UnionPay Red Packet Rain
On the eve of the Spring Festival, Lao Wang discovered a new app on his phone called "UnionPay Red Packet Rain." It was said that to celebrate the successful inscription of the Spring Festival as a World Heritage, UnionPay, in collaboration with various merchants, was distributing digital red packets in the sky over cities at set times each day. These red packets could be used to offset consumer spending. Initially, Lao Wang didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just another gimmick used by businesses. That was until he saw people in his neighborhood wearing AR glasses, running around downstairs like a group of madmen chasing fireflies.
Before retiring, Lao Wang was a librarian at the city center library. He had spent his whole life dealing with books and had always been skeptical about new technologies. He had never participated in the red packet grabbing and had no idea what magic the red packet rain possessed that made the old folks in his community stop their square dancing and instead play "hide-and-seek" downstairs. He went to the park for his usual walks every day, occasionally hearing passersby excitedly discussing how many red packets they had grabbed. Some even argued with others over red packets, the noise as clamorous as in a busy farmers' market.
One day, Lao Wang was resting on a park bench when he saw an old man beating his chest in frustration for failing to get a red packet. The old man said, “I have been staying up early and keeping watch, upgrading my network, but I still can't get one. This red packet rain is probably just for young people.” Lao Wang felt pity for the old man and curiously asked, “Is this red packet rain really that good? Isn't it just a discount coupon?” The old man stared at him wide-eyed: “You don't understand, this is not just a simple discount coupon, it's status! It's position! Now, if you haven’t grabbed any red packets, you're embarrassed to say you’re celebrating the New Year!”
When Lao Wang got home, he opened his long-abandoned tablet and downloaded "UnionPay Red Packet Rain". The app was easy to use: you put on AR glasses, and at a specific time, click on the red packets falling from the sky on the screen. Lao Wang found it a bit silly, but still, with a try-it-out attitude, he joined the red packet grabbing army in his neighborhood.
The first time, Lao Wang got nothing. The red packets slipped away in front of his eyes like mischievous elves. The second time, he grasped some of the techniques and got a five-yuan red packet. It displayed, "Congratulations! You have received a five-yuan red packet, valid for three hours, usable at designated merchants." He frowned. What could he buy with five yuan? Not even a cup of coffee. It felt more like a gesture of charity.
Over the next few days, Lao Wang participated in the red packet grabbing every day. He noticed that more and more people were participating. Even the neighbors who used to ignore him started taking the initiative to greet him. Lao Wang discovered that as long as you managed to get a red packet, you became the center of attention, while those who didn't were considered outdated. This made him feel uneasy. The red packet rain seemed to be constructing a new social hierarchy.
Later, red packet trading even appeared in the community. Some people sold their red packets to others at high prices. The red packets became a symbol of status; the rarer the red packet, the higher the price. Lao Wang felt a sense of desolation as he watched the people in his neighborhood go crazy over red packets. He suddenly realized that this so-called “red packet rain” was less of a benefit and more like a blatant test of human nature.
As the Spring Festival approached, the amount of money in the red packets grew bigger, and the people in the community became even more frantic. Lao Wang found that even he was starting to habitually open the app and wait for the specific time to grab red packets. This behavior made him feel ashamed. He seemed to have also fallen into this absurd vortex, unable to extricate himself.
On New Year's Eve, Lao Wang was alone in his room reading a book while the neighborhood was filled with cheers of red packet grabbing. He put down his book and walked to the window, looking at the people downstairs wearing AR glasses, like ghosts. Suddenly, he noticed that the red packet rain seemed to have stopped. The app displayed: “This session of the Red Packet Rain activity has ended. Thank you for your participation.”
The people in the neighborhood did not seem to realize it yet. They were still wearing their AR glasses and searching everywhere in the open space downstairs. They looked like a group of children who had lost their toys, their expressions blank and lost. Lao Wang sighed, closed the window, and felt both relieved and saddened. He knew that the red packet rain was only temporary, but the madness of human nature was endless.
At that moment, Lao Wang’s phone vibrated. He opened it and saw on the screen: "Dear user, you have participated in this session of UnionPay Red Packet Rain and have won the grand prize: a consumption voucher worth 10,000 yuan, valid permanently. Please check." Lao Wang stared at the screen, stunned. He suddenly realized that the real purpose of this red packet rain might have never been to give people discount coupons, but to make them forever addicted to this virtual game of pursuit. And he, had become a "lucky" participant in this game. He looked at the string of zeros on the screen and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He understood that what he had grabbed was not a 10,000 yuan consumption voucher, but a ticket to an even deeper level of absurdity.