Zhang Ping, an engineer at a coal mining machinery manufacturing plant, was once traveling by train on business. After boarding, he found his seat and sat down. The carriage was crowded. Looking around, he saw a migrant worker in his forties carrying a large travel bag, limping as if searching for a seat. After searching for a long time without success, he reluctantly put his bag down in the aisle and sat down. Zhang Ping sighed and remarked, "The lives of migrant workers are truly difficult!"
At that moment, ticket checks began in the carriage. A very pretty female train attendant walked over, stared at the migrant worker, and loudly announced, "Ticket check!"
The migrant worker frantically searched his entire body and finally found the ticket, but he held it tightly in his hand.
The train conductor gave him a strange smile and said, "This is a child's ticket."
The migrant worker's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Aren't children's tickets the same price as disabled tickets?"
The train conductor looked the migrant worker up and down and asked, "Are you disabled?"
"I am disabled!" "Then show me your disability certificate."
The migrant worker became nervous and said, "I don't have a disability certificate. When I bought the ticket, the ticket seller asked me for my disability certificate. I had no choice but to buy a child's ticket."
The train conductor gave a cold laugh and asked, "Without a disability certificate, how can you prove you're disabled?"
The migrant worker didn't say anything, but quietly took off his shoes and rolled up his trouser legs, revealing that he only had half a foot.
The train conductor glanced at it sideways and said, "What I need to see is the identification! It has the official seal of the Disabled Persons' Federation."
The migrant worker looked distressed and explained, "I don't have a local household registration, so they won't issue me a disability certificate. Besides, I was working on a private construction site, and after the accident, the boss ran away. I don't have the money to go to the hospital for an assessment."
At this moment, the train conductor heard the commotion and came over to inquire about the situation.
The migrant worker explained to the train conductor once again that he was a disabled person and had bought a ticket at the same price as a disabled person's ticket.
The train conductor also asked, "Where is your disability certificate?"
The migrant worker said, "I don't have a disability certificate." He then asked the train conductor to show him half of his foot. The conductor didn't even look at it and said impatiently, "We only recognize certificates, not people! Having a disability certificate means you're disabled, and only with a disability certificate can you enjoy the benefits of a disabled person's ticket. You'd better buy a ticket now."
The migrant worker immediately deflated. He searched all his pockets and luggage, but only had a few yuan, not enough to buy a ticket. With a sob in his voice, he said to the train conductor, "After my foot was crushed in half by the machine, I could no longer work. I have no money, and I can't even go back to my hometown. This half-price ticket was bought for me by my fellow villagers. Please, have mercy on me and let me go!"
The train conductor firmly said, "That won't do." The female train attendant seized the opportunity and said to the conductor, "Let him shovel coal at the front of the locomotive; consider it voluntary labor." The conductor thought for a moment and said, "Okay!"
Seeing this, Zhang Ping was furious! He muttered to himself, "What kind of world is this?" He stood up, walked straight to the train conductor, stared into the conductor's eyes, and asked, "Are you a man?" The conductor glanced at him, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean? What does this have to do with whether I'm a man or not?"
Zhang Ping said, "Just tell me, are you a man or not!"
The train conductor said, "Of course I'm a man."
Zhang Ping then said, "What do you have to prove you're a man? Show everyone your manhood certificate!" The people around him burst into laughter.
The train conductor was taken aback and said, "Am I, a grown man, standing here, some kind of imposter?"
Zhang Ping shook his head and said, "I'm the same as you. I only recognize certificates, not people. If you have a man's certificate, you're a man; if you don't have a man's certificate, you're not a man."
The train conductor was speechless, unable to think of anything to say in response.
At this moment, the female train attendant stepped forward to help the train conductor out of the predicament. She said to Zhang Ping, "I'm not a man, you can talk to me about what you have to say."
Zhang Ping pointed at her nose and said, "You're not even human!"
The train conductor suddenly flew into a rage, yelling, "Watch your mouth! Tell me, what am I if not human?"
Zhang Ping remained calm, smiled slyly, and said, "You're a person? Fine, then show us your proof of being a person." The people around him burst into laughter again.
Only one person didn't laugh. He was the migrant worker with only half a foot. He stared fixedly at everything before him, and before he knew it, his eyes were filled with tears. It was hard to tell whether they were tears of grievance, gratitude, or hatred.
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