For there to be equal numbers of each colour of candy, there must be at most 3 red candies and at most 3 yellow candies, since there are 3 blue candies to start. Thus, Shuxin ate at least 7 red candies and at least 4 yellow candies. This means that Shuxin ate at least $7+4=11$ candies. We note that if Shuxin eats 7 red candies, 4 yellow candies, and 0 blue candies, there will indeed be equal numbers of each colour.
Shuxin begins with 10 red candies, 7 yellow candies, and 3 blue candies. After eating some of the candies, there are equal numbers of red, yellow, and blue candies remaining. What is the smallest possible number of candies that Shuxin ate?