The first time I noticed the red envelope, it wasn’t in a store or online. It was tucked between the pages of a book I’d borrowed from a friend—a slim, matte-finished envelope with a single gold character, ‘福,’ embossed so subtly that it caught the light only when the page turned. I remember pausing, running my fingers over the textured paper, and feeling an unexpected stillness. It was mid-January, and the city was already humming with the promise of the new year, but this small object felt like a secret, a quiet invitation to slow down. That moment stayed with me. It made me think about how we often rush…