ATPnovel Chapter 10 Account books are more useful than knives
Chapter 10 Account books are more useful than knives
Boyle knelt on the ground, his obese body still in the posture of swearing allegiance.
He dared not get up because the Easterner sitting opposite him had not spoken.
Li Wei simply watched him quietly, his scrutinizing gaze making Boyle feel that the loyalty he had just offered was light and weightless.
He ignored Boyle and turned his head to the other side, looking at Fiona, who stood with her hands at her sides.
Fiona immediately understood what he meant.
She pulled a slightly crumpled piece of white paper from inside her dark blue dress.
The sketch above is crudely drawn, but Fianna's general outline can still be discerned.
Below, written in English and Gaelic, is her charge of theft, along with a paltry reward.
Boyle's eye twitched involuntarily. He recognized the document immediately; it was the notice he had personally filed with the sheriff and requested to be posted.
At this moment, the appearance of this piece of paper here is like a silent slap across his face.
Li Wei remained silent.
He simply raised his chin and glanced at the small iron stove beside him.
Inside the stove, the charcoal used for brewing tea was still glowing red, and the heat wave caused the surrounding air to distort slightly.
Boyle held his breath, looking at the notice in the Irish girl's hand, then at the fireplace, his obese body trembling uncontrollably.
Fiona's hands were also trembling slightly.
This piece of paper contains her entire past.
She was that lowly maid who stole bread from the bakery kitchen, was chased all over the streets, and rolled around in the mud at the docks.
He was that fugitive who hid from the patrolmen at the docks, finding even the smell of the sewers comforting.
She was the desperate prey who was pinned down in the cabin, thinking she would disappear silently into the darkness of a foreign land like countless other women from her hometown.
Burning it means saying goodbye to that identity completely.
From that day forward, the wanted maid Fiona was no more.
But this also means that she has no way back.
She had completely tied her future fate to the mysterious Easterner before her and to this dimly lit warehouse.
She looked up and glanced at Li Wei.
Li Wei's face flickered in the firelight, revealing neither encouragement nor opposition.
Fiona glanced again at Boyle, who was kneeling on the ground.
Boyle was looking at him with a complex expression, a mixture of fear, curiosity, and a hint of envy that he himself was unaware of.
Fiona's breathing paused for a moment.
Then, she straightened her chest, and the slight trembling disappeared.
Her steps became steady as she walked step by step toward the glowing red stove.
Without the slightest hesitation, Fiona stretched the paper, which contained all her humility and fear, toward the stove.
The edges of the paper first came into contact with the scorching air, began to curl, and turned yellow.
Then, a cluster of flames suddenly shot up, greedily licking the paper with her image printed on it.
The ink distorted and disappeared in the flames.
The paper quickly turned black, curled up into a ball, and finally turned into a handful of black ash, which was swept up by the heat waves in the furnace, rose upwards, and dissipated into the murky air of the warehouse.
In the firelight, Fiona's face was illuminated in a bright red glow.
Her features appeared sharper than ever before.
At this moment, all her fragility and fear were burned away, leaving only a tempered pride.
Seeing Fiona's transformation in an instant, Li Wei couldn't help but think to himself, "What a wonderful Ekaterina! I'm really lucky."
She is no longer the girl who needs to be saved.
Boyle watched with his heart pounding.
He finally understood completely.
This scene was staged for him.
What this Easterner gave was never just wealth.
What he can offer is a completely new identity, a new life that is completely severed from the past.
This method is more effective than monetary bribery and more intimidating than violent threats.
Boyle's feelings toward this mysterious Easterner had transformed from simple fear and greed into a mixture of awe and fanatical worship.
Just as the last wisp of ash disappeared into the air, Li Wei made a new move.
He took something out of a wooden box behind him.
It was a blank ledger, with a cover wrapped in dark brown cowhide and edges stitched with fine hemp thread. It felt heavy and smooth to the touch.
Next to it was a sharpened quill pen and a small bottle of ink.
Li Wei handed the account book and pen to Fiona, who had just straightened up.
"From today onwards, you will record everything about us."
"Income, expenses, connections, enemies."
"This ledger is only for you and me to see."
Fiona was stunned.
She looked at the account book in front of her and for a moment forgot to reach out and take it.
This is not an authorization.
This is something heavier than authorization.
If the business of "Awakening Powder" is the flesh and blood of this organization, then this ledger is its heart.
Li Wei's words shocked Fiona even more than the flames that had burned the wanted poster.
This is absolute trust.
Income and expenditure are the lifeblood.
Connections and enemies are the future.
The benefactor before her had entrusted everything to her, an Irish girl who had been homeless on the streets just days before.
Fiona reached out, took the ledger, hugged it tightly, and then bowed deeply to Levi.
Li Wei accepted her greeting without hesitation.
Then, he turned his gaze back to Boyle, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Mr. Boyle, you can get up now."
Boyle felt as if he had been granted a pardon and struggled to get up from the ground.
My legs were sore and numb from kneeling for so long that I almost fell again.
"From now on, Fiona will be my spokesperson."
"There are many things that I can't do in person, so I'll convey them to you through her."
"Her orders are my orders."
Boyle immediately understood Levi's intention: it was to elevate Fiona's status and also to warn him.
This beautiful Irish girl is not a subordinate to be underestimated, nor is she a plaything to be coveted.
She is now a true power core member of this mysterious organization, someone he will need to look up to and curry favor with in the future.
From now on, he would not only have to obey this Easterner, but also have to be mindful of the attitude of his former maid.
Boyle felt no humiliation, but rather took it for granted, and lowered his head even further.
"Yes, yes, I understand. Miss Fiona... no, Lady Fiona, please take good care of me in the future."
Fiona simply held the ledger, nodded slightly at him, and showed no expression on her face.
But Boyle saw in her calm green eyes a majesty he had never seen before.
The ceremony is over.
Li Wei waved his hand.
"Go back. I need to see Andrew Gage within three days."
"Yes, I will definitely do it!"
Boyle nodded and bowed in agreement, as if afraid that Levi would change his mind.
He dared not wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, but bowed respectfully to Li Wei, and then backed away from the warehouse step by step.
Boyle only dared to breathe heavily after he gently closed the wooden door of the warehouse, shutting out the lingering fragrance inside.
Jeb and Silas, standing outside the door, looked at their boss's distraught appearance, exchanged glances, and dared not utter a sound.
Boyle ignored them, only glancing up at the bleak moon over Boston Harbor before clenching his fist tightly.
From the moment I knelt down, my life was completely changed.
Boyle glanced back at the scene inside the warehouse.
Under the dim light, the Eastern man had sat back down on the straw mat, while the Irish girl stood respectfully behind him, holding the account book in her hands.
He dared not look any longer, and dragging his two men along, they practically fled into the night at the dock.
Only Levi and Fiona remained in the warehouse.
Fiona silently tidied up the tea set on the table, her movements still elegant, but her heart was in turmoil.
She looked at Li Wei's back, so thin yet so incredibly reliable, and for the first time felt a third emotion in him besides gratitude and trust.
In awe.
Li Wei seemed to see through her thoughts. He didn't turn around, but simply spoke softly.
"Fiona, you gathered information about that British lieutenant very promptly; you're truly an excellent early adopter."
"However, please clean the gun for me first. Perhaps a real guest will be visiting soon."
"I understand, Mr. Li."
"There's no one else here, so don't be so reserved, my 'shareholder' lady!"
Li Wei walked to the stove and watched the last trace of red inside slowly turn gray.
He exhaled softly, as if he had shed some kind of invisible disguise.
He turned his head and looked at Fiona, who was standing ramrod straight beside him, holding an account book.
"Welcome home, Fiona."
"Our first real home."
Fiona tightened her grip on the ledger.
That day and night.
Fiona, who was sleeping no more than three feet away from Li Wei, looked at his not-so-robust back and her eyes suddenly felt hot.
But she didn't shed a tear.
He simply turned to the first page of the ledger and dipped his brand-new quill pen in the ink.
On the blank title page, Fiona wrote two words in her still-unskilled but incredibly careful handwriting.
One word is: home.
Another word is: Li Wei.