The First Volume: The Abandoned Wife Must Strengthen Herself Chapter 2: Selling Eggs

  Having eaten and drunk enough, she had a good sleep. The next morning, the sunlight shone through the curtains onto Xue Lengyu's bed, and Xue Lengyu slowly opened her eyes.

  Ancient mornings are great, without any noise pollution. Outside the window, you can only hear the birds chirping.

  Xue Lengyu stretched comfortably and put on a set of strange clothes in her opinion, got out of bed.

  She opened the door and saw Xue Mu feeding chickens in the yard. When she saw Xue Lengyu come out, she quickly put down her things and smiled: "Lengyu, you're up? Why don't you sleep a bit more?"

  "I've slept well." Xue Lengyu smiled and said: "Mother, you're up so early too?"

  "Isn't it still early?" Mrs. Xue said: "Last night was exciting, and I also had a few cups of wine, so today we got up later than usual."

  "Where's Father?" Xue Lengyu asked. Looking at Xue's father, he was a diligent and honest person, getting up with the sun and resting with the sunset. He shouldn't still be sleeping at this hour, right? Had he also drunk too much last night?

  "Your father has gone to the Wang's mansion to work," said Mrs. Xue.

  "Prince's mansion?" Xue Lengyu was puzzled.

  "Yes." Xue's mother said, "The Wangfu has recently been renovating a house for one of the concubines, and your father is a well-known carpenter in these parts, so he was invited to work on it. The master of the Wangfu is very generous, and the wages are high too. Once the house is fully renovated, he might even give us a handsome reward."

  Xue's father was originally a carpenter. Xue Lengyu smiled: "Really? Then Father's craftsmanship must be very good."

  "It goes without saying." Xue's mother smiled and said, "Your father's craftsmanship is unparalleled. Otherwise, why would the Wang family have invited him over?" As she spoke, Xue's mother sighed again: "It's just that your father is too honest, he doesn't even bother to calculate his losses, otherwise our family wouldn't be living in such a difficult situation."

  It turned out to be so, Xue Lengyu's heart moved, and she said softly: "Mother, it's good to be honest. Don't worry, I've grown up, I'll think of a way to make money and let you have a good life."

  Although she didn't take Xue Lengyu's words seriously, Madam Xue still smiled and said: "Silly girl, what can you do? Don't worry, although your father and I don't have much money, we can still raise you."

  A woman with no exceptional skills, no special talents, and a delicate constitution that cannot withstand hardship. In this era, what else can she do to earn money besides selling her smile, her art, or her body?

  Xue's mother smiled, as long as her daughter could live a stable life, after the divorce was over, she would find a honest and kind family for her daughter again. She didn't care about wealth or honor, just that they could treat her daughter well, and the old couple would be content.

  Xue Lengyu also smiled, she knew that Xue Mu didn't believe her words. Indeed, last night she carefully examined this new body of hers, it was truly delicate and tender, a rare beauty. A girl from such a family, if she could make money, wouldn't that be strange? From this, she also saw that such a family, could let their daughter be so well taken care of, it's clear what kind of life Xue Lengyu led at home.

  "Mother, I'm going out for a walk." Xue Lengyu said.

  "Where are you going?" Mrs. Xue said: "Is something missing? I'll buy it for you."

  "No." Xue Lengyu said: "Yesterday when I came back, I saw that the market was just in front of me, and I thought I'd go take a stroll. It's been a long time since I've gone out."

  "Are you not going out at all while staying in the Mu Rong Mansion?" asked Lady Xue in surprise.

  "This... isn't it either." Xue Lengyu covered up and said: "I also go out, just less often. Mother, you don't know, once you enter a wealthy family, it's like being in the ocean, my days at the Murong estate were like being in prison, I didn't have any freedom at all. Now that I've finally come out, I feel very comfortable, so I want to go out and take a look around. I'll be back soon."

  "Take your daughter with you." Mrs. Xue said, "Just in time, I've saved some eggs these past few days and was just about to set aside a few for you and sell the rest at the market."

  "Don't leave any for me, take them all away and sell them." Xue Lengyu hastily said: "I don't like eating eggs."

  "Really?" Xue's mother was skeptical.

  "Of course it's true." Xue Lengyu pulled Xue Mu: "How could I cheat you, Mom? I just like the Osmanthus cake you made. Let's go sell eggs together, and we can finish selling them early and get back home early too."

  "Good." The daughter was so obedient that Mrs. Xue smiled with joy: "Wait a minute, Mom will get ready and leave."

  In no time, Mrs. Xue gathered a basket of eggs and changed into some relatively clean clothes. She and Xue Lengyu went out together, arm in arm. This daughter, since returning from the Murong residence, had become much more affectionate than before. In the past, it would have been impossible for her to go out with her mother like this.

  The mother and daughter walked out of the door, chatting and laughing as they headed towards the market. Before she knew it, time had passed quickly, perhaps because her mood was good, and soon they could see throngs of people coming and going.

  Xue's mother found an empty space on the street, put down the basket and said: "Leng Yu, why don't you go for a stroll and come back later? Eggs sell well at this time, I can sell them all in a while."

  "Isn't it good that I'm here selling eggs with you?" Xue Lengyu said. She's also quite skilled at hawking goods, it seems. In the past, on weekends, she would even go to wholesale markets with her roommates and sell small trinkets on Tianqiao Bridge, although they wouldn't make much money, but it was very fulfilling.

  "It's not good." Xue Mu said softly: "Leng Yu, you've always thought that this kind of thing is shameful. Why don't you go for a walk instead, and stop accompanying me?"

  "That was me being ignorant in the past." Xue Lengyu felt ashamed of how she had transmigrated into such a body that was rotten to the core: "We don't steal or rob, we earn our money through our own labor. There's nothing shameful about it."

  Xue's mother had a relieved smile on her face. Had her daughter finally come to her senses and changed for the better after going through this marriage?

  Xue Lengyu also smiled at Xue Mu and shouted loudly: "Everyone come and take a look, fresh eggs! Hmm?" Xue Lengyu paused for a moment, turned his head to ask Xue Mu: "Mother, how much are the eggs selling for?"

  Even Ning Keke doesn't know how much eggs cost per kilogram now, in this era of no name. Let alone that, it's a matter of having no values at all.

  "Two coins for one." said Mrs. Xue. Alas, indeed after staying in a wealthy family's house for so long, she basically didn't know the prices of firewood, rice, oil and salt, and even didn't know how much an egg cost.

  "Oh." Xue Lengyu didn't think much and continued to shout towards the street: "Don't miss out if you're passing by, freshly baked eggs! Only two cents each. Women eat it for beauty and nourishment, men eat it for strength and health. Children eat it for intelligence and agility, old people eat it for longevity. For just two cents, two cents can buy health, two cents can buy nutrition, what are you waiting for? Come and buy quickly!"

  Xue's mother was stunned, wondering if she had misheard. Her daughter not only agreed to come and sell things with her, but also called out the prices one by one. She was saying something, something that even Xue herself didn't quite understand.

  Xue Lengyu's shouting immediately attracted the attention of people buying eggs, and several aunties gathered around: "Little girl, it's just eggs, are they really as good as you say?"

  "Of course." Xue Lengyu smiled and welcomed them, saying: "Aunts, eggs are a good thing. If you eat an egg every day, I guarantee that your skin will be as white and tender as a cooked egg, so smooth it's unbelievable."

  "Wow, you're quite a talker, little girl!" Xue Lengyu's words made several aunties' faces flush with delight.

  "How can it be so old?" Xue Lengyu said: "Actually, at your age, it's time to take care of yourself. I tell you, women should start paying attention to maintenance when they are 20 years old. This will delay aging. Of course, ordinary people like us cannot eat bird's nest and fish fins every day like those big families, but there are many foods in our daily life that can be used for beauty, such as eggs."

  "Is it really?" Several aunties chattered: "It's just a very ordinary egg."

  "Eggs are just ordinary eggs, but the method is our ancestral beauty secret." Xue Lengyu said with a straight face: "If you buy our eggs, I'll tell you how to use eggs for beauty treatments."

  "That's what they said." Several aunts looked at each other, anyway, they were going to buy eggs, and the price here was fair, it was all the same no matter which stall they bought from.

  "It's definitely a deal." Xue Lengyu said: "We're not going to stop selling eggs in the future, are we? But I've made it clear that if my method works, you have to take care of business often from now on."

  "Alright, it's settled." A middle-aged aunt also spoke quickly while taking out money: "Give me ten of them."

  "Alright." Xue Lengyu quickly put the eggs into Auntie's basket, while letting her mother collect the money. It wasn't that she didn't want to take care of everything herself, it was just that she really couldn't recognize the money very well. She was afraid that if she accidentally took the wrong amount, it would be a joke, and if they lost money because of it, that would be even worse.

  Xue's mother did not expect her daughter to be so formidable and had no time to think too much, so she quickly took the money.

  Before long, the transaction was settled. The aunties were reluctant to leave and surrounded Shu Lengyu, waiting for her to explain how to use eggs for beauty treatments.

  Xue Lengyu knew what everyone was waiting for, and let her mother pack up the things. She cleared her throat: "Everyone, actually, just use egg whites mixed with honey, apply a thin layer to your face every day, and after the egg whites dry, wash it off cleanly. You can achieve whitening effect."

  "Stir honey with egg whites?" The crowd discussed it: "Will this work or not?"

  "Absolutely can." Xue Lengyu smiled and said: "Everyone might as well go back and try it out. But be sure to stick to applying it every day. Be careful not to do it for three days and then slack off for two days. As long as you can persist for a month, I guarantee there will be an obvious whitening effect."

  "Alright, let's go home and try it out." The crowd of aunties dispersed after hearing Xue Lengyu's firm guarantee. Xue Mu was worried and said: "Lengyu, what you said sounds so mysterious, is it really true? You can't deceive people."

  "Don't worry, daughter." Xue Lengyu smiled and said: "The method I'm talking about is definitely useful. I guarantee it, next time we come to sell eggs, they'll be fighting to buy them."

  "This girl is really something else." Xue's mother smiled helplessly, but her heart was sweet and warm.