Shen Xuezhu replied, “Yes, I originally wanted to sell the eggs to Xuan Yun Restaurant, but they don’t accept them.”

“Now I’ll have to take the eggs from the cart and sell them at the market.”

“Could you please take us to the grocery store, Zhao Erge? I need to buy a scale.”

“Well… it’s no use that the restaurant doesn’t accept your eggs,” Zhao Lao Er said as he gestured for Shen Xuezhu and her daughters to get on the cart.

…

At the grocery store, Shen Xuezhu bought a scale for fifty wen.

After paying, she led her two daughters back to the cart.

The market was already bustling with people setting up their stalls. Shen Xuezhu found a random stall and got off the cart.

She handed Zhao Lao Er twenty wen. “Zhao Erge, here’s the fare for the cart.”

Zhao Lao Er took the money. “If you still need to sell eggs, I’ll leave first.”

Shen Xuezhu took the basket off the cart. “Zhao Erge, if I see you at the town entrance when I’m done, I’ll ride your cart back.”

“I still need to sell eggs, then buy some clothes for the two children, and lastly, get over a hundred pounds of pork to take home.”

“We have plenty of spices left, so we don’t need to buy any. I’ll get them next time.”

“Alright, I’ll leave now.”

Shen Xuezhu wasn’t sure how much eggs were selling for in the market, so she called out to Zhao Lao Er, “Zhao Erge, do you know how much eggs are being sold for per pound here in the town?”

Zhao Lao Er shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never sold eggs, and no one in my family has either. Whenever we have eggs, we just eat them.”

“Alright, Zhao Erge, could you please watch the two children while I go around the market and check the price of eggs?”

Zhao Lao Er agreed, “Sure, I’ll wait for you to come back before I leave.”

Shen Xuezhu nodded and said goodbye to her two daughters. “I’m just going to check out how others are selling their eggs.”

“Mom, I want to go with you,” Lu Xiaoli said, wanting to stay with Shen Xuezhu.

Lu Xiaoyue saw that her sister wanted to go, so she also chimed in, “Mom, I want to go too.”

“Well then, you both come with me,” Shen Xuezhu said, putting the basket back onto the cart.

She took both of their hands and started walking forward.

After walking for a while, she spotted a woman selling eggs.

The woman noticed Shen Xuezhu staring at the eggs in her basket.

She asked, “How many eggs would you like to buy?”

Shen Xuezhu didn’t answer and asked, “How much are the eggs per pound?”

The woman smiled. “Eight wen per pound! How many do you want?”

Shen Xuezhu paused for a moment. “I’ll think about it for now.”

Upon hearing Shen Xuezhu wasn’t buying, the woman’s expression changed. “The eggs are so cheap, and you still need to think about it?”

If someone doesn’t want to buy, why say anything? No wonder she hadn’t sold many eggs.

Shen Xuezhu raised an eyebrow. “Is asking for the price the same as buying?”

“Isn’t that why you asked the price, to buy eggs?”

Shen Xuezhu realized the woman was implying that anyone who asked the price here was expected to buy from her, or else she’d become impatient.

Shen Xuezhu smiled instead of getting angry. “Well, tomorrow I’ll be selling cured meat next to you. If you look at my cured meat, I’ll let you buy.”

“Then I’ll say, ‘You looked at my cured meat, didn’t you? So, you want to buy it, right?’”

The woman was so irritated by Shen Xuezhu’s logic that she snapped, “You… you… that doesn’t make sense. Just because you looked at my cured meat doesn’t mean I have to buy it from you. I didn’t spoil your cured meat.”

“I only asked you how much the eggs were per pound, and I didn’t break any of your eggs. You’re the one pushing me to buy!”

“I don’t want to argue with you anymore,” the woman said, turning her face away.

Shen Xuezhu ignored her and moved on. She then visited two other egg stalls in the market.

She learned that the price at those stalls was also eight wen per pound.

Now, Shen Xuezhu felt confident in setting her egg price at eight wen per pound.