Wei Ming: Eh, don’t give me that red packet.
Arjun: Why? It’s literally Chinese New Year. What else am I supposed to give you, a tax invoice?
Wei Ming: I checked the amount. You put $44 inside.
Arjun: Yes. Forty-four dollars. It seemed generous.
Wei Ming: Generous? It’s terrible! You can’t give $44 in a red packet.
Arjun: Why not? It’s more than $40.
Wei Ming: Because there are two fours! “Four” sounds like death in Chinese. You’re basically giving me double death.
Arjun: I thought I was giving you double prosperity.
Wei Ming: This is exactly why I can’t let you handle Chinese New Year traditions.
Arjun: Fine. How much should I put?
Wei Ming: $88. Or $168. Even numbers are generally considered good, and 8 is especially auspicious.
Arjun: So if I give you $888, I become your favourite friend?
Wei Ming: Obviously.
Arjun: Interesting. Suddenly your superstition has a very convenient exchange rate.
Wei Ming: Laugh all you want. These traditions exist for a reason.
Arjun: I agree that the tradition exists. I’m just not convinced the number itself changes what happens afterward.
Wei Ming: You say that because you don’t respect the meaning behind it.
Arjun: I respect the meaning. I don’t think the number has supernatural power.
Wei Ming: But imagine giving $4 to someone who’s starting a new business. Would you do it?
Arjun: Personally? If they were uncomfortable with it, no. Not because $4 causes bad luck, but because I don’t want my gift to make them uncomfortable.
Wei Ming: See? Even you avoid it.
Arjun: That’s social courtesy, not evidence of bad luck.
Wei Ming: Same thing in real life.
Arjun: Not really. Suppose I give you $88 and your business succeeds. You might say, “See? The lucky number worked.”
Wei Ming: Exactly.
Arjun: But if I give someone $44 and their business succeeds, you probably wouldn’t say, “The unlucky number failed to kill the business.”
Wei Ming: Hmm.
Arjun: That’s the problem. We remember the cases that fit the belief and forget the ones that don’t.
Wei Ming: But I’ve actually seen strange things happen. My uncle once received a red packet with $40. That year his shop had a terrible year.
Arjun: And how many people received $40 that year and had perfectly normal years?
Wei Ming: I don’t know.
Arjun: That’s the point. One coincidence feels powerful because it’s attached to a personal story. But to know whether the number really matters, we’d need to compare a large number of cases.
Wei Ming: So you want to run a clinical trial on red packets?
Arjun: Absolutely. Randomised controlled trial. Half get $44, half get $88. Follow their bank accounts for ten years.
Wei Ming: And what would the ethics committee say?
Arjun: “Why is this idiot wasting research funding?”
Wei Ming: Finally, some scientific consensus I can support.
Arjun: Look, I understand why people prefer auspicious amounts. Numbers carry cultural meaning. If giving $88 makes someone feel happy and respected, that’s perfectly reasonable.
Wei Ming: So you admit $88 is good.
Arjun: I admit people associate it with good fortune. That’s different from saying $88 scientifically causes good fortune.
Wei Ming: But traditions don’t always need scientific proof.
Arjun: That’s fair. Culture isn’t a physics experiment. Traditions can be valuable because they connect people, preserve history, and make celebrations meaningful.
Wei Ming: Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.
Arjun: But there’s a difference between saying, “We traditionally avoid 4,” and saying, “If you use 4, something bad will happen.”
Wei Ming: Okay, that’s a fair distinction.
Arjun: For example, if you give your grandmother $44 and she doesn’t like it, give her $88 next time. You’re respecting her beliefs. But if someone receives $44 and then gets a parking ticket, we shouldn’t conclude that the red packet caused it.
Wei Ming: Unless the parking ticket was $44.
Arjun: Then I’ll personally resign from science.
Wei Ming: You know what? I’ll keep avoiding 4.
Arjun: That’s fine.
Wei Ming: And you can keep believing numbers don’t control your future.
Arjun: Deal.
Wei Ming: But you’re still changing the $44.
Arjun: Fine. I’ll make it $48.
Wei Ming: Much better.
Arjun: Wait. Why 48?
Wei Ming: Because 8 is lucky.
Arjun: So the number suddenly became acceptable because one digit has better marketing?
Wei Ming: Exactly.
Arjun: I have to admit, that’s a very Singaporean way to negotiate.
Wei Ming: Now give me the red packet.
Arjun: Fine. But next year I’m giving you $47.
Wei Ming: Don’t even joke about it.
Arjun: See? I knew you’d eventually become rational.
Wei Ming: No. I’m just selectively irrational.
Arjun: Fair enough.
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