"Thank you Mr Hou, Miss Jones. I can now confirm that I am willing to issue to you a marriage certificate, recognising that you are legally married in accordance with our laws today, here in City T. Mr Hou, can you please confirm that you are willing to, in accordance with the law, marry Miss Jones, here and now.""I can so confirm."
"Miss Jones, can you please confirm that you are willing to, in accordance with the law, marry Mr Hou, here and now."
"I can so confirm."
"Mr Hou and Miss Jones, could you please stand and come to the desk. To formally issue you your marriage certificate I require you to, on the local and national registers, on your two copies of your marriage certificates, and on Mr Hou"s household register, your newly issued Household Register Miss Jones and on the household register issued to you as a married couple, sign each under your name and photograph. I will further need each of you to on each, with your right thumb, press each time into this inkpad, and place the print under your signature on each doc.u.ment. Once this is completed, I will then sign each doc.u.ment, and you will be legally married in accordance with the law."
With that Official Song handed Hou Yi a pen, to start signing each of the doc.u.ments he laid out in from of them. Hou Yi worked through and signed each doc.u.ment, and when he completed he handed Anna, the Pen. Once Anna signed the first doc.u.ment, Hou Yi then started to place his thumb print on each doc.u.ment. Once Anna finished, she also placed her thumb print on each doc.u.ment.
Once Anna has finished placing her thumb print on each doc.u.ment, Official Song reached into a draw and pulled out a hand cleaner, and tissues, and handed then to Hou Yi and Anna. "Please sit down and use these to clean the ink from your hand, while I complete the execution of each of the doc.u.ments."
With that Official Song, turned away from Hou Yi and Anna and started execution of the doc.u.ments and they sat down, and used the cleaner and tissues to clean the ink from their hands. Once Official Song, completed executing the doc.u.ments, he also cleaned the ink from his hands, and then turned back to Hou Yi and Anna.
"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Hou. Here are each of your copies of your marriage certificate. Further Mr Hou, I return to you your Household Register, and give to you your joint Household Register, please keep this safe as when you have children they will be registered on this. Mrs Hou, please take your personal Household Register. The issuing of this register to you Mrs Hou, only determines that you are the spouse of a national. However, as Australia is a country that allows its citizens to have dual citizens.h.i.+p with us, the operation of our law is such that in issuing this register to you, you are considered to be a citizen who gained citizens.h.i.+p through marriage. It gives you the same rights and responsibilities as any other citizen, and you can, if you so desire seek that a pa.s.sport be issued to you from this country, however if you do not, please ensure that you keep this register, or a copy that is certified by a staff member from the Civil Administration Bureau with you Australian Pa.s.sport, to enable confirmation to any law enforcement official or government official who requests confirmation of your rights to be here and work, and to enable you to use immigration lanes designated for citizens. Finally before ending, I again offer you my congratulations and best wishes for the future."
With that, Official Song, picked up the remote and pressed stop to finish the recording of the ceremony.
"Mrs Hou, if you would permit, I am happy to arrange for three certified copies of your marriage certificate in case you require it," indicated Official Song.
"Thank you," replied Anna, handing Official Song the certificate, who then went to the door and left them alone in the room.
Hou Yi looked at Anna, "Thank you for this, I am grateful for what you have done. Please do not worry, as I said we will work out everything as we go along, and I will do whatever I can to help you."
"Thank you … Yi," came Anna"s soft reply.
With that, Hou Yi decided rather than him taking all the household registers and his copy of their marriage certificate, that a better option and showing Anna that he trusted her, was to ask her to take them all. "Anna, I was just wondering until we reach my home, could you place my household register and copy of the marriage certificate and our joint household register in your handbag with your household register and copy of the marriage certificate? When we get to what is now going to be our home, I will place those I am trusting to you in my safe, and can do the same with yours, and will give you the combination to the safe."
"No problem", and with that Hou Yi handed the doc.u.ments to Anna, and she placed them, with her household register into her handbag. Hou Yi reached over, and took her hand in his, which Anna felt rea.s.suring. Official Song then returned to the room and handed Anna her original certificate and 3 official copies.
"If you follow me, Mr and Mrs Hou, I will show you out. CEO Hou, I will try and get the film of the issuing of your certificate to you tomorrow, but it may be a couple of days before it can be sent on."
"Thank you, Official Song" was Hou Yi"s reply. With that Hou Yi reached into a pocket inside his jacket and drew out an envelope. "I was prepared that we would not be the last couple receiving their marriage certificate in this room today, and I would like to give a small gift to the couple coming after us, for their future. Could you please give this to them, and indicate that the couple who received their marriage certificate in the room before them, wish them all the best for the future."
Official Song, stared at the envelope he was handed. "Mr and Mrs Hou, you do not know how much this will mean to the couple due to come in once you leave. Normally this would be our final filmed issuing of a marriage certificate today, but the young couple coming in is special, Both families have agreed that given the young woman"s terminal cancer diagnosis, and the couples determination to spend whatever time they have together, that they could get their marriage certificate today, followed by a small family wedding tomorrow. This gift, I am guessing will mean the world to them." He then took the envelope and placed it on the desk.
Hou Yi and Anna stood up, and walked to the door, where another official escorted them down the same corridor they entered the room in. As they were showed back into the foyer, the official said "Congratulations Mr and Mrs Hou", and shut the door behind them.