Glory

Her eyes darted around, glancing at Tao Shi and Ye Yaqing.

Everyone in the room responded in unison and began taking their leave.

Once outside the main courtyard, Zhang Shi said to Yin Shi with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, Ming'er has truly become so capable—she can handle important matters just like the men. It's a pity she's already engaged. Otherwise, with her reputation for competence spreading, who knows how many families would come seeking her hand?"

Then she turned to Ye Yaming and raised her chin slightly, "If there's anything you need, just say the word. Your fourth aunt supports you."

With that, she turned and left with her maids.

Tao Shi felt somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing this.

Ye Yaqing was half a year older than Ye Yaming. When Old Master Ye had taken a liking to Song Yifeng, he hadn't considered Ye Yaqing and directly engaged Ye Yaming to him instead. This was mainly because Yin Shi's father, a Licentiate, had once been Song Yifeng's first teacher. With this connection, the marriage sounded more appropriate.

Of course, back then, Song Yifeng was still a nobody—his future uncertain, and his family so poor they could barely afford food. Tao Shi had looked down on this match.

But to her surprise, in just a few short years, Song Yifeng had passed the provincial examination at a young age and become a Recommended Man, his future now boundless.

In contrast, Ye Yaqing had been picky and choosy, and still hadn't settled on a marriage arrangement.

Now, with the family facing difficulties, the men of the eldest branch were unable to manage affairs, while Ye Yaming of the second branch had suddenly stepped up. This made Tao Shi, as the wife of the eldest son, seem rather useless and further highlighted Ye Yaqing's mediocrity. Tao Shi felt a faint sense of displeasure.

However, she was no fool like Zhang Shi. She was genuinely grateful that Ye Yaming could help resolve the family's issues and contribute to preserving the Ye family. Naturally, she wouldn't say or do anything against Ye Yaming.

Zhang Shi's attempt to stir conflict between the eldest and second branches was truly wishful thinking.

She smiled at Ye Yaming and turned to the matron beside her, saying, "From now on, all servants of the eldest branch are to follow Third Miss's orders. Her commands are my commands."

"Yes," the matron replied respectfully.

Hearing the matron's obedient response, Tao Shi then smiled at Ye Yaming and said, "If you need anything, Ming'er, don't hesitate. Feel free to use the servants of the eldest branch. If anyone dares to be difficult, just send someone to inform me, and I'll deal with them."

"Thank you, Da Bo's wife," Ye Yaming replied with a smile.

Tao Shi nodded and left with the matron.

Watching this scene, Yin Shi felt immensely pleased.

No matter what petty thoughts Tao Shi and Zhang Shi might harbor, at this moment, they could only speak kindly to the second branch.

A well-raised daughter could also bring her mother honor.

She volunteered eagerly to Ye Yaming, "How do you want to prepare the osmanthus honey? Let me help you."

"No need."

Seeing that only the three of them—mother and daughters—and their trusted maids remained, Ye Yaming leaned close to Yin Shi's ear and whispered, "I'm actually helping the family make a type of tea that requires osmanthus. I was worried about the secret leaking, so Grandmother just said that as a cover."

She then playfully winked at Yin Shi.

Yin Shi was taken aback. Though pleased, she worried, "Can you handle it?"

"Of course I can! I am my father's daughter, after all. He's so capable, and I'm not bad either, right? Father has important matters to attend to, so I'm taking charge of the tea-making this time."

Ye Yaming put on a slightly proud expression, which made Yin Shi laugh.

"Sister, is there anything we can do to help?" Ye Yayin asked eagerly."Not yet," Ye Yaming said. "I'll experiment first today. I don't need much osmanthus, and there's some in my courtyard. If it works out, I'll need your help tomorrow or the day after."

"Alright," Ye Yayin replied cheerfully.

Initially, Ye Yayin wanted to watch. However, Yin Shi knew Ye Yaming was working with tea, and to maintain secrecy, Old Madam Ye hadn't even allowed the womenfolk at home to know what Ye Yaming was doing.

She tugged at Ye Yayin's sleeve: "Aren't you supposed to be attending lessons? Why are you crowding around? Hurry up, the instructress will be here soon."

Ye Yaming held a particularly favorable impression of Ye Chongming because this elder not only ensured the boys in the family received education but also hired instructresses for the girls to teach them poetry, literature, etiquette, and skills like embroidery. If the Ye family were to truly decline, the women, being literate, able to keep accounts, or skilled in embroidery, could still support themselves and avoid destitution.

Returning to her own courtyard, she directed the maids to pluck all the osmanthus flowers from two trees and remove stems, leaves, and other impurities.

By the time she had prepared the osmanthus, stove, bamboo mats, and other items, Ye Chongming had already sent over several jin of loose tea.

The loose tea at this time was steamed green tea. On her second day here, Ye Yaming had sampled various teas. Due to its production process, this steamed green tea couldn't compare to modern roasted green tea—it was more bitter and astringent, with a somewhat "stuffy" feel and insufficient freshness.

However, in ancient times without any pollution, the water quality, soil, and air were excellent. The Ye family's tea garden was situated on a mountain several hundred meters above sea level, so the tea leaves contained more tea polyphenols and were of higher quality.

She wondered what the tea would taste like if processed with modern roasting techniques. Ye Yaming looked forward to finding out.

"Young lady, everything is ready. I've sent everyone else in the courtyard away. What should we do now?" Bai Rui asked.

She and Lve E were Ye Yaming's chief maids, both extremely loyal and trustworthy.

In the original host's memories, these two had accompanied her when she married into the Song family, protecting her at every turn.

When the original host was mistreated, other dowry servants defected to the Song family. Only these two maids remained faithful: Lve E tried to escape to send word to the Ye family but was beaten to death by Song Yifeng's men; Bai Rui, who stayed by the original host's side, was falsely accused by Song's mother and sold to a brothel. She struggled to escape midway but was smothered to death on the road.

To sever the marriage alliance with the Ye family, the Song mother and son not only drove the original host to suicide but also killed these two maids. The other dowry servants were sold off one by one.

Ye Yaming felt that whatever miserable fate befell the Song mother and son in this lifetime was entirely deserved.

Among the original host's wishes, besides changing her own and the Ye family's destiny, was for Ye Yaming to treat the two chief maids well and find them suitable futures.

"Watch what I do. If I succeed, you'll need to join in later," Ye Yaming said as she began working.

She couldn't teach them ancient women's skills like embroidery, but she could pass on her tea-making techniques and some business acumen. With these skills, once she had the means, she would grant them some tea fields and their freedom. That way, whether they chose to marry or not, they could support themselves and never have to live at others' mercy.

By doing so, she would have repaid these two maids for their loyalty on behalf of the original host.She first heated the tea leaves, then spread them evenly on a bamboo mat, covering them with a layer of osmanthus flowers. Layer by layer, tea and flowers were alternately piled up, with the topmost layer covered by tea leaves.

The temperature was slightly cool at this moment. Ye Yaming covered the tea pile with a white cloth to maintain a stable temperature, encouraging the fresh flowers to release their fragrance properly.