(Clearwisdom.net) In today's China, business ethics are cast aside for the sake of profit, and contaminated food is everywhere. People have no choice but to be extra careful in the marketplace.
In one farmers' market with over 300 vendors, however, a long line forms early at one particular stand. Several hundred kilos of vegetables quickly sell out. Owner Hao Fang, a middle-aged woman says, “We have less than an acre of land, three greenhouses and some open field. All of our vegetables are grown naturally, so the turnaround time is a little longer than if you use fertilizers and pesticides, but the products are absolutely organic. I will not use chemicals to shorten the cycle or increase production. I handpick the freshest, highest quality produce for sale.”
One of Hao Fang’s greenhouses
“Integrity is important. My vegetables grow exceptionally well, even though I don’t use any chemicals. Customers say my products taste good, and they feel safe eating them. Over time, my business has attracted more and more customers, and the market administrators often recommend my products to their acquaintances. Heaven has been good to me over the years, and whatever I grow sells at good prices. When a hailstorm hit in the summer of 2008, I ran outside and saw holes in the vegetables on my neighbor’s land, but not a single hailstone fell on my open field.” Because of her hard work and heaven’s blessing, her family lives an affluent life and owns three houses.
To visit her greenhouse, I followed a path decorated with ivy and flowers. Inside the greenhouses, different kinds of vegetables thrived, and the bright green color was refreshing. A bungalow that served as a break room stood nearby. What caught my eye was the scrolls on the sides of the door that read, “Virtue and compassion bring good fortune; integrity and altruism beget good health.” The phrase “Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance is good” sits atop the word “福” (good fortune) in the center.
Door with scrolls on the sides
Hao Fang looks younger than her age and said, “I’m 55 and I’ve practiced Falun Gong for 15 years. If it wasn’t because of practicing Falun Gong, I probably wouldn’t even be here by now, not to mention selling vegetables.” She has been a peasant all of her adult life. Though she always worked hard, her life wasn’t that good. She was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor at age 38. Her family could not afford the surgery, and her husband tried to borrow money. She said, “I could not drag my family into bankruptcy, risking my condition getting worse on top of a mountain of debt. So I said, ‘I’ll just tough it out, and when I go, I go.’ Later on my chest and stomach hurt so bad I could not squat or breathe. It was really sad. Then one day in 1996 a relative came to see me and said, ‘I practice Falun Gong; it’s good for your health, do you want to read the book?’ I said I’ll do it, as long as it’ll alleviate my illness. When I read the index in Zhuan Falun I thought, ‘Wow, this book covers everything.’ It answered lots of my questions. I started reading the book every day. About one month later it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t felt any pain for an entire month! I was ecstatic. I’m now in better health than I was back in my 20s.”
She sleeps four hours a day and is full of energy. She works in the field and spends one hour each day to transport over 150 kilos of vegetables to the market. Some customers like to meticulously pick through the lettuce and accidentally tear some fresh and crispy leaves, but Hao Fang says, “Go ahead and pick all you want.” But she also told me, “Even since we were kids my mom always said that getting shortchanged was a good thing. I also thought of myself as a good person, but it still used to bother me if someone took advantage of me. After I learned Falun Gong I became more considerate and tolerant, and I hardly ever get worked up now.” Hao Fang said when she really wanted to base her behavior on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, Falun Dafa would manifest incredible righteous powers to change someone into a good person and then a better person, from the inside out.
“Falun Gong asks us to interpret other people in a kind way, so I thought, ‘The customers are picking the produce over only because they want to make sure they are getting what they want. I want the same for them. They don’t do it to ruin my vegetables. Sometimes a customer looked for a long time but still couldn’t make a decision. Then I would step in and pick something for them, and they were very happy with my recommendation. Over time, most customers who knew me stopped picking. Once, a frequent customer brought her friend to my stand, and her friend was going to pick things over. She stopped her friend and said, ‘We don’t do anything; let her choose for us, because she’ll pick something better than we do ourselves.’”
Hao Fang also gave another example. The Market Regulation Administration asks vendors to randomly draw their stand numbers; some vendors bribe the officials to get a good location. During her second year of selling things at the market, the regulators didn’t ask her to draw a number but instead appointed a spot for her, a place no one else wanted. Others who drew this number in the past all paid to get a different spot and get out of this one. Hao Fang didn’t mind at all since she practices Falun Gong. Several months later this became the hottest spot, with business pouring in, and the sellers next to her also enjoyed better business. Many vendors said the feng shui of this corner was good, and some planned to buy it the next year. When spring rolled around, the regulator said to Hao Fang, “Our chief wants you to go to the east corner and help bring business there.” She did, and the vendors in the east corner said, “Why did you come here? There are no customers.” She answered, “No worries, they’ll come in a month.” And they did. Over the past few years she has rotated through all parts of the market and eventually the vendors said, “What feng shui? Now I know wherever Falun Gong is, business is booming!"
Hao Fang’s vegetables are harvested later in the season. One year there was no market spot left when she was ready to sell. She was going to another market; the administration chief said, “Don’t leave! We’ll find you a spot no matter what, because you’ll bring good business.” Now, the chief calls her every spring and asks her to pick a spot, and he reserves it for her.
“Dafa takes care of me. I won’t make any less money anywhere,” said Hao Fang, “If you conform to the tenets inherent in Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance, the characteristics of the universe, miracles will happen, because the law of the universe will endow you with good fortune. I told other vendors about this ‘secret,’ and many of them have benefitted as well.”
“I’ve never met the founder of Falun Gong, and I never gave him a penny. I only know Master’s name is Li Hongzhi and strive to be a good person according to his Fa principles. The results are that my illness was cured without any medication. I became a selfless and big-hearted person, and I learned the meaning of life. My family also thinks Dafa is good. Back in 2009 my son was hit by a taxi while riding his motorcycle, which was smashed in two. When a police officer arrived he asked the crowd ‘Where did you put the victim?’ My son who was standing there said, ‘I’m right here.’ Seeing that he survived without a scratch the police exclaimed, ‘You are seriously blessed!’ My 90-year-old mother often says, ‘Falun Dafa is good,” and she was cured of severe bronchitis and also got rid of her cane, which she used to help her walk for many years. Our neighbors say, ‘Look at this old lady; she’s getting tougher as she’s getting on in years.’”
Hao Fang said, “I like for people to eat healthy, green vegetables; what I like even more is for people to hear what keeps them healthy [Falun Gong], because that is what makes me the happiest. Dafa blesses my family and in fact cares for all people. One day I gave a market regulator a copy of Zhuan Falun and said, ‘If you like it, keep it; if not, give it back to me.’ He ended up keeping the book.”
A government official frequents Hao Fang’s stand. Hao Fan told her to remember, “Falun Dafa is good, Truth, Compassion and Forbearance is good!” She said, “Do you know who I am? I work at the Politics and Law Committee and am in charge [of persecuting Falun Gong].” Hao Fang said, “You need health and safety, no matter where you work. You are persecuting yourself if you persecute Falun Gong. Falun Gong people are honest and decent; if you arrest people like me, then you’ll have to eat contaminated food! I’m telling you this because it will help you for eternity.” She nodded and asked for a card with the words “Falun Dafa is good, Truth, Compassion and Forbearance is good.” She put it in her purse and said, “Yes, I know. I will remember that.”
“One day when I was cleaning up the market regulation head walked past me and I stopped him, saying, ‘Chief, you joined the Communist Party; how about I help you quit? Remember Falun Dafa is good, [by quitting the party you are] doing the right thing and you’ll be ok.” He said, “Thank you.” After taking a few steps he turned and said, “My son joined the Party in college; quit for him, too. I’ve observed you for seven years, and I believe Falun Gong is good.”
Why do we live in this world? What is the meaning of life? People have asked these questions for thousands of years. We can find the answers today. During this unique historical period, every moment is harvest season. Let us open our hearts and seize happiness for eternity.
