With the Ye family’s social standing, it would be somewhat difficult for Ye Yaming to marry a Juren. After all, those who passed the provincial examination at a young age all had promising futures and were proud. They could use their Juren status to secure a comfortable life for themselves without needing the Ye family’s help.

Madam Tao was determined to marry Ye Yaqing to a Juren, but even now hadn’t secured an engagement—this was precisely the reason.

But Xiucai scholars were different. The Jiangnan region was a place of talented people, and there were many unmarried young Xiucai. Many were willing to marry a wealthy young lady and rely on their in-laws’ support to continue studying for the imperial examinations. At the same time, some believed that young ladies from merchant families were superior to illiterate poor girls from humble backgrounds in terms of social skills and knowledge, and they preferred to marry the former.

There were many conscientious people in this world; not everyone was like Song Yifeng!

Moreover, Ye Hongsheng had confidence in his daughter. No matter whom she married, she would be able to keep her husband in check and live a good life. With Song Yifeng’s fate as an example, the other party wouldn’t dare to have any devious thoughts.

When Ye Chongming heard his son’s words, his expression cracked for an instant.

If Ye Yaming had never mentioned bringing in a son-in-law, it would have been fine. But she had brought it up, and he had seen her capabilities, giving rise to the hope that she would lead the Ye family to glory. Now to be told that they wouldn’t bring in a son-in-law after all—it was like having his heart dug out and made to suffer.

But he couldn’t express opposition; doing so would be too selfish and would hurt his granddaughter’s feelings. Once her heart was chilled, the Ye family would be finished.

He could only look expectantly at Ye Yaming.

Seeing this, Ye Yaming looked back at him and asked, “Grandfather, what do you think?”

“I… well…” Ye Chongming stammered for a moment, then haltingly said, “I have no objection either.”

“It’s just… Ming’er,” he looked at Ye Yaming pitifully, “the prosperity of the Ye family depends on you. Even if you marry, you can’t neglect the Ye family.”

Seeing his father like this, Ye Hongsheng felt a mix of anger, amusement, and heartache.

He said, “Father, you don’t need to be like this. Even if we keep Ming’er at home, after you and Mother pass away, our branch of the family will still have to separate. Otherwise, the positions of my elder brother and Jiaxing in the family would be awkward. By then, even if Ming’er stays home and brings in a son-in-law, our two branches can only be considered business partners, don’t you agree?”

As the second son who wasn’t as capable as his elder brother, Ye Hongsheng had never had any ambitions before. After his parents passed away and the Ye family divided its assets, he would have accepted his one-tenth share according to custom.

But his daughter was so capable, and now most of the Ye family’s business was supported by her. While young unmarried girls like Ye Yaqing and Ye Yayin stayed comfortably at home eating, drinking, and playing, Ye Yaming had to brave snow and wind to climb mountains and wade through waters in Huizhou.

Thinking of this, his heart was filled with a dense, fine pain.

Because of this, he had to think more about certain matters. He had to plan for his daughter.

According to his father’s wishes, even after he was gone, the Ye family would not divide, and Ye Yaming would manage the household and sustain the Ye family’s prosperity.

But what about later? When Ye Yaming was no longer capable, or after she passed away, the family would naturally have to divide. At that time, would the first branch still get seven-tenths, and the second branch still only get one-tenth?

On what basis?

Would his daughter labor mentally and physically her entire life just to earn money for the first branch?

So this family had to divide when his father passed away. If the first branch wanted his daughter to support the business, it should be like their cooperation with Lu and Qi—show sincerity by discussing profit distribution, sign contracts, and divide the profits according to merit.

No one should expect to leech off his daughter!

“Anyway, I won’t have any more sons in the future, so I’ll treat Ming’er as my son. Even if she marries, she can still inherit my family property. If my elder brother wants to partner with me, Ming’er will naturally contribute. She’s not a child who disregards family affection. When Meng Chengwei tried to harm us, she stood up to strategize for the family, so she will certainly do her best for the joint business.”

His speech left Ye Chongming and Old Madam Ye dumbfounded.

Who said their second son was dull? Wasn’t he quite eloquent?

Ye Yaming was both moved and happy about her adoptive father’s transformation.

It seemed that the capital had tempered him well. Spending his days in the teahouse receiving scholars and literati had improved Ye Hongsheng’s eloquence. The recognition from these people had also given him great confidence, helping him overcome his social anxiety and express his thoughts fluently.

Ye Chongming deeply disagreed with Ye Hongsheng’s words. As the family patriarch, he hoped the Ye family would always remain a unified whole, with the brothers loving and supporting each other.

Old Madam Ye also didn’t want the family to divide.

She wasn’t worried about her other sons; she was worried that Ye Hongrong would quickly squander his portion of the family property once he received it. Then the fourth branch would have nothing to eat.

But the elderly couple knew that since Ye Hongsheng had said these words, they couldn’t pretend not to have heard. Considering Ye Yaming’s feelings, they couldn’t oppose but had to agree.

Ye Chongming didn’t express his position but turned to ask Ye Yaming, “Ming’er, what do you think?”

Ye Yaming saw the expectation in the old man’s eyes.

She naturally knew what Ye Chongming wanted.

But in her previous life, she had never had it easy from birth until her death; she had always been working. Her fragile shoulders had carried too much.

Back then, the senior shareholders of the company had encouraged her like this: “We have a responsibility to the company’s employees. If the enterprise collapses, thousands of families will lose their source of income. Can you bear that? Moreover, we also carry the important task of earning foreign currency for the country. If people in the Ming Dynasty could exchange tea for so much silver, so can we.”

Was she not tired? Of course, she was tired.

When others were on vacation, she was working; when others were enjoying fine food, she was wolfing down her meals so she could quickly get back to work.

Having been reborn, after saving the Ye family and fulfilling the original owner’s wish, she didn’t want to carry all the burdens anymore.

So from the beginning, she had planned to do as Ye Hongsheng said—divide the family after the elderly couple passed away. If Ye Hongchang and Ye Hongrong still wanted her to manage the business and earn money together, they would have to redefine the shares, dividing profits according to investment and contribution.

Originally, this issue could have remained unspoken to avoid hurting the elderly people’s feelings.

But her adoptive father had such a deep love for his daughter, and since he had become the “villain” for her sake, she couldn’t let down his affection.

She apologetically told Ye Chongming, “I’ll listen to my father. After all, my father truly cares for me. He genuinely loves me.”

When Ye Chongming heard her first sentence, his eyes immediately dimmed. But when he heard her latter words, he was taken aback, and suddenly felt somewhat ashamed.

He couldn’t help but reflect: Could it be that his love for Ye Yaming wasn’t as much as he imagined? Could it be that deep down, he still favored the first branch?

Since both father and daughter had spoken this way, if the elderly couple objected further, it would alienate the second branch. Old Madam Ye had both the clarity to recognize the situation and a genuine affection for Ye Yaming.