Glory

She glanced at Ye Hongsheng: "You can send my father or someone else. But given the current situation, it's hard to say who can be trusted and who cannot."

"Moreover," she grew serious, looking at Ye Chongming, "if these chrysanthemums sell well, others will surely rush to buy them. The supply is already limited. If everyone competes for it, we may not secure any, and even if we do, it won't be at the original price."

"So I believe the source of these goods must be kept confidential. My father has a discerning palate and can select the best chrysanthemums. As family, there's no concern about trustworthiness—he is the best choice for this task."

Ye Chongming's gaze toward Ye Yaming grew brighter, yet his regret deepened within.

She understood trade-offs, recognized priorities, and considered issues thoroughly and comprehensively. Most importantly, she was only fifteen. If she were a boy and trained under him for a few years, the Ye family could prosper for generations without issue.

"Alright, we'll proceed as you suggest," he said.

He had originally intended for Ye Hongsheng to stay home and work with Ye Yaming on the Osmanthus Tea. Compared to the uncertain prospects of the chrysanthemums, he found the osmanthus tea more reliable. Besides, tea production had always been Ye Hongsheng's responsibility in the Ye family.

But after hearing Ye Yaming's reasoning, he decided it was better to send Ye Hongsheng to Tongxiang. It wasn't far; if nothing was found, he could return in two or three days.

Ye Hongchang was away, and Ye Jiaxing was injured. That left Ye Hongrong, who would be doing well just to avoid causing trouble—hardly someone to rely on for help.

Ye Chongming needed to remain in Lin'an to oversee matters. Moreover, his movements were too conspicuous; if he left the city, it would surely attract Meng Chengwei's attention.

Ye Hongsheng was different. He often spent days at a time in the tea factory without drawing notice.

As for Ye Yaming, she was a young woman already targeted by Meng Chengwei—sending her out was unthinkable. If she were abducted and harmed by him, the Ye family would truly be at his mercy.

Thus, the only one who could be dispatched to Tongxiang was Ye Hongsheng.

"How do you plan to make the Osmanthus Tea?" he asked Ye Yaming again. "Will you need to gather a large amount of osmanthus? Whatever materials or manpower you require, just let me know, and I'll arrange it."

Ye Yaming shook her head: "There are two osmanthus trees in our second branch's courtyard. Tomorrow morning, I'll have the maids shake the blossoms down. Please send over a few jin of loose tea, and I'll experiment at home first. Once I succeed and you've tasted it, if it's good, we can then gather osmanthus in the city for large-scale production."

Her approach won Ye Chongming's approval once more.

A good idea was valuable—the concept of infusing tea with flowers was a golden one. If Ye Yaming worked at the tea factory and word leaked, others might produce it first, causing significant losses for the Ye family.

It was better to work discreetly at home.

Ye Chongming, now like a startled bird, found it hard to trust his subordinates.

"I'll issue orders shortly—everyone in the household will follow your directives. I'll also have your grandmother manage the servants to ensure no one disturbs you in your courtyard," he said.

Ye Yaming shook her head: "There's no need for such a fuss. I'll start with the maids in my courtyard to make some for you to taste. If it's successful, we can discuss mass production."

"Very well."

Early the next morning, Ye Hongsheng set off quietly for Tongxiang with two trusted attendants.Although the Ye family was not a powerful official household, they still had their rules. Every morning, everyone had to go to the main courtyard to pay their respects. Men could skip it if they had business to attend to, but women and children were required to go.

As Ye Chongming put it, with everyone busy and the estate so large, each branch’s courtyard was quite a distance apart. If they didn’t gather in the main courtyard for morning greetings, some family members might not see each other for an entire month. How would that be any different from strangers?

Coming to the main courtyard in the morning to pay respects, sharing breakfast together, chatting, and discussing family and business matters helped strengthen their bonds. If he or Old Madam Ye had any instructions, there was no need to send servants to relay them—they could communicate directly, which was ideal. After the meal, the adults would go about their duties, the children would head off to study, and the women with nothing to do could either return to their own courtyards or stay and keep Old Madam Ye company.

The elders were not overly strict with the children. Although they rose early, the time for morning greetings and breakfast was around seven o’clock in modern terms—not particularly early by the standards of this early-to-bed, early-to-rise ancient era.

Moreover, on rainy or snowy days, they were excused from paying respects.

Ye Yaming, who had been disciplined in her modern life and, as a company leader, strongly agreed with Ye Chongming’s approach.

In a context where family values were deeply emphasized and everyone shared common economic interests, team cohesion was crucial—it could determine the survival of a family in critical times.

Ye Hongsheng had left early and did not join them for breakfast, but no one questioned it. The men had their own affairs to attend to.

Ye Yaming, however, went to pay her respects and had breakfast with everyone.

Although it was called a shared meal, men and women still sat separately, divided by a screen.

The Ye family had few male descendants. When the three Ye brothers and Ye Jiaxing were present, it hadn’t seemed so noticeable. But now, with the eldest and second eldest sons absent, Ye Jiaxing injured, and Ye Hongrong bedridden after being beaten with a dozen boards the previous day, the men’s table was left with only Ye Chongming and two young boys from the fourth branch—seven-year-old Ye Jiarui and six-month-old Ye Jianing.

Looking at the desolate table, watching Ye Jianing wailing in his wet nurse’s arms, and hearing the lively chatter from the other side of the screen, Ye Chongming sighed.

After the meal, Old Madam Ye asked Ye Yaming, "Ming'er, I heard from your grandfather that you want to make osmanthus honey, is that right?"

Ye Yaming nodded, "Yes, Grandmother."

Old Madam Ye glanced around and addressed the daughters-in-law of each branch, "If any of your courtyards have osmanthus trees and Ming'er needs the flowers, have your maids and servants pick them for her. She’ll tell them how to do it."

Then she turned to Ye Yaming with a smile, "Ming'er helped the family greatly yesterday. She went with her father to visit various tea merchants, humbling herself and offering apologies with a smile—it was very taxing. Your grandfather has given orders: if you want to make osmanthus honey, feel free to use anyone in the household. Not just today, but tomorrow and the day after as well, if you wish to continue."

She winked at Ye Yaming, then swept her gaze over the others, finally settling on Fourth Madam Zhang Shi. "If anyone has any complaints, they can come to me. I’ll stand up for Ming'er."

Seeing that Old Madam Ye had singled her out to deliver this message, Zhang Shi’s expression darkened.She truly didn't hold the second branch of the family in high regard. But now that Ye Hongrong had made a mistake, the fourth branch had become the target of public criticism. She was already keeping her head down to avoid trouble—why would she go and mock Ye Yaming? She wasn't foolish!