Lion Gift

Lao Liu, or more precisely, Liu Dehua, but he preferred to be called "Lao Liu" by others, feeling it was more friendly. Lao Liu had been working at the company for nearly twenty years, transforming from a youthful lad to a greasy middle-aged man, witnessing the company's rise and fall, and also witnessing the rise and fall of countless "red envelopes".

On the first day back to work, the office was filled with a mixed smell of caffeine and anticipation. Lao Liu rubbed his hands, his heart itching too. Not for the little money, but for the feeling of "being valued". After all, who doesn't like to be favored by the God of Wealth?

"Knock knock knock."

Xiao Wang from HR walked in with a smiling face, holding a huge cardboard box in his hands, with the words "Red Envelope" written in bold on red paper. The office suddenly fell silent, and everyone held their breath, as if waiting for the verdict of fate.

"This year, the company has prepared a special 'red envelope' for everyone!" Xiao Wang deliberately dragged out his voice, whetting everyone's appetite. "Not a red envelope, but... a 'Lion Gift'!"

"Lion Gift?" Everyone looked at each other, looking blank.

Xiao Wang smiled mysteriously and opened the cardboard box. Inside, there were no glittering red envelopes, but stone lions of various shapes and sizes, some as tall as half a meter, others as small as a fist, with red ribbons wrapped around their necks, looking particularly festive.

"What does this mean?" Someone couldn't help asking.

"The meaning, of course, is that the company will be like a lion in the new year, brave and diligent, with abundant financial resources!" Xiao Wang said eloquently. "Moreover, each 'Lion Gift' has been blessed by a master, to bless everyone with promotion and fortune, and good health in the new year!"

Lao Liu received a stone lion with bared teeth, which was quite heavy. He carried the "Lion Gift" back to his workstation, feeling like he was carrying a heavy responsibility. Where should this "Lion Gift" be placed? The workstation was already small, and putting it on the ground would trip people, while putting it on the table would take up space.

The entire office was caught in the dilemma of placing the "Lion Gift". Some people worshiped the "Lion Gift" next to their computers, burning three incense sticks every day; some hid the "Lion Gift" in a drawer, out of sight, out of mind; and some simply put the "Lion Gift" in the corridor, trying to let it guard the peace of the entire company.

Lao Liu finally decided to put the "Lion Gift" in the corner of his desk, wiping it every day before work, as a form of exercise.

As the days passed, the fate of the "Lion Gifts" in the office also varied. Some were covered in dust, some were used as paperweights, and some were even used to crack walnuts.

Three months later, the company's performance declined, and rumors of layoffs were rife. Amidst the panic, the boss called an all-employee meeting.

"The situation is not good this year, everyone should be mentally prepared." The boss cleared his throat, his eyes sweeping over everyone present. "But we can't be discouraged! To boost morale, I've decided..."

The boss paused and pointed to a pile of stone lions in the corner of the meeting room. "Take out all your 'Lion Gifts'!"

Everyone was confused and brought out their "Lion Gifts", and the meeting room was suddenly filled with all kinds of stone lions, which was a spectacular scene.

"Good!" The boss nodded with satisfaction. "Now, everyone smash these 'Lion Gifts'!"

"Smash them?!" Everyone was stunned.

"That's right! No destruction, no construction! Only by smashing the old can we welcome the new!" The boss said passionately. "We must completely smash these stone lions that symbolize conservatism and backwardness, so that we can usher in a new life in the new year!"

Lao Liu looked at the stone lion with bared teeth in front of him, his heart filled with mixed feelings. For the past three months, he had wiped it every day and had actually developed a bit of affection for it.

"Smash them! Smash them!" The boss took the lead in picking up a hammer and smashed a stone lion hard. With a "bang", the stone lion broke in response.

Others followed suit, and a deafening sound of smashing stones echoed in the meeting room.

Lao Liu hesitated, then picked up the hammer and aimed it at his "Lion Gift".

Just as he was about to smash it, he suddenly noticed a line of small characters engraved on the base of the stone lion:

"Internal price recycling, offer expires. - Logistics Department."

Lao Liu's hand trembled violently, and the hammer fell to the ground.