Chapter 46: Chrysanthemum Tea

Hearing this, Ye Chongming smiled, looking very pleased. His hard work over the past two days had paid off, and he managed to pre-order the tea before the Meng family.

“Alright, rest well. We’ll go down the mountain tomorrow,” he said.

The next day, Ye Chongming came down from the mountain and returned home.

These past few days, Ye Hongchang had been extremely worried at home. As soon as he heard that Ye Chongming had returned, he urgently called the servants to carry him to the main courtyard and asked, “Father, did you pre-order the tea?”

“Yes, I did,” Ye Chongming, understanding his son’s anxiety, explained everything that had happened.

Only then did Ye Hongchang breathe a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to speak, a maid reported from outside, “Old Master, First Master, Second Master has returned.”

“Hongsheng is back?” Old Madam Ye, hearing the report, quickly walked over from the next room, delighted.

Ye Chongming said, “Send someone to inform Ming’er to come over.”

Old Madam Ye hurriedly instructed the maid to go out.

In a short while, Ye Hongsheng came in.

Ye Chongming saw that although he looked a bit tired, his spirits were high, his eyes bright, and his face full of smiles, indicating good news.

His heart stirred, and he asked, “Is it about the chrysanthemums…”

“Yes,” Ye Hongsheng nodded vigorously, greeted his parents and elder brother, then turned to Ye Chongming and said, “Father, the chrysanthemums are really good, sweet and fragrant, and very beneficial to health.”

As he spoke, he turned around, took a small jar from a servant, opened it, placed it on the table, took out a chrysanthemum, and handed it to Ye Chongming, “Father, take a look.”

Ye Chongming took the chrysanthemum and brought it to his nose, and a unique, refreshing fragrance filled the air. He had great confidence in his second son’s taste. If Ye Hongsheng praised the chrysanthemums, their quality must be excellent. He asked, “Are there many chrysanthemums? How much do they cost?”

“Quite a lot. The place is known for producing chrysanthemums. These chrysanthemums have the best flavor. I’ve signed contracts with the locals to grow more, and we’ll buy them all next year. They’re not expensive, only fifty wen per jin.”

“Dried?” Ye Chongming asked.

Ye Hongsheng nodded, “Dried.”

Ye Chongming looked delighted and asked, “How much did you buy?”

“About two hundred jin. I also bought some other chrysanthemums, totaling around three hundred jin.”

“Good, good, good,” Ye Chongming couldn’t help but exclaim.

Having sold tea for many years, he knew the market demand for beverages well.

Although chrysanthemums weren’t tea leaves, their good taste and health benefits made them comparable to mid-range teas. They could easily sell for two hundred wen per jin, if not three or four hundred. Buying them for fifty wen per jin meant considerable profit.

Most importantly, since they weren’t tea, they weren’t controlled by the Quwusi, so he could sell as much as he wanted. With ready sales channels, as long as he ordered chrysanthemums from the locals, the profit was guaranteed.

He asked, “How many jin did you pre-order?”

Ye Hongsheng shook his head, “They grow them for their own use, and I bought from individual households. But since I offered a good price, they agreed to plant more next year. As for how much can be grown per mu, they’re not sure. I’ve signed contracts with those willing to plant chrysanthemums next year. However, there’s no definite number on how much we can buy next year.”

Hearing this, Ye Chongming wasn’t disappointed. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised by his second son’s performance. His second son had always been quiet, only talking enthusiastically about good tea or with tea connoisseurs. Therefore, he hadn’t given him any responsibilities.

But this time, Ye Hongsheng had done an excellent job. Not only did he buy all the chrysanthemums available this year, but he also pre-ordered next year’s crop.

It seemed he wasn’t a qualified father and grandfather, as he didn’t truly understand the abilities of his second son and granddaughter.

“You’ve worked hard. Your branch has made a great contribution this time.”

He then explained the family’s situation to Ye Hongsheng, especially emphasizing Ye Yaming’s contributions and praising her intelligence.

Even though he knew his eldest daughter was capable, Ye Hongsheng was still surprised by his father’s praise. He felt all his fatigue disappear and was extremely happy.

“It’s also because you listened to her, Father. Otherwise, no matter how many ideas she had, they would have been in vain,” he said.

Ye Hongchang sighed, “Now I understand the saying, ‘A half-filled bucket makes the most noise, while a full bucket is silent.’ Ming’er is usually quiet but can handle big matters when it counts.”

His words were a compliment to Ye Hongsheng as a father, but they also had another meaning, directed at Old Madam Ye.

Ye Hongrong always prided himself on being clever, flattering Old Madam Ye with sweet words and looking down on his second brother, Ye Hongsheng, thinking him dull. Old Madam Ye felt the same, favoring her youngest son and not liking her second son much. But in Ye Hongchang’s view, his second brother was much smarter than his fourth brother, with an inner brilliance. He just didn’t talk much, but he was very clear-headed in his actions. Ye Yaming was his daughter, and her exceptional performance, though surprising, was not unacceptable.

After Ye Chongming went up the mountain, he returned to the backyard and called his wife and son, explaining everything. He warned them, “Extremely intelligent people, regardless of gender, are destined for great things. Ming’er, at such a young age, handles matters better than Father and me. Who knows what she will achieve in the future? Don’t make the mistake of offending her. Being on good terms with the second branch will only benefit us.”

Madam Tao retorted, “Do you think I need you to tell me that? I’m not foolish. I’ve always been good to the second branch.” But she kept her husband’s words in mind.

After tasting a cup of osmanthus tea made by Ye Yaming, she felt even more strongly about her husband’s words. She wasn’t a tea enthusiast, but she loved the osmanthus tea. She thought that even if money were tight, she would still buy some osmanthus tea to enjoy. If she felt this way, it was easy to imagine how noble ladies would react.

The osmanthus tea could not only make a lot of money but also become a signature product for the Ye family, enhancing their reputation. The benefits to the Ye family would go beyond financial gains.

As for Ye Jiaxing, he had already heard about Ye Yaming’s outstanding performance from his grandfather. Being the only adult male in his generation, with his younger cousins only seven years old, the pressure of the family’s prosperity was entirely on him. He was of average talent and often felt overwhelmed by the pressure. If Ye Yaming were a boy, he might feel threatened about his position as the eldest grandson and future head of the family. But since she was a girl and couldn’t become the next head of the Ye family, he felt no resentment towards his capable cousin, only surprise and delight.