Chapter 167: Alright Then
"Second Miss Ye," Fang Xuran interrupted Ye Chutang. "There’s no need to go to such lengths. Even if that person is a tea merchant from Yu State, that doesn’t prove anything! Tea has many different grades. To explain it all would take me three days and three nights. It’s too much to get into right now, but I’m sure you understand the principle of getting what you pay for."
He leaned back in his chair, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile:
"You can’t really tell anything just from looking at one page of the accounts."
His tone held a hint of ill-disguised condescension.
He clearly thought Ye Chutang was just making a scene.
"I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Manager Fang," Ye Chutang said, her expression placid. "The very fact that I found a problem by looking at just this one page is what’s so concerning. I may not have your experience in running a tea shop, but it’s not hard to ask about tea prices. With so many tea shops in the Capital City, I only need to ask a few to know if this price is high or low."
The smile on Fang Xuran’s face finally faltered.
"Second Miss Ye, you must be joking. What tea shop would be willing to show its account books to an outsider?"
"I wasn’t planning on looking at theirs," Ye Chutang said, lifting the ledger in her hand. "I only need to look at my own."
"Ridiculous!"
Fang Xuran’s anger flared, and all his earlier eager politeness vanished.
"Are you implying there’s a problem with my accounts, Second Miss Ye!?"
"Not at all. It’s just that this shop has been losing money year after year. Even with the Ye Family’s vast enterprise, we can’t sustain losses like these. That’s why I came today—to carefully examine the accounts and pinpoint the problem. Once I have a clear picture, I can figure out a solution. Don’t you agree, Manager Fang?"
Fang Xuran choked, his face flushing red. The words caught in his throat, leaving him speechless.
Ye Yunfeng couldn’t help but laugh. "Exactly. Perhaps if you ask for her advice, this shop could even turn a profit."
Xiao Wu nodded vigorously in agreement.
’That’s right! That’s right!’
"You—" Fang Xuran was furious.
Ye Jingyan said placatingly, "Why get so worked up, Manager Fang? This tea shop isn’t yours to begin with. Even if it loses money, it’s my sister who takes the fall."
"..."
Fang Xuran looked like he was about to combust.
’I see it now. None of these siblings are easy to deal with!’
Ye Chutang gestured for him to sit. "Please, have a seat. This is only the first issue. You can pass judgment after I’ve gone through the rest."
’The rest?! There can’t be more!’
Fang Xuran sneered. "Second Miss Ye, let’s be blunt. You came here today specifically to cause trouble for me, didn’t you?"
Ye Chutang feigned surprise. "Manager Fang, whatever do you mean? My Second Uncle entrusted this tea shop to your management for years; you’re the one who has worked the hardest. I only came to reconcile the accounts with you today. How is that deliberately making things difficult for you?"
Her words left Fang Xuran completely cornered.
He’d heard of Ye Chutang’s reputation before but had never paid it any mind. Even after he learned they had reclaimed the family’s shops, he just assumed they were riding the Eldest Princess’s coattails. He never truly took them seriously.
’Who knew... Ye Chutang would be such a tough nut to crack!’
Fang Xuran said in a cold voice, "I’ve been diligent and responsible for the last three years, and my conscience is clear! If you don’t trust me, Second Miss Ye, then you might as well hire someone more capable!"
Ye Chutang’s eyebrow twitched. "Oh? So you’re quitting, Manager Fang?"
Fang Xuran said sternly, "My integrity is beyond reproach! I will not stand for such humiliation!"
Ye Chutang considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Very well."
Fang Xuran was stunned for a moment. "...What?"
Her expression was sincere as she said, "I’ve never been one to force people to do things against their will. Since you feel so wronged by staying here, Manager Fang, I couldn’t possibly ask you to remain."
CLANG!
A nearby servant who overheard this accidentally knocked over a tea caddy.
Fang Xuran’s mind went blank, as if he hadn’t yet realized what had happened.
"Rest assured," Ye Chutang said in a gentle, reassuring tone. "Although the tea shop has suffered heavy losses these past few years, you were the one who worked hard to keep it running. You deserve credit for your effort, if not for the results. I’ll give you an extra three months’ wages as severance."
She turned her head to look at Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu immediately held up several fingers to indicate a number.
Ye Chutang nodded. "Mm, 180 taels."
Xiao Wu deftly took out her purse, withdrawing one silver note and a few silver ingots.
Ye Chutang gave her a thumbs-up in praise, and Xiao Wu grinned.
Then, Ye Chutang placed the money on the table and gently pushed it forward.
The entire room was deathly silent.
’Fang Xuran had never imagined he would one day suffer such... such a humiliation!’
’She was literally kicking him out!’
’Ye Chutang must be insane.’
"Ye Chutang! Did you get Lord Ye’s permission to do this?!"
Ye Chutang took back the ledger and casually handed it to Yan, making it clear she had no intention of wasting any more time on Fang Xuran.
A faint smile touched her lips, but her eyes were filled with a casual, chilling indifference.
"You must be joking, Manager Fang. This tea shop belongs to my family. Since when do I need to ask for an outsider’s opinion?"
The moment their eyes met, Fang Xuran shuddered.
He wanted to say something, but realized he had no ground to stand on, let alone the right to speak.
’The shop has been returned to Ye Chutang. Besides, she has a powerful backer now; she’s not someone an ordinary person can afford to provoke.’
Fang Xuran practically ground his teeth to dust. "Fine! Fine! If that’s how it is, then I quit! Do whatever you want!"
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed out, not even taking the money from the table.
The air in the large shop seemed to freeze, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The remaining servants were still in a daze, wondering how their shopkeeper had been run off in just a few short moments.
Xiao Wu cheerfully counted the silver note and ingots again before putting them back in her purse.
’Saved some more money, hehe!’
Ye Chutang looked at the remaining servants.
"Who wants to stay, and who wants to leave?"
...
Pah!
Fang Xuran stormed out the door, then turned back and spat fiercely.
"I’d like to see how you lot manage to keep this tea shop afloat on your own!"
’This is just the first tea shop. If Ye Chutang dares to keep investigating... ’
A look of calculation flickered in Fang Xuran’s eyes. Finally, he turned and stalked away resentfully, heading straight for Fengling Lane.
...
"Of course we’ll keep checking. We have more than a dozen shops left," Ye Chutang said, leading Xiao Wu out the door. "Time is short and the task is heavy. The sooner we solve this, the sooner we can rest easy."
She let out a soft "tsk."
’She didn’t even dare to imagine how much money she could recover from all this.’
"It would be nice if the next shopkeeper was this... accommodating."