Chapter 3: The Chicken Lays an Egg

Old Tan smacked Tan Yiliang on the back of the head. “What are you staring at? Hurry up and go to the yard to butcher that hen and make broth for your mother to produce milk!”

“Got it, Father!” Tan Yiliang rubbed his head and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something. He turned back and said, “Father, that’s our only hen. Are you sure you want to butcher it? We’re counting on it to lay eggs!”

Old Tan waved his hand dismissively. “Butcher it, butcher it! That chicken hasn’t laid more than a few eggs all year! Cook the broth so your mother can drink it, and your sister can have milk!”

“Right, right, little sister needs milk. Alright, I’ll go now.” Tan Yiliang grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and headed out.

The Tan family, as kind and filial as they were, had a reputation for being dirt poor. Old Tan and his son were both diligent workers, but their poverty was well-known in Fengping Village. Even three-year-old children looked down on their family.

The reason the Tan family was in such dire straits boiled down to one thing: sheer bad luck.

How unlucky were they?

When they farmed, either the land was so barren nothing would grow, or the crops they managed to cultivate were completely flooded and destroyed.

When they grew vegetables, insects devoured nearly everything, leaving almost nothing behind.

When they raised pigs, the pigs either escaped, forcing them to pay for the losses, or fell sick.

When they kept chickens, they either flew away or stopped laying eggs altogether.

Even when they went to the pond to catch fish, they somehow managed to fall into the water, ending up soaked like drowned rats.

Because of their relentless bad luck, the Tan family, despite being honest and hardworking, was still so poor they could barely put food on the table.

Tan Yiliang, holding the knife, pushed open the door to the backyard and found the scrawny old hen. He was ready to catch it and butcher it for soup.

The old hen spotted Tan Yiliang from a distance. It blinked a few times, stomped its feet, and squatted down, clucking loudly.

Curious, Tan Yiliang leaned closer to look and saw a round, warm egg under the hen.

Delighted, he reached out to grab the fresh egg.

But just as he did, the hen clucked a few more times, lifted its backside, and with a soft “plop,” another egg rolled out.

Tan Yiliang froze in shock, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He looked again, utterly stunned.

The old hen raised its head proudly, wagged its tail, and revealed several eggs beneath it.

Tan Yiliang was terrified. His legs trembling, he stumbled back toward the house, shouting, “Oh my heavens! This chicken has turned into a spirit!”^[1]He meant the chicken grew sentient

Hearing the commotion, Old Tan stormed out and scolded him, “What spirit? Don’t you see your mother is still waiting for chicken soup? Where’s the chicken?”

Tan Yiliang clung to the doorframe, gasping for air. “Father, the chicken’s turned magical! When it saw I was about to butcher it, it laid all the eggs it’s ever owed us in one go!”

“What?” Old Tan perked up his ears, his expression skeptical. “You fool! Are you turning out like your second brother, all muddle-headed?”

Tan Yiliang’s face turned dark. “Father, I’m serious! If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself!”

Without another word, Tan Yiliang grabbed Old Tan by the arm and dragged him to the backyard.

As soon as Old Tan stepped into the yard, he was greeted by the sight of the old hen standing over a pile of twenty or thirty eggs. His jaw nearly hit the ground. “Oh my heavens! We’ve struck gold!”

“These eggs will keep us fed for a long time!”

Tan Yiliang peeked out from behind his father. “Father, is it possible the hen really turned into a spirit, laying all these eggs at once?”

Old Tan yanked his son forward. “Who cares if it’s a spirit or not? As long as we’ve got eggs, we’re in luck! Hurry up! Pick them all up before something happens!”

“Y-Yes, Father…” Tan Yiliang was still wary of the hen, whose haughty demeanor seemed intimidating. But he feared his father even more. He cautiously grabbed a basket and began collecting the eggs, one by one.

In the entire Dacheng Kingdom, eggs weren’t considered rare or luxurious. However, for a poor family like the Tan household, they were a rare treat—something they’d never dare eat lightly.

The Tan family was so poor they could barely afford food most days. This old hen was a compensation from the village head’s family a year ago after their son injured Tan Erqian . At the time, the village head had sternly warned them never to slaughter the chicken, no matter how desperate they got.

Now, the commotion in the backyard woke up The Fourth and Fifth Son, the family’s youngest sons.

The two little boys rubbed their sleepy eyes and toddled into the yard. When they saw the ground covered with eggs, their faces lit up with joy.

“Father, we get to eat eggs!” they exclaimed, clapping their hands and giggling.