He had originally planned to work up some courage with alcohol and do something, but instead of drinking, he had spent the whole time reminiscing about the past year.
Those last few remarks made Gu Xiaoxia shy. She shooed Li Long into the house and tidied the kitchen herself. The days were very short now, and it was already pitch-black outside. Li Long felt an itch in his heart too.
When Gu Xiaoxia finished cleaning the kitchen and came inside, she saw Li Long sitting in the living room with his coat off. She felt a little nervous, with a persistent sense that something might happen today.
"Have you been busy at the bureau lately?"
"No." Gu Xiaoxia shook her head and went over to tend the stove, using it to ease her nerves. As she worked, she said:
"Although the year-end review is over and the leaders said the new year's work has begun, everyone knows how it really is. We all feel the same way: the new year doesn't really start until after the New Year holiday. The schools haven't opened anyway, and the higher offices have only just finished their reviews too. Those people are thinking much the same as us, so we're not busy. Everyone in the office is thinking about how to get more supplies for the New Year."
"Don't you get New Year benefits?" Once Gu Xiaoxia brought it up, Li Long immediately became curious.
These administrative units in the County Seat were all small, so doing business with them generally wasn't worth it. Besides, apart from organizations like the Supply and Marketing Cooperative that controlled supplies, most of them didn't have much money. Gu Xiaoxia's workplace was essentially a poorly funded office, so generous benefits were basically out of the question.
"We do.