What Do You Think

As Old Tian took his medicine with his son's help, Shen Qi noticed that Old Tian was experiencing some forgetfulness.

Old Tian can remember things from many years ago, such as how in the 1960s they used abacuses and relied entirely on human brains and hands to calculate various data for the atomic bomb project. The blueprints at that time filled an entire convoy, and the vehicles in the convoy were all military trucks.

The old man even remembered a physics formula from decades ago, but he couldn't recall what his son had said this morning.

"You must take your medicine on time," Shen Qi said to Academician Tian. He felt sorry for the old man; no one can escape birth, aging, sickness, and death.

"Then come to my place every weekend and chat with me for a while." Old Tian had five children, all of whom were very filial, but he still preferred chatting with Shen Qi.

"No problem." Shen Qi made an OK sign, feeling a little guilty. Old Tian just wanted to chat with him a bit more, but he had run away as soon as he saw the old man a while ago, which was indeed not very kind of him.

"By the way, Gravity is on his annual leave today, is that you too, Xiao Shen? The country needs Gravity, and it needs you, its pillar of strength, even more." Old Tian said to Shen Qi with righteous indignation.

Shen Qi explained, "No, no, I don't have annual leave. My home is so close to my workplace, I went home for a nap at noon, and I was just on my way back to work when I passed by here and chatted with you for a bit."

"Oh, that's good. Xiao Shen, you should go back to your unit now and come over on the weekend. Imperialism has never given up its desire to destroy us, so you must not let your guard down." Old Tian had personally experienced the era when imperialism blatantly threatened the Chinese people. His memory seemed to be stuck in that turbulent time, and he was more likely to forget recent events.

"Okay, I understand." Shen Qi kept the old man's teachings in mind and said to Tian Yinli, "Brother Yinli, I think the old man should rest."

"Yes." Tian Yinli nodded, then pushed Academician Tian out of the courtyard. "Dad, let's go back inside and get some sleep."

"It's good to get some sleep. By the way, Gravity, where's Strong Force? Strong Force hasn't come to see me for two months."

"My brother came by last week. He bought this new wheelchair. Oh no, their lab made it themselves, using brand new materials that can't be bought on the market."

"Oh, really? I think so."

The Tian father and son chatted as they entered the villa.

Shen Qi stood at the entrance of Academician Tian's villa, not leaving immediately.

After a while, Tian Yinli went out and said helplessly to Shen Qi, "Sigh, my old man's memory is getting worse and worse."

"We still need to make sure the old man takes his medicine on time. Didn't you hire a full-time caregiver?"

"She went back to her hometown and won't be able to come to the capital for a while. My siblings and I will take turns coming to take care of Dad."

"Old Tian a national treasure, you must take good care of him. If you have any difficulties, tell me. After all, I live next door, I'm Old Tian's close neighbor."

"Academician Shen, I would be very grateful if you could come and chat with my dad when you have some free time."

"Alright, I'll take my leave now." Shen Qi waved and prepared to depart.

"By the way, Academician Shen, what's your opinion on the so-called FRB from extraterrestrial civilizations?" Tian Yinli asked in a probing tone.

FRB stands for Fast Radio Burst, and in recent years this obscure term from radio astronomy has become more widely known among the general public.

Rumors circulate that scientists on Earth have received FRB signals from an extraterrestrial civilization, but the specific meaning of these signals remains undeciphered.

Rumors have surfaced that scientists have deciphered mysterious signals from extraterrestrial civilizations, but for some ulterior motive, the true information about these civilizations has not been shared with the global public. Combined with the 1999 secrecy agreement incident, extraterrestrial enthusiasts have become active again.

Shen Qi: "I've read those articles published in Nature and Science about FRBs in the deep universe, and I believe the data is real and doesn't seem fabricated. However, I have doubts about inferring the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations solely from this radio data. Gravity, you're a senior expert in astrophysics and cosmology, what are your thoughts?"

"To be honest, I've been an alien fan since I was a child," Tian Yinli said with a smile. "I grew up reading Philip K. Dick's science fiction novels, and my favorite is * the Man in the High Castle *. From an alien fan's perspective, I hope that other civilizations exist in the universe, like the strange world described in * the Man in the High Castle *, which is very appealing. From a scientific point of view, those reports of mysterious radio signals from alien civilizations abroad are credible, or not."

"Actually, I don't have any prejudice against aliens," Shen Qi said. "But I agree with Mr. Hawking's view that if extraterrestrial civilizations really exist, we'd better not reveal any information related to Earth."

"Understood. Even if our Capital Observatory detects an FRB from deep space, we will absolutely not respond," Tian Yinli said seriously.

"Comrade Tian Yinli, for the safety of the lives and property of billions of people on Earth, please remember your promise today. Goodbye."

"Don't worry, Comrade Shen Qi, goodbye."

After some playful banter, the two said their goodbyes and went about their own business.

Upon arriving at his workplace, Shen Qi carefully studied recent academic articles on FRBs (Free Radiation Blowers) in the deep universe. The data was indeed very accurate, but what did that prove?

It is clearly inappropriate for people to understand extraterrestrials using Earthling thinking.

Using Earth's existing theories of radio astronomy and cosmology to speculate about extraterrestrial civilizations is wishful thinking on Earth.

If there really were aliens whose civilization was several levels above Earth's, why would they need to send signals if they wanted to wipe us out? They would just come straight here in their spaceships and destroy us; it wouldn't concern them.

Extraterrestrial civilizations that can fly spaceships are probably considered quite primitive. What, then, are the methods of truly advanced civilizations? They must be beyond the comprehension of Earth's scientists.

So there's no need to get hung up on extraterrestrial civilizations. Life and death are predestined, and wealth and status are determined by fate. There are still many unsolved problems on Earth. Let's solve the problems on Earth first.

The issues on Earth are quite practical; for example, the evaluation of Associate Researcher researchers at the center for research fellowships requires Shen Qi's review and recommendation.

The FASTER Project Team needs to submit several technological innovations to the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education in order to compete for the National Annual Science and Technology Innovation Award, which requires Shen Qi's detailed review.

Shen Qi needs to screen the visiting scholars the center will send abroad next year. A total of thirteen people applied, but there are only three spots available.

Scholars from foreign universities and research institutions also want to come to the center for study and exchange, but they also need Shen Qi's approval.

A female employee is eight months pregnant, and her maternity leave application requires Shen Qi's signature.

This is Shen Qi's daily routine. Every document awaiting approval is related to the vital interests of his employees. How could he possibly have that much time to study the aliens' living habits and system settings?

Book Recommendation: <Daddy's Otherworldly Restaurant>, a heartwarming story about a sharp-tongued food critic who runs a restaurant in a fantasy world with his little mage daughter. The daughter is adorable, the father is hilarious, the plot is heartwarming, loving, lighthearted, and fun. All sorts of strange creatures travel from afar to enjoy the food at the restaurant, and each customer has their own story. In short, it's a fantastic slice-of-life story about food and raising a child in an otherworld.