At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Huang Yi made a clear mark on the duty roster. Although she felt a pang of heartache for the company's cash flow, she was extremely impressed by Li Xiao's decisive and efficient leadership.

He took a deep breath, opened the second folder in his hand, and handed it over with both hands.

"Mr. Li, this is the second draft regarding the distribution of year-end bonuses for all employees. Please take a look."

Huang Yi adjusted her frameless glasses, her expression becoming serious and conservative, and began to explain her financial logic:

"Although Xinglan Technology has acquired many large enterprise clients in Jianye District and within the province in the past six months, and the revenue from its SaaS services looks very impressive, we are still in the early stages of our startup. As you know, tech companies are bottomless money-devouring beasts."

He pointed to several large expenditure details on the first few pages of the report:

"To support the ever-increasing volume of concurrent scheduling data, Mr. Chen's team is frantically adding high-spec servers and renting top-tier cloud bandwidth every month. The cost of computing power and training algorithm models alone is astronomical."

That's not all. Although Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing hasn't officially launched yet, all the initial material purchases, site fencing construction, and the various non-standard experimental equipment provided to Peng Yue's team at high salaries have all come from Xinglan Technology's accounts.

Huang Yi paused, her tone becoming extremely pragmatic:

"Therefore, the actual net profit that can be saved and freely disposed of this year is not as much as outsiders imagine. I have repeatedly worked through the models with several accounting specialists in the finance department, and the proposed solution is: in accordance with the practice of startups in the industry, we will give everyone a '13th month salary,' which is an extra month's base salary as a token gesture. For the core technical staff of the algorithm team and the testing team, we will give them an additional bonus of three to five thousand yuan."

In the eyes of a traditional financial executive like Huang Yi, this plan is the safest and most flawless.

In the current climate, a startup that can pay salaries on time, including the 13th-month bonus, in its first year is considered a conscientious company. Many so-called high-tech startups simply offer empty promises to employees at the end of the year, using a bunch of unattainable stock options to lure them in, euphemistically calling it "delayed gratification."

Huang Yi's suggestion is:

"Once Xinglan's cash flow generation capacity truly improves next year, and Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing is on track, we'll gradually increase the year-end bonus amount. Mr. Li, maintaining sufficient cash flow to weather the storm is crucial for our current size. What do you think of this?"

Li Xiao listened quietly to Huang Yi's report, glancing casually at the detailed year-end bonus draft.

"Mr. Huang, that's not how you calculate things."

Li Xiao didn't rush to continue, but instead poured Huang Yi another half cup of hot tea.

Xinglan is a startup, that's true. Maintaining cash flow is also crucial. But precisely because it's a startup, the budget can't just focus on saving money; it also needs to consider how it's spent. You need to be clear about the boundaries: what expenses should be saved, and what expenses should be invested in. We're different from those traditional bosses in Jianye. Xinglan's core isn't the factory or the equipment, but its people.

"You do the math. Most of the algorithm development team that Chen Qiming led were poached from universities in other provinces or top-tier companies. For the past six months, they've been coding and fixing bugs day and night, pushing Xinglan's concurrent scheduling capabilities to the 200,000 level. This is the lifeline that allows Xinglan to stand out in the provincial logistics circle."

Li Xiao's fingers tapped lightly on the mahogany table surface.

"If at this point, we use the high-sounding excuse of low profit margins for startups to give them a few thousand dollars or a month's basic salary at the end of the year, they may not say anything, and may even think it's only fair, but the burning desire in their hearts to follow us and conquer the world will be extinguished without them realizing it."

Huang Yi leaned forward slightly, his forehead already beaded with sweat, but out of professional habit, he couldn't help but remind him:

"But Mr. Li, even if we focus on rewarding our core staff, if we also significantly reduce the number of data labelers and administrative staff outside, that expense won't be small..."

"Those at the grassroots level should be rewarded more generously."

Li Xiao interrupted him directly.

"Revise a standard and apply it across the board. All employees who have worked at Xinglan for three months and have successfully completed their probationary period, regardless of whether they are in administration, logistics, or even the most basic labeling staff, will receive a guaranteed year-end bonus of 30,000 RMB."

Mid-level management and algorithm backbone personnel will receive between 80,000 and 150,000 yuan based on performance. As for the core R&D team members like Lao Chen and Zhao Ming, this money won't go through the regular accounting system; I'll distribute it privately through Lansheng Capital's account.

Huang Yi was so shocked her mouth hung open, her glasses almost slipping off her nose. In Jiangyang, an inland county-level city, the total annual income of an average wage earner is only fifty to sixty thousand yuan. A guaranteed year-end bonus starting at thirty thousand yuan? You couldn't find another company like this in the entire province's tech industry.

Li Xiao turned around and set the final tone:

"The peak recruitment season after the Chinese New Year is March and April. Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing urgently needs a large number of knowledgeable mechanical engineers to truly take root. I want those technical talents in Jianye and Suzhou who are being exploited by traditional bosses to know that there is a place in Jiangyang that is willing to pay real money to those who have made contributions. I want to see this money deposited into every employee's salary card before the end of this Friday. Go and do it."

Huang Yi stopped pursuing the matter.

"Mr. Li, I understand," he said.

Li Xiao nodded, not repeating what he had just said. Huang Yi was a reserved person, but she never failed to deliver on her assignments.

Although the official document hasn't been issued yet, with the year-end approaching, the break room and smoking area have already become hotbeds of gossip. Many large companies have explicit rules about "salary confidentiality," even using inquiries about wages as a red line for dismissal. But at Xinglan, Li Xiao has never established such a secretive rule. In his view, as long as the pay is fair and the rewards are transparent, making it clear to everyone, it's more likely to ignite ambition than keeping things hidden.

"Hey, how much do you guys think we'll get this year? I heard that our competitor next door, who makes SaaS, only gave out two bags of rice and a 500 yuan shopping card this year." A front-end developer who had just joined the company whispered to the person next to him while holding a coffee cup.

"Our company just built a supercomputing room and acquired such a large piece of land, so our accounts are definitely tight." A veteran employee from the testing team sighed, his tone pragmatic. "I'd be grateful if we could get our 13th-month salary on time. After all, we've only been here for six months; no startup company would throw big money at newcomers."

"A 13th-month salary isn't bad. In Jiangyang, it's enough to get through the New Year comfortably." A few female labelers chatted and laughed while brewing black tea. "But I heard that General Manager Li called General Manager Huang in yesterday, and it seems that even the overtime pay for the Spring Festival is going to be increased."

"Really? If they really can give me a few thousand more yuan, I might as well not go back to my hometown for Chinese New Year and just stay in the server room!"

Between workstations, the sound of keyboards clicking mingled with whispers. Everyone said they would be content with ten or twenty thousand, but the expectation they held for Li Xiao was impossible to hide in their eyes.

Working under this young boss, they've witnessed far too many unconventional miracles.