(Minghui.org) Everyone has special memories of being 17. Some teenagers follow movie or music stars, others study hard, preparing to attend a university. One girl decided to assume the burden of running her family's factory on her slender shoulders when she was just 17. Where did she get such courage and ability?
The economy in Taiwan boomed in the 1960s when manufacturers began exporting goods to foreign companies. Although the profit margins were small, small factories produced large quantities for export. Countless hardworking entrepreneurs made it all happen.
Yu-ci Zheng's father was one of those countless small business owners.
“From my earliest memories, my father was busy all the time. My parents established an injection molding factory. They took orders, made molds, and the machines ran day and night,” recalled Yu-ci.
Sometimes, she was awakened by the noise downstairs and couldn't go back to sleep. She would join her parents and help pack the parts into boxes.
The family later moved into a house, but her father almost always slept in the factory. “Sometimes I heard him unlocking the front door of our home at 3 or 4 a.m. I would immediately open my sleepy eyes and run to give him a big hug,” Yu-ci said.
Many nights, father and daughter drove a truck to deliver the orders. Other nights, Yu-ci fell asleep in the car while her father met with clients. Through her own experiences, Yu-ci understood that life is not carefree or easy.
In 2005, her father came home with a book with a golden cover. Her parents had explored cultivation practices for many years but had never found one that was satisfactory. That day, her father was very excited and said, “I found the true Way, the true Tao!”
Yu-ci was in fifth grade that year and read the book Zhuan Falun in one day. She learned the five exercises the next day and could immediately meditate with both legs crossed.
“I remember the day when father sat on our sofa and encouraged Mother and me to practice diligently.”
Taking on Adult Responsibilities
Yu-ci Zheng doing the meditation
Her parents registered her in a private middle school after she graduated from elementary school. The school didn't have Internet or TV. Yu-ci brought Zhuan Falun with her. She recited “On Dafa” every day and made a handwritten copy of it to put on her desk.
Yu-ci told her classmates about the persecution in China. She explained that millions of people all over the world practice Falun Dafa, but in China the communist regime was killing practitioners by removing their organs while they were still alive. She also suggested they look at the Minghui.org website to learn more about Falun Dafa and the persecution.
By the time she entered high school, her father was even busier. But then the business ran into trouble. A major client that owed them several million New Taiwan dollars went bankrupt. Because her father was a Falun Dafa practitioner, he didn't complain and understood his client's situation. He simply worked harder to try to make up the cash flow shortage.
Then her father began having health issues and had trouble breathing. When Yu-ci was a high school sophomore, her father had to have part of his windpipe removed.
Her father could no longer speak and her mother was busy attending to the factory. Yu-ci quit school to help with the factory the following year. She was just 17.
“It was my responsibility. I had to do it. I didn't hesitate,” Yu-ci said.
Like most 17-year-old girls, Yu-ci thought about enjoying a worry-free life. When her heart isn't calm, she reads Zhuan Falun and reminds herself that she's a practitioner. As Master Li said:
“a practitioner should also be able to make sacrifices, abandoning different attachments and desires of everyday people. It is impossible to be able to do it right away, so we can make it gradually.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
She explained, “I understand that Master arranges everyone's cultivation path differently. I studied the Fa, cleansed my thoughts, and I regained the confidence and strength to continue.
“I came to a realization that practitioners should not waver no matter how difficult the situation is. I'm a practitioner, so I have to hang on even though the pressure is great.”
Their factory was very busy. The father and daughter visited their clients. Her father could only whisper, which Yu-ci translated. After a couple of years, Yu-ci assumed the responsibility for running the business.
The family business grew, and they gradually began paying off their old debts. With the profits, Yu-ci was able to purchase a more advanced and efficient mold machine.
The years flew by and she learned how to design and make molds from her father. Yu-ci also found time to join a group practice site and talk to people about Falun Dafa at a tourist site on weekends and holidays.
“When it’s impossible to do, you can do it”
Her father was hospitalized again in 2016 and her mother had to take care of him. The entire operation of the factory fell to Yu-ci. Production, quality, packing, delivery, personnel matters, and endless customer phone calls occupied every minute of her time.
Driving to the hospital on a winding mountain road one rainy night, she was suffocated by fear. Suddenly, the car radio turned on by itself and began to play Master Li's lectures. “It was like Master was by my side protecting me until I got to the hospital safely,” she recalled.
Many days, the mounting pressure felt like it would crush her and she often opened Zhuan Falun looking for help. There were several incidents at the factory but each one was resolved at the last moment.
Master said:
“When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can actually do it, you will indeed find: “After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!”” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
Once she tried to brush away a piece of dirt on a running machine with her hand. The reels bit into her palm and pulled it into the machine. At that moment, she was calm and immediately turned off the machine. Her first thought was, “I'm fine. Master Li is protecting me.”
She told the workers to loosen the nuts to release the reels so she could pull her hand out. It was terribly swollen but it didn't hurt. She went to the group Fa-study that night as usual and continued to do the exercises.
“I could feel a strong energy swirling around my palm. In just a few days the swelling went down. My hand is as flexible as before. No problem at all,” Yu-ci said.
Another time, a house filled with old furniture next to the factory burst into flames. The air quickly filled with smoke and the sounds of loud explosions.
The factory is full of flammable materials. There is also a gas station across the road. A stranger ran into the factory and turned off the power. A fire engine soon arrived and put out the fire, averting a potential disaster.
Later, her mother said she repeatedly said, “Falun Dafa is good.”
Onward!
Yu-ci has become a confident and capable young entrepreneur. Besides managing the factory, she also helps promote Shen Yun and clarifies the truth about Falun Dafa to her clients.
Yu-ci plans to return to school to enhance her professional skills.
“I used to be shy and timid. I even had difficulty talking in front of crowds. Looking back, sometimes I don't even know how I survived! But I know without a doubt that Master is with me all the time, encouraging me to pick myself up and behave as a practitioner during every tribulation.
“Every minute is precious. I have to regard myself as a practitioner, overcome difficulties, improve my character, and let more people know that 'Falun Dafa is great!'”
