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The eggs that were delivered were placed in the backyard of the Cao family.
County Magistrate Cao specially brought his concubine to the backyard, intending to personally instruct the kitchen staff to prepare a few fine dishes for the two gentlemen from the capital.
“My lord, I will go to the tree and enjoy some shade,” said the concubine, who was a former actress, with delicate skin that couldn’t endure the sun.
Magistrate Cao responded, “Go ahead, and take a look at the new eggs I bought today. Make sure the quantity is correct.”
“Yes, my lord.” The concubine fanned herself and swayed her slender waist as she made her way to the tree. Next to the tree, there was a pile of eggs.
She glanced at it, waved the fan several times, and grew somewhat impatient.
At that moment, a small snake hidden among the pile of eggs suddenly popped its head out.
It raised its head, flicking its long tongue, and made a hissing sound.
The concubine, hearing the sound, turned around and saw the snake, her face pale with fear. She stumbled backward, tripping and falling to the ground. “My lord, a snake! A snake!” she cried.
Magistrate Cao hurried out of the back kitchen. “Where? Where?”
The concubine’s eyes were wide with terror as she trembled, suddenly seeming almost possessed. She picked up a nearby stone and threw it at the snake.
The snake recoiled, and the stone smashed into the nearby eggs, shattering them into pieces. Fresh egg yolk spilled across the ground.
Magistrate Cao was stunned. He strode over and angrily scolded, “You, you—what are you doing?”
The concubine, trembling, crazily picked up several stones from the ground and threw them at the eggs.
With a series of loud cracks, hundreds of round, plump eggs were instantly smashed into a sticky mess.
“Stop! Stop it right now!” Magistrate Cao was frantic. He slapped the concubine hard across the face. “You foolish woman! I spent five taels of silver to buy these!”
The concubine, stunned by the slap, quickly dropped to her knees, begging for forgiveness. “My lord, I was wrong, I was wrong. I don’t know what happened to me!”
Magistrate Cao’s face turned a shade of green with rage, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
The father and son from the Tan family, watching from behind the wall, couldn’t help but laugh at the spectacle.
With the matter settled, Old Tan finally felt at ease and left with the silver.
With the money in hand, things were different now. The three of them walked proudly down the street, pushing an empty cart, feeling refreshed and in high spirits.
Old Tan, recalling Magistrate Cao’s green face, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Those fine eggs, even if they were to be fed to dogs, should never be given to such a person!”
“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Tan Yiliang quickly responded. “Father, five taels is no small amount. How should we use it?”
Old Tan calmed down, thought for a moment, then said, “First, we’ll buy a pound of red sugar for your mother, then a few bolts of fine cloth, and make new clothes for your younger siblings.”
Tan Yiliang smiled and replied, “Alright, Father.”
But Old Tan added, “This hen laying eggs in such a strange way… We can’t always rely on luck. Let’s go buy some chicken chicks and rice seeds next.”
Tan Yiliang agreed, “That’s right, Father. And let’s buy some vegetable seeds too.”
“Can the vegetables even grow?”
Tan Yiliang scratched his head. “We’ll try again. I refuse to believe that our plot of land can’t grow vegetables.”
“Good, good,” Old Tan nodded, picking up the pace as they walked forward.
The two of them were chatting enthusiastically when Tan Erqian, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, “Eldest brother, let’s buy some medicinal herb seeds.”
Tan Yiliang and Old Tan both turned to look at him. “Second brother, you want to grow medicinal herbs?”
Tan Erqian nodded. “That’s right. As you noticed when we went out to sell the eggs, there are many poor people in Fengping Village and Pingyang County. They won’t buy anything a little expensive, but medicinal herbs are different. Who doesn’t have someone in the family with a headache or a cold? We don’t need to grow expensive ones, just the ones that are easy to cultivate and are used daily. In the future, some pharmacies will definitely buy them. While we won’t make a lot of money, it’s still enough to make a living.”
Old Tan looked at his second son in surprise. After a long pause, he patted his head and laughed heartily, “Erqian, you’re not just not foolish anymore—you’ve grown a brain!”
Tan Erqian, still a young boy, blushed slightly from the compliment and lowered his head in embarrassment.
“Second brother, your idea is not bad! I think it’s feasible!” Tan Yiliang said with a smile, nodding in agreement.
Afterward, the father and sons, in addition to buying the daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, also purchased everything they had just agreed upon.
By the time they returned home, the cart was packed full, and only two taels of silver remained out of the original five.