In the vast social pyramid of the Star Kingdom, the bottom layer consists of the largest number of industrial workers. Li Gang is just one of the most ordinary members of this group.

He was thirty years old and a senior welder at the Third Heavy Machinery Plant in Chengtian City.

His life revolved around three points: factory dormitory, workshop, and canteen.

He is an honest man, not good with words, and his biggest dream is to save enough money to buy a house and then marry a down-to-earth and hardworking girl.

This dream became unattainable after he saw the housing prices in Chengtian City and the ever-increasing "bride price".

Until the arrival of the "universal benefit" lottery system.

When Li Gang's name appeared on the list of successful bidders, the entire workshop erupted in cheers. They lifted him up, tossed him into the air, and cheered loudly for him.

"Gangzi! You've hit the jackpot!"

"Now I have a wife and a house! Long live the Emperor!"

Don't forget to treat us!

Li Gang was in the air, gesturing wildly and grinning from ear to ear. He felt as if he had been hit by a huge lottery ticket, and his whole body was dizzy.

A few days later, he received his "prize".

A girl from Yingzhou named "Miki," and a "allowance" enough for him to buy a two-bedroom apartment in the factory's residential area.

Miki comes from an ordinary family in Yingzhou. She has a pretty face and a gentle personality.

When she was brought before Li Gang, she kept her head down and nervously twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands.

Li Gang stared at the girl in front of him, more beautiful than any movie star in a magazine, unsure what to do with his hands. He hesitated for a long time, his face flushed, before finally managing to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth:

"Um... my name is Li Gang. From now on, you'll be living with me."

He wasn't as domineering as Zhao Si; he was just a poor boy who suddenly became "rich," and he seemed somewhat at a loss when faced with this windfall.

With his allowance, he quickly bought a house, and with the guidance of his coworkers' wives, he bought all sorts of furniture and household items. He gave the best room in the house to Miki.

Following the example of the movies, he would buy a bunch of cheap, synthetic electronic flowers or some snacks for Miki every day after get off work.

He tried to be nice to her.

"You...you eat this." He handed over a packet of nutritional paste.

“This…this bed is soft, you can sleep on it.” He pointed to the newly bought bed.

"Do...do you want to watch TV? The Empire's gala is amazing!"

He expressed, in his clumsy way, the simple kindness an ordinary man has for his wife.

Miki's initial reaction to all of this was fear and numbness. But gradually, she discovered that this man was not quite the conqueror she had imagined.

He wouldn't hit her, wouldn't scold her, and even at night, when he awkwardly approached her, if she showed even the slightest resistance or fear, he would shrink back as if he'd been electrocuted, and then silently go to sleep on the sofa in the living room by himself.

She is a realistic woman, or rather, a woman who knows how to survive.

She knew that resistance was pointless, and crying wouldn't bring her freedom. Her family had already traded her for the right to live. The only thing she could do was to survive, and to live a better life.

The man before her was the only piece of driftwood she could cling to in this desperate world.

One evening a month later, Li Gang came home from get off work and wearily pushed open the door to his house.

He smelled the aroma of food.

He was stunned. He walked into the kitchen and saw Miki wearing an apron, busy at the stove.

Two dishes and a soup were already laid out on the table. Although they were made with the most basic rationed ingredients, the warmth of home was something Li Gang had never experienced before.

“You…” Li Gang was somewhat at a loss.

Miki turned around and gave him a tiny, timid smile. She spoke softly in her still-stiff Chinese:

"You...are back. Let's eat."

At that moment, Li Gang's eyes immediately reddened.

He was a tough 30-year-old man who could lift hundreds of kilograms of steel plates in the workshop. Looking at this heartwarming scene and hearing the simple words "eat," he suddenly felt that all the hardship and loneliness of the past 30 years had been worth it.

He rushed over and hugged Miki tightly.

Miki's body stiffened for a moment, but this time, she didn't push him away.

She simply leaned quietly against this chest, which wasn't broad, but which made her feel a sense of security.

That night, Li Gang didn't sleep on the sofa.

Miki did not resist anymore.

In the darkness, she closed her eyes, and a single tear slid down her cheek, silently disappearing into the pillow.

She didn't know whether this was surrender or another form of survival.

Li Gang's life became colorful from that moment on.

He goes to work with great enthusiasm every day and rushes home as soon as he gets off work. There, a hot meal awaits him, along with a woman who, though not very talkative, always smiles at him.

He began to feel that he was the happiest man in the world.

He entrusted all his salary to Miki for safekeeping. He would take her to the market in the factory district and buy her DVDs of those romantic fantasy dramas set in the Empire that she liked.

Miki gradually adapted to this life. She learned to use Chinese more fluently, learned how to do housework, and learned to serve tea and water with a smile when Li Gang's coworkers came to visit.

With Li Gang's encouragement, she even met several other women from Yingzhou who had similar experiences in the "New National Culture Learning Class" run by the community.

They would get together and chat about everyday things in their newly learned, broken Kingdom language, sharing "tips" on how to make their men happier.

They all found their own way to survive in this new world.

A few months later, Miki discovered that she was pregnant.

When she told Li Gang the news, this usually taciturn man hugged her and jumped around in the small living room, crying like a child.

He knelt on the ground, pressed his face against Miki's still flat stomach, and murmured to himself, "I'm going to be a father... I, Li Gang, will have an heir... Thank you... Thank you..."

Miki stroked his head, and for the first time, a truly gentle smile appeared on her face.

She looked out the window and saw the Empire's propaganda airship slowly flying by, trailing a huge banner—"To proliferate for the Empire! That is the highest glory!"

A complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

Perhaps, living a simple life as a wife and a mother in this unfamiliar country is also a kind of... happiness?

She dared not, nor did she wish to, think about that distant, unreturnable hometown again.