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Passersby were drawn to Tan Erqian’s shouting, turning their heads to look. People love free things, whether rich or poor—who wouldn’t want to take advantage of a good deal?
“Young man, are you really giving away free eggs?” asked a hunched old woman as she approached.
Tan Erqian nodded. “That’s right, free eggs.”
The old woman’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Then give me one.”
Tan Erqian picked up an egg but didn’t hand it over immediately. “Granny, I can give you an egg, but are you sure you only want one?”
The hunched old woman straightened slightly. “What? Are you saying I can have more than one?”
Tan Erqian smiled and said, “Of course, you can! In fact, not only will I give you this one for free, but if you buy three more, I’ll throw in another one for free as well.”
The old woman scratched her head and chuckled. “I’m old and not good at math, but basically, if I buy three, I get one more for free, right?”
Tan Erqian nodded. “That’s right.”
The old woman, estimating that she didn’t have much money, rummaged through her pockets for a while and pulled out six copper coins. “Alright then, give me three.”
Tan Erqian handed her the egg he was holding, took the coins, and then took four eggs from the basket to give her.
The old woman counted the five eggs repeatedly, feeling like she’d gotten a great deal. Smiling from ear to ear, she happily walked away.
The surrounding onlookers, seeing that eggs were indeed being given away, quickly gathered around to buy.
Although each person didn’t buy much—just three or six eggs at a time—it still added up, and they managed to sell a fair amount.
As the crowd grew, it attracted even more attention.
Among those drawn to the scene was County Magistrate Cao, strolling with his new concubine.
Magistrate Cao had just recently buried his late wife, yet here he was, sneaking out for a walk with the young concubine he had just brought into the household.
While the townspeople outwardly said nothing, in their hearts, they looked down on him with disdain.
As soon as they saw County Magistrate Cao approach, the crowd quickly parted, whispering among themselves.
Although Old Tan had heard about Magistrate Cao from his sister, he had never met him, so he didn’t recognize him and just assumed he was some high-ranking official.
Pointing to his eggs, he said, “Sir, these eggs are from our own chickens. Why don’t you buy some to take back for the ladies and young misses to enjoy?”
Magistrate Cao had originally planned to join the crowd and buy some, but upon hearing Old Tan mention “young misses,” his temper flared.
“Look at you, I’ve never seen you before. Who gave you permission to sell here?”
Magistrate Cao’s barrage of questions left the Tan family father and son stunned. They had never heard that selling eggs was forbidden at the market.
Seeing that Old Tan looked like an easy target, a poor farmer, Magistrate Cao grabbed an egg and tossed it to the ground. “Pingyang County isn’t a place where anyone can come and sell! Get out of here, and don’t let me catch you again!”
The onlookers were all shocked by Magistrate Cao’s outburst. People began pulling each other away, and those who had been interested in buying eggs quickly changed their minds.
Although they didn’t like the county magistrate, everyone knew that he held power in this remote mountain village. He was more influential than even the distant emperor, and if he said something couldn’t be sold, then it simply couldn’t.
Old Tan snapped out of his shock, furious, and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to seek justice.
“Sir, you can’t say it like that. There’s no rule here saying we can’t sell eggs!”
Magistrate Cao’s anger flared even more, his eyes bulging as he was on the verge of erupting.
“Sir!”
Tan Erqian quickly stepped forward to stop him.
Magistrate Cao jumped in surprise, finally noticing the frail young boy standing beside him.
“Who are you?”