Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Beo / You have an enemy against Losen County...
In the early morning, the foggy dock was filled with the humid sea breeze carrying the fishy smell.
The porters' calls and the clatter of the transport team's wooden boats docking filled the air.
On the dock, beside a pile of unloaded spice bags, Jessica led her men in tightening the cargo ropes. Suddenly, a man whistled in the distance: "Hey, Dixie Chicks, someone's looking for you!"
Jessica stood up and glared at the man fiercely: "If I hear that damn whistle of yours again, I will cut off your reproductive organs and feed them to the fish!"
"Oh, fish won't eat that disgusting stuff." The female sailors laughed and looked at the whistling man with unscrupulous eyes. "Look, those muscles are not as solid as mine. Hurry and put on your clothes, man."
Most of Jessica's men were middle-aged women, their faces wrinkled by the sea breeze and their bodies strong and sturdy after years of exercise. If not, this female transport team would not be able to gain a foothold at the dock and compete with a group of men for food.
The thin man who delivered the message blushed crimson from the ridicule. He stammered under the women's gaze, "You, you, you better go! The boss said it's a big customer."
"I really don't know why he specifically mentioned a woman, huh." He muttered softly.
Jessica snorted coldly, stepped on him hard as she passed by, and then walked away.
Shipping company VIP lounge.
The captain was waiting for Jessica at the door. As soon as he saw her approaching, he lowered his voice and said, "Jessica, put away your bad temper! This lady inside is a noble lady. She asked for you by name. Don't be ungrateful. Do you hear me?!"
Jessica rolled her eyes but nodded: "I know."
Their women's transport team is affiliated with Derby Shipping Company. When they don't have private work, they can take orders through the company's channels. For the livelihood of the people under her, Jessica doesn't want to offend this petty guy.
The boss left with peace of mind. Jessica knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for a response.
A woman in luxurious clothes and an exquisite lace hat looked up and smiled at her: "Are you Jessica?"
Sophia looked at the young girl in front of her - short blond hair, tall and thin, with a dark face, but with pride in her eyes.
Jessica crossed her arms, not at all groveling as her boss had instructed. Instead, she looked at the woman in front of her bluntly: "What do you want from me?"
Sophia was not annoyed by her rudeness, but rather felt a bit interested: "I heard that you formed a women's transport team, and I want to cooperate with you."
Jessica didn't waste any words and quoted a price quickly: "For short-distance groceries, transporting spices from Hong Kong to the town of Rees, the price is calculated by the ton. For short-distance groceries, the price is 20 Ceylon riyals per ton. If you are in a hurry, add 10 Ceylon riyals. If it rains, add 5 Ceylon riyals. It's all hard-earned money, so no bargaining."
Although the women's transport team has established itself at the dock, they rarely get a big share of the pie.
Apart from their own private work, the only small business Derby could assign to them were small businesses. Most of the customers were ladies from wealthy families who wanted to transport personal belongings to relatives and friends or do some small business, so Jessica thought Sophia had the same purpose.
Sophia smiled and said nothing. She took out a check from her purse, wrote a number and handed it over.
Jessica took it, glanced at it, and threw it away: "Sorry, we are a small transport team, not pirates. Are you asking us to kill and rob at this price?"
Sophia heard the tension in her words and smiled, "I want to ask you to take a long trip."
Jessica was unmoved: "How far?"
Sophia: "East India."
The room suddenly fell into a brief silence.
Jessica sneered: "I remind you again that we are just a small transport team. We have no ships, no cargo, only a group of women running in the wind and waves."
Sophia said slowly, "I will prepare the ship and the cargo. I just need a group of women who have been to the Far East."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Sorry, that doesn't include me. Although I'm their leader, the one who led them to East India was the previous captain of the transport team. Derby must have deliberately polished my resume to trick you wealthy noble ladies."
Sophia raised an eyebrow: "You are very honest."
Jessica didn't want to say more: "So you choose someone else."
"No." Sophia handed the check back. "A moment ago, I might have needed the experience of the Far East, but now, I appreciate your honesty. But you seem particularly resistant to me. Can I know why?"
Jessica squinted at Sophia's gentle smile, a sneer in her eyes. "I just hate the hypocrisy of the nobles. Poverty is our natural enemy, but in your eyes, it has become a weapon to control us."
"With just one check, you could easily buy the lives of everyone on this ship and earn more checks for yourself." Jessica's face was expressionless, her eyes filled with hatred. "And yet you still put on a kind face. It's really disgusting."
Sophia raised her eyebrows. "Are you saying that I shouldn't be friendly, but should be as vicious to you as the capitalists in the newspapers?"
Jessica choked and turned her head away angrily.
"I pay, you provide the service. It's a fair deal. But because I'm richer than you, no matter how I act, you find me annoying, right?" Sophia stopped pretending. She chuckled and suddenly picked up the check. "The inferiority complex brought on by poverty has made you overly sensitive. A single glance from someone is enough to keep you awake for three days. Being good to you is bad, being bad to you is also bad. Even if I remain fair, you still dislike me."
Jessica: "What do you, people who are born rich, know? What gives you the right to accuse me from such a high position?"
"How do you know I've never been poor?" Sophia looked up and sneered, "It's just that I didn't let poverty defeat me. I firmly believed that with my abilities, I would never live like this forever."
Jessica was slightly startled, lowered her head and bit her lips tightly.
Sophia held up the check. "I'm not worried about your lack of experience. What I value is your desire and hatred for not being content with poverty. This energy has fueled you to become the leader of the women's transport team and to weather every storm. So why do you think you'll remain poor forever, resenting those who are richer than you?"
"You don't have to resist admitting your desire for money. The more you want it, the more honest you have to be." Sophia handed over the check. "That way, it will hear your call."
Jessica stared at the number—this was the largest order she had ever taken, enough to keep her sailors well-fed and clothed for a whole year...
"This is just a deposit." Sophia calmly dropped the bombshell.
Jessica frowned: "This huge sum of money is just a deposit? What exactly are you going to do?"
"I'm going to open up a Far East shipping route and establish a new shipping team," Sophia said. "This deposit is a test for you. I'll have someone guide you through the entire process. If the results are positive, you and your women's shipping team will become the helmsmen of 'Brunswick Shipping'."
Jessica thought for a moment, she understood.
In the past, the women's transport team only took on the work of sailors, and the rest was not their own. But now, Sophia wants to open up ocean trade, which means that they will become professional navigators, not only in the transportation department, but also in business negotiations, local market conditions, and even local languages and customs.
Sophia now wants her to do a medium- to long-distance trial run, which is to test whether she can be familiar with the entire process. In simple terms, whether she can make a return on investment.
If you can't make money, then no matter how much you say, it's useless.
Accomplishing all this in such a short time was certainly challenging, but if she could overcome the difficulties, Jessica would be presented with an unprecedented opportunity—she would become a female captain! And on a rare East India route!
Sophia smiled and asked again, "Now, give me your answer. Will you continue to go back to the docks and sell your cheap labor, or will you cooperate with me?"
After a long silence, Jessica took a deep breath and finally took the check: "I agree to cooperate."
Sophia smiled with satisfaction and stood up gracefully: "I look forward to your first run. I hope you can give me a satisfactory return, Captain Jessica."
Jessica watched Sophia leave until her boss Derby ran in and asked her urgently, then she came to her senses.
"How did the conversation go? What does she want from you?"
Jessica's eyes moved slightly, she raised her chin and walked away without looking back, "We didn't reach an agreement, I pissed her off and she ran away."
Leaving Debi throwing her teacup in anger, "This stupid girl did such a bad thing!"
-
Back at the dock, Miss Oberon, the mate who led the female sailors in mocking the tall and thin man, waved at Jessica: "Hey, you don't look well? What happened?"
Another female sailor joked, "Yeah, the last time I saw you with this expression was when you first came to Kent. Oh, the little girl with long golden hair, swearing to us that she would become a sailor, make a lot of money, and never be bullied again."
Oberon raised an eyebrow. "Now the little girl has not only become one of us, but has also taken over the duties of the old captain. What a strange fate."
Everyone laughed in a friendly manner.
"Please don't bring up my embarrassing moments again." Jessica rolled her eyes.
Oberon put away his smile and said kindly, "What's wrong? Was there an unexpected incident with the cooperation with Berkeley Company? That Miss Heslan doesn't seem like someone who would break her promises."
Half a year ago, Jessica led the transport team to Hersland, where they cooperated with Berkeley Company. Since then, they have become Berkeley's regular fleet and the two sides have cooperated happily.
Recently, it was heard that the person in charge of Berkeley Company came to Ceylon, and he had a secret talk with Jessica two days ago. Oberon and the others knew about this.
However, the sailors fully trusted Jessica, the captain who brought them new hope, so they never asked her decisions and did not know the details of the secret conversation that day.
"Nothing, I'm just tired." Jessica waved her hand, unwilling to say more.
As the sun sets, waves crash against the beach in the distance.
After a day's work, Jessica returned home exhausted.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw a familiar figure with short red hair waiting inside.
Caroline got straight to the point: "What did Sophia want to talk to you about?"
Jessica washed her face and shook off the water droplets, "Just as you guessed, you want to cooperate with me."
Caroline: "You promised?"
Jessica frowned and sneered: "Didn't I act according to your plan? If you don't trust me, then end the cooperation. This Madam Sophia is generous. We will have no worries about food and clothing if we follow her."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about. You're too easily tempted by money. It's human nature, but..." Caroline raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Your employer is not the same as the employer behind me. The honey she gives you is coated in poison. If you lick it, you'll lose your life."
Jessica didn't care. She wiped her hair casually and threw the towel away, deliberately splashing water droplets on Caroline's face. "You know I love money, so why don't you introduce your employer to me?"
"Not yet." Caroline handed over a check and wiped the water from her face.
The women's transport team had just returned from a trip to Hersland and had missed the news of the cooperation between Berkeley and White Company. Of course, even if they were there, like most lower-class people, they only cared about how much goods they had to transport every day, and would not spend a few cents to buy a newspaper full of words, especially since most of them were illiterate.
Jessica did pay attention to the news, but ever since she left Lawson County, she felt annoyed when she saw the word "Norman". When she first arrived, the newspapers were full of news about Winston Manor and Mellenwick's wedding.
Mr. White, the leading businessman in Kent, is Isabel's husband.
When Jessica thought of this, she didn't want to see White all over the newspapers. As her work became busier and busier, the name gradually disappeared from her memory.
But now, when Jessica thought of the identity of Lady Sophia, she thought of the Duchess of Spencer, and then of Miss Audrey, the only kind person in her former employer's family.
The innocent little lamb entered the Duke's Mansion, and her opponent was a guy like Sophia... However, she had no good feelings towards people who had enjoyed wealth for half their lives. Although she felt some sympathy, it quickly dissipated.
Seeing Caroline's mysterious expression, Jessica couldn't help but sneer, "It's normal to be reluctant to tell others about your financial resources. Why bother making excuses? If your employer was a certain lady from Lawson County, I wouldn't care about earning that money."
Caroline raised her eyebrows and asked, "Are you hostile to Rosen County?"
No one knew that the three companies were collaborating to open up new shipping routes, and the Duchess was even more invisible. However, Jessica's words made Caroline suspicious.
"Nothing." Jessica stood up and impatiently drove him away: "Go away, I need to rest. I will do what I promised you."
"If it weren't for that storm at sea when you fought to the death to protect your crew, I wouldn't have cooperated with you." Caroline was pushed out of the door and stared at Jessica unhappily.
But the plan was at least roughly finalized, and Caroline hurried back to Winston Manor with brisk steps to inform Isabel.
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