My Wife and I, A True Story

[PureInsight.org] This is a true love story. Two ordinary people met, fell in love, and got married. But it took extraordinary faith for them to support their relationship throughout the challenges of the persecution, and forced separation.

Mr. Lu Chaohui: 34 years old, graduated from college in 1991. He is now living in Atlanta.

Mrs. Lu Chaohui (or Ms. Zhou Xuefei): 29 years old, graduated from college in 1995. She was illegally detained in the Women's Labor Camp in San-Sui City, Guandong Province in January of 2001. She was just released (January 15, 2004), but is being closely monitored. Lu isn't able to speak to her since all incoming and outgoing international calls are blocked and the phones are tapped.

A Marvelous Pre-destiny with Falun Dafa
When I graduated from college in 1991, I was assigned to work at the Internal Revenue Bureau in Shenjun, Guangdong Province. In September 1995, I got a scholarship from the World Bank and an opportunity to study abroad as an official assignment. Then I came to Atlanta and studied for a Master's Degree in Finance at Georgia State University.

In the beginning of 1996, I was diagnosed with hepatitis B. [Note: Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that attacks the liver. The usual signs and symptoms of HBV may include fever, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, and loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.] I lost my appetite and I experienced fatigue all the time. The symptoms got worse, and eventually I had to drop out of school and seek medical help. In June 1996, I noticed an advertisement for free Falun Gong classes on a bulletin board outside a Chinese grocery store in Chinatown. I decided to give it a try, since my medical treatments were not working. Then a miracle happened. Within a month of practicing the Falun Gong exercises, I was able to eat again. Prior to practicing Falun Gong, I could not even finish a bowl of rice in a day because of my hepatitis B, but now I could have three bowls of rice in one meal! Prior to practicing Falun Gong, I always suffered from abdominal pain near the area of my liver when I stayed up late, or when the weather was bad, but now all those symptoms had disappeared without a trace! "How marvelous," I said to myself. Naturally, I continued to practice Falun Gong.

In August 1996, I left Atlanta for China to resume my work at the Internal Revenue Bureau at Shenjun. Because of my outstanding performance at work, I was quickly promoted to be the Assistant Director in my department. I was the youngest Assistant Director in the Bureau. When the Internal Revenue Bureau started to assign housing units to the employees, they gave me a house in an award-winning residential area, Lotus District, with three bedrooms, one living room and one dining room, that measured 102 square meters. My life and career were considered far more accomplished than those of other people in my age bracket.

Many of my colleagues knew that I had had hepatitis B. Because everyone knew that there was no medical treatment yet for hepatitis B, they did not believe that I was cured by practicing Falun Gong. They kept asking me to get myself checked in the hospital to prove my story. Due to peer pressure, I eventually went to the hospital for a general health examination. All of my colleagues dropped their jaws when they saw the results of more than 30 medical tests. All the test results were normal, and two of them were exceptional. Since then, my colleagues became very impressed with Falun Gong. They said, "I never knew that Falun Gong was so miraculous!"

Because I have personally witnessed the great power of Falun Gong, I naturally persisted in practicing it, and did not have to exert a great effort to do so. All I needed to do was to get up early in the morning and walk to the park to join the daily group practice. The park where we practiced in the morning is what we call a practice site. In the evenings, I read Zhuan Falun before I retired. Sometimes, I exchanged cultivation understandings and experiences with others I met at the practice site, who were normally referred to as fellow Dafa practitioners. Cultivating in Falun Dafa slowly became a daily habit or a pastime, as some people might call it.

Meeting the Love of My Life
There wasn't anything particularly different about my romance and marriage, but I remembered how I met my wife Xuefei as if it were only yesterday. On a beautiful Saturday in March 1999, I went to the practice site near Lotus District for group practice as usual. In the middle of practice, I opened my eyes and took off my jacket because the weather was getting warmer. Then I noticed a young girl wearing a blue sweater standing near me, trying to imitate everyone else's movement. I thought she must be new to Falun Gong, so I stopped my own practice and spent some time teaching her the correct movements of the exercise. I did not realize that I was touching her hands when I corrected her movements, but she wasn't offended. She gave me an appreciative smile. That was Xuefei. Her smile gave me the impression that she was gentle and kind. That night, for some strange reason, I kept thinking of her smile .

I had never been in love before, so I wasn't sure if the feeling inside me was love. But I knew one thing for sure. I knew I would be perfectly happy with a kind, understanding girl like her.

After our first encounter, we often met at the practice site and became friends. We talked about our families, work and life. She was a bit reticent, but she was a good listener. I was deeply infatuated with her because of her innocence and kindness.

A Simple Life of Happiness
Xuefei was 22 years old at the time. She had just graduated from college, and started working at an advertising company in Shenjun. Her parents lived in Lanshou, Gansu Province at the time. She had a sister who also lived in Shenjun. Her sister is five years older and is married. Her sister and brother-in-law were very kind and looked after their baby sister.

Although I was also the youngest child in the family, and often the one being looked after by my elder siblings, I always felt I had to protect Xuefei when she was near me.

During weekends or after hours, we often went to the Lotus Mountain Park near my house. Sometimes we studied Zhuan Falun together and exchanged cultivation experiences. Sometimes, we visited my parents, and her sister. Because she was new to society and had a lot to learn about fashion, I sometimes took her to the boutiques, bought her nice outfits and helped her build a wardrobe.

We both wanted to become sponsors of children in poverty who needed tuition sponsors, so we both donated more than 3,000 Chinese Yuan to the "Hope Foundation." The money went to seven elementary school students in Lianpin City, Guangdong Province. Meanwhile, we wrote to those children, offering them our friendship and affection. Since we became the sponsors of these children, Xuefei and I often spent our weekends reading the letters from those children. While reading their letters, we felt as if we had experienced the joys and hardships in their childhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the letters that Xuefei wrote to those children. In the letters, Xuefei encouraged them to take advantage of the precious opportunity of education and study diligently. She also told them stories about traditional Chinese culture and moral values. She had a way of teaching them to be unselfish that children would understand and be interested in listening to.

In hindsight, in those days we led a simple life of happiness.

Overwhelmed by the Tide of Evil
When Jiang Zemin had been persecuting Falun Gong for almost a year, I decided that I must go to Beijing to tell the government the truth about Falun Gong. On June 7th, 2000, a day after my 31st birthday, I left for Beijing with a letter that described my personal experience of cultivating in Falun Dafa. The National Inquiry Bureau is a legal channel for every Chinese citizen to appeal directly to the government to ensure justice in the legal system, so I went to the National Inquiry Bureau as my last hope to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. However, as soon as I told them the purpose of my visit, I was arrested and sent directly to the Beijing Branch of the Police Bureau of Guandong Province. I was detained in a basement without ventilation for five days. During the time approximately 30 to 40 more Dafa practitioners were detained in this basement.

On June 12th I was transferred to the Nanshan Detention Facility at Shenjun, Guandong Province. During the two months of detention, I was forced to perform hard labor.

My mother was overcome with worry when she heard the news of my detention. My 70-year-old father was equally worried about me, if not more so. On the way to visit me at the detention center, he was overly concerned for me and did not mind the road. He accidentally fell and had a suffered a fracture. He did not make the trip to the detention center that day. Many days later, when we were finally able to see each other at the detention center, he was walking with a crutch.

My father told me how my girlfriend Xuefei had tried everything to find my whereabouts, and asked everybody she knew to find out whether or not I was alive and well.

The Harbor of Love
After I was released from the detention center, I finally saw Xuefei. She lost a significant amount of weight, but her eyes were filled with love and affection. I caressed her withered cheek and whispered, "Let's get married." She nodded.

At the time, the police has already confiscated the property in my house at the north part of the Lotus District, and put me under surveillance. Under the circumstances, we really could not afford to have a wedding, so we simply notified our parents of our decision to get married. Then we rented a private house of 15 square meters in a suburban area from a farmer in order to escape police surveillance and potential arrest. In this small house we started our life as husband and wife. In the face of daily adversity, she gradually transformed herself from an innocent girl to a mature, independent woman.

There were countless evenings when we studied Zhuan Falun together under the light, encouraging each other to persist in cultivation. We both knew that there was nothing wrong with trying to assimilate into Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. We believed that time will prove everything. Truth is ultimately stronger than lies or slander, but someone has to sacrifice himself or herself to reveal the truth. We are willing to be that someone, even though we are just two average citizens.

Xuefei continued to write letters to those children, giving them encouragement.

Every morning Xuefei would polish my shoes before I went to work.

Xuefei always remembered to call our parents on the holidays and weekends, asking how they were, letting them know we were alive and well, and sending them our love.

Incessant Tornados and Thunderstorms
In November 2000, I went visiting fellow practitioners in Kunmin City, Wen'nan Province. When I returned home and opened the door, I could not find Xuefei. I could feel it already: "Something must have happened to Xuefei."

I immediately ran out of the door to find Xuefei. I went to all of the places that might give me clues about Xuefei's whereabouts and inquired about her. Finally, I found out that she had been arrested and detained in the Police Station in the Futian District of Shenjun. She was arrested when she was distributing flyers on the street that clarified the facts about Falun Gong.

They told me that before she was dragged away by the police, she threw all the remaining fact-clarification flyers up to the air with all her might, shouting, "Falun Dafa is Good!"

I tried to visit Xuefei in the detention center, but they denied my request.

During the time I often thought of her, and the short, yet happy days we had together. I wished I could see her.

In January 2001, Xuefei was sentenced to two years in Women's Labor Camp in Sansui.

A Dignified Plum Blossom in the Snow
In February 2001, I came back to Atlanta with the help of my friends, in order to escape the persecution. That I am now living in a peaceful and free environment only makes me worry more about my wife Xuefei, and all of my fellow practitioners who became homeless or prisoners of conscience because they persisted in their steadfast faith in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

For the past two years, Xuefei has experienced many brutal tortures. She was made to perform hard labor with another prisoner watching her 24 hours a day right right next to her. In the summertime, she was tied to a post out in the blazing sun. In the wintertime she was stripped and made to sit on a freezing concrete floor. She was often denied food. The continuous and brutal beatings that she has received have made her lose her vision.

Once Xuefei's mother told me on the phone that despite her situation, Xuefei persisted in writing to those children. In each of the past two Chinese New Year's Days, she even sent them fifty dollars.

My eyes burned with tears when I heard what she did for those children. My courageous wife Xuefei has shown how beautiful and compassionate one can be when she pursues Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. No tyranny can break her spirit as long as she holds Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance in her heart.

I remembered her favorite song titled, "A Beautiful Branch of Plum Blossoms:"

True love is like endless prairie, which no tornado or thunderstorm can hide.
One day the sun will come out from behind those clouds, shining on you and me.

True love is like a plum blossom, which the cruel snow cannot hide.
True love blossoms on the coldest branch, beckoning spring, as well as you and me.

Yes. The spring will not be far when the winter is here.

Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/11/18/19297.html