(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa on the recommendation of my father in March 1998. He had begun cultivating and spoke highly of the practice.

At the time, I was caring for my father-in-law, who had suffered a stroke. When I thought about how he had abused me for many years, I was filled with a sense of injustice and resentment. Yet after I began practicing Falun Dafa, the resentment in my heart, which had been as solid as ice, began to break apart and gradually melt away.

Ten Years Living with My In-Laws

I was born into a farming family and am 70 years old. When I was 25, I married my husband who was from a neighboring village. He was the eldest in his family and had three younger sisters who were still in school.

My mother-in-law was in poor health and could barely cook, while my father-in-law, Zhuzi, was a police officer and a martial arts expert. Shortly after I arrived as a new bride, my father-in-law told me threateningly: “I’m the one who calls the shots in this house. Don’t you dare talk back.”

My husband worked away from the farm, so the heavy burden of running the household fell entirely on my shoulders. We kept an old sow that produced two litters of piglets each year. I fed her, gathered fodder, and cleaned out the pig sty.

We also managed a peach orchard and an area of private farmland. I had to do a full day’s work on the farm, so I was constantly on the go, without a moment’s rest.

My husband had one day off a week and would sometimes help out. He gave his entire monthly paycheck to his mother because the educational expenses for his three younger sisters were quite high.

Eventually, his three younger sisters began looking for partners. Zhuzi would evaluate each prospective partner and insisted that I be present too. These sessions often lasted until midnight, and sometimes even until dawn. Exhausted and sleep-deprived, I just had to endure it, day after day.

Life was hard, but if I grit my teeth I could get through. What was most agonizing, however, was Zhuzi’s hot temper and his unreasonable, overbearing behavior. If I said something he didn’t like, he would hit me. Sometimes, he’d hit me even if I hadn’t said anything.

Once, I went to wash the dishes after a meal. My son had left a piece of sweet potato on the table, and my mother-in-law, not wanting it to go to waste, picked it up and ate it. Zhuzi flew into a rage and hit me, shouting, “Your mother has diabetes—she shouldn’t be eating sweet potatoes!”

She tried to intervene, saying, “It’s just a tiny bit; it won’t do any harm—I’m not going to die from it.” He wouldn’t listen and kept hitting me. He was a strong man, and a few violent blows knocked me to the ground.

I lived with them for 10 years. He would beat me frequently and my body was always covered in bruises—old injuries hadn’t even healed before new ones appeared.

Once, he beat me so badly that my leg ached for a long time and I walked with a limp. Before I could recover, he beat me again. Sometimes the beatings were severe—it wasn’t just Zhuzi hitting me, his three daughters would join in too.

He nearly killed me several times. The last incident happened at a bus stop. Zhuzi knocked me to the ground, straddled me, and squeezed my neck with both hands until I couldn’t breathe. Just then, the school principal and a teacher got off the bus, pulled him off me, and saved me.

Having endured such long-term physical and mental suffering and oppression, I felt an intense, agonizing pain deep inside—yet I couldn’t cry; I’d lost the ability to weep. Instead, I would break into fits of uncontrollable, manic laughter. I couldn’t control my limbs and I’d jump about, flailing, and leaping wildly as though I were completely deranged. I felt an urge to kill Zhuzi and then die. I didn’t want to live anymore.

Eventually, my husband rented a room and brought my son and me out of the countryside. In that quiet, relaxing environment, I recovered both physically and mentally.

Later, when their mother fell seriously ill, two of the daughters returned to help care for her for a while. However, they couldn’t tolerate their father’s behavior, so they left and stopped providing any further support.

Zhuzi sold the house and took his wife to live with his favorite daughter—the second daughter—but both she and her husband began to resent having them there and soon kicked them out. As they were leaving, he asked for some money (this daughter looked after his monthly pension), but she deliberately threw the cash on the floor and told him to pick it up himself. Overcome with tears, he left the money behind and departed with his wife.

Zhuzi no longer had a home, so he and his wife moved into a guesthouse at his former workplace. Later, my husband was asked him to come and take his parents away. By this time, we’d moved into an apartment, and our lives had finally begun to improve.

The arrival of my in-laws was a complete shock; it dredged up all the painful memories from the past. I couldn’t accept it, and cried for an entire week.

When Zhuzi saw me, he was filled with shame and seemed visibly restless. His wife’s health had deteriorated severely, leaving her in a dazed, vacant state. Seeing her like this, my heart softened—she had been a kindhearted woman who spent her entire life enduring beatings and mistreatment; it was truly pitiful.

She and I had never had a cross word, and she would always speak well of me to others, both inside and outside the family. Out of consideration for her, I reluctantly took them in, yet my resentment remained—buried deep within, unresolved.

Our apartment is small and located on a high floor with no elevator, which makes it very inconvenient for my in-laws to get around, especially when they need to see a doctor. My husband kept pleading with his superiors until they let us rent a one-bedroom unit on the ground floor for his parents to live in. Later, we borrowed money to buy the unit, and transferred the ownership deed to my father-in-law.

My mother-in-law’s main health issues were a stroke and diabetes. As her condition worsened, she required frequent hospitalizations—all of which I handled on my own. I took care of everything: feeding her, giving her medication, bathing her, and cleaning her when she soiled herself.

My sisters-in-law would buy her food and stop by to check on her, but they didn’t once help out. Once, my mother-in-law soiled herself when my second sister-in-law was visiting. She helped clean up half of it before refusing to continue, saying, “I can’t take this anymore. You’ve had it so hard.”

My mother-in-law passed away in November 1995. The same night, my father-in-law had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital and I went there to look after him. The two events followed one after the other so I didn’t get any rest.

Although Zhuzi survived, he couldn’t walk, and the doctors advised him to go home to recover. Back home, in addition to managing his daily needs, I had to help with his rehabilitation exercises. I was exhausted day in and day out, and my heart was filled with deep grievance and resentment.

Moving Past Grievances and Resentment: Treating My Father-in-Law with Kindness

In 1998, I began practicing Falun Dafa. As I began this path of cultivation, I came to understand that the suffering I experience in this lifetime is a result of karma I’d created—debts that must be repaid. I realized that the mistreatment I received from my in-laws might well be a consequence of my own past actions. Perhaps in a previous life, I’d bullied them or done them wrong.

As I continued to study the teachings of Dafa, my mind grew increasingly clear. The resentment I held toward my father-in-law—as cold and hard as ice—began to break apart and gradually melt away. I started to treat him with genuine kindness, just as I would my own father.

I only attended school intermittently for about two years as a child, so I didn’t know many characters in the Dafa books I read. I wrote down the characters I didn’t recognize, and my husband and son taught me what they meant whenever they had spare time. Eventually, I could read them on my own.

Every day, as I studied the teachings, I would read them aloud to Zhuzi. He would say, “What Master says is truly wonderful—how did Master come to know everything?” I meditated every day, and he would join me. His health steadily improved; I took him for walks around our residential complex, and sometimes I took him to a small park or the market on my tricycle. He was absolutely delighted—as happy as a child.

In July 1999, after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Dafa, Zhuzi didn’t dare meditate anymore—he was a policeman and was well aware of the CCP’s harmful methods. He said: “I’m a member of the Communist Party and I must listen to the central government. Don’t lose my salary.” He stopped listening to the Fa.

In 2005, I was sentenced to two years in a labor camp. When my husband came to visit me, he broke down in tears the moment he saw me, and couldn’t speak for a long time. Eventually, he managed to say, “My father is gravely ill, and there’s no one to look after him.” I replied, “Why don’t you hire a caregiver for now? I’ll take care of him when I’m back home.”

When I returned home, Zhuzi could no longer take care of himself. He required feeding, had lost control of his bodily functions, and was frequently hospitalized. I was the only person responsible for his care, day and night—it was exhausting.

I didn’t have time to eat; when I fed him, we shared a single bowl—I’d feed him a mouthful, then take a bite myself. Sometimes, right after I fed him, I had to clean up his feces.

A nurse saw this and said, “You’re truly remarkable—doesn’t it bother you that he’s so soiled?” I said truthfully, “I don’t mind. Everyone grows old and gets sick eventually; it’s inevitable.” I genuinely didn’t look down on him, because as a practitioner, I treat everyone with kindness—and he is, after all, my father-in-law. He was suffering, so I should give him care and warmth to bring him comfort.

Someone who knew our family history said, “You’re feeding him and cleaning him up. Don’t forget how brutally he used to beat you! Just let him starve to death; don’t give him any food!” I smiled faintly. It’s true—if I hadn’t been practicing Dafa, who knows what I might have done.

I often recite “Realms” from Essentials for Further Advancement to myself, reminding myself to be a person of virtue, rather than one who commits evil.

My three sisters-in-law remained the same: they dropped by with some food, visited their father in the hospital, and then left after a short while. I felt completely at peace, without a shred of resentment. I didn’t compare myself to anyone, and I could certainly understand them—they are all married, with their own families, husbands, and children to look after. Each has their own struggles, and life isn’t easy for them.

Zhuzi was discharged from the hospital. The weather was beautiful, so I pushed him in his wheelchair outside to get some fresh air and soak up the sun. A few people asked him, “Is that your daughter?” He replied proudly, “She’s a daughter-in-law—even better than a daughter!”

Zhuzi had not yet renounced his Party membership. I had brought it up with him a few times, but he wouldn’t reply. In 2012, his condition worsened, and he lost the ability to speak; his time was running out.

One day, I gently took his hand and said, “Dad, why don’t you renounce your Party membership? If you do, you can go to a wonderful place and come under Master’s care. If you agree, please squeeze my hand.” He understood; he gripped my hand tightly and held on for a long time. I was truly happy for him—he had been saved, and a bright future awaited him. I couldn’t hold back my tears. Not long after, he passed away; he left peacefully, without much suffering.

Repay Grievances with Virtue; Treat Wealth Lightly

Over the years, my three sisters-in-law have seen everything I’ve done to care for their parents. They often said, “She has truly had it tough.” My husband’s uncle holds me up as an example, frequently praising me within the village and throughout the extended family for my devotion to my in-laws, calling me an exceptionally good daughter-in-law. Whenever I return to my old village, people often give me a thumbs-up and say, “You’re the best!”

Dozens of people in our extended family have withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. They all recognize Dafa, and they all know that the changes I’ve undergone are due to my cultivation of Dafa—it was Dafa that resolved the resentment I had harbored for many years.

Every year, our family was named a “Model Family,” and the head of the neighborhood committee would personally bring people to our home to present us with certificates and prizes. One year, they even named me a “Model Daughter-in-Law” and featured me in a city-level magazine. I found out when they brought me the magazine—though they dared not mention that the reason I’m such a good person is because I practice Falun Dafa.

Once, I was taken to a “transformation” class. The neighborhood committee staff ran the “transformation” process, and the director arrived with three others. When they saw me, they looked at me kindly but said nothing. As they were leaving, the director said to me gently, “We’ll come back for you in a few days.” The very next day, they took me home. In all the years since, the neighborhood committee staff have never once come to my home to harass me; deep down, they all know the truth.

After my in-laws passed away, my son started living in their apartment. My husband wanted to transfer the property title, which required my sisters-in-law’s signatures. He called all three of them to explain the situation, and they all readily signed the documents.

They said, “This family owes so much to you. Our parents had a comfortable life in their later years, and you’ve had it so tough.” I replied, “If I hadn’t practiced Falun Dafa, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.” My sisters-in-law deeply appreciate Falun Dafa and recognize my sincerity, kindness, and forbearance.

When my in-laws were living with us, both of them frequently needed medical care, hospital stays, and medication—all of which cost money. My father-in-law retired early and only had a small pension, so insurance covered only a portion of his medical and hospital expenses.

My mother-in-law was a farmer, so she had to pay for everything out of pocket. As a result, we often had to borrow money from others. We keep a ledger listing who we owed money to—we’ve borrowed from more than 10 families. Whenever we have a little money, we immediately pay them back. Over the years, I’ve lost count of how many times my in-laws were hospitalized and how much money was spent. We also covered all the expenses for their funerals; my sisters-in-law didn’t contribute a single penny and didn’t help out once.

After my father-in-law passed away, his workplace provided 86,000 yuan for funeral expenses. My husband collected the money and invited his three sisters to join us for a meal. We distributed the funds as follows: 20,000 yuan each for the three sisters and my husband, and 6,000 yuan for my son. His sisters were all very satisfied.

If I weren’t practicing Falun Dafa, I absolutely couldn’t have done this. Over the years, we’ve spent far more than this amount on my in-laws. If I hadn’t offered them this money, no one would have dared to ask me for it—and if anyone had, I would have settled the score with them.

Now that I’m practicing Falun Dafa, I must follow Master’s teachings and be a truly good person. My husband is the eldest son in his family, and there’s an old saying: “The eldest brother is like a father.” Now that his parents are gone, the eldest brother must act like a father and care for his younger siblings. I had to set aside my personal interests and treat my younger sisters-in-law with kindness.

Now my heart is filled with joy every day. Master has taught us to be good people who are selfless and put others first, and I have done just that. This joy cannot be bought with money; it can only be experienced through genuine practice.

My husband’s uncle—his father’s only brother—shared a very close bond with his brother. Back in our hometown, we still had a small plot of land; had anyone else rented it, they would have paid us at least a few thousand yuan a year. Since his uncle wanted to farm it, we let him continue, never once mentioning money.

Later, a public institution requisitioned the land to build a parking lot. His uncle didn’t mention the compensation, and we didn’t even ask—he is getting on in years, and it’s not easy for him to earn money. To us, he is like my husband’s father; we hold him in high regard and strive to be filial, wishing only that he lives a healthy, happy, worry-free life in his later years.

He can also sense our good intentions; he always greets us with a joyful smile. His hearty laughter is the best reward I could ever receive—it truly is a joy to be kind!

My Family Supports Me

My husband and son have witnessed my entire journey over these years; they are both beneficiaries and eyewitnesses. They know full well that Falun Dafa saved me—and saved our family. Though they are simple, kindhearted men who may not express themselves much in words, they show their gratitude to Master and Dafa through their actions.

In 2008, I began producing truth-clarification materials at home—partly to distribute them myself, and partly to provide them to other practitioners for distribution. My husband took the initiative to buy paper for me, cheerfully carrying it upstairs without ever complaining of fatigue. My son was busy with work, but he often drove me out to remote areas and rural villages in the evenings to distribute truth-clarifying materials.

My husband often took me out on his motorcycle to distribute materials; we’ve covered nearly every area around our place. Both my husband and son were very resourceful—they kept a close watch as we traveled and only let me get off the motorcycle when it was safe. I’ve been producing and distributing truth-clarifying materials for 11 years, and everything has gone very smoothly.

Blessed for Believing Dafa

When my father-in-law was still alive, I once wanted to take him out for a ride on my tricycle. I looked down and saw a wallet under the bike. When I opened it, I found exactly 500 yuan in bills, plus some loose change. I immediately called the owner—a woman—who said, “I had just received my paycheck when I lost my wallet. I haven’t slept all night trying to figure out where I might have dropped it; I’ve been so incredibly anxious.”

When she came to pick up her wallet, she brought two packs of soy milk powder for my father-in-law. I tried to decline, but she insisted, becoming quite adamant.

She said, “You truly are a good person! I never imagined I’d ever get my wallet back. Thank you so much!” I replied, “I practice Dafa, our Master teaches us to be good people and never to take what doesn’t belong to us. Please don’t thank me—thank Dafa’s Master instead!” She walked over to the portrait of Master, pressed her palms together, and said respectfully several times: “Thank you, Master of Dafa!”

I told her the truth about the CCP, and she immediately agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. I gave her a Dafa truth-clarification amulet and told her that frequently reciting the phrases “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are good” would bring blessings to those who strive to be good people.

She replied, “I’ll remember that,” and walked away happily, clutching her wallet. Someone in my residential complex who knew this woman mentioned that she later developed cancer, but recovered. More than a decade has passed, and she is still doing well.

A security guard in our residential complex is from out of town, and his wife works as a nanny in the same complex. I shared the truth about Falun Dafa with him, and he readily agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. He holds Dafa in high regard and said he’d like to learn the practice.

On a few occasions, I asked him to help me put up stickers containing the truth about Falun Dafa, and he agreed. I took him to two residential compounds and several streets, and he was quite quick at applying the stickers.

In our own residential compound, a display case contained content that slandered Dafa. The glass was extremely thick, so I asked for his help. He struck the glass several times with an axe before managing to break an opening—just wide enough for me to reach in and tear down the paper.

I didn’t think his good fortune would come so quickly. After his son graduated from college, he met a girl in our neighborhood and got married. The girl’s family was well-off; they bought them a new apartment in a new development as a wedding gift, without the security guard spending a single penny. Later, the girl’s mother remarried and left, leaving another apartment to her daughter, so the girl let the security guard move into it.

The security guard and his wife no longer need to work; they stay home to look after their grandchild. Later, the security guard invited me to visit their home. While there, I distributed truth-clarification flyers in their residential complex—a clean, attractive neighborhood with well-designed apartments. The couple has had several happy events, leaving them beaming with joy. It is absolutely true that a single kind thought toward Dafa brings blessings of happiness and safety from the heavens.

Through Trials and Tribulations, My Resolve Remains Unshaken

In 2019, after a meal with over a dozen people, I handed each person a packet of informational materials—containing the truth about the persecution—as they left the restaurant. One of them maliciously reported me, and as a result, I was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

When I returned home in 2024, although I could no longer continue producing truth-clarification materials, I persisted in going to the park to clarify the truth face-to-face. Master brought predestined individuals to me; whenever I spoke to them about the truth, most were willing to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.

Master encouraged me in a dream and showed me a bountiful harvest. I gathered many walnuts—some carried on my shoulders, others picked up by hand. I harvested plenty of large peaches, and Master gave me various delicious treats—things I’d never seen before. When I woke up, I could still taste the lingering fragrance in my mouth!

That concludes my sharing for today. Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners, for patiently reading the entire text.

(Selected submission for the 23rd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)