Tuesday, continued …

“Thank you, Mr Hou, Miss Jones. On the basis of the confirmations received I can confirm that I am now ready to proceed to formally issuing you a marriage certificate which will recognise that you are, in accordance with the laws of the land married today, here in City T. Mr Hou, will 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, will 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 complete the process, I require you to sign the documents which I am about to lay out on the desk. Four copies of your marriage certificate, one for each of the national and local registers, along with a copy for each of you to add to your household registers; Mr Hou’s individual household register that records the issuing of your marriage certificate.”

“Additionally, there are two new household registers. For you Miss Jones, a Household Register has been issued to you as an individual, recording your marriage and your obtaining of citizenship, and your joint household register. Please sign each document under your photograph. Further on each document, press each time your thumb in the inkpad, and add your thumb print next to your signature. Once this has been done, I will then sign each document, and in accordance with the law you will be legally married.”

Official Song handed Hou Yi a pen for him to commence the signing process, and then he laid out each document for signature. Hou Yi signed each document, and then handed the pen to Anna. When Anna signed each document, she handed the document to Hou Yi, who started attaching his thumb print. Anna added her thumb print to each document once she had completed signing them.

When Anna was finished putting her thumb print on each document, Official Song started signed each document, and attached his thumb print. When he was done, he reached into his draw and withdrew hand cleaner and tissues, handing then to Hou Yi and Anna, after having cleaned his own hands. “Please sit down and use these to clean the ink from your hand, while I complete the execution of each of the documents.”

Official Song, turned away from Hou Yi and Anna, and commenced attaching a seal from the credenza behind him. Once he was finished this task, he turned back around with sorted documents in a pile in front of him. “Congratulations Mr and Mrs Hou.”

Official Song picked up documents from the pile. “Mr Hou, here is your copy of your Marriage certificate, your individual Household Register and your Family Household Register. Madam Hou, here is your copy of your marriage certificate and your new household register. Madam Hou, under the law, the issuing of a household register to a spouse of a national only confers citizenship if the country of origin allows dual citizenship, otherwise all it denotes is a right to remain here permanently.”

“As Australia is a country that allows its citizens to hold dual citizenship, it therefore means as of now you are a citizen by marriage. It gives you the same rights and responsibilities as any other citizen. You can, seek that a passport be issued in your name, and can take any other action a citizen can. Until you have a passport issued by this country, to access those rights, you need both a certified copy of your marriage certificate and household register alone with your Australian passport and need to present these to any official who requests confirmation of your rights to remain and work here.”

“As the documents are official documents, you need to keep these safe. If they are lost or damaged, you must immediately apply for new documents to be issued. 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 and household register in case you require them,” 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.

Hou Yi, turned to his bride, and asked “Anna, would you, until we reach home tonight and I can place them in the safe, hold my copy of the marriage certificate, and my household and our joint household registers? I will give you the combination to it in case you need to get into the safe and to them.

“No problem.” Hou Yi handed the documents in his possession to Anna, and she placed them in her handbag. Hou Yi reached over, and took her hand in his, which Anna felt reassuring. Official Song then returned to the room and handed Anna her original certificate and household register and 3 official copies. She placed these with the documents that Hou Yi handed her in her handbag.

“If you follow me, Mr and Mrs Hou, I will show you out. CEO Hou, if I cannot send the footage today, I will send it either tomorrow or Thursday to you.”

“Thank you, Official Song” was Hou Yi’s reply.

Hou Yi reached into a pocket inside his jacket and withdrew an envelope. “I knew we were unlikely to be the last filmed ceremony today. Could you give this small gift to the couple coming after us, and wish them all the best for their future, whatever it may bring.”

Official Song stared at the envelope he was just handed. “Mr and Mrs Hou, you do not know what this will mean. Normally our last filmed issuing of a marriage certificate is 3:30pm, however the couple after you is special. The bride has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she and her groom had always intended to be married in the future. Their families, given their age have agreed to enable the to marry, and spend whatever time they can together before she dies. This gift will mean the world to them.” He placed the envelop 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” before shutting the door behind them.