Editor's Note: Despite his physical disability, Ma Zheng's work ability and attitude are no different from those of a normal person; in fact, he is even more motivated. During the interview with him, we did not see any signs of self-abandonment or blaming fate, but instead, a spirit of never giving up and constantly striving to surpass oneself. Ma Zheng now yearns for a job opportunity, and even more so, a chance to prove himself. Although physically impaired, due to the convenience of the internet, Ma Zheng can still complete tasks assigned to him at home. His aging parents cannot always be by his side; the road ahead still needs to be walked by Ma Zheng himself. If any company or individual can provide Ma Zheng with a stable platform for hard work, please contact QQ: 253164980.
Ma Zheng was a premature baby. At birth, the doctor told his mother that apart from normal intelligence, all of his motor functions were damaged, and thus he would never be able to move like a normal person. Ma Zheng's mother endured the heavy blow and insisted on raising her child until he grew up. Yet this very person has accomplished many things beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Author: Hu Lingfeng / OFPIX Editor: Li Xiaoxia Shang Yan
From childhood to adulthood, Ma Zheng's mother trained him very strictly, teaching him how to dress, fold quilts, and eat meals—things that ordinary people could easily do. Ma Zheng often had to spend ten times, even a hundred times more effort. Fortunately, Ma Zheng has been very understanding since he was young, always trying his best not to cause trouble for his parents.
After graduating from middle school, Ma Zheng came into contact with computers and immediately fell in love with them. Thus began five years of study, and now he is proficient in software programming. Moreover, Ma Zheng can apply his knowledge flexibly, creating many small software programs that make his life easier.
For Ma Zheng's education, his mother spared no effort or expense. When he was four or five years old, his mother was his启蒙 teacher, then later she hired private tutors specifically for him. When Ma Zheng was studying computers, his mother invited undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science to teach him. This went on for five years, during which time Ma Zheng completed all the courses of university-level computer science.
Not only does Ma Zheng know how to use QQ and Weibo to communicate with the outside world, but he also knows how to shop online. His mobile phone was purchased through online shopping.
In order to reduce the family's burden, Ma Zheng takes on some programming jobs from the internet to earn money. In his view, only in the world of computers can he act as freely as a normal person.
Programming work is not easy. Sometimes, in order to quickly complete tasks, Ma Zheng works overnight without eating or sleeping. However, some part-time companies often fail to pay wages on time, leaving Ma Zheng feeling helpless.
Ma Zheng placed a water pot, teacup, and snacks next to his computer so he could conveniently reach them when tired from work. In addition, he also learned how to heat food and tidy up the dishes himself.
When working, the kitten Niu Niu would playfully jump around the computer, occasionally walking onto the desk and rubbing against Ma Zheng's hand. Apart from his mother, Niu Niu is the only friend who keeps Ma Zheng company at home.
Ma Zheng's parents do not qualify for low-income household benefits, so they cannot apply for disabled person subsidies for their child. Therefore, despite their advanced age, Ma Zheng's father continues to work outside. His mother retired early and focuses solely on taking care of Ma Zheng's daily life.
In others' eyes, Ma Zheng might just be an action-inconvenient, behavior-peculiar disabled person. But in Ma Zheng's mother's heart, he is a strong, diligent, and considerate child. From childhood to adulthood, Ma Zheng has always studied hard, and his exercise books are filled with teachers' full praises. His mother says that Ma Zheng's essays are often used as model essays read aloud in class.
Because of his mother's training, Ma Zheng has mastered basic living skills. Every morning, it takes him forty minutes to dress and fold quilts by himself. To make the child independent, his mother never helps. When asked if dressing and folding quilts is tiring, Ma Zheng humorously counters with: Do you get tired from wearing clothes?
Due to his mobility issues, Ma Zheng devised a method to pull open the curtains using a wooden rod, saying that it signifies the start of a new day.
This balcony and bedroom space, only dozens of square meters large, is where Ma Zheng grew up, and also the only place he can move around.
Ma Zheng cares deeply about his living environment. He tidies his room neatly every day and even mops the floor once a day.
After each meal, Ma Zheng wipes all the rice grains off the table. Due to frequent falls, most of Ma Zheng's teeth have chipped, so his mother tries to cook soft food to facilitate his eating.
As his aging parents gradually feel the strain, sometimes Ma Zheng wants to go out for fresh air, but his parents are already unable to push the adult Ma Zheng downstairs in a wheelchair. It has been a year since Ma Zheng last used his wheelchair to go downstairs.
In the corner of the balcony, there is a photo of Ma Zheng and his mother. Ma Zheng hopes to become someone like Hawking, while his parents merely hope that their son can have a stable job, ensuring security for the future.
Physical frailty cannot prevent one from achieving success, such as Hawking who described time and the universe; nor can it hinder one's dream of success, such as Ma Zheng who programs with one hand.
Ma Zheng sits at the desk, his head tilted to the left. Each of his actions is different from those of ordinary people. When he taps the keyboard with his index finger, the other fingers involuntarily curl up, and his head turns directionlessly. Despite this, the sentences Ma Zheng types on the keyboard are no different from those of ordinary people. When chatting with friends on QQ, his words even exude a sense of humor.
When Ma Zheng's mother was seven months pregnant, she was hit by a bicycle and fell to the ground, forcing Ma Zheng to come into this world more than forty days earlier than expected. Although intellectually normal, he still cannot move like a normal person. To enable him to be self-sufficient in the future, his mother had to train him strictly.
When he was little, his mother tied Ma Zheng to a chair to practice walking. For an ordinary child, this was not difficult, but it felt extremely harsh for Ma Zheng. The young Ma Zheng often couldn't endure and would fall on his bottom and cry. Many times, his father couldn’t bear it and scolded his wife for making the child suffer too much. Helplessly, his mother could only say: Now we can help him, but after we're gone, who will help him?
One day in January this year, his mother suddenly fainted and lost consciousness. Ma Zheng quickly sent a text message to his father with his mobile phone. Although his father immediately returned home, he couldn’t enter because the door was locked from the inside. Since his mother fell right at the entrance between two rooms, Ma Zheng, who could only move by chair, couldn’t pass. In a hurry, he had to leave the chair and crawl over his mother's body with only his right hand that could move, crawling all the way to the door to unlock it and let his father in.
The incident of fainting made Ma Zheng’s family very anxious. But what worried the elderly couple more was not themselves, but rather their child's future life. Although Ma Zheng can currently take on part-time work from the internet, he often doesn't get paid after putting in the hard work. The elderly couple urgently hopes that he can obtain a stable job and be able to survive like a normal person.
If any company or individual can provide Ma Zheng with a stable platform for hard work, please contact QQ: 253164980.