I almost touched the moon

During dinner, Grandpa Cheng Che casually asked Wen Song about his research. Wen Song was about to answer when Grandma said, "Don't talk while eating or sleeping. Etiquette respects the virtuous, so we value age. Age is a sign of virtue. You are old, and you should set a good example for your children, especially in small details. You must not forget etiquette. Professor Wen, am I right?"

"what?"

Wen Song's Chinese proficiency has deteriorated greatly over the years, and she knows nothing about classical Chinese. Of all the things Grandma Cheng Che said just now, she could only understand one sentence, "Don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping." When she heard her words, she felt a little confused for the first time.

She whispered to Cheng Che: "Ich kann das nicht verstehen." (I don't understand)

Cheng Che whispered to her, "It's okay, don't worry about it."

Then he said to grandma: "Grandma, you said not to talk while eating and not to talk while sleeping. Do you want Songsong to answer or not? If she answers, it will go against what you said. If she doesn't answer, it will be disrespectful to the elders. Grandma, we are not your students, you can't test us."

"That's right." Cheng Che's grandfather also said, "We are a family chatting, there are no so many rules. If you think I talk too much, then I won't say anything. Eat more food quickly."

After listening to their words, Wen Song understood that Cheng Che's grandmother didn't really have so many rules that she couldn't talk at the dinner table. She just didn't like her and wanted to give her a warning. Unexpectedly, her Chinese was so bad that she didn't understand and resolved everything.

After dinner, they sat in the teahouse and chatted. Grandpa Cheng Che once again asked Wen Song about his research. Wen Song immediately replied: "My main research area is the formation of stars and planets in the field of planetary science, especially how these two processes are connected through the formation of protoplanetary disks."

Then he asked Cheng Che, "What is the Chinese word for protoplanteray disk? It means a rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a young newly formed star."

Cheng Che was also stunned, and said awkwardly: "I'll help you check."

But he quickly looked at Cheng Xuan and said with a smile: "You should know Chinese."

"Ah..." Cheng Xuan was also confused. "What? What did sister-in-law just say? No, brother, sister-in-law, we are at home, you don't need to test me. Sister-in-law, I passed the test this time! You personally corrected the score and gave it a 2.94!"

Grandpa Cheng Che immediately smiled, waved his hand and said, "No, no, I roughly understand it. It's about the formation of planets and stars. Do you have any related research projects recently? I saw in the news before that the European Space Agency seems to be developing a planetary probe."

"Yes, it is the Aether probe that is specifically designed to detect Venus and the composition of its atmosphere. It will also attempt to softly land on the surface of Venus."

Wen Song continued, "It is currently in the assembly stage and is expected to be launched into space in six years. In addition, my current research project is about gravitational instability in planet formation, which should be gravitational instability in the process of planet formation in Chinese.

In addition, the impact of Neptune on the formation of the Kuiper Belt needs more actual data to support this aspect. ESA is also considering developing a probe to the outer solar system, namely Neptune and the Kuiper Belt, but due to insufficient funds, it has not officially entered the design stage. "

Cheng Che said proudly: "Grandpa, Songsong is also one of the engineers of the Aether detector. The chief engineer of the astrophysics section is her doctoral supervisor, and she also provided a large part of the theoretical support. She will continue to follow up after the subsequent detectors are launched."

"That's great." Grandpa Cheng Che nodded approvingly. "Songsong is only 30 years old this year, but he's already an associate professor. He's also involved in so many core projects. He's truly a leader among young physicists. I remember Che is also going back to study for a master's degree. I don't have to worry about his studies in the future."

"Yes." Cheng Che said with a smile, "But luckily Song Song is not my professor, otherwise, with my limited talent, she would definitely be pissed off to death by me."

Cheng Xuan also said: "Brother, then my today is your tomorrow."

After hearing what he said, Yang Wanqing patted his head in annoyance and said, "You don't work hard yourself! And you blame your sister-in-law for being too strict. Look at you, your mind is not on studying all day long!"

Cheng Che's grandmother poured a cup of tea for Cheng Che and his grandfather, looked at Wen Song and said, "Professor Wen, you don't seem to be very proficient in Chinese?"

"Yes." Wen Song admitted generously, "I have lived in Switzerland since I was 12 years old. The languages ​​I learned and worked in were German and English, and they are also the languages ​​I use in my daily life. I only speak Chinese when I chat with A Che and my Chinese friends, so I can't understand complicated sentences."

"Is that so..." Grandma Cheng Che nodded and said meaningfully, "Since you are a Chinese professor, you should promote Chinese culture. There were many outstanding astronomers in ancient China. Professor Wen, if you have time, you can read their works. For example, Zhang Heng and Shen Kuo."

Wen Song felt even more puzzled, and Cheng Che was also a little dissatisfied, saying to his grandmother: "Grandma, Song Song is studying astrophysics, which is different from astronomy."

Wen Song smiled and looked at him, signaling that it was okay, and then said, "Grandma, you may be mistaken. I teach astrophysics, not literature, let alone East Asian studies."

Now it was Cheng Che's grandmother who was a little stunned. She laughed dryly and said, "Professor Wen, I know. I just think that as a Chinese, you should know more about traditional culture. By the way, A Che said you are very busy recently. Apart from what you mentioned before, what else are you busy with?"

Wen Song thought that Grandma Cheng Che was really weird. How could a physics researcher like her promote traditional culture? Cheng Che also winked at Grandma frantically, but was afraid that Wen Song would get angry, so he gently stroked her back.

"I am currently undergoing ESA's astronaut training. The purpose of ESA's latest manned space program is to conduct X-ray and gamma-ray related experimental research on the space station, so an astrophysicist is needed to join. I am lucky to be selected. If I pass the selection, I will go to the space station with other astronauts in four years."

Wen Song was already somewhat dissatisfied with Cheng Che's grandmother, and even though he knew that she would definitely talk more, he still said it directly.

"Four years?" Grandma frowned. "Does this mean that you and Che can't have children in these four years? You're not young anymore. After four years, you..."

"Grandma!" Cheng Che immediately stopped her from talking, stood up and said, "It's getting late. Songsong and I will go home first. You and Grandpa should also go to bed early."

But Cheng Che's grandmother said, "It's not even nine o'clock yet, how can it be late? Ah Che, don't worry, I'll chat with my good daughter."

When Wen Song heard this, he was a little angry for a moment, but he suppressed his anger, forced a smile and said, "Yes, A Che should have told you that we don't plan to have children."

"I've said it before." Grandpa saw that the atmosphere was a little tense, so he quickly tried to mediate, "I said that it's up to you two to decide, we old people won't interfere. Grandma just said it casually, Songsong, don't take it to heart."

Seeing that Grandpa Cheng Che was elegant and sensible, Wen Song smiled and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, I didn't think too much. Thank you for respecting the decision of me and A Che."

Grandma Cheng Che smiled and said to Wen Song, "Professor Wen, can you come with me for a moment? I have something for you."

Wen Song felt a little embarrassed after hearing what she said, and looked at Cheng Che, who immediately said, "I'll accompany Song Song."

"What are you doing here with our women's stuff? You're in the way." Cheng Che's grandmother glanced at him, motioned for him to sit down, and said, "I know you care about your wife, so why are you worried? I can still eat Song Song."

After hearing what grandma said, Wen Song didn't say much, so he said to Cheng Che: "A Che, grandma and I will go, you just wait for me here."

Grandma Cheng Che actually took her to her living room, closed the door, asked Wen Song to sit on the sofa, poured her a cup of Longjing tea, and said straight to the point: "Professor Wen, I think you should be able to feel that I don't like you very much."