(Minghui.org) My husband is the deputy chief of our county appeals office. After the persecution began in 1999, he did not want me to practice Falun Gong. He wanted to divorce me when local authorities pressured him.

Now, he reads Falun Gong informational materials regularly and says that he will learn Falun Gong when he retires.

He also encouraged me to use our little shop as a place for practitioners to meet and share their experiences.

My Bad-Tempered Husband

My husband was born into a very poor rural family. He is overbearing and violent. He neither looked after our children, nor helped with household chores. If I dared to argue with him, he would beat me and swear at me.

I wanted to treat my friends to a chicken dinner when they visited. I grabbed one of our chickens, but it ran off when I didn't hold it firmly enough. When he saw this, my husband slapped me in the face in front of everyone.

According to Chinese custom, some men want boy children, as they carry on the family name. When my husband heard at the hospital that my second child would be a girl, he left without a word.

My husband didn't support the family financially, and we relied on my small income. When our second child graduated from college, I was determined to divorce him.

Practicing Falun Gong

I began to practice Falun Gong in February 1999. After I finished reading the book Zhuan Falun, I felt a huge sense of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my heart. I was no longer depressed.

Through reading the book I understood that it was a predestined relationship betweenhusband and wife. We need to cherish it whether it was a good karmic relationship or a bad one.

I needed to keep a peaceful and calm mind when dealing with my husband, and do things according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As a cultivator, I could not hit back when attacked, or talk back when insulted.

I could sense that a Falun was turning and a warm current coursed through my body when doing the exercises.

I was determined to improve. I brought my 90-year-old, half-paralyzed mother-in-law to my home and looked after her carefully until she died.

My husband often brought friends home with him. I changed my attitude toward them, greeted them with a smile, and looked after them while they visited.

With two girls, my husband very much wanted a boy. He often lamented that he didn't have a boy. When our daughters gave birth to boys, my husband wanted me to look after them. I let go of the fact that I was worn out and agreed, so that he could enjoy being with his grandsons.

Gradually, my husband's attitude improved. Some of our relatives and his friends praised me in front of him for having a devoted wife. He said with a smile, “My wife is much better now. Falun Gong has helped her to improve.”

After the Persecution Started

My husband's position at work was in serious jeopardy because I practiced Falun Gong. One time I was held at the local detention center for distributing informational materials about the persecution Falun Gong.

People from the county 610 Office and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee threatened him. Out of pressure and fear, he tried to stop me from practicing Falun Gong. He even sent a letter to me at the detention center saying that he wanted to divorce me.

I replied to the letter from the detention center. I detailed the benefits our family and I have gained from my practicing Falun Gong, and reaffirmed that I wouldn't give up my belief.

In order to not get him into trouble, I agreed to the divorce and said that our property belonged to him. I hoped he would find a new partner and wished him a happy life.

He was deeply moved by my letter because even though I was in detention, I was still thinking of others. He decided not to divorce me, and said he would be with me for the rest of his life, and would not be swayed by the local authorities' threats.

My Husband Changes

My husband gradually understood Falun Gong by reading informational materials. He realized that former security chief Zhou Yongkang and high ranking official Bo Xilai were involved in the persecution, and he learned about the CCP's organ harvesting atrocities. His attitude toward Falun Gong soon changed and his righteous thoughts become stronger.

My brother-in-law, who practices Falun Gong and lived in another city, was harassed by the local police. He was later forced to leave his home to avoid being arrested. When my husband heard this, he said to him, “Come to my home. It is safe here and no one would dare to harass you.”

At the end of 2014, my daughter's mother-in-law was ill and hospitalized. My husband called her. “How about if you learn Falun Gong from my wife? You will recover after doing the exercises.”

My daughter was going to close her shop and to find a job in another city. When my husband heard about it, he said to me, “Why don't you take it over? It doesn't matter how much money you make, just use it as a place where you and other practitioners can share your experiences. It is a safe place.”

When other practitioners thanked him for offering the shop for them to use, he waved his hand and said, “You don't need to thank me. I will also practice Falun Gong after I retire.”