Old Zhang has been buying lottery tickets for over ten years, every day, but never much—just one ticket. If it's the Seven-Star Lottery draw, he'll buy one; if it's the Double Color Ball draw, he'll buy one. Rain or shine, he always buys one ticket every day. If he's busy and can't go to the lottery station, he'll call and ask the owner to buy one for him.
Over the years of buying lottery tickets, he's developed a habit: no matter what kind of ticket he buys, he always uses the quick pick option; he never chooses his own numbers. At the lottery station, he's willing to discuss the winning numbers with other enthusiasts, but when it's his turn to place his bet, he always says the same thing: "Give me a quick pick." In his more than ten years of lottery experience, Old Zhang has won a few small prizes, ten or twenty yuan, with his biggest win being a thousand yuan. In his own words, winning a thousand is a blessing in disguise; what's meant to be will be, and what's not, you can't force. Therefore, Old Zhang has a very good attitude towards buying lottery tickets; he's happy whether he wins five yuan or not.
Because he had never won a big prize before, Old Zhang never held out much hope of winning one. Every time he bought a lottery ticket and came home, he would check the results that evening. If he won, he was happy; if he didn't, he was still content. He always told his family, "Two yuan a day. If we win the lottery, we'll donate most of it and keep a small portion to improve our lives. If we don't win, it's all a contribution to the country." Every time he said this, his wife would say with a dismissive tone, "Old man, I think you should contribute to the country! We probably won't live to see you improve our lives." Old Zhang would reply, "What? You can't be sure about these things. What if I win someday?" His wife would say, "Okay, okay, we'll wait." After saying this, she would turn and walk towards the bedroom, ignoring Old Zhang. Old Zhang, knowing better, wouldn't say anything more, but in his heart he thought, "Hmph, I'll make you see me win the lottery when I have a thousand."
That time, Old Zhang randomly selected another lottery ticket for the Super Lotto. Like usual, he didn't think much of winning the grand prize, bought the ticket, and went home to wait for the results that evening. Unfortunately, the power went out in his building, so he didn't see the results. The next morning, Old Zhang went for his morning exercise and ran into his fellow lottery enthusiasts. He asked them if anyone around him had won the grand prize. Everyone said they didn't know. Old Zhang thought to himself, "I've contributed to the country, that's good." He continued his exercise with the others. After his exercise, Old Zhang remembered his wife's request to buy celery and meat at a nearby supermarket. So, he headed towards the supermarket. When he passed the lottery station from the previous day, it wasn't open yet. When he returned with his groceries, he saw a banner hanging above the lottery station. He went inside and saw it read, "Congratulations to this station for winning a second-prize Super Lotto ticket, worth 353,400 yuan." Old Zhang quickly looked for his lottery ticket to see if it matched the winning numbers. He searched all his pockets but couldn't find it. He looked at the winning numbers; several matched his ticket from yesterday, but he couldn't remember all the numbers because it was a quick pick. Looking at these similar numbers, he felt he might have won the second prize. He thought he might have lost it while exercising that morning. So he went back to where he exercised, only to find the square had been cleaned by the sanitation workers—no lottery ticket was there! Old Zhang didn't think much of winning; he thought, "It might not be just my ticket that won; maybe someone else did!" Thinking this, he felt at ease. Unable to find his ticket in the square, he returned to the lottery station, discussing with everyone who had been so lucky as to win the big prize! He carefully looked at the winning numbers for this draw, increasingly convinced he was the winner, but what could he do if he couldn't find his ticket? Having bought lottery tickets for so many years, he knew perfectly well that lottery winners only recognize the ticket itself, not the person who bought it. Old Zhang had no choice but to go home.
For a while after returning home, Old Zhang kept feeling that he might have won the lottery, so every day when he went to buy lottery tickets, he would ask the lottery station staff if anyone had come to claim the prize. The lottery station staff told him that such a large prize was claimed at the provincial sports lottery center, and if no one claimed it within two months, it meant the winner either didn't know they had won or had lost the ticket. This made Old Zhang even more anxious. With the two months almost up, Old Zhang searched his house thoroughly but couldn't find the ticket. Later, Old Zhang comforted himself, saying it was fate, something he wasn't meant to have and couldn't obtain through begging.
Tomorrow is the deadline for the second prize winner from last time. Old Zhang went to the lottery center as scheduled and asked the lottery station staff, "Has anyone who won the second prize at our station last time come to claim their prize?" The staff told him, "Not yet. The prize claim announcement has already been published twice in the newspaper."
The next day, Old Zhang learned that no one had yet claimed the prize. The deadline for claiming the prize had passed, and no one had come forward. This time, Old Zhang became even more convinced that his lottery ticket had won.
When Old Zhang got home, he said to his wife, "Why is life so unlucky? I finally won a big prize, and then I lost the ticket! Isn't that just fate?" His wife laughed, "Come on, don't be so sure you won! Maybe someone else bought the ticket and left without checking the winning numbers." Old Zhang thought about it and realized she was right. Anything can happen in this world; it's not necessarily true that he won. He decided to just pretend he didn't. After that, Old Zhang continued his daily morning exercise, grocery shopping, and lottery ticket purchases, living a life full of hope.
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