Su Ying stood in the station exit hall, looking around. Passers-by came and went, some in a hurry, others at a leisurely pace; occasionally she spotted a few fair-haired, blue-eyed foreigners, and even saw two young girls wearing wigs and Lolita outfits standing by a pillar.
It really is a big city.
Su Ying grinned broadly as she took in this place, which felt somewhat novel to her, her expression full of excitement.
Su Ying followed the signs to the pick-up point for ride-hailing services.
To avoid any complications that might arise overnight, and to secure her winnings as soon as possible, she wanted to head straight to the lottery centre to claim her prize.
It was a weekday, and the lottery centre was deserted, with hardly a soul in sight. Although Su Ying had read the claiming guide at least a hundred times, she was still terribly nervous, worried that a mistake at any stage might mean the ticket was rejected, wasting all the money she’d spent over the past few days.
However, once the staff had verified that the ticket was genuine, Su Ying followed their instructions and everything went smoothly.
She stared at the cheque in her hand, feeling as though she were in a dream.
Was it really that simple?
Su Ying gazed in disbelief at the cheque for 5.04 million yuan, then looked up at the sky. The sunlight was bright, causing her to squint involuntarily.
So this is what it feels like to win the lottery?
A surge of joy rushed through her. Without a second thought, she picked up her mobile and snapped a photo, ready to post it on her social media feed.
Her finger paused just as she was about to open her feed; for some reason, she was reminded of all those news stories about people who, after striking it rich, were swindled out of money by friends, relatives, classmates and colleagues who never paid them back. Better not post anything rash on social media, she decided, and instead opened a messaging app.
“Girls! I’ve won five million! Can I just lie back and relax for the rest of my life now?!!!”
After posting this message, Su Ying closed the app and hailed a taxi to the bank; she didn’t even use a ride-hailing app, but simply flagged down a cab on the street.
Money! Freedom!
She deposited the cheque into her account and brushed aside the wealth manager’s flowery sales pitch, humming a tune that wasn’t quite in tune as she walked out of the bank lobby.
Gazing at the giant ‘M’ across from the bank, Su Ying decided to indulge in luxury to the full today—she was going to eat at McDonald’s.
Of course, this indulgence was limited to eating at McDonald’s, not ordering at full price; Su Ying dutifully bought the 19.90 yuan snack set from a group-buying platform.
Whilst waiting for her food, Su Ying watched the order numbers flashing on the digital screen. For some reason, she was reminded of her high school days, when she’d go out with classmates at the weekend. It was on her first visit to McDonald’s that she’d discovered the ‘buy one, get one free’ deal, realising that a large burger worked out at just over ten yuan. Yet even that ten-odd yuan had been pocket money she’d saved up for ages.
But the Su Ying of today was no longer the Su Ying of those days; she was now a wealthy woman with a net worth of 5 million—oh no, 5.04 million!
Carrying her tray, Su Ying found a window seat and sat down. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun shone through the tinted glass, casting a lazy glow over her entire body.
Su Ying had never imagined that one day she’d be enjoying a leisurely meal at McDonald’s on a weekday.
She savoured the delicious McChicken while swinging her legs, dangling from the high stool.
Su Ying took out her mobile to snap a photo of this lovely moment. Suddenly, she remembered she’d posted about winning the prize on social media earlier. She happily opened the app and looked at the 99+ notifications—as expected, they’d all be ‘congrats, congrats, congrats’, wouldn’t they?
But her smile froze the moment she tapped on the messages.
[‘You want to lie around doing nothing with 5 million? Are you planning to live under a bridge, eating steamed buns and pickles every day?’]
【5 million might seem like a lot at first glance, but it’d barely be enough to buy a bedroom—let alone a bathroom, so as not to break the blogger’s heart.】
【I’ve told you, poverty is a disease. You’re so poor you only dare to dream of winning 5 million in the lottery. What if you actually won 5 billion?】
【Erm… my household spends 600,000 a year, just for the blogger’s reference.】
……
Every single word on the screen felt like a poisoned dagger, piercing deep into Su Ying’s heart. Her breathing quickened; a surge of shame and anger rose from her gut to her forehead, setting her cheeks ablaze, and the hand clutching her phone began to tremble uncontrollably.
She wanted to type a rebuttal, but her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, making mistake after mistake; each typo seemed to mock her embarrassment.
In the end, as if all her strength had been drained from her, she steeled her resolve, closed her eyes, and deleted the post outright.
Helplessly, Su Ying buried her burning cheeks in her arms and slumped over the desk.
She didn’t know how long had passed when the WeChat notification sounded. Su Ying took out her phone to see it was a message from her senior.
[Senior: Knock knock.jpg]
Su Ying sat up, her gaze unfocused as she looked out of the window. Golden rays of the setting sun filtered through the treetops; evening had crept in unnoticed.
Presumably having received no reply, another message from her senior popped up.
[Senior: Confused.jpg]
Su Ying picked up her phone, tapped the voice message icon, and spoke in a hoarse voice: “ ‘Senior, how much money does a person need to make in their lifetime to be able to just lie back and relax…’
Seeing that the message had been sent, Su Ying was just about to put her phone down when a call came in.
Su Ying looked at the caller ID showing 【Senior】 and, feeling both surprised and a little flustered, tapped to answer.
Before Su Ying could say a word, Su Jiayu’s clear voice came through the receiver: “What’s the matter, Junior?”
Su Ying opened her mouth, then finally lowered her head and used her free hand to pick at the chips that had long since gone cold: “N-nothing…”
Su Jiayu clearly didn’t believe her: “You don’t sound quite right. What’s the matter? Tell your senior brother, and see if I can help clear things up for you.”
Su Ying certainly wasn’t foolish enough to admit she’d won five million and been mocked online; she simply sidestepped the issue: “Um… I was just curious how many tens of thousands it would take to ‘lie flat’. I always feel like a mule grinding away at a millstone, never able to rest for a single moment…”
Su Jiayu pondered for a moment before saying: “For me, two million, I suppose. “Actually, in a way, I suppose I’m already living the ‘lie-flat’ life.”
“Eh?” This answer clearly took Su Ying by surprise. “Is that all?”
“Is that all?” Su Jiayu looked somewhat taken aback, then smiled. “But many people in Chuncheng earn only two million in their entire lifetime.”
Su Ying instantly recalled that just a few days ago, she herself had been nothing more than a wage earner on a monthly salary of three thousand; to earn two million, she’d have to work for 55 years.
As for five million, she’d have to work for 138 years without eating or drinking to earn that.
Even if she got a factory job with a slightly higher wage—working 11-hour shifts in two rotations a day, with 2–4 days off a month—her take-home pay would only be around five to six thousand. That would still take a full 70 years!
And that’s assuming she worked continuously, without any periods of unemployment like the one she was currently facing. As for pay rises… she’d been working for two and a half years and hadn’t had a single pay rise.
Su Ying gave a slightly awkward smile, feeling as though she’d perhaps lost sight of reality, but…
“But everyone online says…” Su Ying had intended to say that even 50 million wouldn’t be enough to live comfortably, but she was distracted by the clattering sounds coming from the other end of the line. “Senior, what are you doing?”
Su Jiayu: “I’m getting my meal in the canteen.”
Su Ying’s face flushed instantly, and she said cautiously, “Is it really all right for you to be on the phone with me like this in the workplace canteen?”
She’d read online recently that, for civil servants, only those who were engaged to be married were allowed to make contact in public areas at work. Otherwise, not only ordinary friends but even partners who’d been dating for years were forbidden from making phone calls there—otherwise, it would become a laughing stock for life.
Su Jiayu, who had just sat down with his tray, looked a bit bewildered. “Is it not allowed to make phone calls in the canteen?” The moment the words left his mouth, Su Jiayu realised what he’d said, and his tone turned stern. “Su Ying! I’ve told you time and again not to read all that rubbish online!”
Su Ying let out a somewhat guilty “Oh” and said timidly, “How did you know I was looking at that online…”
Su Jiayu sighed. “Last time you asked me if we’re not allowed to change our profile pictures in the civil service; the time before that, you asked if we have to keep our relationships secret; and the time before that…”
Su Jiayu pressed his hand to his forehead in exasperation. “We’re only joining the civil service to serve the people, not entering the palace to become eunuchs. There aren’t that many strict palace rules.”
“So…” Su Jiayu tapped the table lightly, “what’s this outrageous thing you’ve seen online this time?”