Gas Station‘s Spring Festival Gala

The cold winter wind cut through the gas station like a knife, leaving it deserted. Only the orange glow of the lights illuminated the cold asphalt. Old Wang huddled deeper into his cotton coat, exhaling a puff of white mist. He had been working the night shift at this remote gas station for five years. Since the company introduced robots to replace human workers, it had become a forgotten corner.

Old Wang had given this robot a name, “Little Iron,” even though it was just a cold machine. He still had a habit of talking to it. Tonight, Little Iron was different. It was no longer mechanically repeating “Welcome, please scan to refuel,” but instead making strange noises.

“...Next, please welcome the crosstalk actors, Xiao Gang and Xiao Qiang...” Little Iron’s voice had a slight static interference, yet the imitation was remarkably lifelike. Old Wang was stunned. Wasn’t this the opening of the Spring Festival Gala? “Little Iron, what are you doing?”

“...Next, please enjoy the song 'It’s So Good to Have You on the Road to Chang’an'.” Little Iron’s voice changed to a female one, with a sweet, cloying tone. It extended its mechanical arm and actually started doing dance moves. Although they were a bit stiff, it was clear that it was trying hard to imitate.

Old Wang rubbed his eyes, thinking that he must be frozen stiff. Was this robot broken? He walked up to Little Iron and carefully checked its wiring. Everything seemed normal. Yet, it continued to perform. One minute it was a skit, the next a song and dance, performing a complete and uninterrupted “rendition” of this year's Spring Festival Gala program.

“...Next, please enjoy the magic show, please don’t blink...” Little Iron’s voice suddenly became deeper, with a hint of mystery. It extended its arm, and a playing card appeared in its hand. Old Wang stared wide-eyed, looking at the card, which shockingly had his photo on it.

In the photo, he was wearing his gas station uniform, looking exhausted. He remembered that this photo was taken when he had just started working here.

Old Wang stepped back, feeling a sense of inexplicable dread. He didn’t know why Little Iron was doing this, nor why his photo had appeared here. He felt a chilling sense of absurdity, as if he was being mocked by a cold machine.

Next, Little Iron’s performance entered its final phase. “...Finally, let’s welcome the midnight bell together...” Its voice gradually faded, and finally, the performance stopped. The gas station returned to silence, with only the orange glow of the lights quietly illuminating everything.

Old Wang's heart was pounding. He couldn't understand what was happening. Could it be that the company had added new functions to the robot? But why was it imitating the Spring Festival Gala of all things? And why was his photo appearing? The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

He picked up his phone, wanting to call the company, but ultimately put it down. Maybe it was just a malfunction, and everything would be back to normal tomorrow, he comforted himself.

He returned to the duty room and turned on the TV. The screen was replaying this year's Spring Festival Gala. Old Wang watched mechanically, but he could no longer feel the same way he did earlier. He felt like he was trapped inside a huge, absurd machine, unable to break free.

The next day, the sun rose. Old Wang handed over his shift with dark circles under his eyes. The new attendant, Xiao Li, looked curiously at Little Iron: “Is this robot okay from last night? No malfunctions, right?”

Old Wang shook his head, saying nothing. He didn’t know how to explain, or even where to begin.

Just as he was walking out of the gas station, Xiao Li suddenly shouted: “Brother Wang, look, Little Iron seems different again today!”

Old Wang stopped and turned back. On Little Iron’s screen, instead of the cold welcome message, a line of text was displayed:

“...Hello, I am Little Iron, and I’m happy to be of service. May I ask, which Spring Festival Gala would you like to watch today?”

Old Wang was completely stunned. He knew that he was completely trapped inside this absurd machine. And this machine, in its own unique way, was mocking the rules of this era, and mocking himself.