Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

"A classified laboratory?"

Zhang Huaimin blinked, secretly amused.

The superiors acted quite quickly.

With this lab as cover, he can legitimately pull out any cutting-edge technology from the system in the future.

"Yes!" Director Wang looked at Zhang Huaimin with pride in her eyes, as if he were her own grandson.

"This is a very important matter. The factory will send someone to contact you in the next few days."

After giving his instructions in a low voice, Director Wang returned to his usual amiable demeanor.

"Alright, just keep that in mind. Grandma Wang is here today because there's another great piece of news!"

The next morning.

As dawn broke, a thin layer of frost still clung to the alleyways.

The neighbors in Nanluoguxiang who used to get up early to empty chamber pots and buy breakfast suddenly stopped in their tracks.

A black Beijing Jeep, its headlights gleaming.

Like a silent, steel behemoth, it slowly drove into this dilapidated alley.

Finally, it came to a steady stop at the entrance of the Hongxing Courtyard.

These days, anyone who can ride in a jeep like this is definitely not an ordinary person.

They must be at least at the division level or above!

The neighbors gasped and quickly stepped aside, whispering amongst themselves.

"Which high-ranking leader has come to our alley?"

"Could they be after Old Yi?"

"Pah! You're still bringing up that hypocrite Yi Zhonghai? Don't you know what kind of person he is now?"

"I bet they're here to see that little prodigy from the Zhang family!"

The car door opened.

Director Wang was dressed in a crisp Lenin suit today, looking solemn.

Following her off the bus were two officers dressed in grass-green military uniforms and wearing red collar tabs.

The two stood upright, walked in unison, and solemnly held several trays covered with red silk in their hands.

The sheer presence of this group instantly silenced the commotion in the entire courtyard.

"Director Wang, what's wrong...?"

Yan Bugui, who was sweeping the front yard, was so startled that he dropped the broom and stammered as he went to greet him.

Director Wang ignored him, simply nodded slightly, and walked straight towards the east wing.

At this moment, the doors of each household in the courtyard quietly opened a crack.

Countless eyes were filled with curiosity, awe, and an undisguised envy.

He stared intently at the two trays covered with red silk.

Chen Bing had been waiting at the door of the east wing for a while. Upon seeing this, he stood at attention and gave a standard military salute.

The two uniformed officers returned the salute solemnly.

Zhang Huaimin pushed open the door and stood properly on the threshold, wearing that festive bright red cotton-padded jacket.

"Comrade Huaimin!"

Director Wang's voice was more serious and loud than ever before, echoing in the courtyard in the early morning.

"Entrusted by the higher military region and the national civil affairs department."

"Today, we have come specifically to deliver to you the honorary title of martyr for your father, Comrade Zhang Dashan, and the related compensation!"

The voice just fell.

One of the officers stepped forward and abruptly lifted the red silk on the first tray.

Under the sunlight.

A gold-embossed "Certificate of First-Class Merit for Revolutionary Martyrs" lay quietly on red velvet.

Beside it, there is a gleaming pure gold medal!

The dazzling light stung the eyes of those peeking around.

Director Wang held the certificate and medal in both hands and solemnly handed them to Zhang Huaimin.

"Comrade Zhang Huaimin, your father is a national hero!"

"This honor belongs not only to him, but also to you!"

Zhang Huaimin took it with both hands, and the mischievousness on his little face was gone.

He bowed his head slightly and answered in a childish but firm voice, "Thank you, Grandma Wang. I won't let Dad down."

Immediately afterwards, another officer lifted the red silk covering the second tray.

"hiss--!"

In that instant, countless gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the courtyard.

It was a thick, brand-new stack of 100-yuan bills, neatly tied together with strips of white paper!

Judging by its thickness, it must be at least several hundred, or even over a thousand yuan!

In an era when an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan.

A thousand dollars, that's an astronomical sum!

It's a huge sum of money that would make countless people green with envy!

"With special approval from higher authorities!"

Director Wang raised his voice a few decibels, deliberately making sure those beasts hiding in the house could hear him clearly.

"In view of Comrade Zhang Dashan's special contributions."

"A special pension and a one-time living allowance, totaling RMB 1,200!"

"At the same time, Comrade Zhang Huaimin's monthly living allowance will be increased to the highest standard!"

boom!

The courtyard was in complete uproar.

1200 yuan!

Yan Bugui hid behind the window, his eyes almost bulging out, his hands gripping the windowsill tightly, trembling with heartache.

"My goodness... twelve hundred dollars!"

"If I had that, I could buy so many kilograms of cornmeal, so many bicycles!"

Intermediate People's Court.

Qin Huairu peered through the crack in the door at the thick stack of ten-yuan bills.

His eyes instantly became bloodshot, turning as red as a rabbit's.

She was so jealous she was almost going crazy.

She works herself to the bone in the workshop every day, earning a paltry 27.5 yuan a month.

They couldn't even get a bowl of dry rice at home.

And this five-year-old child, who had no heir, didn't have to do anything; the government simply gave him over a thousand yuan for free!

Why should I?!

Qin Huairu's fingernails dug deeply into her palms, and she bit her lip, causing a trickle of blood to seep out.

But she didn't dare say a single sarcastic remark.

Bang Geng is still in the juvenile detention center, and Jia Zhangshi's still throbbing fingers serve as a cautionary tale.

She didn't dare, she really didn't dare to provoke this scoundrel again.

On the other side...

Yi Zhonghai was like a rat in a sewer, huddled in a dark corner of the room.

He stared intently at the money in Zhang Huaimin's hand, a tightness gripping his chest.

That was money he had always dreamed of getting his hands on!

Now, the money seems to be mocking him mercilessly.

They mocked his greed and his disgraceful end.

He no longer has the courage to even go out and face people, let alone scheme to get his hands on that huge sum of money.

They could only watch helplessly, staring blankly.

This is the feeling of having fatty meat right in front of you, but being unable to do anything but smell it while you're hungry.

It's ten times worse than killing him!

Director Wang and two staff members helped Zhang Huaimin hang the gleaming gold certificate neatly on the wall in the center of the main room.

Next to the certificate is the First-Class Merit Medal.

This is not just an honor, but also two insurmountable protective charms.

Anyone who dares to plot against the Zhang family again is slapping the country in the face!

All procedures have been completed.

Director Wang patted Zhang Huaimin on the head and left with his entourage in a grand procession.

The people in the compound were extremely envious.

But looking at Chen Bing standing ramrod straight at the door, his hands on his gun holsters...

No one dared to cross the line, and they could only close the door and sigh bitterly inside.

Zhang Huaimin closed the door to the east wing.

He didn't look at the thick stack of money on the table.

For him now, money is just a number.

He walked to the wall and looked up at the gleaming gold medal.

His eyes were deep and intense.

Just then.

Deep in his mind, that cold, mechanical electronic notification sound echoed.

Like a resounding bell, it rang out once again.

[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully received the highest honor and compensation for martyrs!]

[The depraved beasts in the compound have reached 100% deterrent power!]

[Congratulations, host! You have completed the first stage of the main quest: 'Establish Yourself in the Courtyard'!]

[Rewards are being distributed...]

[Congratulations, host! You have successfully unlocked the top-tier passive skill: 'God-level Invulnerability to All Poisons'!]