“Father, rest assured, I will show greater respect to Second Uncle, and will respect Second Aunt and Cousin Ming’er just as I respect Second Uncle,” he promised, patting his chest.

Seeing that Ye Hongsheng had returned from Tongxiang with a new beverage that could become another pillar of the Ye family’s tea house business, and one not constrained by tea regulations, it was evident that his second brother was quite capable and not as dull as he usually appeared. Ye Hongchang became even more determined to maintain good relations with the Second Branch.

Hearing his elder brother praise Ye Yaming, Ye Hongsheng was happier than if he had received the praise himself, and quickly offered a few modest words before praising Ye Jiaxing in return.

Ordinarily, Ye Chongming would be delighted to see brotherly harmony. But with his mind preoccupied with Ye Yaming’s situation, he was truly impatient to listen to their mutual commercial flattery.

He turned to Old Lady Ye and asked, “How is Ming’er’s tea production coming along?”

“Very smoothly,” Old Lady Ye said, “but unfortunately there isn’t much loose tea, and we can’t collect many more osmanthus flowers.”

Lin’an city wasn’t known for producing osmanthus flowers; there were just a few planted in front of or behind houses with large courtyards for their fragrance. After sending people to collect for several days, the osmanthus flowers were becoming scarcer each day. With loose tea also limited, Ye Yaming planned to finish production today and then stop.

Knowing that osmanthus tea would certainly be sought after once it hit the market, but unable to make more due to the lack of tea base and osmanthus flowers, Old Lady Ye felt quite distressed.

“One must not be too greedy in all matters,” Ye Chongming said. “At this critical moment, Ming’er’s ability to produce osmanthus tea is already a great blessing for our Ye family. Don’t be excessively greedy.”

“I was merely expressing a casual regret,” Old Lady Ye said with mock indignation.

Soon after, Ye Yaming entered and greeted everyone with proper courtesy.

Seeing Ye Hongsheng’s return, she was delighted. And from his excited expression, she knew his journey had not been in vain.

After inquiring about the chrysanthemum tea situation, she asked Ye Chongming about the tea mountain affairs.

Upon hearing that the Meng family had sent people to spread rumors, she immediately said, “Grandfather, I’ve almost finished producing the osmanthus tea. Please send a reliable person to deliver the tea to the Capital, and then let’s set a date for the osmanthus tea to be launched simultaneously in the Capital and Lin’an.”

Ye Chongming nodded: “I was thinking the same thing. Since Meng Chengwei has spread rumors on the tea mountain and couldn’t secure tea orders, he will certainly spread rumors in the city as well, affecting my position in the tea business. Once rumors spread widely, even if we launch Osmanthus tea, it will be affected. It’s better to plug this leak from the beginning.”

As he spoke, he sighed inwardly.

He wondered when Magistrate Qi would finish trying the case and bring Meng Chengwei to justice, putting him in prison.

“Yes, that’s exactly right,” Ye Yaming smiled.

Ye Chongming asked further, “How much osmanthus tea has been produced in total?”

“Five to six hundred jin,” Ye Yaming replied.

For the Ye family, with their large tea shops and tea houses in both the Capital and Lin’an, five to six hundred jin of tea wasn’t much; it would sell out quickly.

Ye Chongming had just advised Old Lady Ye not to be greedy, but upon hearing there was only this amount of tea, he couldn’t help feeling regretful that they couldn’t earn more money.

Ye Yaming noticed his regret and smiled, “Grandfather, don’t worry. If osmanthus can be used for scenting tea, then jasmine certainly can too. When jasmine blooms next summer, we can make jasmine tea.”

“Really?” Ye Chongming’s cloudy eyes suddenly sparked with hope.

Ye Yaming nodded: “The principle is the same.”

“Then can other flowers also be used to scent tea?” Ye Hongsheng immediately entered a research mindset.

Ye Yaming smiled and nodded, prompting him: “Yes. And I think not only can flowers be used for scenting, but different aromas can also be brought out from the tea leaves themselves.”

“Father, have you noticed? The tea trees on the sunny side of the mountaintop, although their leaves aren’t as tender and green as those on the mid-mountain slope, have a stronger aroma than those from the mid-mountain slope.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Ye Hongsheng, the research enthusiast, had found a kindred spirit and immediately launched into a detailed explanation of how tea leaves grown at different heights, in different soils, and from different varieties of tea trees produced varying flavors.

By now, Madam Yu had already prepared chrysanthemum tea for everyone at Old Lady Ye’s instruction.

Seeing Ye Hongsheng becoming animated while discussing tea with Ye Yaming’s occasional affirmation, showing none of his usual dullness, both Ye Chongming and Old Lady Ye felt extremely complex emotions.

They had always favored the First Branch and overlooked the Second Branch, but now it seemed they had been wrong.

When the family faced hardship, it was the father and daughter of the Second Branch who held up a piece of the Ye family’s sky. Considering the broad prospects that osmanthus tea would bring to the Ye family, the two felt that perhaps the Ye family’s future revival would indeed depend on the Second Branch.

Ye Chongming suddenly said, “Hongsheng, you’ve had a tiring journey to Tongxiang. However, you’ll need to make another tiring trip to deliver this tea to the Capital.”

He pointed to the package of osmanthus tea that Ye Yaming had brought.

Ye Hongsheng was momentarily stunned, but then nodded and said, “Very well.”

He didn’t think much about it. In his view, his elder brother and nephew were both injured and couldn’t travel; his fourth brother had caused trouble and been beaten with several dozen strokes by their father, and was also lying in bed recovering. The eldest of his fourth brother’s two sons was only seven years old. Who else could deliver the tea to the Capital but him?

Ye Yaming, however, glanced at Ye Chongming.

Perhaps when Ye Hongsheng was younger, Ye Chongming had sent him to handle such important matters, but later, seeing that he wasn’t eloquent, had abandoned the idea of grooming him.

In the original owner’s memory, the family’s major business affairs were always handled by her First Uncle. Her eldest cousin, Ye Jiaxing, had also begun participating in the family business when he was fifteen. When they weren’t available, Ye Hongrong would be called upon.

Conversely, Ye Hongsheng, who was in his prime, only stayed in the tea factory. Whatever the matter, Ye Chongming would never remember he had a second son.

Now, tasking Ye Hongsheng wasn’t just because the First Branch father and son were injured, but also because he valued the Second Branch and wanted to reward her.

It should be noted that Ye Jiaxing’s minor injuries, after these days of recovery, were no longer serious. He could certainly go to the Capital. After all, he would be sitting in a carriage, not walking on his own.

Ye Chongming’s willingness to rely on Ye Hongsheng was naturally a good thing. The Second Branch’s prominence would be extremely advantageous for her to gain greater influence.

“Grandfather,” Ye Yaming reminded, “Meng Chengwei may still be watching us. The osmanthus tea cannot be transported to the Capital so openly. It’s better to first transport the tea to Grand Uncle’s home and depart from there. My father should disguise himself as someone from the Mei family or as a guard traveling with the carriage, and only remove the disguise after leaving Lin’an’s borders, with escort from professional guards.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Ye Chongming realized that his considerations weren’t as thorough as those of young Ye Yaming.

Mainly because the Great Jin was peaceful and prosperous, and the road from Lin’an to the Capital was an official road, very safe. Ye Hongchang had traveled back and forth seven or eight times every year for more than a decade without encountering any trouble.

When he had previously hired escorts from the protection agency to meet Ye Hongchang on the road to the Capital, Guan Canghai had been very surprised. Usually, escort services were hired for remote areas; the road from the Capital to Lin’an didn’t require protection at all.

Although it was said that Ye Hongsheng would deliver the tea to the Capital, he had just returned and certainly needed to rest for a couple of days. Tomorrow was also the Mid-Autumn Festival, so Ye Hongsheng didn’t mention the matter of departure.