(Minghui.org) The market where my store located is thought to be one of the best businesses locations in our county. Everyone says it is because of me.
Taming a Tiger
The store to the left of mine is owned by Wang Erming, nicknamed shrewd Wang. My business has been doing rather well since I first opened, while on the other hand his business has been lackluster, even though he opened his store quite some time ago.
Generally, when a customer and I agree upon the price for a box of chicken wings to be 30 yuan, Wang will yell, “Mine is only 29 yuan per box. Do you want it?” The customer looks at me and I tell him or her, “His is cheaper. Why don't you buy from him instead?” Yet the customer will still buy the wings from me.
Wang pays much attention to my business since we both sell frozen foods. When he saw that my frozen shrimp was selling well, he came over and asked to borrow shrimps from me, claiming that he had sold all his shrimp. In reality, his shrimp was not selling at all and he returned all the shrimp back to me when the market closed in the afternoon. Whatever of mine was selling well, he came to borrow. I always asked my husband to go to the freezer in the warehouse to get some more when he borrowed things from me. But when I truly ran out of things and tried to borrow from him, he said that his were already sold, and he was waiting for a customer to pick up the food.
The market building is worn and leaks often. Seeing that I had a ladder in my shop, Wang borrowed it whenever he had a leak in his shop, but never returned it. He told me not to lend it to anyone else and pretend that it belonged to him.
About six months after I moved into the market, I became friends with the other merchants. One day we were chatting, and one guy said, “I truly didn't expect your business to be so good. In the past the best person was unable to last over three months. Shrew Wang is friendly when he borrows things from you. But if you refuse, he will say nasty things. If you retort, he will come to your shop, yell at you, and make a scene. Why do you never fight with him?” The merchant on my right said, “Do you know how she is? She can live with a tiger.” Everyone laughed.
Wang came to my store one day at year-end and said, “A few friends and I had a drink today. We talked about one's belief. Some said that they believed in Jesus, some believed in other deities, and some don't believe in anything. When it came to me, I said I believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We will be best neighbors from now on. I will fight with anyone who dares to make trouble for you.”
Showing the True Demeanor of a Falun Dafa Practitioner
The chicken store is owned by Li Xiaotuo. He and his wife kill chickens and pull the feathers in the store. The store is a mess, with feathers, blood, and chicken droppings everywhere. When they are busy, they put their toddler in the chicken cage and only let him out when he cries hard. The child was filthy, with chicken droppings all over his clothes. All the merchants chased him out of their stores whenever he crawled to their stores. When he came to my store, I washed his face and cleaned his body. His body was full of bumps from bug bites. I bought some ointment, applied it, and took him back to his parents.
I told Li that they should not neglect the child just because they were focusing on making money. Li grinned, “A child raised this way will have better immunity. Also, we are just too busy.” I said, “Don't you feel sorry that the child is bitten so badly?”
The toddler continued coming to my store. I kept washing him and applying ointment. He is now a child a few years old and stays in my store often. Neighbors all joked that Li has found a free babysitter.
Once the truck delivering chicken to Li's store, along with a push-cart next to it, were blocking the entrance to the market,. People walked around them to pass, but no one bothered to do anything. I went up and moved the cart. The driver saw it and asked me, “Why are you are different from others? No one else moved the cart.” I said, “It is a trivial thing.”
Seeing the picture of Mao Zedong in a pendant in his car, I told him, “You should not hang that in your car. It is not good for you. Why don't you throw it away?” He said, “OK, but you need to give me an talisman that says 'Falun Dafa is good.'” I said, “Sure. I'll give it to you next time you come.”
A Practitioner Became the Merchants Fortune Goddess
A waste picker who came to the market often was stealing old boxes or cans and putting them in his cart when people were not watching. Everyone guarded their stores whenever he appeared. He once took two cardboard boxes from my store when I was busy. But then he was unable to push his cart up the hill in front of Liu Bin's fish store because the ground was slippery. I went over and helped him. Liu spoke loudly, “I heard in the past that there was a person who counted the money for the people who reported on him. Today I saw a person helping the guy who stole her boxes.” The waste picker was embarrassed. I said to Liu, “Don't you put it this way. It is merely two cardboard boxes.”
Not knowing why, the waste picker liked to linger around my store and steal things from me. Once, just when he was trying to take some cardboard boxes again, Li Xiaotuo yelled, “Put it down.” The guy said, “I am not taking your things. It's none of your business.” Li said, “You can steal my stuff, but not hers. She is our fortune goddess.”
Recognizing Goodness in Practitioners
My husband is not a practitioner, but is very supportive of me. A customer once asked us to deliver his goods to his house for five yuan after he had bought a lot of products. My husband agreed to deliver the food, but insisted on not taking the money since it was not that far.
A few days later the guy came to my store, bought a few things, and said to me, “Do you know why I didn't ask the price? Because seeing that your husband is so nice, I know you are trustworthy too. Have you seen that guy? I've known him for a long time. But I always asked the price first when I bought things from him. From now on, I will only buy things from you.” I said, “You shouldn't do that. You need to buy things from him too. It's not easy to maintain a friendship.” He said, “You guys are too good.” My husband asked, “Are you a party member? Can I help you quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its associated organizations?” He said, “No wonder you are so nice. You are Falun Dafa practitioners.
Defending a Practitioner
A customer once asked for change. I gave him ten bills with Dafa information written on them. He yelled, “Why does every bill have words written on it? You are Falun Dafa practitioners. I am calling the police.”
The whole market quieted down. Being the closest to me, Liu Bing rushed over, with a fish brush in his hand. He said, “What are you yelling about? The words on the bills are all true. Don't you dare report her! What good does it do to you if you report her?”
Li Xiaotuo also came over, with one hand holding a chicken and another holding a knife. He said, “Who is bullying my sister?” Ermin yelled at the guy, “It is you. I'll knock you down if you call the police, you rotten Party member.”
I said, “It's OK. You all go back.” “Sir, you don't understand Falun Dafa. You should think why everyone else likes it but not you.” He said, “Why does everyone like you so much? Are they all your relatives?” I said, “Yes. So are you. But you don't know it. Why don't you go home first. I will tell you later.”
We have a few dozen stores in the market and we all get along very well. The other merchants appreciate that their business has picked up since a practitioner is among them, and they treat her with respect.
