At the city market, life went on as usual. Among the stalls stacked with greens, potatoes, and fragrant bread stood Grandma Mary. Every day she brought carefully arranged home-laid eggs — white, brown, still warm from her hands. Her voice was cheerful, though age had begun to weaken her strength:

“Fresh, farm eggs! From my own hens, bless my soul!”

The customers knew and loved her. A young woman passing by took a dozen, smiled, and said:
“God bless you, Grandma!”

Mary nodded and crossed herself in gratitude — the day had started well.

But the calm didn’t last long. From around the corner appeared someone everyone at the market tried to avoid — a local troublemaker nicknamed Grisha. Loud, arrogant, always looking for a chance to show off his strength.

“Well, old lady, you gonna sell them at my price?” he sneered as he stepped close.

“Son, I’m already selling as cheap as I can… I just need enough for bread and medicine…” Mary tried to answer gently.

But the young man only laughed:
“Either give them for free, or I’ll take them myself!”

Grandma turned pale, clutching her bucket to her chest.
“Don’t harm me, dear… My husband is sick, waiting at home,” she whispered.

Grisha didn’t listen. Suddenly, he grabbed the bucket and threw it hard against the wall. Eggs splattered and cracked, thin streams of yolk running across the stones.
“Lord, why me…” Mary cried, covering her face with her hands.

The crowd fell silent. No one dared to step in. Then, from behind the vendors, a man in a sharp suit stepped forward — tall, confident, clearly not from around there.

He calmly approached the stall and spoke in a low voice:
“Put the bucket back.”

The bully snorted:
“And who are you? A hero? Mind your own business!”

The man stepped closer, looking him straight in the eyes. From an inner pocket, he pulled a leather wallet, counted several large bills, and placed them into Mary’s trembling hand.

“I’m buying everything. The ones that survived, and the ones that broke. Today is your lucky day, Mary.”

Mary froze in disbelief. Her voice cracked:
“God bless you, son…”

The man turned to Grisha:
“And now — listen. If you like humiliating the weak, I’ll make sure everyone knows about it.”

He signaled, and a guard approached — a tall man in uniform. In front of dozens of witnesses, the man calmly explained what had happened. People started shouting in outrage:
“Shame on him! Shame!”

The guard escorted Grisha away under the crowd’s whistles. From that day on, he never returned to the market.

Grandma Mary watched her protector walk away for a long time, whispering:
“It seems God doesn’t abandon us, as long as there are good people in the world.”