(Minghui.org) Hanging couplets on front doors with good wishes during the Chinese New Year holiday is a tradition that is observed by many Chinese families.
Our local practitioners posted couplets that contain Dafa information on their doors. I decided to volunteer to write couplets geared towards non-practitioners.
After downloading the couplet verses from the Minghui website, I took paper, brushes, and ink, went to a public area, and wrote couplets for passersby free of charge.
People could hardly believe that someone would not charge for writing couplets for them, as the paper alone cost about 30 yuan. They were afraid that it was a hoax since scams happen frequently in today's China.
“Nowadays, people will do anything for money,” some said, “and corrupt government officials try every means to get more money out of us. Why don’t you charge any money to write the couplets? What are you getting from doing this?”
I told them about the benefits that I gained from practicing Falun Dafa,
“I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner,” I said. “I suffered from a serious heart disease, and recovered after I began to practice Falun Dafa. Therefore, I’m doing this to spread the good news and I hope that more people will benefit from Falun Dafa. I’m already retired, and my pension is enough for me to afford the paper and ink.”
There were those who said, “Regardless of how little the paper and ink cost, it’s still difficult to understand why you’re doing this. No one will do anything now without getting anything in return.”
People gathered around me, but were full of doubts. They hesitated and were not sure whether or not to trust me to write the couplets for them. I then told them a story that happened a year ago.
While I was on my way home from grocery shopping, a van hit me, dragged me off the sidewalk, and for more than 10 meters. However, I was not hurt. The driver offered to take me to the hospital, but I said that there was no need. He thought that I wanted his money, but I said that I did not want his money either. He found it unbelievable.
About 200 people were watching, so I said loudly, “I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner, and I’m 78 years old. If I were not a Dafa practitioner, and if the founder of Falun Dafa, Teacher Li Hongzhi, did not protect me, I would not have been able to get up after the accident today.”
I then said to the driver that Teacher Li not only saved me, but also saved him. If the person he hit were not a practitioner, he would have to pay a lot of money for compensation, and his license would have been revoked. Holding hands, we shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” as our way to thank Teacher Li for saving both of us.
Someone said, “Old man, you’re fine now, but it doesn’t mean you’ll be fine after you get home. What if you have problems later?”
I responded, “Our Teacher says that a good or bad outcome comes from one’s first thought. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
The driver was very much moved. Some of the onlookers thought that I must have lost my mind for giving up an opportunity to make big money. However, more people were deeply impressed, and they praised me for my integrity. They commented that Falun Dafa was indeed very good, and that Falun Dafa practitioners were very kind. When I was about to walk away, the crowd burst into an enthusiastic applause. They watched me while I started to walk away and waved goodbye.
After I finished my story, I said: "Nowadays, people seek opportunities for financial gain. Some people will intentionally get hurt by others, so that they can demand compensation. I could have asked the driver for thousands yuan, but I preferred not to. I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner, and money is not important to me.”
After hearing my story, people let go of their concern. They became eager to receive couplets from me. I let them choose what they wanted me to write. Since there was no table, I wrote on the stone bench next to a tree.
People noticed that although I was in my 80s, my teeth were all intact, and I didn’t need reading glasses to write. They were impressed for my writing in the difficult style I chose for the characters. More and more people came to have their couplets written. I was busy until it was time to go home to cook for my family.
I am grateful for Teacher’s protection, as I did not run into any interference the entire time.