“Definitely, definitely.” Whether it was his tea or his daughter’s, being appreciated and praised made Ye Hongsheng extremely happy.

After this brief conversation, the father and daughter from the Ye family said their goodbyes and left.

Once in the carriage, Ye Hongsheng slightly raised his eyes and glanced at his daughter.

The two men they had encountered today were both exceptional, in his view, much better than Song Yifeng. He worried his daughter might have developed some thoughts about them.

Ye Yaming was frowning in contemplation.

It seemed Qi Ji and Lu Guanyi were very good friends, possibly even relatives. Since Qi Ji liked tea and was knowledgeable about it, why hadn’t he recommended some tea varieties to Lu Guanyi instead of letting him make random purchases?

Before coming, she had inquired about Lu Guanyi’s purchasing habits at Jixiang House. He bought all kinds of tea—ten cakes of each pressed tea and ten jin of each loose tea—spreading his purchases evenly without showing any preference.

What kind of person would buy tea this way? Why would he buy so much tea? Surely he couldn’t be like modern inspectors, testing and researching every type of tea from the Ye family?

Sensing her father’s scrutiny, she simply voiced her doubts aloud.

Once she mentioned it, Ye Hongsheng also found it peculiar.

Although in recent years he had been immersed in tea production, spending every day at the tea factory rather than at the tea house or tea pavilion, in his younger days he had accompanied Ye Chongming and spent time in both establishments. He knew something about customer psychology and preferences.

People with means who enjoyed good tea would only buy premium varieties; they wouldn’t even consider middle or lower grades, let alone touch them. Even if their family fortunes declined or their purses tightened, they would rather buy less but still insist on good tea, never settling for inferior grades.

Those who weren’t particular about tea and drank it merely to quench their thirst, or those with limited means, would only buy middle or lower grade tea. Even if they occasionally had more money, they wouldn’t buy premium grades because they knew that after tasting good tea, inferior tea would become hard to swallow.

Of course, some were passionate about certain types of tea.

In any case, there was no one like Lu Guanyi who showed no preference and bought every kind of tea.

This Young Master Lu’s intentions were truly puzzling.

“Don’t worry about him. It doesn’t affect us anyway. From his attitude earlier, he bears us no ill will. His demeanor may seem distant, but he’s kind. As for why he buys so much tea and every variety, let’s not concern ourselves with that,” he said casually.

Ye Yaming nodded, and seeing they were approaching their next destination, she put the matter aside.

Next, Ye Yaming accompanied Ye Hongsheng to several more households.

Tea cakes were expensive, and those who could afford them were generally financially well-off. Therefore, most customers lived in this area, with only a few residing elsewhere, which spared them the trouble of traveling back and forth.

Although Ye Hongsheng was somewhat taciturn, having grown up in a merchant family and being brought along by Ye Chongming to conduct business since his teens, he could still converse, albeit briefly, before running out of words and letting the conversation lapse into awkward silence.

At such times, Ye Yaming would interject with a few sentences, offering both parties a graceful transition, or helping to patch up what Ye Hongsheng had said, making the situation less awkward. Meanwhile, she would also make things clear: having accepted compensation from the Ye family, the recipients were expected not to pursue the matter further with the Ye family or spread rumors outside.

When Meng Chengwei dug this pit for the Ye family, he intended to be their savior, not truly wanting to destroy them or attract a pack of wolves to feast.

These tea customers had been carefully selected by him and Ding Jian, and were not unreasonable people. Besides, since they had purchased contraband tea from the Ye family, if the matter came to light, not only would the Ye family be sent to the authorities, but they would also face consequences. After all, both buying and selling contraband tea were illegal.

Moreover, they bought this contraband tea because it was cheap and tasted good. If it hadn’t been moldy, they would only regret not buying more.

Now that the Ye family had compensated them with silk worth several times the value of the moldy tea cakes and shown sincere attitudes, they naturally wouldn’t make things difficult. They all returned the contraband tea to the Ye family and promised not to pursue the matter further or spread rumors.

Thus, before dinnertime, the father and daughter had already visited all the households on their list and smoothly retrieved the problematic contraband tea.

As they left the last house, Ye Hongsheng asked Ye Yaming, “Do you want to visit the Song family?”

“Huh?” Ye Yaming was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Ye Hongsheng’s eyes turn in one direction, his face showing slight displeasure, she followed his gaze and turned to look in that direction, puzzled.

There, a woman in her thirties stood at a doorway, smiling brightly and talking to an elderly woman in her fifties. Being about a dozen meters away and with the noise of people coming and going in the street, Ye Yaming couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Searching through the original owner’s memories, Ye Yaming realized this woman was Madam Yu, Song Yifeng’s widowed mother.

Behind Madam Yu was the two-courtyard house that the Song family had purchased not long ago.

She hadn’t expected that the last household, which had only bought two tea cakes, would be neighbors with the Song family.

She frowned, about to call Ye Hongsheng to get in the carriage, when she saw Madam Yu turn her face, her gaze meeting directly with Ye Yaming’s.

Madam Yu’s face suddenly blossomed into a big smile, and she excitedly hurried over. First, she curtsied to Ye Hongsheng, calling him, “Father-in-law.”

Then she took Ye Yaming’s hand and said affectionately, “Yaming, I haven’t seen you for so long. When did you return from the mountain? Why haven’t you come to visit? How is your health? Are you feeling better?”

She cast a subtle glance at Ye Hongsheng, then smiled and said, “Have you come to visit me? Quickly come inside and sit. Xiaofeng will be back from school soon.”

“Ah, no,” Ye Yaming withdrew her hand from Madam Yu’s and smiled at her, “Father and I came out to buy some things and are about to head back. I’ll come to see you another day.”

Ever since her engagement, the original owner had kept Song Yifeng in her heart. Using the excuse that Song Yifeng was busy with his studies and his mother had no one to care for her, if not daily, she would visit Madam Yu every few days, bringing various meats, vegetables, and pastries.

The original owner had a monthly allowance of one tael of silver, and this one tael was basically all spent on the Song family. Apart from buying vegetables, the Song family’s other expenses for meat, fruit, and pastries were all covered by the original owner. During festivals and holidays, the original owner would also make clothes for Madam Yu and Song Yifeng.

Of course, these were all extras. The Ye family supported Song Yifeng’s studies, giving him an annual basic living allowance of two hundred taels of silver. If he needed to participate in activities, such as taking the imperial examinations, attending poetry gatherings, or going on academic visits, the Ye family would provide additional funds. The annual expenditure on him would reach three to four hundred taels.

As for the Song family’s residence—a two-courtyard compound with over ten rooms made of blue brick and tiles, located in a good area and including a well—it had cost only eight hundred taels of silver. This house was purchased after Song Yifeng passed the provincial examinations, when the Ye family, to congratulate him, gave him a red envelope containing six hundred taels of silver.