Ye Yaqing didn’t decline, but bowed deeply to Ye Yaming: “Thank you, Third Sister.”

In her heart, she secretly resolved that after marriage, she would earn more money, and when Ye Yaming got married, she would not only return the favor but give even more.

A dowry was a woman’s only legitimate opportunity to obtain independent property in her lifetime. Even if she were to divorce later, she could take these assets with her, supporting her future life.

So the two shops that Ye Yaming gifted weren’t just money, nor merely goodwill. They were another talisman ensuring a worry-free livelihood for the rest of her life, apart from those provided by her grandparents and parents.

Old Lady Ye had always shown favoritism—previously favoring the first branch and her fourth son, but in recent years, favoring Ye Yaming.

Seeing Ye Yaming’s grand gesture, she felt pained for her third granddaughter and was also relieved that Madam Yin wasn’t here, or she would have been furious.

Even if Ye Yaqing wanted to return the favor in the future, even with money, she couldn’t buy such shops.

People said “one shop sustains three generations,” and a good shop location truly could support three generations of descendants. Instead of keeping such shops for herself, Ye Yaming gave them to Ye Yaqing as part of her dowry. This child was not only generous but also didn’t plan for herself!

Moreover, if these shops remained in Ye Yaming’s hands, they would stay in the Ye family. Given to Ye Yaqing, they would become the Xie family’s property.

The more Old Lady Ye thought about it, the more distressed she felt.

Madam Tao was also stunned by Ye Yaming’s generosity.

She and Ye Hongchang had given Ye Yaqing an estate worth ten thousand taels. Compared to Ye Yaming’s gifts, it made them look like stepparents.

She knew Ye Yaming had earned a sum from selling tea recipes. But even with money, being willing to give such fine shops to a cousin was rare.

Her feelings grew increasingly complex, and she sincerely said again: “Yaming, your aunt thanks you.”

After presenting her gifts, Ye Yaming prepared to leave: “Eldest Sister rarely comes back, you all should talk. I’m still busy over there, so I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, she bowed and prepared to depart.

“Hmm, I’ll go back too,” Old Lady Ye quickly stood up.

Ye Yaqing would be married off tomorrow, and Ye Yaxiu had come from afar, not having seen each other for years, so she had invited her over to sit and chat with her mother and sisters.

Now seeing Madam Tao and Ye Yaxiu’s behavior, she worried that staying longer would lead to an argument with the mother and daughter.

Better to leave with Ye Yaming and have a word with this generous child on the way.

As soon as they left the first branch’s courtyard, Old Lady Ye began to scold Ye Yaming: “Grandmother knows you sisters are close, but no matter how close, you could have given Qing’er ten thousand taels of silver to keep at the bottom of her trunk. Why shops? Those shops are so hard to buy…” and so on.

Ye Yaming just smiled, listening to Old Lady Ye’s reprimand.

After Old Lady Ye finished speaking, she explained softly: “Those shops weren’t that difficult to buy. I had reliable intermediaries make careful inquiries, and by spending a bit more money, they could still be purchased. As for giving money, firstly, it’s easy to attract thieves, and secondly, if Second Sister isn’t cautious with money, it could be spent easily. Shops are different. Just the monthly rent is enough for Second Sister’s pocket money, and in the end, the shop remains.”

This was the truth.

She had hired a group of idle vagrants and beggars in Lin’an and the capital as informants, making it not too difficult to learn about the movements of these shop owners. Once she knew which shop owner was short of money, she would have intermediaries inquire, keep a close watch, and be willing to pay more, eventually making a purchase.

Moreover, the two shops she gave to Ye Yaqing were in locations two or three tiers below the prime locations, so their value was quite limited.

“You still didn’t need to give so much money. Your uncle and aunt, as her birth parents, only gave ten thousand taels, and the family fund only gave twenty thousand.”

“Grandmother,” Ye Yaming called to her, “Second Sister and I are close in age, and we’ve been close since we were young. My eldest sister and second sister, and I, and fourth sister, have larger age gaps, so even as blood sisters, our feelings aren’t as deep as between me and Second Sister. If she’s getting married and I didn’t have the means, that would be one thing. But since I have the ability, I hope to give Second Sister more assets to rely on.”

This was indeed the reason why Ye Yaming went to the trouble of buying two shops for Ye Yaqing.

Let alone the fact that the original owner had very deep feelings for Ye Yaqing, since she had transmigrated, apart from Madam Yin and Ye Yayin, it was Ye Yaqing who accompanied her and showed concern for her well-being. When she said she wanted to go to the mountain tea garden for some fresh air, Ye Yaqing accompanied her up the mountain without hesitation.

In her previous life, Ye Yaming had shallow family bonds and no close friends. After transmigrating to this world, Ye Yaqing’s pure, unadulterated sisterly affection warmed Ye Yaming’s heart.

In her previous life, Ye Yaming had more money than she could spend, and in this life, she wasn’t short of money either, so she viewed wealth lightly. With tens of thousands of taels and hundreds of thousands more to come, giving Ye Yaqing two shops at the most critical moment of her life was not something Ye Yaming needed to hesitate over.

“It’s not easy for women to establish themselves in this world. The only time they can gain control over property is when they marry. A dowry is not only a woman’s foundation in her husband’s family but also her foundation in the world. Since I have money, why not give more? Setting aside the family fund, there are many grandsons and granddaughters, and it’s impossible to give everyone a dowry of over a hundred thousand taels, and rules once established are hard to change. But I can’t manage what my uncle and aunt do. Everyone should give according to their heart.”

Before Ye Yaming became the family head, she might have considered Ye Hongchang and Madam Tao’s feelings, as well as Ye Hongsheng and Madam Yin’s situation.

Now that she was the family head, and Madam Tao’s petty thoughts were frequently revealed, she couldn’t be bothered to consider so much.

With that effort, wouldn’t it be better to earn more money?

“Since you understand this, you should plan for yourself. You’re not marrying into a family like the Xies. And as you said, the family fund’s rules can’t be easily changed, so even if you get more, it won’t be much more. Your own hundred thousand taels should be kept to prepare your dowry. And those two shops, you should keep for yourself. Your second sister’s husband’s family is in Lin’an, with your uncle and aunt watching over her, she won’t suffer.”

Old Lady Ye knew that Ye Yaming had given money to Madam Yin and opened shops for Ye Yayin and Ye Yayu. Those were her birth mother and sisters, and Ye Yayu was so pitiful, so there was nothing to say about that. But in Ye Yaqing’s case, she truly felt it unnecessary to give such substantial wedding gifts.

“If I only had these hundred thousand taels, I wouldn’t be so generous,” Ye Yaming smiled. “But later I’ll be selling several tea recipes. To be modest, at least three to five. Each will sell for hundreds of thousands of taels, and Grandfather will give me ten percent of each. Think about it, Grandmother, would I care about these ten thousand taels?”

Old Lady Ye heard this with widened eyes: “You… you have three to five more tea recipes to sell?”

“Yes,” Ye Yaming said. “Haven’t you tried the Tieguanyin I brought back from Minzhou? And you haven’t tasted the black tea I plan to sell to the border, right? Next spring, Huangshan Maofeng and Keemun black tea from Huizhou will also come to market. That’s already four types of tea. I plan to sell the recipe for each one, not to mention the income from selling the tea leaves themselves.”