Glory

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Chen Zhen, Ye Yaming then greeted Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang: "Grandfather, Da Bo."

Since Ye Yaming was in her postpartum confinement period, even as her biological grandfather, Ye Chongming felt it inappropriate to enter her room. Because she had given birth to twins, Old Mrs. Ye and Yin Shi believed her body had been depleted, and they wished she could observe a double-month confinement. Thus, even though half a month had passed since her confinement ended, Ye Yaming was still not allowed to leave the courtyard for fresh air.

As a result, Ye Chongming hadn't seen Ye Yaming for over a month.

During her pregnancy, Ye Yaming hadn't gained much weight, as the nutrients went to the babies. However, during this confinement period, she had put on a few pounds.

Now, her complexion was rosy, her skin so delicate it seemed one could blow it open, and she glowed with maternal radiance, like a ripe peach. This was entirely different from her previous appearance—pale, slender, and carrying an air of cool elegance.

Elderly people like Ye Chongming preferred to see their granddaughters in such a state.

He nodded repeatedly and said, "You've gained weight. It's good to be a bit heavier. You were too thin before; now it's just right."

Ye Yaming, who had been planning to exercise and lose weight: "..."

Not wanting to dwell on this disheartening topic, she turned to Chen Zhen with a smile and said, "Winter in the Great Jin is approaching soon. The tea needs to be transported there before winter arrives. Time is tight, and I assume you wouldn’t want to waste any, Lord Chen. The tea is all in the warehouse. I’ll take you there directly. Once you’ve sampled and verified the quality, you can weigh and transport it immediately."

Chen Zhen appreciated such straightforward efficiency.

He said, "Thank you for your understanding, Madam Lu. Lord Lu, Madam Lu, Old Master Ye, please."

The group proceeded to the warehouse.

Upon opening the large doors, rows of shelves three to four meters high came into view. Stacked on the shelves were brick-like tea cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves, filling the shelves like wall bricks and forming walls of tea.

The reason for using bamboo leaves to wrap the tea bricks, rather than paper as in later times, was that paper in this era was too expensive. Using paper would increase costs significantly, and it was prone to damage during transportation.

In contrast, bamboo leaves were inexpensive, durable, and resistant to wear. After wrapping, they were tightly bound with hemp rope, making them the most suitable packaging material.

"How many catties of tea are being delivered this time?" Chen Zhen asked.

Ye Yaming glanced at Ye Chongming.

Ye Chongming said to her, "You managed all these teas, so you know the situation best. There’s no need to defer to us elders; you can speak directly with Lord Chen."

Ye Yaming nodded and then addressed Chen Zhen, "The tea trees in Huizhou and Minzhou haven’t fully matured yet and will only be ready for harvesting next year. Therefore, this year’s Dark Tea delivery is limited to 150,000 catties."

Besides the raw materials, there was also a shortage of experienced tea-making masters. So, this year’s delivery met only the minimum requirement.

Chen Zhen nodded with a smile. "That’s good."

For the first year of trade with the Great Jin, it was better to have a smaller quantity of Dark Tea rather than more. A smaller supply would help drive up the price. If the Ye family had delivered 250,000 catties this year, Chen Zhen would have considered holding back 100,000 catties.

However, doing so would require the Ministry of Revenue to tie up a large amount of silver in this transaction. Although the Great Jin was relatively prosperous and the national treasury wasn’t empty, a country has expenses everywhere. Hoarding goods in this manner could easily lead to the Ministry of Revenue being impeached.

With the Ye family delivering only 150,000 catties, the Ministry of Revenue didn’t have to worry about this issue at all.

He then asked, "Won’t the tea spoil if it’s stored like this?"He asked this because both the Dragon Well Tea and the Tieguanyin tea that Lu Guanyi had given him as a return gift when he visited the Lu residence the day before had to be carefully stored in tin boxes; otherwise, their color, aroma, and flavor would not be preserved.

If stored in jars, two packets of quicklime wrapped in paper had to be placed at the bottom and top of the jar to absorb moisture and keep the jar dry.

"During the Jiangnan rainy season, this method of storage is definitely not feasible. However, these teas were transported here after the rainy season had passed, so as long as the weather remains dry, it’s not a problem. The climate in Dajin is dry all year round, so the tea can be stored directly in the room and will remain in good condition for ten or twenty years."

Ye Yaming had explained this to Chen Zhen when the Dark Tea was first brought out. Chen Zhen’s reason for asking again was to take a responsible attitude toward this business deal and to reconfirm the details with Ye Yaming so he could relay them accurately to the Dajin officials.

Ye Yaming had taken them to see several warehouses and introduced all the teas to be delivered. When they entered the last room and saw the tea bricks wrapped in paper, Chen Zhen had a sudden thought and asked, "Is this the Dark Tea made from higher-quality and more expensive materials?"

"Yes," Ye Yaming replied. "When we conduct the sampling inspection later, you can compare the quality of this tea with the others, and you’ll see the difference."

Not only was this batch of tea made from high-quality leaves, but she had also applied a surface-sprinkling treatment.

Those familiar with tea know that fine hairs, known as "pekoe," are found only on tender buds and leaves. These hairs are white, with the youngest buds covered in white pekoe, which disappears by the fourth leaf.

To assess the quality of tea leaves, one first examines the dry leaves. If the dry leaves have abundant pekoe, it indicates that the fresh leaves used were extremely tender and of high quality. Conversely, the absence of pekoe suggests older leaves and stems.

Older leaves have a strong, bitter, and astringent taste, with poor sweetness and a generally unpleasant flavor.

When making Dark Tea, the raw materials undergo pile-fermentation, which turns them black. However, leaves with pekoe can still be distinguished, and when compared to the blackened leaves, the contrast between black and white is stark and obvious.

In Ye Yaming’s previous life, Anhua Dark Tea was categorized into core-filled tea and surface-sprinkled tea. Although the production techniques differed, the principle was the same: sprinkling the highest-quality leaves, rich in pekoe, on the surface of the Dark Tea bricks to make them appear of superior quality, thereby fetching a higher price when sold.

This type of tea required two separate production processes and involved complex blending techniques. Ye Yaming’s team was short-handed, and the tea-making masters’ skills were not yet fully mature. However, since this tea was intended for the royal family and nobility of Dajin—and considering how Dajin harassed the border every year, causing countless soldiers and civilians to lose their lives—Ye Yaming was determined to sell it for as high a price as possible.

For this reason, she personally directed the tea-making masters in Lin’an to produce the surface-sprinkled tea.

This batch of Dark Tea, which appeared exceptionally high in quality and tasted excellent, was to be sold to the imperial court at a wholesale price of fifteen taels per jin. The court, in turn, would sell it to Dajin at least double that price.

Ye Yaming pointed to the tea bricks on the shelves and said, "Each of these tea bricks weighs exactly one jin after the packaging is removed. During the sampling inspection, besides tasting the tea, you should also weigh them. If there are no discrepancies, you can simply count the number of bricks later without needing to weigh them again."

"Of course, if you prefer to weigh them, that’s fine too. The weight of the tea will only be more, never less."

Chen Zhen nodded. "Madam Lu is very thoughtful. I trust Madam Lu’s integrity. However, in official matters, we must follow procedure, so we will still weigh them."He clasped his hands and said, "I'm afraid we won't be able to finish here in just a day or two. There's no need for all of you to stay. Just leave one Housekeeper here with us, and the rest of you may carry on with your own business."