Glory

"Father, rest assured. I will be more respectful to Second Uncle, and I will be just as respectful to Second Aunt and Cousin Ming'er as I am to him," he promised, thumping his chest.

Now that he saw Ye Hongsheng return from Tongxiang with a new beverage—one that could become another pillar for the Ye family's tea houses and was not restricted by the Tea Administration—he realized his second younger brother was quite capable, not as dull as he usually appeared. Ye Hongchang became even more determined to foster a good relationship with the second branch.

Hearing his eldest brother praise Ye Yaming, Ye Hongsheng was even happier than if he had been praised himself. He quickly offered a few modest words and in turn praised Ye Jiaxing.

Ordinarily, Ye Chongming would have been delighted to see such brotherly harmony. But with his mind preoccupied with the situation on Ye Yaming's end, he had no patience to listen to their commercial-like exchange of compliments.

He turned to Old Madam Ye and asked, "How is the tea-making on Ming'er's side?"

"It's going very smoothly," Old Madam Ye said. "Unfortunately, we don't have much loose tea, and we can't gather many more osmanthus flowers."

Lin'an was not a major producer of osmanthus. It was merely that households with large courtyards would plant a tree in their front or back yards for the fragrance. They had sent people to collect them for a few days, but the supply of osmanthus flowers dwindled day by day. Seeing that the loose tea was also limited, Ye Yaming planned to stop production after today.

She knew that the Osmanthus Tea would be highly sought after as soon as it hit the market. Yet now, because they lacked tea base and osmanthus flowers, they couldn't make money even if they wanted to. This truly vexed Old Madam Ye.

"One must not be too greedy in all things," Ye Chongming said. "At this critical juncture, for Ming'er to be able to produce Osmanthus Tea is already a great fortune for our Ye family. Don't be too avaricious."

"I was just sighing in passing," Old Madam Ye retorted petulantly.

A short while later, Ye Yaming entered the room and greeted everyone in turn.

She was very happy to see Ye Hongsheng had returned. Moreover, one look at the excitement in his eyes told her that his trip had certainly been worthwhile.

After asking about the Chrysanthemum Tea, she then inquired with Ye Chongming about the situation on the Tea Mountain.

When she heard Ye Chongming say that the Meng family had sent people to spread rumors, she immediately said, "Grandfather, my work on the Osmanthus Tea is almost done. Please send a reliable person to deliver the tea to the capital. Then we can set a date for the Osmanthus Tea to be launched simultaneously in the capital and Lin'an."

Ye Chongming nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Since Meng Chengwei is spreading rumors on the Tea Mountain, he will surely spread them in the city too, now that he can't order any tea, to affect my standing in the tea firms. Once rumors are rampant, even if we launch the Osmanthus Tea, it will definitely be affected. It's better to plug this hole from the very beginning."

As he spoke, he sighed inwardly.

He had no idea how long Qi Zhifu's case would take to bring Meng Chengwei to justice and throw him in prison.

"Yes, that's precisely the logic," Ye Yaming said with a smile.

Ye Chongming asked again, "How much Osmanthus Tea was made in total?"

"Five to six hundred catties," Ye Yaming replied.

For the Ye family, which had large tea houses in both the capital and Lin'an, five to six hundred catties of tea was truly not a lot. It would sell out in no time.

Ye Chongming himself had advised Old Madam Ye not to be greedy, but upon hearing there was only this little, he couldn't help but feel regretful that there was money to be made that he couldn't get his hands on.

Ye Yaming saw his regret and smiled. "Grandfather, don't be anxious. Since osmanthus can be used for scenting, then jasmine flowers surely can be too. When the jasmine flowers bloom next summer, we can make Jasmine Tea."

"Really?" Ye Chongming's cloudy eyes suddenly burst with a hopeful light.

Ye Yaming nodded. "The principle is the same."

"Then can other flowers also be used to scent tea?" Ye Hongsheng immediately entered a state of research.

Ye Yaming smiled and nodded, offering inspiration, "Yes. And I think it's not just about using flowers for scenting; the tea leaves themselves can be made to bring out different aromas."

"Father, have you noticed? The tea trees on the sun-facing slope at the mountain's peak, although their leaves aren't as tender and green as those on the mid-slope, their fragrance is more intense."

"Yes, yes, yes." Like he had met a kindred spirit, the research fanatic Ye Hongsheng immediately began to talk animatedly about how the taste of tea leaves differed based on altitude, soil, and tea tree variety.

By now, at Old Madam Ye's signal, Granny Yu had already brewed Chrysanthemum Tea for everyone.

Seeing Ye Hongsheng, with Ye Yaming's occasional affirmations, speak about tea with such spirited excitement, completely devoid of his usual dullness, Ye Chongming and Old Madam Ye felt extremely complex emotions.

They had always prioritized the first branch and neglected the second. Now, it seemed they had been wrong.

When the family faced disaster, it was the father and daughter of the second branch who held up the sky for the Ye family. Thinking about the vast prospects the Osmanthus Tea would bring to the Ye family, the two felt that perhaps the family's revival would truly have to rely on the second branch in the future.

Ye Chongming suddenly said, "Hongsheng, your trip to Tongxiang has been arduous. However, you will have to undertake another difficult journey and lead people to deliver this tea to the capital."

He pointed to a packet of Osmanthus Tea that Ye Yaming had brought over.

Ye Hongsheng was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

He didn't overthink it. In his view, his eldest brother and nephew were both injured and couldn't travel; his fourth brother had caused trouble, been beaten with dozens of planks by their father, and was also lying in bed recovering. The two sons of his fourth brother were only seven at the oldest. The only one available to take the tea to the capital was him, wasn't it?

Ye Yaming, however, glanced at Ye Chongming.

Perhaps Ye Chongming had tasked Ye Hongsheng with such important matters when he was younger, but later, seeing his lack of eloquence, had given up on the idea of cultivating him.

In any case, in the original owner's memory, major family business matters were always handled by Da Bo. Her eldest cousin, Ye Jiaxing, had also begun to participate in the family business from the age of fifteen. Occasionally, when they were unavailable, Ye Hongrong would be sent.

In contrast, Ye Hongsheng, who was in the prime of his life, was only ever in the Tea Factory. Whatever happened, it would never occur to Ye Chongming that he still had a second son.

His tasking Ye Hongsheng now was likely not just because the father and son of the first branch were injured, but also because he was starting to value the second branch and wanted to reward her.

After all, Ye Jiaxing's minor injuries were no longer a major issue after several days of recovery. He was perfectly capable of going to the capital. He would be sitting in a carriage anyway, with no need to walk himself.

It was naturally a good thing that Ye Chongming was starting to place importance on Ye Hongsheng. The rising status of the second branch was extremely beneficial for her to gain a greater say in matters.

"Grandfather," Ye Yaming reminded him, "Meng Chengwei might still be watching us. We can't transport the Osmanthus Tea to the capital so openly. It would be best to first move the tea to Granduncle's home and depart from there. My father can disguise himself as a member of the Mei family or a manor guard traveling with the carriage. He should only remove the disguise after he is far from the Lin'an border, and we must also hire guards for the escort."

"Right, right." Ye Chongming realized that his considerations were not as thorough as those of a young girl like Ye Yaming.

This was mainly because the Great Jin was peaceful and prosperous, and the official road from Lin'an to the capital was very safe. Ye Hongchang had traveled it back and forth seven or eight times a year for over a decade without encountering any trouble.

When he had initially asked the Security Company to meet Ye Hongchang on the road from the capital, Guan Canghai had been very surprised. Escorts from security companies were for journeys to remote places; the road between the capital and Lin'an simply didn't require one.

Although it was decided that Ye Hongsheng would take the tea to the capital, he had just returned and needed to rest for a couple of days. With the Mid-Autumn Festival tomorrow, Ye Hongsheng did not bring up the matter of his departure.