The fifteenth had come once more, marking the day of the market, and Shen Yunfang again pulled Dashuan's wife along to attend.
This time, she went with a purpose in mind—she wanted to buy chicks, ducklings, and goslings.
Some families in the village kept ducks and geese, and Jianjun's wife's family was one of them. She asked Dashuan's wife to inquire whether they would sell any ducks and geese or, if not, whether they had any fertile eggs for sale, as she was willing to incubate them herself.
However, it was prime egg-laying season for the ducks and geese and the family was reluctant to sell. Furthermore, the eggs previously laid had already been preserved and wouldn't be fresh now, even if they had been kept. This year's spring had just begun, and hardly two eggs had been laid; there were none for sale, primarily because their own breeding stock was limited.
