Two days later, the ship had sailed out of the country's waters. The weather had been good and the wind direction was right for the first few days of the voyage, so everything went quite smoothly.
Compared to the time when Jiang Ci was so sick of motion that she didn't even want to open her eyes, traveling by boat was actually quite alright for her.
On the contrary, the other members of the team were seasick, looking pale and listless, and not moving around much.
The ship did have seasickness medication, so it wasn't too unbearable.
"Commander Xu, if you're not feeling well, please take a rest and don't make things difficult for yourself," Jiang Ci advised the leader from the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
Commander Xu waved his hand, his face pale, "No, this shipment cannot afford any losses. I have to oversee it."
"Comrade Xiao Jiang, could you please ask if there's a telegraph machine on board? We'll be adrift at sea for so long, we need a way to contact the mainland, right?"
Every time Commander Xu spoke, his head would spin for a while. Jiang Ci wanted to applaud his indomitable spirit despite his disability.
She exchanged a glance with the leader from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jiang Ci said, "Okay, I'll go ask the captain and the first mate right away."
Jiang Ci left the room to find the ship's first mate.
"Telegraph machine? Yes, we do have one. Our ship is equipped with not only a telegraph machine but also a telephone. However, it is difficult for us to receive telegrams and telephone calls at sea. We have to dock and adjust the telegraph machine and telephone before we can use them."
"Our ship also has emergency communication methods to contact the outside world, which can only be used in critical moments."
The first mate explained some of the ship's equipment to Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci nodded repeatedly, "I understand."
Jiang Ci, also keeping a watchful eye, asked, "If a telegram from China were to reach our ship, how long would it take?"
The first mate said, "That will take a long time. Just five words require five transfers to contact a specific location before they can reach our ship."
Jiang Ci seemed lost in thought.
After she returned, she told Commander Xu the news.
When she arrived, her superiors had already left, leaving only Commander Xu lying in bed, looking quite weak.
"Sigh, I was thinking of reporting our progress to Mr. Shan, but it seems I can only ask him after we reach the next stop," Commander Xu sighed.
He knew Jiang Ci's identity, and since it was just the two of them talking, Commander Xu didn't hide anything.
Jiang Ci paused for a moment, then said quite calmly, "The goods were brought onto the ship by Mr. Lu and you that night, right?"
"Mr. Shan also told you about Mr. Lu's identity, right?" Commander Xu pinched his brow and nodded. "Yes, he is a reliable person. When you come to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, you will have to make an effort to build a good relationship with him."
"You've never spoken to him, so you don't know what kind of person he is. As long as you don't provoke him, he won't make things difficult for you."
Commander Xu already regards Jiang Ci as his future successor.
Jiang Ci's suspicions were confirmed. Her expression remained unchanged as she nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Commander Xu. I understand."
Jiang Ci left Commander Xu's room and asked the first mate how many days the fresh water and food on the ship could last. He learned that they would stop at a port to replenish supplies in half a month, so he said nothing more and turned back to his own room.
Time spent on the ship was dull and tedious.
A message that could be received by telegram in just two or three days becomes a message with no end in sight when it is on a ship sailing on the ocean.
In short, neither Commander Xu nor Jiang Ci received any news from Beijing, nor were they aware of the bloodshed that was taking place there.
However, Jiang Ci was in an administrative position and had some knowledge of the timing of major domestic conferences in July. With mid-July fast approaching, she believed that they would see news of the change of domestic leaders in foreign newspapers sometime soon after the ship docked.
During the boring and tedious time, Jiang Ci always wanted to check whether the goods that Commander Xu and Mr. Lu had loaded onto the ship had been switched.
She made inquiries and eventually learned the location of the cargo from a sailor.
The tea and porcelain were stored in the cargo hold below deck, which was sealed and would not be opened until the destination was reached.
Personal belongings of the crew members, which were not easily accessible, were placed in the ventilated cargo hold on the floor below the sealed cargo hold.
The batch of antiques that Shan Shengshuo transported was placed in the ventilated cargo hold.
The sailors patrolled the cabins every day, so Jiang Ci couldn't easily peek. Going out at night would be like committing a thief. During the day, on the ship, besides reading and chatting, the leaders organized reading sessions to learn about the excellent spirit of various organizations, leaving her with very little free time.
Jiang Ci waited for a long time, and finally, she got to have a break during everyone's lunch break.
There weren't many people patrolling at the moment; they were mostly just keeping watch in the captain's cabin and wouldn't go towards the cargo hold. Most people were back in their rooms sleeping, so the deck was quite empty.
Jiang Ci found an opportunity and slipped out of the room half an hour after dinner.
She left openly and honestly; even if someone saw her, they would only greet her briefly.
"Why isn't Comrade Xiao Jiang asleep?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk." Jiang Ci replied casually, neither nervous nor evasive. "You go about your business, I'll just stroll around for a bit."
"become!"
After dealing with these people, Jiang Ci finally arrived at the lower-level ventilated cargo hold.
Sure enough, there were quite a few goods stored here.
Some were smuggled by sailors to other cities to sell, while others were empty cargo containers intended for large-scale purchases abroad to bring back to China for resale.
This is similar to how the Cheng and Shen families of Jiangci helped carry things along, albeit by different means.
Jiang Ci didn't have time to deal with so many miscellaneous things right now. After looking around, she found the box with the seal on it.
She strode forward and took a dagger out of her pocket.
This was bought by Zhou Mingli and Jiang Ci at a department store before Jiang Ci left Beijing.
The dagger is lightweight and small, but quite sharp, and Jiang Ci bought it in case of emergency.
In case you encounter bad guys, at least you'll have a weapon to protect yourself.
Jiang Ci carefully used a dagger to cut along the seal and the box wall, cutting the joint.
The seal was still intact, but the box could already be opened.
Jiang Ci looked at the lock, hesitated for a while, and ultimately decided not to break it.
Firstly, it would cause too much of a commotion, and secondly, others would immediately notice something amiss, which would be bad if they became suspicious.
I took one last, reluctant look at the box, put the seal back in its place, and gently reattached it with glue. But the loose connection meant the seal would come off the box wall with the slightest touch.
Jiang Ci didn't linger and left quickly.
If she can come once, she can come a second time.
After she took the key from Commander Xu, she unlocked the door a second time to check what was inside.
The second chance didn't come too quickly.
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