(Minghui.org) I was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because I practice Falun Gong.
I lost my job and my family, and I did not have a regular source of income after 1999. My son and I stayed with my parents most of the time, and I did physical labor after I was released from prison.
A fellow practitioner lent me a pedicab so that I could sell ice cream in the summer of 2003. This gave me the opportunity to talk to people about Falun Gong.
Sometimes I saw former classmates, co-workers, relatives, and others, and I felt a bit embarrassed and my face turned red. I knew such reactions revealed my attachments to human notions, which needed to be given up.
One day I went to the gate of a kindergarten to sell ice cream. A young woman was already selling ice cream on one side of the gate, so I set up about six meters away. When school was over, the young woman sold quite a bit of ice cream. I thought about leaving, but an elderly lady suggested that I move to the other side of the gate.
I got ready to move closer when a tall man stopped me with his bicycle. He was very upset. “That woman is my wife,” he said. “We have sold ice cream here for quite some time. It was not easy to find a place to do good business.” He kept talking and told me to move on. I thought he was being unfair, and I told him that I had deliberately set up far away from her so that I would not affect her business.
I left but could not understand why he was so mad. I wondered if I should have argued with him but then realized that it was my attachment to self-interest that had affected him. If I had argued with him, then I would have been at his level.
I moved to another place and witnessed two people, who also sold the same products, arguing loudly. I realized that Master was giving me a hint that Dafa disciples should not behave like ordinary people and should not have conflicts with them.
I am glad I did not argue with that man. But I knew I still had not cultivated well.
It was the season to sell fruit, and I decided to sell several boxes of big plums. Three women had teamed up to sell fruit at my same location, and they did not want me there. One of them told me that they had been at that place for over 10 years and that I had better leave. So I smiled at them and left.
A medicine salesman told me that these women did not own that location. I said it was no problem.
But the women still followed me and put their fruit boxes next to me, indicating that they wanted me to leave again. I smiled and pushed my cart further away.
Although the ladies tried to drive me away, my business was not affected at all.
I ran into the medicine salesman again. He had told another salesman about how I had behaved toward those two women and that I must be broadminded. I told him that I was a Falun Gong practitioner and tried to live by the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and be considerate of others. I also advised him to quit the CCP and its affiliates.
He raised many questions and admitted that someone else had talked to him about Falun Gong before, but he had refused to listen. He said, “Today I've understood, and I agree with what you say because of your behavior.” He quit the CCP and accepted copies of the Nine Commentaries and other Falun Gong materials. Two other salesmen also withdrew from the CCP.
One day, the fruit ladies forgot some of their plates and a scale when they left. So I picked them up and returned them when we met again. After that, their attitude toward me changed.
Once when I had some fruit left, one of them told me that she would sell it for me and that I could collect the money later. I thanked her and took the opportunity to talk about Falun Gong and the importance of quitting the CCP.
A fellow practitioner used to feel sad for me because I no longer had a good job or a family. I said that my situation was not a problem—it happened because I had not walked my path well and had not done enough well in cultivation.
I have practiced Dafa for over 10 years, yet I am still far from the requirements of the Fa. I need to return to the pure and good state that I used to be in when I first began to practice. I need to study more diligently, send forth righteous thoughts, and tell more people about Falun Gong.