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Tan Erqian did not introduce himself but instead said, “Sir, we were here yesterday selling eggs. At that time, two officials thought they were good and bought everything, so we came again today.”
“Two officials?” Magistrate Cao paused for a moment, deep in thought. “Are you talking about two officials dressed in black brocade robes?”
Tan Erqian deliberately gave an ambiguous response: “I think so, but I can’t quite remember.”
Magistrate Cao’s expression immediately changed. He lowered his head and whispered to Tan Erqian, “Did they really buy everything?”
Tan Erqian nodded. “That’s right. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the shopkeepers along the street. They all saw it.”
Magistrate Cao clenched his fist, grinding his teeth. “Alright, alright. I’ll take all your eggs here.”
“All of them? Sir, are you sure you want all of them?” Tan Yiliang asked as he approached.
“That’s right.” Magistrate Cao directly pulled out a silver ingot from his pocket, which looked to be about five taels, and handed it to Tan Erqian, saying, “I’ll take all of them. Send them to my residence later.”
Old Tan and Tan Yiliang were still in a daze.
Tan Erqian had already taken the silver in his hand. “Yes, sir. We’ll send the eggs to you right away. May I ask which residence you’re from?”
Magistrate Cao raised an eyebrow, appearing rather arrogant. “The residence of the Magistrate of Pingyang County.”
Old Tan was suddenly shocked. At the moment of his astonishment, Tan Erqian had already obediently responded, “Yes, sir.”
“Mm, I’ll head back first. Remember to send them over quickly,” Magistrate Cao said as he glanced at the eggs before leaving.
Once he was gone,
Old Tan angrily sat down. “We won’t sell, won’t sell. We don’t sell to people like him.”
“What’s wrong, Father?” Tan Yiliang asked as he took the five taels from Tan Erqian’s hand. “This is pure silver.”
Old Tan shot a glance at the silver and scowled in anger. “We don’t want money from that kind of person.”
Tan Yiliang and Tan Erqian didn’t know it was because of his younger sister’s matter, so they found their father a bit strange but could still understand.
Tan Erqian stepped forward to persuade him. “Father, the more money a person like that has, the more we should take it, right? If we don’t, are we going to leave it for him to enjoy?”
Old Tan listened and thought there was some logic to it. “But I don’t want to give him such good eggs.”
Tan Erqian’s eyes shifted as he came up with an idea. “Father, I have a way.”
“What way?” Old Tan quickly looked up and asked.
Tan Erqian pulled out a small, unconscious snake from his pocket—he had caught it on the way here, originally planning to make soup with it, but it seemed that soup would not be happening now.
He placed the snake among the eggs. “Father, let’s go, we’ll deliver the eggs.”
Old Tan was confused and unwilling to move.
Tan Yiliang pulled him along, persuading, “Father, just try listening to Erqian. He’s full of clever ideas now.”
Old Tan, helpless, decided to follow their lead.
As the sun began to set, Old Tan, with his two sons, delivered the eggs to Magistrate Cao’s residence.
After delivering the eggs, they didn’t leave immediately but instead hid behind a tree outside the wall, secretly watching everything in the courtyard.
From their hiding spot, Tan Yiliang whispered, “Erqian, how did you know about those two officials? How did you know the magistrate would buy all our eggs?”
Tan Erqian remained calm, watching the courtyard, and slowly explained, “Those two officials didn’t seem like locals. Their clothing and demeanor suggested they were either rich or noble. In Pingyang County, anyone wealthier or more distinguished than the magistrate must hold a higher official rank. I overheard a few yamen runners talking about a group of people from the capital visiting Pingyang recently. If I’m right, those two must be officials from the capital.”
Tan Yiliang wasn’t foolish and quickly understood. “So, when Magistrate Cao heard that these two officials from the capital bought all our eggs, he thought they must like our eggs and decided to buy them all?”
“Exactly, though I didn’t expect him to buy everything,” Tan Erqian replied seriously, his clear eyes showing wisdom beyond his years.
Old Tan didn’t grasp all these nuances; he was just eager to see whether Magistrate Cao could handle the eggs.