Opening a Pharmacy: Proving the Honesty of Practitioners

(Minghui.org) A relative introduced me to a job at a large pharmaceutical wholesale company in 1998. I had limited knowledge of medicines, but the company sold thousands of them, many of which I had never come across. In the beginning, I made a few mistakes when filling orders, even though I tried hard to remember medicine names.

The boss noticed that I was not familiar with medicines, so she transferred me to the warehouse. The heaviest boxes were infusion liquid in glass bottles. In addition to regular loading and unloading the truck, I had to unload a truckload of infusion bottles by myself once a week. I assumed that she wanted to force me to resign. I never complained and kept a good relationship with fellow warehouse workers. I was able to do that because I am a Falun Dafa practitioner.

Being an Honest and Responsible Person Under all Circumstances

I was fortunate to attend the Falun Gong teaching class held by Master Li Hongzhi (the founder) in Yanji City, Jilin Province in 1994. I had been looking for the meaning of life, found my answers in the class, and decided to be a good person at all times.

I went to work after doing the Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) exercises in the morning. Usually, I arrived about one hour ahead of schedule, right behind my boss. I was polite and responsible. After a while, she changed her attitude toward me and put me back to fill customer orders.

Employees would be fined for mistakes in filling orders. I was fined one day. The boss called me into her office and wanted to give me back the cash fine the following day. “You are different from others. You are very honest and responsible. It is inevitable that you will make mistakes in your work, so you should not be fined,” she said. I declined by telling her that I practiced Falun Gong, and believed in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I should be treated the same as the other employees.

She has trusted me since then and often discussed business with me.

Rewarded for a Good Work Ethic

She wanted to open a retail store and asked me for a good location. I recommended a bustling marketplace in the north of the city. She visited the place in person and happened to see a small storefront for lease. She immediately signed the lease contract. Most people thought she would appoint one of her younger sisters or younger brothers to manage the store, instead, she offered me the position.

At that time, there was no internet-connected POS system or surveillance cameras. All transactions were paid in cash. I followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and booked every order accurately. Occasionally we would take in a one-hundred yuan fake banknote. No one wanted to be responsible for the loss. I would destroy the fake money and replace it with money from my purse. The boss offered to pay me back, but I declined.

I lived in the south of the city so I had a long commute to the store in the north. Sometimes I had to serve customers until after working hours. I didn’t ask for compensation for the extra hours but the boss came to me one day, inviting me to contract with the store so I could share a portion of the profit. I told her not to worry about my compensation. I would continue to be responsible for my work.

After a few days, she talked to me again and offered to support me financially by only requiring a small deposit, and the store could pay the company after the medicines were sold. So I became a contractor. I had a good reputation among the customers so the business was very good.

One year passed quickly and it was time to renew the contract. She told me that someone else wanted that store. I said I had no problem with her decision.

My husband suggested that I open a pharmacy since I was jobless. We leased a bigger store. Before our store opened, the boss relayed a message to me that the person broke the contract of the small store and she decided to close it but she had some difficulties getting rid of the inventories of that store. I visited her and offered to buy the entire inventory of the small store at retail prices as my appreciation for her trust in me, and her support for opening my own store. She was very happy.

Soon my own pharmacy opened and the business improved daily.

Facing the Persecution

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. The boss told her family that she trusted Falun Gong practitioners. She said that they are honest and kind people. She came to that decision after her interaction with me. She also told me to keep safe.

I wrote down this story hoping that the Chinese people not be deceived by the lies and propaganda of the CCP. Falun Dafa teaches people to be kind, and Falun Dafa practitioners are good people wherever they are. May my compatriots understand the truth as soon as possible, and choose a better future for themselves.