It's not important. The problem now is that our family must send someone to accept forced immigration. We have already discussed it, and only you are the most suitable for this quota."
"...but it was not discussed with me."
Zhou Jing pursed his lips, feeling indescribably complicated.
He has lived on this planet for 20 years and never thought of leaving. Even his family should not make decisions for him on such a major event in his future life.
"But besides you, who else is suitable?!"
Zhou Wei'an's voice grew louder.
Zhou Jing heard the words and turned to look at his elder brother.
The eldest brother has an elite temperament in the workplace, he pushed the gold wire glasses, and his tone was calm:
"Young third, you know me. I worked in Yinhao Group for several years, and led a team to develop several new projects in the financial product department. It's not my turn to have a certain degree on this planet. The person in the position is forced to immigrate, I can't give up the career at hand to do it for you... You understand?"
"I see."
Zhou Jing nodded and turned to look at his second brother.
The second brother suddenly seemed to be caught by fire, and he almost jumped up. He quickly waved his hand and said incoherently:
"Thirdest, you know me! I took the exam for three years before I was admitted to a national-level institution of higher learning. Next year, I will go to the capital for further studies. After graduating, I can find a high-paying job in the local area, and then I can settle down and live in the capital. Ya! The government must have made a mistake, forced immigration should never be my turn, how can I give up my hard-earned bright future!"
Zhou Jing pursed his lips and looked away from his second brother.
He turned his head and glanced at the other three underage siblings. The oldest was only ten years old and the youngest was five years old. These three bear children obviously did not meet the standards for forced immigration.
Yes, everyone has a suitable reason, the best candidate, but I'm the only one left...
Families in the interstellar society, adult children are basically separated. The eldest and second brothers have their own futures, only they are stuck in a position where they can’t get any better. Not long after graduation, they can’t find a job... What the Interstellar Immigration Bureau likes the most is him who has no stable career or job in the local area. Tender youth workforce.
Zhou Jing fell silent for a while.
He was originally unhappy that his family hadn't discussed it with him, but after looking around, he didn't know who to be angry with.
Take apart the parents and convince one of them to go? Turtle, this is too filial...
Moreover, my father also has a career and connections in the local area. If he is willing to go, he will not allow himself to be placed on the mandatory immigration quota.
Then the whole family immigrated together and lived on another planet? It is also unlikely, everyone has already expressed their position, and they are not willing to give up the future of this planet, and it is impossible to accompany them to leave.
So, it seems that he can only take up this position and sacrifice for the family
Zhou Jing suddenly remembered something, and immediately gave birth to expectations, and quickly asked his father:
"By the way, you are a public official and have special treatment. Can you submit an application to the Interstellar Immigration Bureau to cancel our family's compulsory immigration quota?"
Although there are many children in the family, they are not the common "mi worm" family in the interstellar society. Father Zhou Wei'an has a job and is a small grass-roots cadre in the Chidu Republic... He has very little power, but he is an official staff member.
According to the provisions of forced immigration, if the family is selected for forced immigration, a person serving in the government of a member state of the Interstellar Commonwealth can submit an exemption application to the Interstellar Immigration Bureau. As long as certain conditions and standards are met, the quota for compulsory immigration can be exempted legally.
From Zhou Jing's point of view, the best outcome would be to directly waive the quota, so that no one has to leave... And only Zhou Wei'an in the family has such a right.
However, upon hearing these words, Zhou Wei'an's expression changed, and he scolded:
"Nonsense, as a public official, I have to take the lead in answering the call, how can I contradict the immigration policy!"
"But this is your legal right, why not if you can use it, maybe it will be successful if you try it, then I don't have to immigrate to leave..."
Zhou Jing's tone was a little anxious, it was related to his future life, so he couldn't ignore it.
But before he could finish speaking, Zhou Wei'an interrupted him and frowned:
"It's only 'theoretically' that the immigration quota can be exempted. I won't say that you also understand that whether the application is passed depends not only on the actual family situation, but also on the job level... Those who are eligible to pass the exemption application will not be selected, but Those who can be selected for forced immigration mean that they basically fail to pass the audit. Do you understand the situation here?"
Zhou Jing understood this truth, but he didn't want to give up, so he said:
"But even if the probability is low, try it..."
"enough!"
Zhou Weian slapped the table and shouted in a deep voice, "Young San, you've always been very sensible, so I'll tell you straight... Recently my department is going to change, and I was brushed off the first two times. My resume is finally enough, and I have a good chance to take a step forward. At this time, my family won the lottery, but I did not take the lead in responding to the immigration policy. What do my leaders and colleagues think of me? I have waited for many years and cannot take risks at this time! "
Zhou Jing's expression suddenly froze, and he looked at his father, as if he knew each other for the first time.
The Interplanetary Commonwealth government needs interstellar expansion, so responding to immigration policy has long been politically correct.
If there are immigrant members in a family, in addition to the official immigration welfare subsidies, there are many unwritten unwritten rules to support, and some potential care and compensation will be given to those who have interstellar immigrants in the family—especially public officials. It's no longer a secret.
And trying to shirk the responsibility of forced immigration, although it will not be targeted, but some good things will not take him into account. This thing varies from person to person.
He understood that Zhou Wei'an was worried about affecting his career, and would rather sit back and watch him be forcibly immigrated than try to exercise his legal rights to protect his family.
If he immigrates by himself, then his father's promotion is not only a chance, but may become a certainty.
Zhou Jing understood his father's subtext, and an indescribable loss welled up in his heart.
Maybe, Zhou Wei'an didn't think it was bad luck, but thought it was a blessing from heaven.
—There are six children in the family, and one of the children’s long-distance travel has been exchanged for years of career promotion, and in the name of official policies, I can convince myself that I have to accept the “gift”…
So obviously he could submit an application and try not to separate his family, but Zhou Weian was unwilling to do so. This is the real reason.
The two looked at each other, the air seemed to stagnate, and they fell into a tense silence.
The mother next to her opened her mouth several times, but she didn't know how to interrupt.
Seemingly aware of the rigidity of the atmosphere, the three brothers and sisters' tumultuous energy gradually stopped, and their curious eyes turned back and forth on Zhou Jing and his father Zhou Wei'an.
The five-year-old brother had cake cream on his lips, widened his eyes, looked at Zhou Jing ignorantly, and asked:
"Third brother, has Dad offended you?"
"... Eat your cake. I bought it with your pocket money. If you don't eat it, I'll eat it."
"Wow dreaming! I won't give you a piece!" The younger brother hurriedly buried his face in the cake.
Zhou Jing twisted the back of his younger brother Pan's head and forced a smile.
The younger siblings were still at an ignorant age and didn't understand what happened. Zhou Jing didn't plan to explain it. It was enough for adults like them to worry about this kind of thing.
Zhou Weian coughed and broke the silence:
"This is a compulsory policy. Even if you don't want to go, the official people will take coercive measures. Besides, it's not a bad thing for young people to go out and try, so don't resist. Think about it, you haven't found a job now, as long as you go Immigrants, the government's welfare will directly assign you a job, and save you the trouble of applying for higher education institutions, isn't it good, you don't have to worry about your livelihood in this life."
Zhou Jing was silent for a while, then whispered, "I know that immigration benefits are good... but I still want to stay."
"But it's not up to you. You have to immigrate, and you can only immigrate. I'm not discussing it with you!" Zhou Weian tapped on the table, his tone a little irritable.
"...Aren't you a little guilty?" Zhou Jing couldn't help asking.
Zhou Wei'an's voice became louder: "Joke, what am I sorry for? I raised you so much, yet I owe you? Who will go if you don't go? The boss and the second have a stable future. Go, or let me go? Oh, you mean to force me to submit a waiver application to the immigration office, asking me not to care about my career, to give up the promotion that I have been waiting for for so many years? Don't be too selfish!"
Zhou Jing looked at his father silently.
I don't know whether to feel sorry for myself or for the other person.
Her mother, Zhao Jing, hurriedly said, "It's alright, alright, all your dad's words are angry words."
Zhou Jing turned his head and looked over: "Then what do you think?"
"I... ugh." Zhao Jing twisted her fingers together and tangled: "Third, if you want to open up, at least one of your dad's words is right, it's not that we want you to immigrate, it's the official policy... and mother Knowing that you are the most caring family, and now is the time when the family needs you, so…”
"Yeah, the family needs your contribution, brother, you should do him a favor." The second brother couldn't wait to interject, his expression was a little awkward, and his tone was awkward: "Also, you promised to immigrate, maybe the list of scholarships for higher education institutions. , I have my name..."
"I'm back in my room!"
Zhou Jing suddenly stood up, strode back to his room, and slammed the door.
The family members at the table looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a while.
After a while of silence, they communicated in a low voice.
"The third child will agree? I don't want to be dragged to immigrate, and my stipend has not yet been received..."
"Can you speak? So straightforward, it's easy for the third child to misunderstand."
"But he is the most suitable, help me what's wrong..."
"The third child has always been very family-friendly. He just can't accept this shock temporarily. Give him a little time and he will agree..."
In the deliberately low voice of the conversation, the narcissus on the table shook gently, and a piece of withered yellow petals fell.