The Color of Year-End Bonuses

At the company's year-end party, the lights were dim, and the air was filled with the scent of cheap perfume and the subtle aroma of alcohol. The host, a greasy middle-aged man, was announcing the winner of the "Annual Best Creative Award" in his high-pitched voice.

"She is the pride of our company! She is the epitome of innovative thinking! She is our administrative assistant, Li Wei!"

Li Wei, a young woman dressed plainly and looking slightly tired, walked onto the stage amidst scattered applause from her colleagues. In her hands, she held a red brocade box. Inside was not a cash prize but a thick stack of papers – her accumulated annual leave slips for the year.

"Thank you, company, thank you, leaders," Li Wei's voice was a little hoarse. She held up the brocade box, showing it to the audience, "I'm offering my annual leave this year as a year-end gift to everyone. I hope you can all have a good rest and be more energetic in the new year!"

The room fell silent instantly. After a brief pause, a wave of whispering and bewildered laughter erupted. Some said she was crazy, others said she had a problem in her head, and still others said she was mocking the company. But Li Wei just stood on the stage, her eyes calmly observing everything.

She was not crazy, of course.

She had genuinely treated her annual leave as a prize, carefully packaging it and placing it in the year-end party's lucky draw box. You see, in their company, annual leave was like a chicken rib – tasteless but not worth discarding. The leaders often said, "Young people, you should work hard, don't always think about resting," making annual leave a mere formality. Even requesting time off required the leader's approval.

But Li Wei was different. She loved life, loved every morning she could breathe fresh air. She believed rest was an investment, a way to recharge for the future. However, her desire for rest made her seem out of place.

During the lucky draw, the host feigned surprise as he pulled out Li Wei’s red box. "Wow! Today's grand prize is provided by Ms. Li Wei, a full year of paid annual leave! Is there anyone who wants it?"

The crowd cheered and jeered, but no one genuinely wanted it. After all, who would dare to show their eagerness for annual leave in front of the leaders? It would be seen as slacking and a lack of ambition.

Ultimately, the “grand prize” was won by a new intern from the sales department, Xiao Zhang. He stared blankly at the box in his hands, unsure of what to do.

After the party, Li Wei was called to the leader's office. The leader, with a livid face, slammed a termination letter onto her desk.

"Li Wei, you have truly disappointed me! What is annual leave? It's part of your job, your obligation! What do you mean by presenting it as a prize? Do you have a problem with the company?" the leader roared, his spittle flying onto Li Wei’s face.

Li Wei silently accepted the termination letter. She didn't argue but just calmly said, "I just think that annual leave shouldn't just be an obligation. It can also be a reward, a recognition of hard work. If rest is also a kind of work, then annual leave should be a reward with real value."

The leader sneered, "Value? Do you think you're playing house? The company rules are the rules. We won't tolerate your nonsense!"

Li Wei left the company. She didn't feel the slightest bit of sadness; instead, she felt a sense of relief. She could finally do what she loved, no longer bound by these hypocritical rules.

That evening, Li Wei walked home alone. The streetlights cast long shadows, as if silently narrating something. She sat on a bench next to a park, looking up at the sky, at the scattered stars like luminous candies.

Suddenly, she noticed a figure in blue work clothes in the distance on the lawn, laboring over something. She walked closer and saw that it was a city sanitation worker, tidying up a pile of cigarette butts and litter scattered on the grass.

Li Wei was stunned. She recalled the lavish year-end party, the leader’s reprimand, and her colleagues’ ridicule. She suddenly realized that what she considered “rest” was a job for some people every day.

She thought of how she had naively believed she could present her annual leave as a prize, hoping to bring joy and rest to others. But the reality was, she treated rest as a prize, while those who truly needed rest were struggling to make a living.

At that moment, she understood that the color of annual leave was not red, nor blue, but gray – the true color of this society.

Li Wei smiled, softly, with a hint of bitterness. She didn't go home but walked into a 24-hour convenience store next to the park. She bought a pack of cigarettes and walked to the edge of the lawn, offering them to the busy sanitation worker.

"Sir, you've worked hard. Have a cigarette and rest a bit."

The sanitation worker looked up at her, a little embarrassed, took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep puff. As the smoke dispersed, a tired smile appeared on his face.

At that moment, Li Wei felt that this was the true color of rest. It wasn't a mere piece of annual leave paper but a small warmth in ordinary life.