Chapter 69: What Does Ming’er Mean?

Ye Chongming was uneasy by her words, “Then should we… give it all?”

Ye Yaming shook her head, “Giving it all is not appropriate. If our family doesn’t want to become subordinates or even puppets of Lu and Qi, we need to keep some leverage. Besides half of the Jiangnan tea leaves, we must continuously innovate in tea-making and come up with new tea recipes to keep pace with them and not be completely overshadowed.”

Ye Chongming pondered Yaming’s words and slowly nodded, “Yaming, you have thought deeply.”

Ye Jiaxing sat on the side, looking at Ye Yaming with a somewhat dazed expression. His father had always said his third cousin was impressive and told him not to be jealous. Although he had a good temperament and didn’t feel any dissatisfaction, he still had a bit of disbelief in his heart despite knowing from his father’s words that his third cousin was indeed impressive.

But now, he was truly convinced.

For the same matter, if he saw the first layer of the surface, his father saw the second layer, and his grandfather saw the third layer, then his third cousin was definitely on the fourth layer.

This level of insight was something he couldn’t match.

“But even if it’s six thousand taels of silver, our family can’t come up with it now,” Ye Chongming said with a bitter smile.

“Each household’s women should have some silver, right? If we pool it together, it shouldn’t be difficult,” Ye Yaming said with a smile.

Ye Hongchang hadn’t thought much about it. Although the family wouldn’t touch the women’s private money unless absolutely necessary, if there was no other way, they could borrow it.

Given the family’s situation, it would only be a temporary loan. Once they made money next year, they could repay it. If they offered a higher interest rate, the women wouldn’t mind and might even be happy.

But seeing Ye Yaming’s smile, Ye Hongchang felt that there was more to her words. He swallowed and wanted to ask what she meant, but the words stuck in his throat. He turned to look at his father.

Ye Chongming also stared at Ye Yaming, his mind racing.

This business was originally the Ye family’s. If they invested and made money, it would be communal. As for the future, it would be settled when the family divided. But if the women were involved, it wouldn’t be the Ye family’s business but the women’s business. When they made money and distributed the profits, the women could keep it as private money or send it to their natal families, and it would have nothing to do with the Ye family.

What did Ye Yaming mean by this? Did she want her mother, Madam Yin, to earn this money instead of the Ye family?

Moreover, she kept mentioning the continuous creation of new teas.

Currently, osmanthus tea and chrysanthemum tea were created or discovered by the second household’s father and daughter. According to Ye Yaming, there will be jasmine tea in the future.

Since the tea recipes had a certain weight in the cooperation with Lu and Qi, did Ye Hongsheng and Ye Yaming have thoughts about this? If the communal money were to fund the cooperation with Lu and Qi, most of the profits would still go to the main household. Was Ye Yaming dissatisfied with this?

Ye Yaming’s gaze was steady as she looked at Ye Chongming. She had taken over the original owner’s body and promised to change the fate of the Ye family members, but she wouldn’t be selfless and only make money for the Ye family.

According to the customs of the Great Jin, when the two elders were no longer around, the Ye family would inevitably divide. The main household, being the eldest, would get seventy percent of the family’s property, while the second, third, and fourth households would share the remaining thirty percent.

In other words, she and Ye Hongsheng worked hard for the Ye family and contributed a lot, but in the end, the second household would only get ten percent of the family’s property. Why?

Ye Hongsheng was skilled in tea-making. In modern times, he would be a valuable technical talent and a core member of a company, deserving respect and a share of the company’s stock.

However, in the Ye family, because the tea-making skills were passed down from their ancestors, the family didn’t value Ye Hongsheng’s abilities. They believed that being eloquent and good at business was what mattered. Even the incompetent and wasteful fourth brother, Ye Hongrong, didn’t think much of his second brother, Ye Hongsheng.

But it was precisely because of Ye Hongsheng’s tea-making skills and the osmanthus tea created by her, the eldest daughter of the second household, that the Ye family found a backer and got the opportunity to cooperate with others.

Should the second household still work hard for the main household and then have to look at their faces?

Since family strength was emphasized now, the second household taking a fifth of the share wasn’t too much, right?

Her gaze was steady and open, but it was Ye Chongming who looked away first.

He said, “That’s also a way. But since it involves the four households of the Ye family, this matter needs to be discussed by the heads of each household.”

Ye Yaming knew that in this patriarchal era, her proposal was a huge shock to Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang. She didn’t expect them to agree immediately.

She smiled and nodded, “Grandfather, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” She also wanted to give the three generations of Ye family heirs time to discuss this matter.

“Okay, you go rest. If there’s anything, I’ll have someone call you,” Ye Chongming said.

After Ye Yaming left, Ye Hongchang frowned and asked Ye Chongming, “Father, what does Yaming mean by this?”

Although Ye Chongming suspected that Ye Yaming had personal motives, given her excellent performance in recent days, he didn’t want his eldest son and grandson to look at her with suspicion, nor did he want any rifts between the households.

He said, “What do you mean? Isn’t Yaming trying to help us find a solution? The family has no silver, and we even have to borrow from the Mei family to pre-order next year’s spring tea. Where can we get six thousand taels of silver?”

Ye Hongchang opened his mouth, wanting to say that Ye Yaming’s move was to guard against the main household, but this thought was too selfish and calculating, and he couldn’t bring himself to say it about his niece. He simply closed his mouth and said nothing. He didn’t believe that his shrewd father couldn’t see through Ye Yaming’s intentions.

“Father, if there’s nothing else, Jiaxing and I will go back,” he said.

Ye Chongming didn’t keep him, “Okay, go back and rest well. If your wound feels uncomfortable, call for a doctor in time.”

Ye Hongchang agreed, had the servants help him into the sedan chair, and left with his son.

After his son and grandson left, Ye Chongming returned to the inner courtyard and told his wife about Ye Yaming’s proposal.

Finally, he asked, “What do you think Ming’er means by this?”

Old Madam Ye was eating osmanthus lotus seed soup.

After hearing her husband’s words, she held a spoonful of lotus seed soup in her mouth for a long time before saying, “It means what you think it means.”

Ye Chongming glared at her, “You’re not saying anything useful.”

Old Madam Ye snorted, put down the bowl, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, “You never let us women interfere in business matters, do you?”