Fan Yu hurriedly opened the book again.

Earlier, when he saw the “Ten Illustrations” at the end, he thought there was nothing more, so he put the book down and eagerly asked about the author, missing the postscript.

Flipping backward from the last page, he indeed found a postscript.

In this postscript, Master Zhineng first mentioned how much he loved tea, which led him to personally grow, pick, and process tea, receiving guidance from the author’s elder. But perhaps due to insufficient talent, he could never produce satisfactory tea.

Now, after reading this book, he realized that there were many considerations starting from tea picking, and these insights were the author’s own careful research and enlightenment—the author had found their own “Way.” Inspired by this, his own state of mind had also greatly improved. He was very grateful to the author.

Master Zhineng highly praised the author for publishing these insights, allowing tea lovers to understand tea. He said the author would surely go far in the Way of Tea, and he looked forward to seeing their future achievements.

“I originally thought this book was written by Master Zhineng. After reading this postscript, I realize my assumption was wrong:” An old man expressed what Fan Yu had been thinking.

“Haha, indeed. If Master Zhineng had written it, even if he didn’t want fame and used a pseudonym, he would never write a postscript praising himself.”

“And it’s obvious that the author is quite young, being referred to as a ‘young friend’ by Master Zhineng.”

“I want to meet this person,” Fan Yu said. “When I first opened the book, I was mentally mocking this person for not knowing their limitations, daring to call their book a classic. Now I see they truly deserve the title.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Then someone turned to ask Ye Hongsheng, “Brother Hongsheng, does this person not want to meet anyone? Is there any chance you could introduce us? When spring comes and the weather warms up, we will personally visit Lin’an.”

Hearing them praise his daughter, Ye Hongsheng wished he had something to record these words so his daughter could hear them herself.

Now, seeing these people repeatedly expressing their desire to visit the author, he felt regretful but had to refuse on his daughter’s behalf: “I’m truly sorry, but this person, due to health reasons, always keeps their door closed to visitors and doesn’t see anyone.”

After a pause, realizing there was a flaw in his statement, he added, “Even Master Zhineng has only met her twice.”

This was the truth; he wasn’t lying about this point. As for other aspects, Ye Yaming had instructed him to describe her as if she were Ye Yayu. So even though Ye Hongsheng was honest by nature, he managed to tell the lie without faltering.

Humans are creatures most adept at filling in gaps with their imagination. Hearing Ye Hongsheng’s words, everyone understood: this person must have some physical impairment, which is why they refused all visitors.

“Each person has their difficulties and preferences; we shouldn’t force them,” Fan Yu said. “Just as this Master Lu said, if you like eggs, eat more of them; there’s no need to meet the hen that laid them.”

Hearing this, everyone laughed again.

Someone asked Ye Hongsheng, “Does he have any other books?”

“No. However, I have one or two books about tea written by others in Lin’an that I didn’t bring. I brought this one because it helps me with tea processing,” Ye Hongsheng replied.

During the period when Ye Hongchang wasn’t here, he had been managing things alone. It was precisely when Osmanthus tea was launched in the capital, causing a sensation, and every day, countless officials and nobles requested to meet the owner for various reasons. He had to use all his skills to deal with these people.

Perhaps it was because he had weathered major storms and gained experience, or perhaps because the people who came to the tea house to buy tea and request to see the owner were all tea lovers who discussed topics related to tea, but Ye Hongsheng was no longer as timid and tongue-tied as before when speaking with people.

In the distance, Manager Huang Yaozu stood behind the counter, constantly looking in their direction.

Huang Yaozu had been promoted by Ye Hongchang and was most loyal to him. Although Ye Hongsheng had managed the Capital’s Fragrance Collection Tower for a period recently, compared to the smooth and sophisticated eldest master, Huang Yaozu felt that Ye Hongsheng lacked ability and wasn’t convinced by this second master.

Now, seeing Ye Hongsheng surrounded by Fan Yu and others, eloquently discussing various tea sets while the eldest master stood with him being ignored, he couldn’t help feeling indignant on behalf of his master.

He said to Ye Hongchang, “Master, when Lord Fan comes next time, you should receive him yourself, no need to specially call the Second Master over.”

Ye Hongchang shook his head: “I’ve been in the capital for over ten years and have received Lord Fan and the others countless times. Have you ever seen them take notice of me?”

“Wasn’t that because we didn’t have these tea sets before? Lord Fan and the others are here for the tea sets.”

“No, no,” Ye Hongchang said. “You don’t understand.”

“My younger brother is obsessed with tea making, has a pure heart, and even possesses a certain naivety. He also likes to read books—all kinds of miscellaneous books—so while his knowledge may not be profound, it is wide-ranging. Combined with the tea ceremony, tea brewing techniques, and tea philosophy taught to him by Ming’er, plus his extremely sensitive taste, he is unlike a merchant and more like a scholar. That’s why Lord Fan and the others enjoy conversing with him.”

Huang Yaozu seemed thoughtful.

“Manager Huang, I know you are loyal to me. But you also know our family’s situation. If not for the Third Miss of the second branch, our family might have been ruined. The Old Master greatly values the Third Miss. He arranged for the Second Master to come to the capital, partly because I was injured and couldn’t travel, but more because he hoped the second branch would also be involved. In the future, the Third Miss will stay in the family and marry into, participating in the family business decisions. You must change your attitude toward the Second Master in the future and must not have any contempt in your heart.”

When Ye Yaming had decisively dealt with Meng Chengwei, Ye Hongchang had been wary of his niece’s formidable methods and decided not to contend with her. When Song Yifeng was sent to prison by Ye Yaming and sentenced to lifelong exile, Ye Hongchang decided to submit to Ye Yaming.

And when “The Tea Classic” was sent from Lin’an, and his father said it was written by Ye Yaming, and after seeing Master Zhineng’s postscript at the end of the book, confirming that the book’s appearance was not his father hiring a ghostwriter to bring fame to Ye Yaming, Ye Hongchang had no other thoughts.

But his father had repeatedly emphasized that the fact that “The Tea Classic” was written by Ye Yaming should not be told to anyone except the two brothers, not even their trusted servants. He had specifically instructed them to burn his letter after reading it, lest someone think Ye Yaming was uncannily intelligent and bring trouble to her.

Therefore, Huang Yaozu did not know that “The Tea Classic” came from Ye Yaming’s hand.

So Ye Hongchang felt it necessary to correct his trusted subordinate’s attitude.

Huang Yaozu was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply to Ye Hongchang: “Thank you for the hint, Master.”

He knew that Ye Hongchang was giving him this hint partly out of appreciation for his loyalty, and partly because he didn’t want his trusted manager from the first branch to disrespect the Second Master, which might cause the Second Master to harbor resentment toward the first branch.