Public records said that Master Suolan's mother had died after she married. The couple hadn't lived with her, but they often went back to visit, especially during the final stage of Suolan's mother's life. Suolan had stayed by her side the whole time, hardly acting like someone who felt no affection for her. In District 019, that was enough to earn her praise as a filial daughter.
District 019 had conducted surveys on the cultural traditions and emotional attachments of its residents. With lifespans so long, childbearing so convenient, and the government responsible for nearly all of children's upbringing and education, family ties weren't as close as they were in other sub-districts.
Holographic projections let people living in different places meet face-to-face. Some substitute robots could even imitate a living person's body heat and mannerisms. Even when people really did need to meet in person, transportation was convenient. In other words, machines had largely replaced direct contact between people, and residents of District 019 weren't demanding about it, either. That was why Suolan's behavior was considered so rare.
"Little Suolan's mother was a selfish woman," the old lady said. "After her husband died unexpectedly, she brought little Suolan here. She was so consumed by grief that she often neglected her daughter. Little Suolan could barely run, yet she was already going out to buy food by herself. Sometimes, she even had to take care of her mother."
"When little Suolan got a bit older, another man took that woman away. She'd only come back to see her once in a while."
"If she'd remarried and made a good life for herself, setting a good example for her child, I wouldn't have said anything. But that woman couldn't forget her dead husband even after remarrying. She even refused to take Evolution