Glory

"Once we return, I'll have the accountant show you the accounts," Ye Chongming said.

This was precisely why Ye Yaming had asked the question.

Accounts were the core of any enterprise. Since she had taken on the role of head, it was only natural for her to review them. Much could be gleaned from the accounts.

During the meeting, aside from Ye Chongming and Qi Ji, the others—especially the housekeepers under Lu Qi—were not suitable to know the exact investments and profits of the three collaborating parties. They only needed to focus on their own tasks to avoid unnecessary distractions or speculation.

Thus, Ye Yaming had waited until now to bring up the matter.

The grandfather and granddaughter parted ways with the others at the fork in the road, their carriage heading directly to the Ye family’s suburban villa outside the city.

Sun An and another housekeeper, Chen Xin, had been waiting at the villa’s entrance for some time. As soon as they saw the carriage approaching, they hurried forward to greet them.

"Old Master Ye, Miss."

When Sun An saw Ye Yaming, his eyes lit up with excitement.

As she walked inside, Ye Yaming asked, "How many people are here in total? How many are available for use?"

"There are seventy-eight in total, sent here in three batches. Some have only been here a short while and haven’t been fully assessed yet. Forty-five are basically qualified and usable," Sun An replied.

Compared to household serfs, Ye Yaming preferred carefully selected individuals who were purchased.

Although she had been away from Lin’an for most of the year, the process of acquiring people had continued uninterrupted. They were selected through the Qi Family’s housekeepers, then sent here for Sun An to train. During the training, further screening and evaluation took place to identify capable and reliable individuals to serve as tea-making masters.

The rest were assigned to work in tea gardens, tea factories, or teahouses based on their aptitudes. Those who proved entirely unsuitable were sent back to the agent to be resold.

The most outstanding individuals were earmarked as management trainees and fell under her direct scrutiny.

Sun An’s operation had effectively become her talent training center.

The group of tea-making masters in Minzhou had been trained here before being dispatched.

Locally purchased servants often had relatives nearby. After learning tea-making skills, they could be influenced by familial ties, leading to a higher rate of errors.

Lin’an was a bustling metropolis, and most of the servants sold here came from various regions, with few locals among them.

She entered the room and reviewed the documents Sun An handed her.

These documents were the quantitative assessment forms she had originally designed for Sun An, recording each individual’s daily performance and summarizing it monthly.

Presented in tabular form, it was immediately clear who excelled and who lagged behind.

She said, "You know these people best. I won’t review them myself—select them on my behalf."

"First, pick out the young men who are handsome and quick-witted. Ask if they’re willing to work as tea servers in the new teahouse. If they agree, bring them before us. Additionally, select thirty tea-making apprentices to be sent to the tea garden in Baiteng County in three days."

"Yes," Sun An promptly went to prepare.

Ye Yaming stopped Chen Xin, who was about to follow Sun An out. "Chen Xin, bring me the accounts from here."

Chen Xin fetched the accounts, and as Ye Yaming reviewed them, she inquired about the specific details of the operation.

After a while, a commotion arose outside.

Meng Ji frowned and was about to step out to investigate when Sun An entered. He bowed to Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming. "Old Master, Miss, the women here are asking why only men are being chosen as tea servers and not women."

Ye Chongming asked, "Was that commotion outside due to this dispute?"Sun An looked embarrassed. "That's right."

Ye Yaming frowned.

"Which ones are asking? Bring them in, I'll speak with them myself," she said.

Sun An acknowledged and went out, but it took quite a while before he brought two young women in.

One of the two women appeared anxious and knelt down immediately upon entering.

The other first glanced at Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming before kneeling beside her companion, saying, "Greetings, Old Master Ye, greetings, Third Miss." The one who knelt first hurriedly followed with her greetings, though her voice was much softer.

"What are your names?"

The one who knelt later paused briefly before speaking, "This servant is called Lu Daya."

The other said, "This servant... this servant is called Ma Chunxiang."

"Both of you, lift your heads."

They both raised their heads.

It was apparent that both had been trained in etiquette. Though they raised their faces, their eyes remained lowered, not looking directly at Ye Yaming.

Seeing that both were rather delicate-looking, Ye Yaming asked, "Do both of you want to become tea masters?"

Lu Daya bit her lip. "Not necessarily. We could do other work too. It's just that this servant doesn't understand why tea masters must only be men. I think women could do it too."

"What if a customer comes, sees you brewing tea skillfully, and verbally harasses you? How would you handle that?"

Lu Daya froze for a moment, looking up at Ye Yaming as if she hadn't considered this possibility.

"And if it's not just verbal harassment, but he also makes physical advances? What would you do then?" Ye Yaming continued.

Lu Daya lowered her head, looking somewhat dejected, and bowed to Ye Yaming. "This servant now understands why women aren't accepted as tea masters. Thank you, Miss, for considering our situation."

Ye Yaming nodded. "Our Ye family are merchants—we cannot contend with those who have power and influence. If a female tea master were harassed, we might not be able to seek justice for her. To prevent such situations, I simply don't assign women as tea masters. I hope you understand."

Lu Daya glanced up at Ye Yaming, a flicker of admiration in her eyes.

Ma Chunxiang bowed. "We only had questions in our hearts and wanted to ask. Now we understand. Thank you, Miss, for not blaming us for our rashness and for answering our questions."

Her voice was now much louder than when she first entered, and her expression had become composed and natural.

Ye Yaming said no more and turned to Sun An. "Let them go out."

Sun An waved his hand at the two, signaling them to leave.

Lu Daya bowed and quickly went out. Ma Chunxiang bit her lip, looking at Ye Yaming as if she wanted to say something more, but seeing that Ye Yaming didn't look her way again, she reluctantly left.

After watching them leave, Sun An said to Ye Yaming, "This humble one will now bring in those young men for you to see."

Ye Yaming nodded.

Soon after, Sun An brought the young men in. Ye Yaming looked them over, had them introduce themselves, and picked out those who weren't articulate. She said to Sun An, "These will do."

When they came, Ye Yaming had matters to discuss with Ye Chongming, so they rode in the same carriage. Her own carriage had followed. Now returning, she boarded her own carriage and called Zan'er up as well.

She asked him, "What happened earlier at the villa?"Zan'er had now become quite adept at gathering information. Although he had followed Ye Yaming to the detached courtyard earlier, he did not enter the house with her. Instead, he wandered around the courtyard, chatted with a few people, and quickly grasped the general situation.