“Haha, it’s nothing, just a cut on my leg. It’s not even bleeding anymore, don’t worry,” Ye Jiaxing laughed.

“You’re still laughing! You scared me to death,” Madam Guan complained.

Following Meng Chengwei’s gaze, Old Master Ye had already noticed Ye Yaming.

Seeing how Meng Chengwei’s eyes kept lingering on Ye Yaming, he frowned slightly and said to everyone, “Why are you all still standing around? Hurry and bring a sedan chair to carry the eldest young master back to his room! What does it look like with the whole family crying and wailing here?”

Madam Guan’s face reddened, and she quickly called for people to bring a sedan chair.

Before leaving, Ye Jiaxing thanked Meng Chengwei once more and said, “Young Master Meng, since you have no place to stay in Baifeng County, if you don’t mind, why not stay at our humble home? I won’t boast about anything else, but we have plenty of empty courtyards, and you’re welcome to stay as long as you wish.”

“How could I impose? I’d better stay at an inn,” Meng Chengwei politely declined.

If Old Master Ye hadn’t noticed how Meng Chengwei was looking at Ye Yaming, he would certainly have warmly insisted that the guest stay.

But now he went along with Meng Chengwei’s words, saying, “This is just a resting place at the tea plantation, with modest accommodations, a remote location, and inconvenient transportation. I fear we would fail to properly host such an esteemed guest. The Rugui Inn in the county is owned by Jiaxing’s uncle. I’ll have someone reserve a superior courtyard for you, and Young Master Meng can stay as long as you wish. You needn’t worry about lodging or meals—just make yourself comfortable.”

Meng Chengwei was slightly taken aback.

He had saved Ye Jiaxing, and the Ye family had many rooms. Moreover, the county town was still seven or eight li away, and it was already late afternoon. Shouldn’t the Ye family warmly invite him to stay? At the very least, shouldn’t they offer him a meal? How was it that after his polite refusal, Old Master Ye was so eager to send him away?

But with the host speaking so clearly, it would be awkward for him to insist on staying. He could only bow and say, “Old Master Ye need not be so polite. I’ll arrange my accommodations at the inn.”

Though Ye Jiaxing didn’t understand, he keenly sensed his grandfather’s coldness toward Meng Chengwei.

The Ye family villa next to the tea plantation had plenty of rooms with decent conditions, and even in Baifeng County, seven or eight li away, they had another residence that was maintained by servants and ready for occupancy at any time. If they truly appreciated Meng Chengwei, they shouldn’t have asked him to stay at an inn. His grandfather disliked this young man who had brought him back.

He had always respected his grandfather’s wisdom. So he didn’t say anything more, just thanked Meng Chengwei again before leaving in the sedan chair, no longer mentioning the possibility of having Meng Chengwei stay with them.

Ye Yaming naturally left with him and the group that included his sister-in-law and cousin.

After they left, only Meng Chengwei, Old Master Ye, and the servants remained in the hall. The polite exchanges had already been made, and since the Ye family showed no intention of hosting him, Meng Chengwei could hardly linger. He rose to take his leave.

Old Master Ye, unwilling to be indebted, had people prepare a generous gift and arranged for someone to escort Meng Chengwei down the mountain and reserve an upper courtyard for him at the Rugui Inn.

Although Ye Jiaxing’s horse had been startled, his attendants had protected him, and he had only suffered a skin wound on his leg from a stone when he fell, causing minimal bleeding. Meng Chengwei’s so-called “rescue” merely consisted of approaching to inquire when he witnessed the scene and then escorting him back—hardly a life-saving grace.

The Ye family’s response to this point was sufficient to repay this favor, with all proper courtesies observed.

Ye Yaming followed the eldest branch of the family out and accompanied them to their courtyard gate. She seriously addressed Ye Jiaxing: “Elder Brother, that man—I observed he has shifty eyes and doesn’t seem like a good person. You’d better not associate with him.”

Ye Jiaxing was momentarily stunned.

While Meng Chengwei might not be exceedingly handsome, he was at least a fine young gentleman with clear features and an upright bearing, displaying natural grace and noble air in his every movement—completely at odds with the description “shifty eyes.” He wondered how his cousin had arrived at such a conclusion.

If his grandfather hadn’t so unceremoniously sent the man away, Ye Jiaxing would certainly have dismissed his cousin’s words as childish talk. But now he began to have doubts.

Could there be something improper about Meng Chengwei that he had failed to notice?

After saying this, Ye Yaming returned to her courtyard without saying anything more to Old Master Ye.

She knew that her brief appearance earlier had been sufficient.

The original owner of this body had snow-white skin, delicate features, and especially beautiful eyes. In the original owner’s memories, Meng Chengwei had been smitten with her at first sight.

However, he was already married, and the Ye family was merely a large landowner and tea merchants of Jiangnan, without power or influence. Meng Chengwei looked down on the Ye family from the core of his being, believing that if he proposed taking the original Ye Yaming as a concubine, the Ye family would surely agree with delight.

But Old Master Ye had already arranged a betrothal for the original Ye Yaming to Song Yifeng, a scholar. They had been engaged since he was just a student and had invested considerable money in his education. Now Song Yifeng had just passed the provincial examination, with a bright future ahead.

Even though Meng Chengwei’s aunt was a concubine of the current emperor and his family was imperial merchants, they were still merchants, and in Old Master Ye’s eyes, Meng Chengwei was far inferior to Song Yifeng. Not to mention becoming a concubine, which would disgrace the family’s reputation.

Moreover, currying favor with the powerful by breaking promises was not the Ye family’s way. Old Master Ye immediately rejected this marriage proposal.

Meng Chengwei was a deeply scheming person. After being rejected, he harbored resentment toward the Ye family but showed no sign of it outwardly, causing Old Master Ye to greatly admire him. As a result, Meng Chengwei dug a huge pit for the Ye family, using them to escape trouble himself while leaving the Ye family broken and destroyed.

In this life, Ye Yaming was determined not to let Meng Chengwei’s scheme succeed.

Early the next morning, Madam Tao and Ye Yaqing planned to take Ye Jiaxing down the mountain.

The Ye family ancestral home was located in Linan Prefecture, in a different direction from Baifeng County. Although Ye Jiaxing had his wound treated by a doctor the previous night and had taken medicine, feeling reasonably well, wounds were most vulnerable to infection with heat. The doctors in the prefecture city were generally more skilled. He had come up the mountain with Ye Chongming to learn how to fertilize tea trees under his grandfather’s guidance. Now that he was injured and unable to do anything, he planned to return to the city.

“Qing’er and Ming’er will go down the mountain with you tomorrow. With your elder brother and sister-in-law leaving, I’m not comfortable having you two girls stay on the mountain. You should all return together,” Ye Chongming said during breakfast, rarely showing a stern face.

The Ye family had always been indulgent and doting toward girls. When Ye Chongming took his grandson up the mountain to observe the fertilization of the tea garden, Ye Yaming had insisted on coming along for an outing. Ye Jiaxing, not wanting to be separated from his newlywed wife, had encouraged Madam Guan and Ye Yaqing to join them, and Ye Chongming had agreed.

But now that Madam Guan and Ye Jiaxing were going down the mountain, leaving two girls alone in this sparsely populated mountain area, Ye Chongming was genuinely concerned. Especially after seeing Meng Chengwei’s entranced and fascinated gaze the day before.

Ye Yaming’s family in her previous life had owned large tea plantations and had a dedicated research group for tea cultivation and production. She had come up the mountain wanting to see the tea gardens of this era and specifically the condition of the Ye family’s tea plantation.

Over these past two days, she had seen the Ye family tea plantation thoroughly.