Chapter 78 -

Chapter 78: Chapter

Yimei stepped out of the dining hall, letting out a long breath. She walked quickly back to the main courtyard, feeling the morning breeze on her face.

Inside her room, Qinqin was already waiting with a fresh set of clothes.

"Young Madame! How did breakfast go?" Qinqin asked eagerly, helping Yimei change into a simple but elegant green silk robe. "Did the rival branches cause trouble?"

"They tried, but we walked away with the keys to the spring harvest," Yimei said with a small laugh. "Get your coat, Qinqin. We are leaving the manor."

Qinqin nodded quickly and grabbed her outer cloak. Leaving the Bai Manor every single morning had become a completely normal routine for Yimei, so no one in the household batted an eye as they stepped through the gates.

A short while later, their carriage pulled up right in front of Wenlong Teahouse.

Looking at the bustling building, Yimei felt a small pang in her chest. Ever since her own teahouse had been burned to the ground, Xiao Jun had kindly let her use space inside his Wenlong Teahouse to run her business temporarily while she figured out her next move. Right across the street sat Fuji Teahouse, owned by her sneaky competitor Mr. Gu, but Wenlong Teahouse was still thriving.

Yimei walked straight through the main hall, greeting Liu Fang, who was already hard at work managing the kitchen area. She then headed up the carved wooden stairs toward the private rooms on the second floor.

She knocked twice on the heavy wooden door at the end of the hall before pushing it open.

Inside sat Xiao Jun, the son of the Minister of War. He was dressed in rich navy silk, sipping tea as he looked over some papers.

When Xiao Jun looked up and saw Yimei walk in, a bright, handsome smile lit up his face.

"Young Madame An," Xiao Jun greeted, standing up politely and gesturing toward the empty chair across from him. "You’re right on time today."

Yimei walked in and sat down, while Qinqin remained standing near the door.

"I came today specifically to thank you, Young Master Xiao," Yimei said, looking straight at him with a warm, sincere smile. "Without your shadow guards and your private carriage last week, our trip would have been a complete disaster. Thank you for helping me."

Xiao Jun leaned back in his chair, fanning himself with a slow, dramatic smirk. "Oh, please. Young Madame Bai actually bowing her head to thank me? Careful, An Yimei, don’t strain your neck. You might accidentally act like a proper lady."

Yimei didn’t even blink. She casually set her cup down and looked at him with a fake, sweet smile. "I only thank people who manage to do a decent job, Xiao Jun. Your shadow guards didn’t break the carriage, so you get bare-minimum credit. Don’t let it go to your head."

Xiao Jun snorted, shutting his fan with a sharp clack. "Bare-minimum credit? That was my finest carriage and my best men! You know, for someone who lost her own teahouse to a fire and is currently freeloading in my Wenlong empire, you sure talk a lot of trash."

"I am not freeloading," Yimei said coolly, resting her chin on her hand as she glared right back at her business partner. "I am gracing your teahouse with my presence and keeping your lazy staff in line. Without my tea recipes on your menu, half your high-paying customers across the street would be sitting at Mr. Gu’s Fuji Teahouse right now."

"Ouch," Xiao Jun chuckled, though he couldn’t deny it. He leaned across the table, his dark eyes glinting with curiosity. "So, what grand scheme brings you here today, my dear partner? Other than insulting my generosity?"

"I need market reports on spring seed prices, fertilizers, and top supplier contacts by this afternoon," Yimei said, cutting straight to the point.

Xiao Jun stopped fanning himself, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "Seed prices? Supplier contacts? What on earth does the Young Madame of the Bai family need farm supply contacts for? Explain yourself properly, An Yimei. I don’t just throw my top network contacts around without knowing what you’re up to."

"You don’t need to know my personal business," Yimei replied smoothly, casually spinning her teacup. "All you need to know is that if I get these suppliers, it brings more profit to our shared ventures. Unless the grand owner of the Wenlong empire doesn’t have the brainpower to track down a few seed merchants?"

Xiao Jun’s smirk cut off, replaced by a narrow, annoyed glare. "Watch your tongue, woman. I can get those reports in my sleep. You’re as secretive as ever, aren’t you?"

"Good," Yimei smirked, taking another sip of tea. "Then stop asking questions and get to work."

Xiao Jun just laughed. He pulled open a drawer, grabbed a scroll, and tossed it across the table.

An Yimei caught it. "What is this?"

"Everything you need for tomorrow," Xiao Jun said, leaning back with a smug grin. "The guest list and their exact tea preferences for my sister’s engagement."

Yimei snapped the scroll open. Her eyes darted down the endless rows of ink. "Xiao Jun, there are hundreds of names here. You expect me to prep all this in one day?"

"Consider it a test of your skills, business partner." He snapped his fan open, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "You get full run of my family’s kitchen starting at dawn. If the tea tastes like dirt, I’m blaming you."

Yimei rolled the scroll shut with a sharp snap. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t panic. Instead, a dangerous, confident smile touched her lips. She handed the scroll to Qinqin and stood up, smoothing her silk dress.

"I will be there before the sun is up," Yimei said, her voice dripping with pure confidence. "But when my tea completely outshines your entire party, don’t come crying to me."

Xiao Jun laughed softly, leaning back as he watched An Yimei march out of the room with Qinqin right behind her. Her fearless attitude was highly entertaining.

The second the door clicked shut, his smile vanished. The playful boss was gone.

"Ah Hei."

A figure stepped out from the shadows near the wall. Dressed in dark clothes with a deadly serious expression, his personal guard bowed. "Yes, Young Master."

Xiao Jun drummed his fingers on the table. "Track down everything on the spring seeds in the capital. I want the names of the merchants, the storage locations, the exact prices, and any suspicious activity."

"Understood."

"Make it fast," Xiao Jun warned, picking up his fan. "I do not want old news. I want to know exactly what is happening right now."

"Yes, Young Master." Ah Hei turned and vanished instantly.

Left alone in the quiet room, Xiao Jun stared at the door Yimei had just walked through. A faint, knowing smile returned to his lips.

"That woman," he murmured, shaking his head. "She really never knows when to back down."

Yimei didn’t waste a single second. She marched straight down the hall and pushed open the door to her small office.

Inside, her manager, Lin Fang, was checking a ledger. He jumped to his feet.

"Manager Lin, grab your brush," Yimei ordered, sitting behind her desk. "We have a massive order for tomorrow morning. I need fresh supplies before sunset."

Lin Fang grabbed his inkstone. "Tomorrow morning? Young Madame, that is no time at all! What is the event?"

"The engagement party for the Minister of War’s daughter," Yimei said calmly.

Lin Fang’s eyes went wide. "The Minister’s mansion? Should I prepare the standard floral blends?"

"No. Standard is boring," Yimei said, her eyes sharp with ambition. "Qinqin, read off the guest preferences. Lin Fang, write this down."

As Qinqin unrolled the scroll and read the list, Yimei rattled off her demands. "I need pure mountain spring water. But most importantly, I need the freshest, most potent ginger you can find, and a large supply of high-quality dried licorice root."

Lin Fang paused his brush, looking completely confused. "Ginger tea? For a high-society banquet? Young Madame, ginger is too spicy and common. And licorice root has such a strong flavor. It might ruin the event."

"It is exactly what we need," Yimei smiled with absolute confidence. "Madame Zhang advised me on this. If we brew a rich ginger tea and add the perfect amount of licorice root, it changes everything. The licorice leaves a lingering sweetness in the throat that perfectly balances the sudden heat of the ginger. It will cut right through the grease of the heavy banquet food and leave them wanting more."

She leaned forward, tapping her desk. "Tell the shopkeepers I will pay double for priority delivery. Every single ingredient must be in this teahouse before the sun goes down. I refuse to give Xiao Jun a single excuse to mock my work."

Lin Fang nodded frantically, blowing on the wet ink. "I will go to the market right now, Young Madame!"

As he rushed out, Yimei leaned back and took a deep breath. She wasn’t just making tea tomorrow. She was going to make sure every noble in the capital remembered her name.