Chapter 22: Different Thoughts

She rolled her eyes and glanced at Madam Tao and Ye Yaqing.

Everyone in the room responded in unison and then took their leave.

Outside the main courtyard, Madam Zhang smiled at Madam Yin and said, “Second sister-in-law, Ming’er is really capable. She’s able to handle big matters like a man. It’s a pity she’s engaged. Otherwise, with her reputation for being capable, many families would come seeking her hand.”

Then she nodded towards Ye Yaming and said, “If you need anything, just say it. Fourth Aunt supports you.”

With that, she turned and left with her maid.

Madam Tao felt uncomfortable hearing this.

Ye Yaqing was half a year older than Ye Yaming. When the old master chose Song Yifeng, he didn’t consider Ye Yaqing and directly engaged Ye Yaming to him. This was mainly because Madam Yin’s scholar father had been Song Yifeng’s mentor. With this connection, the engagement sounded better.

Of course, at that time, Song Yifeng was nothing; his future was uncertain, and his family was too poor to afford food. Madam Tao looked down on this engagement. But unexpectedly, in just a few years, the young Song Yifeng passed the imperial examination and had a promising future.

In contrast, Ye Yaqing, after much deliberation, still hadn’t settled on an engagement.

Now that the family is facing issues, the men of the main house can’t handle affairs, but Ye Yaming from the second house suddenly stepped up, making her, the eldest daughter-in-law, seem useless and highlighting Ye Yaqing’s mediocrity. Madam Tao felt a bit uncomfortable.

However, she wasn’t as foolish as Madam Zhang. She was grateful that Ye Yaming could help solve the family’s problems and contribute to preserving the Ye family, so she naturally wouldn’t say or do anything against Ye Yaming.

Madam Zhang wanted to sow discord between the main and second houses, but she was overthinking it.

She smiled at Ye Yaming and then turned to the maid beside her and said, “From now on, all the servants of the main house will follow the Third Miss’s orders. Her orders are my orders.”

“Yes.”

Hearing the maid’s respectful response, Madam Tao smiled at Ye Yaming and said, “If you need anything, Ming’er, don’t hesitate to ask. The servants of the main house are at your disposal. If anyone is uncooperative, send someone to tell me, and I’ll deal with them.”

“Thank you, Aunt,” Ye Yaming replied with a smile.

Madam Tao nodded and left with the maid.

Seeing this, Madam Yin felt extremely pleased.

No matter what little schemes Madam Tao and Madam Zhang had, at least at this moment, they could only speak well of the second house.

Raising her daughter well also brought her pride.

She volunteered to help Ye Yaming and said, “How do you plan to make the osmanthus honey? I’ll help you.”

“No need.” Ye Yaming looked around and saw that only the three of them and their trusted maids were left. She leaned close to Madam Yin’s ear and whispered, “I’m making a type of tea for the family, which requires osmanthus flowers. Grandmother just said that to keep it a secret.”

She playfully winked at Madam Yin.

Madam Yin was taken aback, and while happy, she was also worried. “Can you handle it?”

“Why not? I’m my father’s daughter. He’s so capable, and I’m not bad either, right? Father has important matters to attend to, so this time I’ll make the tea.”

Ye Yaming made a proud expression, making Madam Yin laugh.

“Sister, do you need our help?” Ye Yayin eagerly asked.

“Not yet,” Ye Yaming replied. “I’ll try it today. I don’t need many osmanthus flowers, and I have them in my courtyard. If it works, I’ll need your help in the next few days.”

“Alright,” Ye Yayin said happily.

Originally, Ye Yayin wanted to watch. Madam Yin knew that Ye Yaming was making tea and that to keep it a secret, even the women in the family were not allowed to know what she was doing.

She pulled Ye Yayin aside and said, “Aren’t you supposed to be studying? Why are you trying to join the fun? Hurry up, the female teacher will be here soon.”

Ye Yaming had a good impression of Ye Chongming because he not only arranged for the boys in the family to study but also hired a female teacher to teach the girls poetry, etiquette, and skills like embroidery.

If the Ye family really fell into decline, the girls could still support themselves with their literacy, accounting skills, or embroidery and wouldn’t be left destitute.

She returned to her courtyard and instructed the maids to pick the osmanthus flowers from the two trees, removing the stems, leaves, and other debris.

Once she had prepared the osmanthus flowers, stove, and bamboo mats, Ye Chongming had already sent a few pounds of San tea.

At that time, the San tea was steamed green tea. On her second day, Ye Yaming had tasted various teas. Due to the production process, the steamed green tea’s flavor couldn’t compare to modern pan-fired green tea. It was more bitter and had a slightly “stuffy” taste, lacking freshness.

However, in ancient times, there was no pollution, and the water, soil, and air quality were good. The Ye family’s tea garden was located on a mountain several hundred meters above sea level, so the tea leaves contained more polyphenols and were of higher quality. She wondered what it would taste like if she used modern pan-firing techniques. Ye Yaming was looking forward to it.

“Miss, everything is ready. I’ve sent the other people in the courtyard away. What should we do next?” Bai Xin asked.

She and Lv E were the two main maids by Ye Yaming’s side, very loyal and trustworthy.

In the original owner’s memory, the two had followed her to the Song family and protected her everywhere. When the original owner was abused, the other dowry servants sided with the Song family, but only these two maids remained loyal. Lv E tried to escape to send a message to the Ye family but was killed by Song Yifeng’s men. Bai Xin, who stayed by the original owner’s side, was sold to a brothel by Mother Song and was smothered to death while trying to escape. To get rid of the engagement with the Ye family, the Song mother and son not only forced the original owner to commit suicide but also killed these two maids. The other dowry servants were also sold off one by one.

Ye Yaming felt that the tragic end of the Song mother and son in this life was well-deserved.

In the original owner’s wishes, besides changing her and the Ye family’s fate, she also hoped that Ye Yaming would treat the two main maids well and find them suitable futures.

“Watch me. If I succeed, you’ll join me,” Ye Yaming said as she started working.

She couldn’t teach them ancient women’s skills like embroidery, but she could teach them tea-making and some business skills. With these, she could give them some tea fields and restore their freedom when she had the ability. This way, whether they wanted to marry or not, they could support themselves and no longer have to rely on others.

By then, she would have repaid the two maids’ loyalty.

She first heated the tea leaves and then spread them on the bamboo mats, evenly layering osmanthus flowers on top. She repeated the process, alternating layers of tea and flowers with tea leaves on the top layer.

As the temperature was slightly cool, Ye Yaming covered the tea pile with a white cloth to maintain a stable temperature and allow the fresh flowers to release their fragrance properly.