Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

The early winter sun slanted through the glass windows of the courtyard house, casting its rays into the east wing.

The stove was burning inside, making the room warm and cozy.

Zhang Huaimin sat at an old eight-immortal table, holding a fountain pen in his hand, writing something rapidly on a piece of paper.

A series of complex physical formulas and structural sketches flowed from his pen like clouds and water.

Standing to the side, guard Chen Bing stood as straight as an iron tower.

Although he couldn't understand the symbols on the paper that looked like celestial script, he knew that what Zhang Gong wrote was absolutely a top secret that could shake the nation's most important assets.

"hiss……"

Zhang Huaimin suddenly stopped writing, his brows furrowing slightly.

When he wrote down a key data constant, he gripped the pen with a little more force.

As a result, the somewhat old eight-immortal table beneath me unexpectedly wobbled a bit.

The pen tip traced a long, glaring, crooked line of ink on the pristine white paper.

This eight-immortal table is an old item provided by the neighborhood committee when we moved into the courtyard house.

Although it was made of solid elm wood, the right front leg of the table was always somewhat suspended in the air because the blue bricks on the floor of the east wing had been in disrepair for many years.

It's fine for a regular meal or a cup of tea.

However, for scientific research that requires absolutely precise calculations, even the slightest wobbling becomes a major hindrance.

Zhang Huaimin put down his pen with some irritation.

He bent down and reached out to press on the table.

"Clang, clang."

The right front leg of the octagonal table was indeed less than half a centimeter off, making an annoying sound when it struck the blue bricks.

"Mr. Zhang, what's wrong?"

Upon seeing this, Chen Bing immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously.

"The table legs are uneven, it wobbles a lot, and it's inconvenient to draw."

As Zhang Huaimin spoke, he began searching around the room.

"Please stay seated, I'll go find a carpenter to plane it for you!" Upon hearing this, Chen Bing immediately turned to leave.

"No need for that."

Zhang Huaimin waved his hand and called out to Chen Bing.

"It's just a matter of standing on your toes; just find something hard and stuff it down there."

As he spoke, Zhang Huaimin began rummaging through the bookshelves and drawers.

I searched around.

We couldn't find suitable scrap wood or sturdy cardboard to fold.

Zhang Huaimin's gaze swept aimlessly across the room.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a corner at the far end of the desk.

There, casually placed, was an open red velvet box.

Inside the brocade box lay a gleaming golden object.

This item was solemnly handed to him a few days ago by a special envoy from above, escorted by a group of heavily armed security personnel.

This is the highest honor that has shocked the entire world—the Nobel Prize in Physics!

A pure gold trophy of extremely high purity and substantial weight!

It is also engraved with a profile portrait of Alfred Nobel, as well as a circle of intricate and exquisite foreign inscriptions.

When this thing was delivered, the entire courtyard was in an uproar.

But after Zhang Huaimin got his hands on it, he only glanced at it casually before tossing it to the corner of the table and never paid it any more attention.

In his eyes, this thing was not as practical as a stack of brand-new scratch paper.

Zhang Huaimin walked to the corner of the table and picked up the pure gold trophy.

He tossed it up and down in his hand to feel its weight.

"Yes, it's pure gold, with good ductility and density, and it's quite heavy."

Zhang Huaimin secretly made a decision in his mind.

Then, he took the trophy base and gestured twice in the gap between the legs of the octagonal table that was suspended in the air.

"The thickness is just under half a centimeter, the size is simply perfect."

Zhang Huaimin nodded in satisfaction.

Chen Bing, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at Zhang Huaimin's actions, momentarily unable to process what he was seeing.

What is Mr. Zhang doing?

Are you measuring the data for the trophy?

Before Chen Bing could even ask a question, what happened next made him gasp in shock.

Zhang Huaimin immediately squatted down.

He lifted the wobbly right front leg of the octagonal table with one hand.

In his other hand, he held the pure gold Nobel Prize trophy, which represents the highest honor in the scientific community.

A "click" sound.

Without hesitation, Zhang Huaimin awkwardly shoved the pure gold trophy under the legs of the octagonal table!

Then, he let go.

The heavy elmwood octagonal table rested firmly on the exquisite gold base of the Nobel Prize trophy in Physics.

Zhang Huaimin stood up, placed his hands on the table, and shook it vigorously.

Not moving.

As stable as Mount Tai.

"Hmm, not bad."

Zhang Huaimin patted the dust off his hands with satisfaction.

"This thing looks nice but isn't very useful, but it works quite well as a table leg support."

Chen Bing stood there, mouth slightly agape, completely petrified.

Although he was a rough and uncultured man, he knew what level of national treasure that glittering golden thing was!

That's the Nobel Prize!

A supreme honor unique to the entire nation!

The highest hall that many scientists wouldn't even dare to dream of!

Mr. Zhang actually... actually used it to prop up table legs?!

Just as Chen Bing was so shocked that he didn't know how to react.

The heavy cotton curtain of the east wing was suddenly lifted from the outside.

"Huaimin! Are you busy?"

Accompanied by an extremely obsequious voice, Third Uncle Yan Bugui walked in with a beaming smile.

Yan Bugui was carrying a large aluminum kettle that had just boiled, steaming hot.

Since Zhang Huaimin's identity was exposed, he has become the most untouchable true god in this courtyard.

This usually calculating and stingy old man tried every trick in the book to please Zhang Huaimin.

They fetched water today and swept the floor tomorrow, treating Zhang Huaimin like a living ancestor.

"The third uncle just boiled some water, thinking that you need to drink more water since doing scientific research is mentally taxing."

Yan Bugui spoke while bowing and scraping, carrying a water bottle as he walked inside.

His small eyes, which always gleamed with a sharp light, habitually scanned Zhang Huaimin's room.

This is a calculating instinct ingrained in one's very being.

He was always thinking of checking if Zhang Huaimin had any unwanted junk in his house so he could pick it up and sell it for money.

Sudden.

Yan Bugui's gaze suddenly stopped under the right front leg of the octagonal table.

There, a dazzling golden light pierced his presbyopia.

Yan Bugui stopped in his tracks instantly.

He rubbed his eyes, looked down suspiciously, and stared intently at the area under the table leg.

When he saw the golden object that was pressed tightly under the table leg.

The aluminum kettle in Yan Bugui's hand suddenly shook.

With a loud "bang!"

A few drops of boiling water splashed onto his shoes, but he seemed not to feel any pain.

Yan Bugui was struck dumb, and his whole body trembled violently.

His lips turned purple, and his breathing became rapid and labored, as if someone were strangling him.

"That...that...that glittering gold..."

Yan Bugui stammered and mumbled, his legs went weak, and he knelt down in front of the Eight Immortals table with a thud.

He lay prone on the ground, his head almost touching the blue bricks, his bloodshot eyes wide open, staring intently at the trophy.

The color of pure gold!

Exquisite portraits of foreign elderly men!

That ring of foreign language engravings represents supreme glory!

Even if Yan Bugui was completely ignorant, he could still recognize that this was the very same Nobel Prize that had caused such a sensation in the capital a few days ago!

"Awooo—!"

Yan Bugui suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

He suddenly straightened up, clutching his heart tightly with both hands, pounding his chest in pain.

"My little darling!!!"

Yan Bugui's voice cracked, carrying a heart-wrenching sorrow.

"What are you doing?!"

"That's a Nobel Prize! Pure gold! Priceless!"

Yan Bugui was in tears, wishing he could stick his fingers into the gaps between the table legs and bear the weight of the trophy for him.

As an extremely stingy person who even spends half a day calculating the weight of the leaves when buying a cabbage.

Seeing such a large piece of pure gold, a trophy representing the highest honor in the world, being pressed under a table leg like a broken piece of wood.

This is a thousand times more painful than having his flesh cut with a knife!

"What a waste! What a waste!"

Yan Bugui beat his chest and stamped his feet, crying and wailing as if his own grandson was the one being crushed under the table leg.

"Mr. Zhang, this is a national honor, the highest award in the world! How could you use it to prop up a table corner?!"

"If it gets bumped or scratched, and even a tiny speck of gold falls off, how much money would we lose!"

Yan Bugui's heart was bleeding, his eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets, and drool mixed with tears streamed down his chin.

Looking at the exaggerated appearance of the third uncle, who seemed to have lost his parents and was heartbroken.

Zhang Huaimin merely glanced at him indifferently.

He walked to the side, picked up the enamel mug, blew on the tea leaves, and took a sip with a nonchalant air.

"Oh, it's Uncle San."

Zhang Huaimin's tone was calm and without any ripples.

"What's the big deal?"

"The floor in this room is uneven, and the table is always wobbly, making it very difficult to draw."

Zhang Huaimin pointed to the gold nugget under the table leg.

"Gold is denser than wood, and its thickness is just right."

"Use it to prop up the table; it'll be more stable."

Listening to Zhang Huaimin's nonchalant words.

Yan Bugui felt dizzy and his worldview completely collapsed at that moment.

He pointed tremblingly at the gold medal, his voice shaking like a leaf:

"But...but that was the highest honor bestowed upon you by the foreigners!"

"That's the pride of the entire nation! It's a sacred object that countless scientists could never even touch in their entire lives!"

"Using a priceless treasure to prop up the corner of the table... How... How could you bear to do that!"

Zhang Huaimin put down his teacup and chuckled.

"What highest honor? Isn't it just a bunch of foreigners putting gold on a piece of iron?"

His eyes revealed a detached and disdainful attitude towards worldly fame and fortune.

"In my opinion, its greatest value lies in what it is now."

"It will stop my lab bench from shaking and allow me to finish drawing this design in peace."

Zhang Huaimin spoke indifferently.

"As for the rest, they are worthless."

This speech from a top-tier Versailles was like a heavy hammer, completely shattering the pitiful, materialistic values ​​of the Third Uncle Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui stared wide-eyed at the ground, speechless for a long time.

His calculating mind simply couldn't comprehend the level of understanding this young man possessed.

Chen Bing stood to the side.

Looking at the ridiculous appearance of the third uncle, whose values ​​were completely shattered and whose eyeballs were about to pop out.

I finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Chen Bing bit his lip hard, pinched his thighs with both hands, and desperately tried to suppress his laughter, his shoulders shaking violently like a sieve.

Zhang Huaimin ignored Yan Bugui, who was slumped on the ground.

He pulled out the chair again and sat down.

He reached out and patted the octagonal table, which had become perfectly stable because of the Nobel Prize medal placed on it.

"Great, this makes drawing much easier."

Zhang Huaimin muttered a satisfied remark to himself.

However, just as his hand left the table...

"bite--"

A crisp notification sound, audible only to him, suddenly rang in his mind.

Followed by.

The familiar semi-transparent system panel slowly unfolded before his eyes.

Zhang Huaimin's gaze sharpened slightly.

His gaze instantly swept past the usual tech tree progress bars below.

It was locked firmly at the very top of the system panel.

There.

An ultimate trait that was originally in a grayed-out, unlocked state.

now.

It was shimmering with a dazzling golden light that was almost tangible, so bright that it was impossible to look directly at it!