Chapter 00260: Year End Bonus (Still Four Updates)
# Year-End Bonus (Still Four Updates)
Chapter 260
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 260: Year-End Bonus (Still Four Updates)
At the end of December, the capital was freezing cold.
Yet, No. 6 Lechun Alley was bustling with warmth and excitement.
The main gate, rarely fully opened, stood wide, the drum-shaped stones on either side seemingly gleaming with a golden sheen.
A small blue truck was parked at the entrance, and everyone was busy unloading goods.
"Seven portions of rice, seven portions of flour, 140 catties of apples, seven portions of frozen hairtail fish!"
"Seven portions of fruits and pastries, seven bottles of alcohol, seven sets of towels, soap, shampoo, and eight wall calendars!"
Liang Xiaosheng personally checked the items and only let the truck leave after confirming everything was correct.
The New Year was coming early this time—New Year's Eve would fall in January.
Since everything had been prepared, they decided to distribute the goods before New Year's Day.
The batch for the Beijing Film Studio had already been handed out, and now it was Lechun Alley’s turn.
The recipients included the five editorial staff members, Li Jianqun, and Ji Chunhua.
Even Jet Li had his share, which had already been delivered.
Though his official affiliation was still with the martial arts team, there was no reason to withhold these small gifts from him.
Neighbors craned their necks to watch, chattering among themselves, their voices tinged with envy.
Why were holiday benefits so important?
First, because these were things they usually couldn’t get their hands on.
Second, it showed they belonged to a good workplace.
The working class truly reigned supreme in those days—units went to great lengths to provide welfare for their employees, even resorting to bartering.
For example, a tea factory wanting seafood would trade its tea with a seafood company...
Everyone cheerfully carried the New Year goods inside and distributed them on the spot.
The editors, all locals, simply loaded their shares onto handcarts and wheeled them away.
Li Jianqun and Ji Chunhua, however, were from out of town—they couldn’t possibly lug everything back home.
Just as Ji Chunhua was fretting over this, Li Jianqun suddenly called out, "I won’t take the rice, flour, or hairtail fish. I’ll also give away ten catties of apples—anyone who wants them, come find me!"
"Me, me! Teacher Li, I want the rice!"
Dai Hanhan immediately raised her hand, and the two of them scurried off to the side, whispering—probably haggling over the details.
Ji Chunhua’s idealized image of Li Jianqun shattered on the spot.
Who would’ve thought the refined and elegant Teacher Li could be so down-to-earth? Without hesitation, he followed suit, selling off whatever he didn’t want to take back to his colleagues.
When Chen Qi arrived, he saw the group of youngsters chattering excitedly like a flock of sparrows.
He chuckled and said, "Relax, everyone, just relax! Be free, be romantic, embrace diversity, be open-minded—understand?"
"Spouting nonsense again."
Liang Xiaosheng handed him a wall calendar.
"Here, this one’s yours."
Chen Qi took it, glanced at it, and shook his head.
"This calendar is so tacky—cheap paper, lousy printing, and the design is even worse."
"The good ones cost money, don’t they? We’ve got to save where we can. Besides, all calendars are the same."
"Hey, calendars are *not* the same. Imagine one with Auntie Zhao from the street corner and another with my Sister Xue—which would you pick? Once I have more stars under me, I’ll make a proper calendar, one month per person."
Chen Qi clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
"New Year’s Day is just around the corner, and soon after, the Spring Festival. Since we’re a small team, we won’t bother with any big celebrations. Besides, January marks our official magazine launch—we’ll be swamped with work."
"Today, I’m giving you all half a day off to take your things home. After that, refocus—the real battle hasn’t even started yet!"
Then, he turned to Ji Chunhua.
"Xiao Ji, come with me for a moment!"
Ji Chunhua followed him into the main room of the front courtyard, where Chen Qi also had a desk.
Sitting down, Chen Qi said, "You’ve been running around with the team all year, working hard. I can tell you’ve been practicing on your own—your acting has improved."
Ji Chunhua scratched his bald head and grinned sheepishly.
"You picked me, Boss. I couldn’t let you down!"
"You’re part of the company—our people. I never shortchange my own. But since we’re just starting out, funds are tight. We can’t offer the best benefits yet..."
Chen Qi pulled out a large envelope and a slip of paper.
"Sign here."
Without a second thought, Ji Chunhua signed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a number on the slip: **Five Hundred!**
*Hiss—*
His heart skipped a beat.
Then, his hand grew heavy as Chen Qi tossed the envelope to him.
"This is your bonus. Keep it to yourself. Now, go call Teacher Li in."
"Right away! Got it!"
"Thanks, Boss!"
Ji Chunhua stumbled out in a daze, clutching the envelope in his arms.
It felt surreal—*five hundred yuan!* He’d never seen so much money in his life.
He skulked around like a sneaky dog, embodying the same conflicted emotions as a modern-day worker getting their first paycheck—desperate to know how much others got but unwilling to reveal his own.
A subtle sense of pride bubbled up inside him:
*"The boss gave this to me privately—that means he values me. Do those editors get as much? No way. They probably don’t even get bonuses!"*
He went to fetch Li Jianqun.
Li Jianqun went through the same routine.
"Sign here."
She scribbled her signature, grabbed the envelope, and turned to leave.
Chen Qi sighed.
"At least try to hide it. What will the editors think? These are supposed to be private."
"Oh~ so it’s *private*!"
Li Jianqun nodded sagely, stuffed the envelope into her pocket, and said, "Better? Don’t worry, I’m all about teamwork!"
Chen Qi choked back a retort.
His idealized image of her was crumbling too. *Refined and elegant?* More like sharp-tongued, headstrong, and fiercely independent—a handful, for sure!
After handing out the two bonuses, he slipped another kraft paper envelope into his bag and stood up.
"Lao Liang, you all carry on. I’m heading to Xiao Li’s place!"
…………
**Xicheng District, Deshengmennei Street.**
This was the location of the "Mahua Compound," originally the residence of Majile, a high-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty’s Imperial Household Department.
During the Republic of China era, a "Mahua Radio Station" was set up here, hence the name.
After liberation, the compound became staff housing for the Central People’s Broadcasting Station.
Jet Li’s father, a technician, was allotted two rooms.
When Jet Li was two, his father died in a work accident.
His mother, a bus conductor, raised five children alongside his grandparents—eight mouths in total.
After marrying Huang Qiuyan, Jet Li briefly lived here before moving to the U.
S., where they had two daughters before divorcing.
Jet Li left the marriage with nothing, giving Huang Qiuyan their American house.
But back then, he wasn’t wealthy—the house was bought on a mortgage with only the down payment paid.
Unable to keep up with the payments alone, Huang Qiuyan lost the house to foreclosure and struggled for years in the U.
S., even working at a beauty salon.
With her own life in turmoil, the two daughters returned to China and lived with Jet Li’s mother in this compound for a long time.
*Ah, for all his fame, Jet Li was a simp when it came to Nina Li Chi.*
At the time, Nina was already Miss Asia, surrounded by wealthy, powerful men—even rubbing shoulders with Stanley Ho.
Jet Li pursued her with everything he had.
Rumor had it that when Nina suffered investment losses in the early '90s, he signed a contract with Charles Heung, agreeing to film six movies in three years, with his entire salary—millions—going toward her debts.
They met in '89 but only married in '99. Why? Because Nina had once said: *"If after ten years, we still feel the same way, then we’ll talk about marriage..."*
Right now, Jet Li and his mother were sorting through the gifts that had just been delivered.
As the youngest, Jet Li’s older siblings—two sisters and a brother—were all married.
His mother, now in her fifties, unwrapped the hairtail fish and remarked, "The company treats you well. Technically, you’re still with the martial arts team, yet they included you in the welfare."
"Boss Qi has always been generous. He’s good to me... Mom, try some of these pastries?"
"I’ll save them for New Year’s."
"Then let me wash an apple for you."
Jet Li lifted the lid off the water vat, its surface frozen over.
Breaking the ice, he scooped some water with a gourd ladle to wash the apple, then pushed aside the cloth curtain to toss the water outside—
*"Yah!"*
"What kind of welcome is this? A water-splashing festival?"
Chen Qi hopped back, narrowly saving his imported leather shoes from ruin.
"Boss Qi! What brings you here?"
Jet Li was overjoyed and quickly ushered him inside, calling out, "Mom, we’ve got a guest!"
*(One chapter for now—three more tonight to make up for yesterday.
The skies have finally cleared, but the floodwaters in the neighborhood haven’t receded yet!)*
*(End of Chapter)*