Chapter 18: Public Praise

He didn’t dwell on the matter, looked up at the sky, and sighed, “I hope your uncle and the others have a safe journey and return soon.”

“They should,” Ye Yaming said insincerely.

According to the original trajectory, Ye Hongchang wouldn’t be safe.

Entering the main courtyard, Ye Yaqing came up to greet them, “Grandfather, Second Uncle, you’re back?”

“Grandfather, Father,” Ye Yayin called out to the elders, then ran to Ye Yaming and sweetly smiled, “Sister.”

Ye Yaming patted her head and followed Ye Chongming and the others up the steps.

Madam Tao, Madam Yin, and Madam Zhang were all at the door to greet them. Everyone entered the hall together.

“You’re back? How did things go?” Old Madam Ye asked with concern, taking a few steps forward.

“Hmph,” Ye Chongming snorted coldly, his face dark, as he sat at the head of the table, took a sip of tea, and asked, “Where is that little beast?”

“Still kneeling in the ancestral hall,” Old Madam Ye said, observing the old man’s expression, then scolding Ye Yaming, “Ming’er, I heard you went out with your grandfather. Your grandfather was handling important matters; you shouldn’t have gone to cause trouble.”

With a loud “clang,” Ye Chongming heavily placed his teacup down.

He looked up at Li Fu, who was standing by the door, and said, “Li Fu, go to the storeroom and bring two sets of the best head ornaments and jewelry and six bolts of the brightest silk and deliver them to the Third Miss’s room.”

“Yes,” Li Fu responded and quickly left.

“This… Master?” Old Madam Ye looked at Ye Chongming in confusion.

“If it weren’t for Ming’er today, things would have been much more troublesome. If it had escalated, it wouldn’t have been far from the destruction of the family. The fact that you can sit here peacefully drinking tea and chatting is all thanks to Ming’er.”

Ye Chongming said, “This is my reward for Ming’er. No one is allowed to say anything negative. If anyone is dissatisfied, come and argue with me.”

With these words, the room fell silent. Although Ye Chongming was kind to his family, especially the women, the authority of the head of the household was still there. When he was serious, everyone was still afraid.

At this moment, no one dared to raise their heads, only glancing at Ye Yaming out of the corner of their eyes, wondering what great merit she had achieved in such a short time to earn such high praise from the old master.

“Grandfather, you’re overpraising me. I just mentioned my guess; it’s nothing much. The smooth handling of the matter is all thanks to Grandfather and Father,” Ye Yaming quickly said.

In this era that values filial piety and humility, these words must be said.

Ye Chongming stood up, “Alright, everyone leaves. I’m going to see that unfilial child.”

After a few steps, he noticed Old Madam Ye and Ye Hongsheng were following him. He stopped and said, “Hongsheng, go rest. Everyone else, return to your own courtyards.”

He scanned the room, finally fixing his gaze on Old Madam Ye, his face stern, “No one is allowed to plead for mercy today. If anyone disregards my words, I won’t hesitate to punish them, regardless of our decades-long relationship.”

Old Madam Ye’s face changed several times. After being married for decades, this was the first time Ye Chongming had shown her such disrespect in front of the younger generation, almost pointing at her nose and scolding her.

However, this also indicated that the matter was grave. She didn’t dare to say anything more, watching Ye Chongming leave with wide eyes.

When gods fight, little devils suffer. The women didn’t dare to provoke the old madam at this moment. Since the old master had spoken, everyone quietly followed Ye Chongming out and returned to their own courtyards.

Ye Yaming received the old master’s praise, making Madam Yin very happy. She followed her husband and daughter back to the second house’s hall, then pulled Ye Yaming aside to ask about the day’s events.

Ye Yaming felt that Old Madam protected the prodigal Ye Hongrong so much because the men of the Ye family had protected the women too well. Even Old Madam Ye, who had managed the household for a lifetime, had no sense of crisis.

Women who knew the dangers of the business world would know how to raise their children.

She recounted the events, making Madam Yin and Ye Yayin tremble with fear. Thinking about the trap set by others and the potential crisis the Ye family could have faced if not handled properly, both felt a deep sense of fear.

Ye Yaming said, “Flies don’t land on seamless eggs. If our family is doing well, no matter how many tricks Meng Chengwei has, he can’t implement them. If Grandmother continues to indulge Fourth Uncle, and Grandfather can’t strictly control him, he might cause even greater trouble in the future.”

She said this for Ye Hongsheng to hear.

Although Ye Hongsheng was not good with words, he was a very clear-headed person.

Ye Chongming had only three sons, and the fourth son was unreliable. The only ones he could rely on were the eldest and second sons. Ye Hongsheng, as the second son, could still be listened to.

Even if Ye Hongsheng couldn’t support him, he could still monitor Ye Hongrong more closely.

“Don’t worry. After this incident, your grandfather will definitely keep a strict watch on your fourth uncle,” Ye Hongsheng said.

Although Ye Hongrong had never achieved anything, he hadn’t done anything bad either, so Ye Chongming had been lenient with him.

Now that he had brought trouble to the family, how could he be allowed to continue? At the very least, he wouldn’t be allowed to interfere in business matters anymore.

“That’s good.”

Ye Yayin, seeing that their conversation had ended, couldn’t help but ask, “Sister, how did you become so capable?”

Madam Yin also had this question.

Ye Yaming turned to Madam Yin and smiled, “Isn’t it because I saw you being mistreated and wanted to help you regain your dignity? As the family’s eldest daughter and the face of our second house, I naturally have to support it. I want everyone to know that even if the second house has no sons, the daughters are no less than sons.”

She looked at Ye Yayin, “Yayin, remember this: it’s better to rely on yourself than on others. No one, not even those with status and power, can look down on you if you are capable and independent.”

“Oh,” Ye Yayin nodded, half understanding.

After dinner, Ye Yaming took out the moldy tea she had brought back.

The Jin Dynasty is a fictional era, equivalent to the Song and Ming periods. Various types of tea, such as tea cake, loose tea, powdered tea, and compressed tea, coexisted. Stir-fried green tea was just emerging, while black tea and oolong tea had not yet appeared. Among the various types of tea, the upper class still favored tea cake, so the Ye family’s tea factory made the best spring tea into tea cake, adding spices and pressing it into various patterns. Whether purchased by the tax office or sold on the market, this tea cake fetched the highest prices.

Lower-grade tea was made into loose tea, powdered tea, and compressed tea to meet different demand levels.

Tea cake was steamed green tea, which required several processes, including steaming, pressing, grinding, molding, yellowing, and drying. Fresh leaves were soaked in water, steamed, washed with cold water, pressed to remove water, pressed again to remove tea juice, then ground finely in a clay pot, and finally pressed into molds to form cakes.