Glory

Back then, the original host had just married, and the Ye family had not yet encountered misfortune. She had wholeheartedly believed Song Yifeng's words.

It was only later, when the Ye family was raided and the Song mother and son tried to force her to die, that the concubine was used as a mouthpiece to reveal the truth, hoping to crush her spirit completely.

Although Ye Yaming had been exceptionally studious in her previous life, her field was business, and at her core, she was a merchant. Unlike the original host, who appeared strong-willed but was actually fragile, prone to melancholy and daydreaming—a typical literary young woman.

Therefore, she had no intention of keeping that inkstone. If she were short on silver, she planned to sell it. She believed Ye Hongsheng and Yin Shi would also prefer to convert it into cash.

But since Old Mrs. Ye kindly offered to lend money to the second branch, she naturally had to accept this goodwill.

So, the inkstone would remain for now. However, it had to be stored securely in her room, lest Yin Shi impulsively gift it to her father, Old Yin—that would be a tremendous loss.

She asked Granny Yu, "Have Grandfather and Grandmother retired for the night?"

"Not yet," Granny Yu replied. "The Old Master said that Young Master Lu's side shouldn't be kept waiting too long, so a reply should be given tomorrow or the day after at the latest. The Old Master is still discussing the matter with the Old Madam and is also waiting for your response, Miss."

"Then I'll go and speak with the elders," Ye Yaming said.

Arriving at the main courtyard, she saw it was still brightly lit, with Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye seated in the hall, deep in conversation.

Ye Yaming entered, paid her respects to them, and said, "Thank you, Grandfather and Grandmother, for your generosity and consideration toward our second branch. And thank you, Grandmother, for being willing to lend us silver. Ming'er is immensely grateful."

"No need for formalities with your grandparents," Old Mrs. Ye beckoned her over. "I thought you might come, so I had the kitchen prepare Sweet Fermented Rice Soup with Dumplings. Have a bowl first. You're young and will have to walk back soon, so no worries about indigestion."

Previously, Old Mrs. Ye hadn't known what her third granddaughter liked to eat. But lately, she had taken note and discovered that Ye Yaming particularly enjoyed the Sweet Fermented Rice Soup with Dumplings made by the cook, so she specially had it prepared.

Ye Yaming was indeed delighted to see it.

She had loved this dish even in modern times. In this era, she found that the Ye family's cook made the fermented rice not overly sweet when used in the soup but slightly tangy, cooked with brown sugar—just the right flavor.

The small dumplings weren't filled but solid, only as big as a pinky finger. The glutinous rice seemed to have something else mixed in, making them not too soft but slightly chewy—exceptionally delicious.

Thus, whenever this sweet soup was on the table, she would always have two bowls—the bowls used by the Ye family's ladies and young misses were quite small, so two bowls were nothing. If Yin Shi hadn't always nagged a little, saying too much glutinous rice could cause indigestion, she might have gone for a third bowl.

With the sweet soup served, Old Mrs. Ye naturally didn't let her husband and herself sit idly by; she also had the kitchen bring two servings of congee.

So, the three of them sat at the table to enjoy their late-night snack.

The Ye family had no rule against talking during meals, so Ye Yaming explained, "I was thinking, if Grandfather agrees to my proposal, I'll have my mother return to the Yin family tomorrow to borrow some silver from my maternal grandfather and uncles. Then, we can pawn my mother's and my sisters' jewelry."

She then playfully winked at Old Mrs. Ye and added, "If we still can't gather enough, I'll shamelessly borrow from you, Grandmother. Once I break off the engagement with the Song family and recover the silver we've given them over the years, we should be able to fill the gap."Old Mrs. Ye had decided not to tell anyone about lending money to the second branch for the inkstone. Now she needed to explain why she had been confident enough to suggest each branch contribute ten thousand taels of silver, lest the elders think the second branch couple had used some underhanded means to hoard money.

Heaven knew that Ye Hongsheng was truly honest, dutifully receiving his modest monthly allowance without fuss—unlike Ye Hongchang and Ye Hongrong.

Ye Hongchang managed tea houses and tea shops in the capital, where the monthly turnover ranged from several thousand to over ten thousand taels of silver. If he skimmed just a little from the flow, he could easily pocket several thousand taels a year.

As for Ye Hongrong, though he didn’t handle much business, he constantly clamored to buy this and that, drawing silver from the accounts. Because Old Madam Ye indulged him, he didn’t dare take too much, but he could always withdraw one or two hundred taels each month. Even if the money was spent, he often bought valuable items—at the very least, the fourth branch’s possessions were worth a fortune and could be pawned.

The contrast between Yin Shi, Tao Shi, and Zhang Shi was even starker.

The latter two had substantial dowries, and the annual income from their fields and shops was considerable. No wonder Yin Shi often felt somewhat inferior around her sisters-in-law. In short, it was a fact that the second branch was the poorest.

Old Mrs. Ye was very pleased to hear Ye Yaming’s words.

For some reason, although her third granddaughter had become quite capable, she always felt a sense of distance from Ye Yaming. Now that Ye Yaming was willing to borrow money from her without standing on ceremony, it felt like a gesture of closeness—something she had been hoping for.

She said, “Good, good, good.”

Then she added, “Just tell me how much you’re short. Your grandmother’s dowry has been managed well, and I have some savings.”

Ye Chongming glanced at his wife.

She usually complained about having no money, but now she seemed eager to cover all the expenses for the second branch.

Ye Yaming could feel Old Mrs. Ye’s affection for her.

She was the type who responded to kindness with even greater kindness—if someone treated her well, she would repay them threefold.

She leaned affectionately toward Old Mrs. Ye and said, “Alright, tomorrow I’ll have my mother check how much silver we have. Whatever’s short, I’ll come to you, Grandmother.”

“Good, good, good.” Old Mrs. Ye was satisfied.

Worried about indigestion, the late-night snack was served in small portions and finished quickly.

After wiping their mouths and hands with handkerchiefs, the three returned to the hall.

Ye Yaming said to Ye Chongming, “Grandfather, when will you reply to Young Master Lu? I’d like to go with you to discuss the shareholding ratios.”

“What issues are there with the shareholding ratios?” Ye Chongming asked.

“What if my father and I develop new teas in the future? How many shares would those formulas account for? Besides formulas, I might also create new tea sets for promotion—how many shares would those represent? I think we should clarify these matters in advance to avoid disputes later.”

Ye Chongming was taken aback and didn’t know how to respond immediately.

He hadn’t considered this issue before because the Ye family had been making tea for generations, only refining existing techniques to slightly improve the flavor, without creating entirely new tea varieties.

In Ye Chongming’s view, developing Osmanthus Tea was already a stroke of extraordinary luck for the Ye family. As for Jasmine Tea, it seemed similar to Osmanthus Tea and couldn’t be considered another innovation.

As for Chrysanthemum Tea, it was more of a medicinal drink than a true tea and hardly counted as an innovation in tea.

Besides these, what other entirely different teas could Ye Yaming possibly create?