Subsidies

Li Ming was jolted awake by his alarm clock early in the morning. He struggled to get out of bed, his eyes not fully open, and instinctively reached for his phone on the nightstand.

"Three minutes left!" he mumbled, his voice full of anxiety.

The "three minutes" he referred to was the application deadline for "nationally subsidized" cell phones. To catch this wave of "freebies," Li Ming had stayed up late for several nights in a row, researching policies, filling out forms, and preparing materials...

He clicked on the familiar application page, only to find a large red exclamation point popping up: "System under maintenance, please try again later!"

Li Ming's heart sank. He frantically refreshed the page, his fingers almost poking through the screen. However, the red exclamation point remained stubbornly there, like a mocking smile.

"Damn it!" Li Ming couldn't help but curse. He grabbed his hair in frustration, feeling like a monkey being played.

Just then, his phone rang. It was his colleague, Wang Qiang.

"Hey, Li Ming, did you get your application through?" Wang Qiang's excited voice came from the receiver.

"No, the system is under maintenance," Li Ming replied listlessly.

"Hahaha, you're so unlucky! I got mine! You know what? I used my wife's, my parents', my aunts', and my uncles' IDs to apply for more than a dozen!" Wang Qiang said proudly.

Listening to Wang Qiang's boasting, Li Ming felt even more depressed. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to do with so many phones? Can you even use them all?"

"Use them? Who said anything about using them? I'm going to sell them, of course! I can make hundreds of yuan on each one!" Wang Qiang said matter-of-factly.

Li Ming was stunned. He suddenly realized that the frenzy surrounding these "nationally subsidized" phones seemed to have deviated from its original course.

He hung up the phone and walked to the window, looking at the bustling crowd below. Everyone was looking down, fiddling with their phones, their faces showing excitement or anxiety.

Li Ming suddenly felt it was ridiculous. He remembered when he was a child, he had to save for months to get a toy he wanted. But now, people were going crazy to grab a "nationally subsidized" phone.

He opened his computer and searched for news about "nationally subsidized" phones. The overwhelming coverage was filled with words like "hot," "rush to buy," and "sold out in seconds."

He saw a news headline: "Over 20 Million People Apply for National Subsidies to Buy Phones, etc."

Li Ming silently closed the webpage. He suddenly felt a deep sense of exhaustion. He didn't know how long this farce would last, or whether he should continue to participate in it.

He went to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it down in one gulp. The cold water sliding down his throat made him feel a little more awake.

He decided to stop thinking about the "nationally subsidized" phones and do something more meaningful.

He opened his phone, launched a video app, and prepared to watch a movie he had wanted to see for a long time.

However, just as he clicked the play button, the phone screen suddenly went black.

Li Ming was stunned for a moment, then pressed the power button a few times, but there was no response.

He then remembered that his phone was several years old, and the battery had long since deteriorated.

He sighed helplessly and muttered to himself, "Looks like I really need to get a new phone."

He went to the living room and rummaged through boxes, finding an old phone box. It was from the phone he bought a few years ago and had never thrown away.

He opened the box, and inside lay a receipt and a "National Electronic Product Consumption Subsidy Application Form."

Li Ming picked up the application form, which clearly stated "Application Successful."

He was stunned. He had absolutely no memory of ever applying for this subsidy.

He thought carefully and finally remembered that it was a few years ago, when he had just started working, and the company organized a group application activity.

He didn't pay attention at the time, just filled out a form, and then completely forgot about it.

Li Ming looked at the application form in his hand and suddenly laughed, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

He laughed at his own stupidity, at this absurd world, and at the farce of the "nationally subsidized" phones.

He threw the application form into the trash can, then picked up the old phone that wouldn't turn on, walked to the window, and threw it out with force.

The phone made an arc in the air and then crashed heavily on the ground, shattering into pieces.

Li Ming looked at the pile of fragments on the ground and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

He took a deep breath, then turned and walked into the kitchen to make himself a hearty breakfast.

He knew that from today on, he would start a new life.