Glory

Though she didn't understand business, she still possessed basic judgment. She found Ye Yaming's reasoning extremely convincing—clearly far more sophisticated than the old man's half-baked ideas.

No wonder the old man had ended up in such a state.

Yet Ye Chongming's face quickly fell again.

He sighed deeply and said to Ye Yaming, "Our stock of loose tea is limited. If we want to produce Osmanthus Tea in large quantities, we'll need silver to purchase both osmanthus flowers and additional loose tea. Next year's Spring Tea must be reserved right after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even if we were to sell our fields, land, or shops, it would be too late to gather the funds."

Ye Chongming valued wellness and had maintained himself well over the years; even at sixty, his face showed few wrinkles or age spots.

But now, he truly looked his age.

He continued, "Ming'er, I won't hide the truth from you. Our family's savings were wiped out because of the trouble your fourth uncle caused. We even had to dip into the silver set aside for the Tea Monopoly Bureau after Mid-Autumn to reserve next year's Spring Tea."

"If your Da Bo can successfully bring back silver in the next couple of days, we might barely scrape by with some borrowing and shuffling of funds. But if he fails, we won't have enough cash to reserve next year's Spring Tea. Right now, we genuinely don't have the silver to buy loose tea for making Osmanthus Tea."

"Although selling Osmanthus Tea would bring higher profits and boost the reputation of Ye Jia Tea—offering many benefits—if we miss the reservation window for tea leaves, no amount of money earned later will matter. Without next year's Spring Tea, our Tea Factory, Tea House, and teahouses would lose their purpose. The foundation the Ye family has built over so many years would be destroyed overnight."

He lifted his head and looked at Ye Yaming. "So, I must prioritize securing next year's Spring Tea. As for Osmanthus Tea, we'll have to wait until next autumn to produce it in large quantities."

"Although the family owns farmland and shopfronts, selling them takes time. What we lack now isn't just silver—it's time."

Ye Yaming frowned.

The tea monopoly system of this era was truly infuriating. Tea merchants had to pay the Tea Monopoly Bureau right after the Mid-Autumn Festival to reserve the following year's Spring Tea. Additionally, they had to pay full tea taxes and obtain a Tea Import Permit.

In the Great Jin Dynasty, the Tea Import Permit served both as a business license and was somewhat similar to the "grain coupons" from modern times. The amount of tea you could buy and the distance you intended to transport it determined the tea tax paid, and the permit issued varied accordingly.

Tea production here wasn't high, and not just anyone could pay taxes and a reservation fee to get a permit. Certain qualifications were required. For instance, if the Tao family, who ran an inn, suddenly decided to buy tea from the Tea Monopoly Bureau to sell elsewhere, unless they had powerful backing—like officials who had put in a word with the Bureau—the permit wouldn't be granted.

Even with the proper qualifications, paying the silver to the Tea Monopoly Bureau wasn't the end of it. The Bureau handled vast quantities of Crude Tea; who could tell which was good and which wasn't? To ensure tea quality, one had to deal directly with the Estate Holders.

In other regions, besides the Tea Monopoly Bureau, there were also "mountain authorities" to guarantee that the tea originated from specific mountains. There, tea quality was distinguished simply by first flush, second flush, premium picks, and bulk harvests.However, in Lin'an City, there is only the Tea Monopoly Bureau, and the tea they collect does not come from a single location. Some are from the foothills, some from the mountaintops, and others from flatlands; some are sun-facing, while others are shaded. The soil's acidity, alkalinity, and fertility vary significantly.

Naturally, the flavor of crude tea produced in different locations differs greatly.

Even if one bribes the Tea Monopoly Bureau, they cannot guarantee that the crude tea you receive will be from the specific regions you desire.

Therefore, tea merchants still need to liaise directly with Estate Holders, spending additional silver to reserve tea from certain estates. By paying a set amount, the Estate Holders will fertilize and manage the tea according to the merchants' requirements, harvest as specified, and process it into crude tea with a certain level of quality assurance.

When it comes time to deliver the tea in spring, both parties arrange to meet at the Tea Monopoly Bureau simultaneously—the Estate Holders deliver the tea, and the tea merchants purchase it.

Since neither party violates imperial regulations, the tea prices align with those set by the Tea Monopoly Bureau. As long as sufficient silver is paid, the bureau turns a blind eye to such transactions.

In other words, to secure next spring's tea harvest, merchants must not only bribe officials to obtain Tea Import Permits and pay off the Tea Monopoly Bureau to facilitate transactions but also pay the bureau in advance to reserve crude tea and cover taxes. Additionally, they must pay Estate Holders to ensure they acquire the specific tea they want.

Ultimately, the costs incurred by tea merchants are passed on to consumers. All expenses are recouped when the tea is sold, often with substantial profits. However, every autumn, merchants must advance large sums of silver. If the tea does not sell well and accumulates, causing cash flow issues, the business cannot continue.

Ye Jia, due to its strict quality control over crude tea and excellent tea-processing skills, had built a strong reputation over the years and never struggled with sales. If not for simultaneous issues in multiple areas, cash flow would naturally not be a problem.

But now, Ye Jia's capital chain has broken down, making it impossible to continue investing in Osmanthus Tea.

Not producing Osmanthus Tea in large quantities would not be a major issue—at most, Ye Jia would miss out on profits from this one product.

However, Ye Yaming had a bad feeling. She suspected that Ye Hongchang's silver might not be recovered safely. If they couldn't reserve next year's Spring Tea, as Ye Chongming had just said, decades of foundation would be destroyed in an instant.

Ye Jia's core business was still in tea, and even when they had money, they preferred to invest in Tea Gardens. As a result, the family owned little farmland or shops. Even if they sold them now, it likely wouldn't cover the losses from the two missing silver sums.

Moreover, hastily selling farmland and shops would mean fetching low prices and spreading rumors that Ye Jia was going bankrupt. In business, this is the worst scenario, as it leads to a loss of trust from partners and customers.

She began contemplating how Ye Jia could survive this crisis if Ye Hongchang's silver was not recovered.

She asked, "Grandfather, are you acquainted with the owner of the money house?"

The question was so abrupt that Ye Chongming was momentarily confused.

Nevertheless, he replied, "Yes. Have you forgotten? Your grandmother's family runs a money house."

Ye Yaming looked at Old Mrs. Ye in surprise.

Old Mrs. Ye nodded. "Yes. But now, it's managed by my cousin. He only cares about money. If we asked to borrow from him, he probably wouldn't agree."

Ye Yaming frowned.She then remembered that the primary business of ancient banks initially was remittance, addressing the inconvenience and insecurity of carrying heavy metal currency. They didn't engage in lending but earned profits through exchange fees. It wasn't until the late Ming Dynasty in history that they began loan operations. Since the Great Jin period corresponded to the late Song and early Ming eras, the situation was likely quite similar.