Glory

Ye Hongrong curled his lip: "It's only because our family has upright morals that we don't have so many dirty affairs. Look at other families—stepmothers killing the children of the first wife, mothers-in-law tormenting their daughters-in-law to death, sisters-in-law coming to blows, younger brothers-in-law committing adultery with their elder brothers' wives... Haven't there been plenty of such messy incidents? If Ming'er were to marry into the Lu family, we wouldn't even know how she died."

"If you truly care for Ming'er, you should abandon the idea of marrying her to Young Master Lu as soon as possible. What I've told you today, don't breathe a word of it to anyone—not even to Father. His mind is filled only with the prosperity of Ye Jia, and he might very well sell Ming'er for the family's glory."

Old Mrs. Ye often criticized her husband, but she couldn't tolerate her son being unfilial.

Hearing her son's words, she slapped him on the forehead: "I'll beat you to death, you unfilial son! How can you speak of your father like that?"

Withdrawing her hand, she then said: "Still, you're right. Your father values the family's interests more than anyone, always wanting to elevate Ye Jia during his lifetime. If he knew about this, he probably wouldn't give up easily."

She nodded at her son: "I'm your mother—don't you know me? When have I ever failed to keep a promise I made to you?"

Ye Hongrong secretly curled his lip again.

But since she was his birth mother, he didn't retort further. After reminding Old Madam Ye once more, he stood up to leave.

Old Mrs. Ye stopped him: "Wait a moment."

Ye Hongrong turned to look at her.

Old Mrs. Ye first frowned in thought, then beckoned her son closer. When Ye Hongrong leaned in, she whispered: "Find an opportunity to casually mention Ming'er's matchmaking affairs to either Young Master Lu or Qi Gongzi."

As she spoke, she winked at Ye Hongrong.

Ye Hongrong looked at his mother, a slow smile spreading across his face. He gave her a thumbs-up: "The older the ginger, the spicier it gets."

Old Mrs. Ye said proudly: "Of course."

......

In the Tea Factory, Ye Chongming was introducing the tea-making masters to Ye Yaming: "This is Master Pan, this is Master Yan... This is Master Wei Guanzhong, and this is Young Master Wei Zheng."

At this point, Ye Chongming smiled and said: "Young Master Wei is Master Wei's son, following in his father's footsteps. He has surpassed his master in skill."

The tea-making masters were all observing Ye Yaming with complex expressions.

When Osmanthus Tea first came on the market, Ye Hongsheng had been quite proud and specifically brought some for them to taste.

To be honest, it was indeed good, but most of them didn't think much of it.

It was just mixing osmanthus into the Loose tea they had produced, adding the fragrance of osmanthus to the tea leaves. This was merely a clever trick, not real skill.

If they hadn't produced the tea, could Third Miss Ye have created this so-called Osmanthus Tea?

However, there were also those with upright hearts who felt that this Third Miss Ye of Ye Jia was clever and ingenious.

They had been making tea for so many years but never thought to add osmanthus to tea leaves. She came up with the idea and gained recognition from tea drinkers—that was true ability.

Third Miss Ye was the owner; she wasn't competing with them for their jobs. They were all grown men, each older than Second Owner Ye Hongsheng—what need was there to envy a young girl?

But regardless of their initial attitudes, none of them paid much attention to Ye Yaming at that moment.

The young girl had merely achieved some success and wanted to come see the Tea Factory. When she eventually realized this work wasn't something she could handle, she would quietly give up.Master Wei, a man in his early thirties, was the youngest among the tea-making masters, most of whom were in their forties, fifties, or even sixties.

He stepped forward with a bow and a smile, saying, "I have tasted the Osmanthus Tea made by Third Miss, and the flavor is truly exceptional."

His attitude was the warmest among those present.

The other tea-making masters, likely concerned that praising Ye Yaming might inflate her ego and lead her to believe she was a prodigy in tea-making, thus causing her to meddle in the Tea Factory, merely greeted her with a perfunctory bow and a polite "Third Miss," offering nothing more.

They deliberately avoided mentioning the words "Osmanthus Tea."

Seeing Master Wei's behavior, the others cast varied glances in his direction.

Ye Yaming smiled and nodded graciously. "Thank you."

Her poised and dignified demeanor took everyone in the Tea Factory by surprise, and they felt somewhat reassured.

It seemed that Third Miss had a steady temperament and was unlikely to act recklessly.

Among the tea-making masters here, three were around the same age as Ye Chongming. He had been dealing with them since his youth when he took over the Ye family's business.

Ye Chongming understood exactly what was on their minds.

He spoke solemnly, "All of you are seasoned masters of the Ye family. Only when the Ye family prospers will you prosper. I believe everyone understands this."

Pointing at Ye Yaming, he continued, "As for my granddaughter's tea-making skills, they will speak for themselves when the Tea Leaves are ready. You may doubt her abilities, but let me make this clear: if anyone disobeys her instructions, treats her with disrespect, or acts discourteously toward her, they are crossing not only me, Ye Chongming, but the entire Ye family. Do not blame me then for disregarding decades of mutual respect."

The expressions of several tea-making masters shifted immediately, and their gazes toward Ye Yaming grew more serious, their concerns deepening.

Ignoring them, Ye Yaming turned to Ye Chongming and asked, "Are all the tea-making masters of our family here?"

Earlier, Ye Chongming had introduced only thirteen people.

"Yes, all the formal tea-making masters are here. However, each of them has several apprentices. During tea production, they work with their respective apprentices."

Ye Yaming nodded.

Due to the tea monopoly system in the Great Jin Dynasty, tea leaves had to pass through the Tea Monopoly Bureau and could not be traded as fresh leaves. By the time Estate Holders harvested the leaves from the mountains and transported them to the Tea Monopoly Bureau, eventually reaching the tea manufacturers, at least one or two days would have passed. By then, the fresh leaves would no longer be usable.

Moreover, Tea Gardens were located in the mountains, where transportation was inconvenient. It was impractical for Estate Holders to harvest a small amount and then travel half a day or a full day to sell them at the Tea Monopoly Bureau.

Therefore, Estate Holders performed initial processing themselves: lightly boiling the freshly picked leaves to soften them through "blanching," then drying them to produce Crude Tea. Once all the Tea Leaves were harvested and processed into Crude Tea, they were transported together to the Tea Monopoly Bureau for trade.

This Crude Tea could be stored for a short period without issue, so the Tea Factory had ample time for further refinement. With over a dozen tea-making masters, the workforce was sufficient.

"For the upcoming Spring Tea production, I entrust it to all the masters," Ye Yaming said politely before turning to Ye Chongming and Ye Hongsheng. "Grandfather, Father, let us return."

Just a brief meeting, and then they were leaving? What about inspecting the tea-making facilities and tools?

Though surprised, Ye Chongming and Ye Hongsheng kept their thoughts to themselves. Ye Chongming had already developed the habit of deferring to Ye Yaming in all matters.Without asking, he said directly, "Alright, let's go."

The three of them left the Tea Factory and boarded the carriage. Ye Chongming asked, "Is there something wrong with the Tea Factory?"

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