Madam Zhao II stammered and prevaricated, "Well... The business is all run by the men. How would I know?"
"Really? Are you sure you didn't encourage my elder brother to mix the tea from Peace Tea House into the tea of our Zhao Family Tea House for sale?"
Concubine Zhao was so panicked that her whole body was trembling.
She could only rush to Master Zhao's side and plead for mercy.
"Master, take a look. This is how your son treats me!"
Zhao Luoning didn't bother to respond to her and continued,
"Concubine, I'm sure you must have said to elder brother that by mixing the tea from Peace Tea House, we could not only save costs but also help out your natal family. It's a win - win situation, right?"
Zhao Luoning's words were aimed straight at the concubine. Knowing that the concubine was a tough character, she surely wouldn't take it lying down.
"I'm still your concubine mother after all. Do you know what filial piety is? How dare you talk to me like this!"
She was so angry that she slapped the table and stood up, pointing at Zhao Luoning and scolding.
The tea on the table wasn't covered properly. With a slight jolt, the tea was all spilled onto the ledger. The ink on the ledger was washed away by the water and spread, making it instantly blurred.
Everyone was shocked, including the concubine. Looking flustered, she took out a handkerchief, opened the ledger, and tried to wipe off the ink stain. But suddenly she froze.
"This isn't the ledger of Peace Tea House?!"
Zhao Luoning took a sip of tea and calmly replied,
"Concubine, didn't you say that the business is managed by the men and you haven't interfered? There's no name on this ledger. How did you recognize at a glance that it wasn't from Peace Tea House?"
Zhao Luoning stood up and stared intently at the concubine, not missing a single expression on her face.
This was really a wonderful show!
Watching the concubine go from the smugness of ruining the ledger, to the shock of realizing it was the wrong one, and then to the current panic.
It was even more exciting than watching a face - changing performance.
"Presumptuous! Is this how you talk to your concubine mother?"
Only at times like this did Master Zhao show some air of being the head of the family.
However, the people he protected were never her and her mother.
Zhao Luoning looked at Master Zhao. Situations like this had happened several times a day since she was a child. If she was going to be sad or disappointed, it should have been over long ago.
Zhao Luoning picked up the ledger that was almost ruined by the concubine and handed it to Feixing.
"This is indeed not the ledger of the tea house, but it's also the muddled accounts of the mansion in the past few months. Feixing has another copy. I'll have someone bring it over later. I hope father and mother, especially the concubine, will take a good look. Don't accidentally let a cup of tea ruin it again."
After leaving these words, Zhao Luoning took Feixing and left the Zhao Mansion. She mounted her horse again and rode straight to the Zhao Family Tea House.
When Zhao Luoning and Feixing rushed to the Zhao Family Tea House at night, some of the old workers in the tea house were sitting around the tea - frying boiler. They just stared at each other in silence.
Someone called out first,
"The second young master is back."
Only then did they show some joy and rushed out to greet Zhao Luojing.
"Second young master, it's good that you're back. You must save us!"
The tea house was the only source of livelihood for most of them, and they didn't want anything to happen to it.
"Everyone, please stay calm. The most important thing now is to restore the reputation of the tea house. I'll have to trouble you all to hurry up with making tea these days."
Making top - grade tea requires precise control of the heat and time. If the heat is not enough or too much, the fried tea will lose its fragrance.
Every year, the tea - picking girls were personally selected by Zhao Luoning. They were diligent, careful, and experienced.
The tea they picked was of high quality, with buds and leaves clearly separated.
And this top - grade tea should be made from bud tea.
Before she married into the Ji Mansion, she had personally inspected the fermented bud tea, which was of the highest quality.
It was time to take it out for finishing.
"Don't say just one batch of top - grade tea. Even if the second young master wants ten batches, a hundred batches, we'll make them for you."
Zhao Luoning nodded. These workers had over ten years of work experience. She knew their abilities better than anyone else. If they said they could make it in time, they wouldn't delay.
"The tea you make not only has to be fast but also of good quality. Whether we can restore the business of our Zhao Family Tea House depends on this batch of tea. After you finish this batch of tea, I'll give you a one - day long vacation so that you can get together with your families."
As Zhao Luoning was speaking, she told Caixue to send someone to get the bud tea.
Just as Zhao Luoning was distracted talking to Caixue, the workers were whispering to each other with embarrassed looks on their faces.
Finally, they still let the oldest and most senior worker who had replied before be their representative and stand in front of Zhao Luoning.
"What's going on?"
Noticing their strange expressions, Zhao Luoning asked in confusion.
The worker suddenly knelt down in front of Zhao Luoning.
"You... What are you doing?"
"Please, second young master, take back control of the tea house."
The other workers also knelt down. Gradually, the floor was full of kneeling people. In the whole tea house, only she and Caixue were standing there awkwardly.
"Please, second young master, take back control of the tea house."
"You..."
Zhao Luoning looked at the kneeling workers with a troubled expression. How could she not know their concerns? Her elder brother was simply not cut out for business. If things continued like this, the Zhao family would be defeated without a fight even before others came to suppress them.
However, she was also stretched thin. If Luojing were still alive, how wonderful that would be.
The leading old worker bowed deeply in front of Zhao Luoning and said,
"We know that you're not in good health, second young master, and we really shouldn't put you in a difficult position. But we have no other choice. Even if you can't come here to manage it in person, it's the same if you send Feixing. We've all made up our minds. From now on, we'll only follow your orders. When you're not around, we'll follow Young Master Feixing's instructions."
Zhao Luoning bent down and helped the kneeling old worker up.
"I promise everyone that I'll manage the business of the tea house whole - heartedly and won't easily entrust it to others. Everyone, get up."
Hearing Zhao Luoning's promise, the people below cheered.
"Since I've promised everyone, I also hope that you all will promise me to do your jobs whole - heartedly."
Zhao Luoning's words were well - received, and the workers immediately became energetic. Someone called out, and everyone went in to hurry up with making tea.
Zhao Luoning scratched her head in distress and returned to the room in the tea house that was specially set up for her to facilitate her work.
"Sir, what are your plans for the future?"
Feixing brought a cup of refreshing tea and placed it on Zhao Luoning's table.
They both knew very well that not to mention the complicated affairs of the Ji family, it wouldn't be easy to spare time from the Ji Mansion to manage the tea house.
Zhao Luoning stood up and looked at the gradually darkening sky outside the window.
It had been drizzling all day. The distant mountains had turned indigo and were faintly covered by a layer of mist, just like a person being shrouded in a layer of worries.
Yes, she would eventually have to return to the Ji Mansion. So what should she do with all the people in this tea house?