Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

In early summer, the weather in Beijing was already quite muggy.

Cicadas chirped incessantly in the big willow tree at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang Hutong.

At the entrance of Hongxing Courtyard.

Yan Bugui was lying on an old bamboo chair he had bought for two yuan, fanning himself with a tattered palm-leaf fan and dozing off with his eyes half-closed.

Since being designated a "Volunteer Caretaker of a Special-Class Protected Building," I've been receiving a monthly stipend.

He's living a very comfortable life.

What's the point of the empty title of "Third Uncle"? It's not as satisfying as having real retirement money.

Just then.

"Beep—beep beep!"

A sharp, urgent car horn startled Yan Bugui from his drowsiness.

He sat up abruptly, adjusted his reading glasses which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and peered into the alley.

Upon seeing this, he perked up completely.

There was a small truck painted a striking bright yellow, with a crown and a string of foreign letters printed on the door.

It slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the courtyard house.

"Oh dear, which foreign charlatan has arrived this time?"

Yan Bugui quickly threw down his palm-leaf fan and hurried over to greet him.

The car door opened.

A blond, blue-eyed foreign young man wearing a crisp dark blue uniform jumped down.

He first glanced at the address sheet in his hand, then looked up to check the "Special Protection" metal plaque above the courtyard gate.

"Hello! Excuse me, is this Mr. Zhang Huaimin's residence?"

The young foreign man asked loudly in extremely broken Chinese.

Although Yan Bugui didn't quite understand the foreign language, he was very familiar with the name "Zhang Huaimin".

"Yes, yes, yes! This is Chairman Zhang's home!"

Yan Bugui straightened his back, feeling confident in his role as a gatekeeper.

"What are you sending as a gift?"

The foreign guy didn't explain much.

He turned around and carefully, as if carrying explosives, got out of the truck's cargo compartment.

They brought out five black, explosion-proof combination lock cases with a metallic sheen.

These boxes look extremely heavy, each with a complicated fingerprint lock and sealing strip.

"This is an important item that was delivered urgently from Stockholm, Sweden, through the highest level of international diplomatic and postal channels."

The young man neatly stacked the five boxes on the bluestone slab in front of Yan Bugui.

"Please have Mr. Zhang Huaimin sign for this in person."

Yan Bugui looked at the five mysterious black boxes and swallowed hard.

Sweden? International Diplomatic Postal Service?

My goodness, Mr. Zhang's business is expanding so much that even foreign national express delivery companies are delivering directly to his door.

"Hey, wait here, I'll go get someone!"

Yan Bugui turned and ran into the courtyard, not forgetting to shout at the dozen or so special guards who were standing guard in the shade:

"Sirs, a foreign package has arrived!"

The guards immediately became alert, and several of them quickly stepped forward, forming a semi-encirclement, their sharp eyes fixed on the foreign postman.

A short while later.

"Squeak—"

The door to the east wing was pushed open.

Zhang Huaimin was wearing a pair of plastic sandals, a white tank top, and a pair of wide blue and white floral shorts.

He had just finished his afternoon nap and came out yawning and rubbing his eyes.

This extremely casual and unkempt appearance.

Outside, there were five high-tech, explosion-proof combination lock boxes, and a foreign postman standing ramrod straight.

This creates an extremely strong contrast that is both endearing and comedic.

"Huaimin, come quick, the foreigners have delivered your package." Yan Bugui pointed to the box on the ground.

The foreign young man was also taken aback when he saw Zhang Huaimin's appearance.

But he had been given a strict order.

This is the legendary figure who made the entire Nobel Committee lower their guard and humbly mail the trophy to him!

He quickly stood at attention and bowed deeply.

"Mr. Zhang, this was sent to you by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences."

"Since you are unable to travel to Stockholm to attend the awards ceremony, the jury has specially entrusted us to deliver your trophy and certificate."

talking.

The young man took out a special key and opened the five combination lock boxes one by one.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

As the lids of the boxes popped open one by one.

The afternoon sun poured in without reservation.

moment!

Five extremely dazzling, blinding pure golden rays burst forth from the box!

The sight caused Yan Bugui and several neighbors who were watching the commotion to instinctively close their eyes.

When they adjusted to the bright light and opened their eyes again...

Everyone gasped in shock.

On a black velvet lining.

Five heavy medals, each about the size of a palm, were quietly laid out and crafted from extremely pure gold!

The obverse of each medal features a relief portrait of Alfred Nobel.

Next to it were five gold-embossed certificates.

Physics! Chemistry! Medicine! Economics! Peace!

Five Nobel Prizes – an unprecedented grand slam!

"My God..."

Looking at those gleaming gold medals, Yan Bugui felt a loud "buzz" in his head.

Although he was a primary school teacher, he knew the prestige of the Nobel Prize.

This is the highest honor that scholars all over the world would never dare to dream of!

Now, they're being packed into boxes and thrown directly onto the muddy ground of this courtyard house, just like wholesale cabbages?!

Yan Bugui felt like he was about to have a heart attack. He clutched his chest and gasped for breath.

The other neighbors were even more dumbfounded, some of them rubbing their eyes as if they were dreaming.

However, this honor is enough to drive the whole world crazy.

Zhang Huaimin merely glanced at it casually.

He showed no excitement, no elation, not even a hint of surprise.

He saw it as if it were five ordinary stainless steel basins bought online.

"Oh, it really did arrive."

Zhang Huaimin muttered something.

He casually tossed it twice in his hand.

"This gold nugget is quite substantial."

Zhang Huaimin felt the weight in his palm and pursed his lips.

"The carving is too rough, it has no aesthetic appeal at all, what a waste of so much gold."

boom!

This sentence.

If those top scientists across the ocean, who are fighting tooth and nail for the Nobel Prize, were to hear this...

He'd probably vomit dozens of ounces of blood on the spot!

This is a terrible waste! This is utterly wasteful!

Zhang Huaimin played with it for a couple of moments, then lost interest.

With a "whoosh".

He did so in an extremely casual, even somewhat disdainful manner.

The pure gold medal, enough to drive countless scientists mad, was taken along with four other coded boxes.

Like throwing away trash, it was thrown directly onto the broken stone table in the middle of the yard, which was used by everyone to cool off!

"Alright, I've received it. You can go now."

Zhang Huaimin waved at the dumbfounded foreign postman, as if dismissing a beggar.

The postman swallowed hard, staring at the priceless treasures scattered on the stone table, speechless for a long time.

This is a Nobel Prize!

You just threw it in the yard like that?! That's even more absurd than putting it in a safe!

But the postman dared not utter a single word. He could only bow tremblingly and quickly get into his car to escape from this eerie oriental compound.

The mail truck left.

The entire courtyard instantly erupted in chaos.

"My goodness! This is pure gold! And such a huge lump of it!"

"Huaimin, this is a treasure given to us by the emperor of a foreign country, isn't it? Aren't you afraid it will be stolen if you just leave it out there?"

Several elderly people surrounded the stone table, their eyes gleaming with greed, but none of them dared to reach out and touch it.

Several superstitious middle-aged women even knelt down with a thud in front of the five gleaming gold trophies.

He kept muttering "The God of Literature has descended to earth" and "The gods have manifested their power," while kowtowing repeatedly.

Zhang Huaimin looked at his neighbors making a fuss and shook his head helplessly.

At his level, fame and fortune are truly just a burden.

"Stop worshiping, everyone. These are just a few iron lumps plated with gold."

Zhang Huaimin yawned, feeling somewhat bored.

He turned around, ready to go back to his room for another nap.

However, when passing the stone table.

His gaze suddenly fell on the physics medal.

Zhang Huaimin seemed to remember something, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

He reached out and picked up the gold medal, which represented the pinnacle of human physics, once again.

He turned around and went into the east wing.