I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

In the guesthouse's main conference room, Li Jing'an sat on the stage, leaning slightly forward, his gaze sweeping across the audience. Apart from the necessary staff on duty, all the other staff members were present, filling the entire room. Everyone understood the purpose of today's meeting.

"The whole country is now vigorously criticizing the practice of prioritizing bonuses," Li Jing'an said, tapping the table lightly and raising his voice. "Today, we not only need to criticize it verbally, but also to come up with a practical and feasible implementation plan. Our guesthouse must take the lead, placing this work at the top of all our tasks, and resolutely supporting the policies of higher authorities. We must resolutely resist using money and bonuses to lure and win over workers, and eliminate this trend from corrupting the vast number of revolutionary workers and the masses! We must hold high the banner of 'ideology first, material things second,' and completely eradicate this erroneous idea of ​​'bonuses above all else' from everyone's minds!"

He paused briefly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the people in the front row.

"Do we work so hard just for money? I'm telling you clearly, no! We don't work for personal gain, but for the nation's development and rejuvenation, and for the people's well-being and dignity! Therefore, we resolutely oppose the unhealthy trend of prioritizing money and material incentives!"

The audience was completely silent; some people lowered their heads in silence, while others exchanged glances discreetly.

"Relying solely on bonuses as an incentive will only turn people into puppets of money, with unimaginable consequences, comrades. Looking back now, it still sends chills down my spine."

Li Jing'an picked up his enamel mug, took a sip of water, and gestured to the audience with his chin: "Now, please have representatives from each department speak in turn, sharing their experiences and discussing the harms caused by bonuses."

Subsequently, representatives from various departments took turns to the stage.

A female housekeeping staff member spoke first, her eyes already reddening before she even opened her mouth. Clutching her prepared speech tightly, her hands trembling slightly, she said in a tearful voice, "Distinguished leaders and comrades, I must vehemently denounce how devastating bonuses are; they are poison that corrupts the mind! Last month, I simply cleaned a few extra rooms and earned an extra three yuan and fifty cents in bonus, but I couldn't sleep a wink that night. I kept asking myself, did I work just for those few dollars? How am I any different from those profit-driven workers of the old society? I felt incredibly ashamed and remorseful! Since then, I haven't dared to volunteer for extra work, afraid that others will say I only care about money and have forgotten my revolutionary duty..."

She couldn't help but wipe away tears as she spoke.

Immediately afterward, a restaurant employee stood up and spoke, pounding his chest: "The director is absolutely right! Bonuses are like sugar-coated bullets that corrupt people's hearts! Two months ago, I only miscalculated two cents in meal tickets, and my bonus was deducted. I couldn't concentrate on work all day and was full of resentment. Afterward, I suddenly realized, how could I be so petty about a few cents? This is enough to show that bonuses have deeply corrupted my thinking, making me only care about personal gains and losses, and not the overall situation of the team! From that day on, I made up my mind to resolutely resist bonuses, and I will never accept even a single extra penny!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his face flushed red and veins bulging, until he almost shouted at the top of his lungs.

Squad Leader Liang of the Logistics Support Team walked shakily to the front of the stage. The man, in his forties or fifties, began speaking, then slapped his thighs, breaking down in tears: "Comrades! I have deeply reflected on my actions! Before there were performance bonuses, I was hardworking and honest. Since we started having performance bonuses, I've been calculating how much extra I can earn each month, even dreaming about spare change! I have failed the organization's training and the leaders' trust!"

He was so emotional that he pounded his chest and stamped his feet, and almost fainted. The two people next to him quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Only a few scattered voices echoed from the audience; the vast majority remained silent.

Li Jing'an sat calmly on the platform, nodding slowly with a blank expression, the corners of his mouth occasionally twitching slightly. After everyone had finished speaking, he looked satisfied and began his concluding remarks.

"Good, very good." The voice was not loud, but every word was powerful. "It is clear that the vast majority of employees have recognized the essence of the problem, which shows that our guesthouse has not been deeply corrupted by unhealthy tendencies and is still a conscious and combative collective. The speeches of the representatives were insightful and thorough, and I have also truly seen the firm stance and determination of all employees."

He stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and continued:

"Let me add one more thing. A few extra dollars in bonuses might only mean someone can eat one more cornbread a day—it's just satisfying a temporary hunger. Do we dedicate ourselves to work and building our country just to fill our stomachs? Of course not! We'd rather eat one less cornbread than let our minds be constantly on edge. Being full is merely a physical need; what we truly pursue is a firm and strong spiritual belief. With a strong enough spirit, we can overcome any hardship!"

After saying that, he raised his fist high and brought it down heavily.

A muffled thud shook the desktop.

Upon seeing Li Jing'an lower his fist, Xu Damao, sitting in the front row, immediately brightened up, clapped vigorously, and shouted, "Great! Well said! Director Li's words are incisive and thought-provoking!"

He clapped and winked at the back row, and everyone followed suit. Instantly, the whole place erupted in applause, and the atmosphere was as lively as a boiling pot.

Li Jing'an looked satisfied, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire room, looking left and right. None of the employees under his gaze dared to stop first; their palms clapped until they were red and numb, continuing to clap mechanically and incessantly, leaving only the monotonous, uniform applause in the room.

Five minutes later, Li Jing'an raised his hand and gently pressed down, signaling everyone to stop.

The boisterous applause stopped abruptly.

"Good, I feel everyone's firm resolve." Li Jing'an nodded. "Simply making statements isn't enough; we need concrete actions. Effective immediately, the guesthouse will completely abolish the bonus system. Although it's already the end of the month, we're voluntarily forgoing all bonuses this month to show all departments of the steel rolling mill our guesthouse's unwavering commitment to implementing policies and upholding principles!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out of the conference room with a gentle smile on his face and his hands behind his back. Department heads followed closely behind, leaving the ordinary employees standing there dumbfounded.

As the footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away, the meeting room erupted in a buzz of discussion.

"What?! Even this month's bonus is gone? I've worked a whole month, doesn't that mean all my hard work was for nothing?!" The young employee stomped his feet in frustration.

"That's right." Someone sighed softly. "The leaders have high salaries, so losing a few dollars doesn't matter to them. But we ordinary workers rely on this subsidy to make a living. Losing five or six dollars all at once makes life much tighter."

"Without these few dollars, we can only make do with thin porridge at home. The children are growing, and we simply can't afford the expenses," the old worker said, squatting to the side, his face full of worry.