Chapter 491: Family Discussion Meeting_1

Jiang Yu was missing the taste of cold noodles, so he decided to have a robot help him make some.

The result was that he made too many.

Today, Jiang Que's school organized a field trip to Fuxi Star, and Yang Dong seldom came back for lunch; Jiang Yu felt a bit troubled as he looked at the big bowl of cold noodles.

Luckily, Yang Dong took advantage of her break to come home and get a book, and naturally, Jiang Yu wouldn't let her go back on an empty stomach.

Yang Dong had many paper books. Despite going into hibernation several times, Jiang Yu had always saved them for her and had brought them all the way to the New Continent Star System.

Now these books were about to become antiques, and many of Yang Dong's students liked to borrow books from their mentor to experience the feel of reading physical books.

However, this also led to quite a few laughs, as many students' first reaction upon receiving the books was to command them to turn the pages by themselves.

But the books stayed still, and at first, that student thought they were broken.

It was only when they picked them up to check that they realized these books didn't have any smart chips or smart devices; they discovered that in their mentor's time, one had to turn the pages themselves!

For those students, this was akin to a huge "archeological discovery"!

In the dining room, Yang Dong took a bite of the cold noodles Jiang Yu mixed, "It's a bit spicy."

"Hmm, I accidentally put too much garlic in."

The garlic bulbs nowadays were almost as big as small pumpkins, and often they were sold clove by clove.

For Jiang Yu, who seldom entered the kitchen now, it was inevitable to sometimes add too much or too little seasoning.

Jiang Yu pointed to the two books in the living room, "Do you have students wanting to go on an archaeological dig again?"

Yang Dong laughed, "Technically, since you and I both come from ancient times, reading these materials is indeed like conducting archaeology."

She took a sip of her drink and continued, "I just hope that today's students can still be aware of what paper books look like."

"Ah, in a few more years, I suspect that even if you give them a book, they wouldn't know how to read it."

Jiang Yu was taken aback, "You seem to have some higher-level concerns?"

"Hmm," Yang Dong finished chewing her bite of cold noodles before saying, "Through this incident, I've come to understand the 'Aerial Loft Effect' you proposed."

"Modern people can't even flip through a book anymore. So many things that once required us to operate manually, now only require a word to the AI, and even then, some people are too lazy to speak and simply let AI decide."

"I worry that their long-term detachment from life will cause their thinking and consciousness to completely disconnect from reality."

"And a person, without the support of life experiences, will lack a sense of living, which can lead to more issues in their thought processes."

Jiang Yu nodded his head, "So you want your students to 'touch' knowledge more?"

"That's right," Yang Dong said, "Your description is very accurate."

"Sometimes human consciousness is strange; many abstract things need enough physical carriers for support."

"Just like knowledge, seeing tangible books can create a more direct impression of knowledge."

After finishing their meal and continuing the conversation over drinks, Jiang Yu laughed and said, "It's a great idea, but, how should I put it, it's like us eating cold noodles tens of light-years away from the original Solar System."

"Centuries ago, humanity might have fantasized more than once about space colonies."

"But back then, no one could have imagined that after colonizing new worlds, we would still be eating foods from centuries ago."

"I think this should be the relationship between the new life and the old life, there is a clear boundary between them, yet they are mixed with each other."

These words left Yang Dong in deep contemplation.

Jiang Yu continued, "Take the cold skin noodles I make: the skin and gluten are steamed by robots, the taste of cucumbers and carrots is much more delicious than it was four centuries ago, and the only thing that might remain unchanged is the taste of garlic.

"Even the sesame sauce tastes better than it did when I was in school, and flavors like vinegar and superior soy sauce have improved significantly.

"This is the change that the new era has brought to us: the cold skin noodles are still the same dish, but four centuries ago, there weren't intelligent robots that could chat with me while making the skin.

"Nor were there cucumbers and carrots as thick as someone's thigh, nor such refined seasonings, so is it still the same cold skin noodles?

"Just like to us in the Common Era, could the food from that time be the same as the food from the Ming Dynasty?

"The so-called ancestral craftsmanship, after four hundred years, can't stay the same!"

"If our modern things were indeed completely different from those four centuries ago, that would only mean that there has been a radical change, causing a rift in the food culture."

"Just like on Starship Earth, it's said they're now considering whether to replenish the body's needed energy more efficiently by injection."

Yang Dong let out a long sigh, "You're becoming more and more like a philosopher now."

Jiang Yu took a sip of his drink and said with a bitter smile, "Thanks to you."

Couples usually influence each other, and Yang Dong's meticulous logical thinking also greatly affected Jiang Yu.

So much so that Jiang Yu didn't realize when, conversations at home could easily escalate to philosophical heights.

Yang Dong smiled, "You're right, each era has its own characteristics, even if people today don't read paper books, they do read electronic ones.

"I think it's overly sensitive of me to say that knowledge has become less tangible because of the disappearance of paper books, as long as civilization continues to progress, the carriers of knowledge will not vanish."

She stopped for a moment and then said, "However, I still show paper books to my students so they can have a clear understanding of my knowledge.

"It must feel like: the tutor's knowledge comes from 'ancient times', totally different from the current touch."

Jiang Yu hummed in agreement, "That's a good idea."

He smiled along and said, "Surely the researcher in you is speaking; so quick to think around the corner."

Yang Dong stood up and said, "You've convinced me."

Jiang Yu watched his wife's backside and said, "I was rather hoping to have seduced you into that."

Yang Dong, already in the living room, paused and looked back, "Aren't we talking about the same thing?"

"Not really," Jiang Yu laughed nervously and changed the subject, "Remember to clear your schedule for next weekend for our daughter's birthday, we're planning a family trip to Paradise Island."

"Got it," Yang Dong said as she picked up a book and walked out, "You've mentioned it several times already."

Jiang Yu shrugged his shoulders—no matter how many times they discussed it, Director Yang would always find it difficult to make time when it came down to it.

After resting for a while, Jiang Yu was considering whether to read a book or play a game.

The silhouette of the smart secretary appeared in front of Jiang Yu, "The Science Academy has just sent over the latest research report on the Two-Dimensional Fragment, would you like to look at it now?"

Jiang Yu let out a long breath; he no longer had to make a choice, "I'll look at it now, and head to the office in a bit."

He never dealt with official business at home because he felt that the atmosphere was not sufficiently rigorous and grounded.