January 5th, 344 AD, 14:00.
All 137 children in the artificial wombs had been safely born.
Among them were 70 boys and 67 girls.
Given the rampant viruses outside and the extreme fragility of newborns, the research pod remained in lockdown, preventing the parents from entering.
However, Song Pinxuan projected the scene in the neonatal intensive care unit into the metaverse via 3D cameras, allowing the parents to see their children face-to-face through the virtual world.
Among these children's parents, only 3 pairs were married couples.
They were also among the few couples in the underground city whose genes had not been damaged by delta particles.
The parents of the remaining 134 children were not married to each other before this, even if they knew each other.
The individuals chosen this time were all single.
Those couples where only one partner's genes were not damaged by delta particles were not selected this time.
However, unexpectedly, even with these precautions, conflicts arose.
Song Pinxuan and the other researchers had only assigned a number to each child, not a name.
They intended to leave the naming rights to the parents.
The three married couples had already named their children without any issues.
But for the other 268 parents, a dispute erupted.
The parents of these 134 children had all named their children.
Some felt the other party's name was better and adopted it.
However, another portion insisted on using the names they had chosen.
Neither side would back down, and they began arguing fiercely in the metaverse.
Among these 268 parents were members of the "United Squad," including Lin Xi.
Lin Xi had given birth to a daughter, and her daughter's father was a member of another squad from Jiangcheng.
They were also arguing about the child's naming rights.
"This child isn't yours alone, so why do you get to decide both the surname and the given name?"
"If you want the child to use the name you chose, fine. Let the child take my surname, and then they can use your chosen name!"
The argument escalated, and Lin Xi finally spoke.
Lin Xi had originally inquired about the situation.
The child's father's surname was Xu, and hers was Lin. She had planned for the child to be named Xu Lin, incorporating both surnames, and the name was gender-neutral.
However, the other party insisted on using their chosen name, wanting the child to be called "Xu Tianbao."
While the name was passable, Lin Xi felt she couldn't be completely uninvolved in naming her own child.
"Lin Tianbao, that name is also good."
Hearing Lin Xi's words, the female squad members beside her voiced their support.
However, the child's father grew anxious upon hearing this: "Since ancient times, children have taken their father's surname. Taking the mother's surname would be like marrying into the wife's family. How can that be acceptable?"
"Why not?"
Among Lin Xi's squad members, one who understood the historical context retorted, "Speaking of ancient times, matrilinear lineage was even older! Before patriarchal societies, there were matriarchal societies!"
Hearing Lin Xi and the others' argument, other parents who were also arguing turned to watch.
Upon hearing Lin Xi's group, those with some understanding of ancient societies argued back:
"That was in ancient times, with promiscuous relationships. After women gave birth, they only knew their mothers, not their fathers, which is why children took their mother's surname."
"As civilization developed, promiscuous behavior, being an outdated practice, was long eliminated, and consequently, outdated customs like taking the mother's surname were also phased out."
"Furthermore, if children don't know their fathers and don't take their father's surname, with more and more children born, what about the risk of incestuous marriages? Or inheriting harmful genes? Or father-child incest?"
A female debater among the arguing parents countered, "You're distorting the truth and spreading fear!"
"This is not ancient times. If a child doesn't take their father's surname, does that mean they don't know their father? And not knowing the father would lead to incestuous marriages? We have science now; we can test genes!"
"Don't forget how these children were born; their genes were perfectly matched by researchers! How could incestuous marriage possibly occur this way?"
Another female added, "Besides, the custom of taking the mother's surname hasn't been eliminated."
"In the southwest region, there are still ethnic groups that maintain matriarchal societies and have 'walking marriages,' and they still know the father of the child."
At this point, a male debater retorted, "In matriarchal societies, children are raised by their mothers, and men are only responsible for spreading their seed, not for raising the children. Would you accept that?"
The female retorted, "Are you foolish? These children are all being raised collectively by the underground city now!"
"Moreover, I read an article online that stated children take their father's surname because mothers carry the child for ten months and develop a natural emotional bond, while fathers do not. Taking the father's surname is a means to foster a bond with the father and ensure his responsibility towards the child."
"But these children were gestated in artificial wombs, and we mothers did not carry them for ten months. If the children take their father's surname, what sense of involvement will we mothers have?"
The male countered, "Then if the children take their mother's surname, what sense of involvement will we fathers have?"
The female sarcastically replied, "Don't you want to name the child? Isn't that also a sense of involvement?"
"Exactly. You can't have both the surname and the given name! The child isn't just yours alone..."
As the argument progressed, more and more people became involved.
Even the female squad members who initially weren't disputing naming rights felt the arguments were valid and began to contend for the right to bestow the surname.
Lin Xi hadn't expected that her initial attempt to secure her child's naming rights would trigger such a widespread debate.