"This year, our factory's outstanding employees are Zhou Ziqing, Zhu Xiaoxian, and Miao Hongsheng. Their prize is one specially priced two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment each."
The first day of 1991 was a Tuesday.
Following tradition, the First Branch Factory held its annual commendation conference for 1990 separately. Li Ye had also carefully prepared generous prizes—red envelopes, motorcycles, household appliances—and handed them out until his arms nearly went numb.
Yet this year's "grand prize" left the workers present somewhat "dissatisfied."
"Why aren't they giving out sedans this year? I thought we'd be getting Xia Lis again!"
"Exactly! A two-bedroom apartment as a prize is way too lousy, isn't it? Even if they aren't giving out Xia Lis this year, they could at least give us a minivan!"
"You don't know? Last year, our factory handed out three sedans, and certain people with red-eye disease took issue with it. They wrote letters to The Department every day reporting the situation. No matter how much Director Li wanted to reward us workers, he couldn't charge headfirst into the wind!"
"I knew someone was up to mischief. Otherwise, our factory director isn't that stingy. If they've got the ability, let them hand out prizes to their own employees too! They're tightfisted themselves, yet they curse others for being generous. But Master Miao, Section Chief Zhou, and Section Chief Zhu already have homes, right? Why are they being allocated specially priced apartments? Does that mean they have to vacate the homes they live in now?"
"That... is impossible, absolutely impossible. I don't know about Section Chief Zhou's family, but I've been to Master Miao's home. It's a three-bedroom apartment. He hasn't committed any mistake, so how could he possibly be switched into a two-bedroom apartment?"
"Why are you all wasting your breath guessing here? Why not