"If this skeleton isn't Young Master Xiao, then whose is it?" a guard asked.
Yun Qingran shook her head; she didn't know either.
"Where's the flesh from this skeleton? Why are these bones broken into such a state?" Xiao Jie shuddered as he looked at the bare white skeleton.
"It must have been dissolved with sulfuric acid," Yun Qingran said, touching the skeleton.
"What is sulfuric acid?" Xiao Jie asked her curiously.
"It's a highly corrosive substance that can corrode muscles and hair, and even part of the bones, which is why these skeletons are so fragmented and incomplete." Yun Qingran had seen bones corroded by sulfuric acid, and they looked just like that.
As for sulfuric acid, it is not a modern product; it has existed for a long time. The refining method is not difficult. Place ferrous sulfate and rice vinegar in an earthenware pot, cover it, and calcine it on a charcoal stove. When the ferrous sulfate melts, stir it evenly with a bamboo stick to fully mix the alum and vinegar. Heat it again and calcine until it turns completely crimson. Remove it and let it cool; that is sulfuric acid.
"This thing is terrifying." The guard rubbed his arms together.
"Little girl, what's your name?" Xiao Jie asked, his eyes fixed intently on Yun Qingran.
"This junior is Yun Qingran," Yun Qingran replied politely.
"Do you have a godfather?" Xiao Jie asked with a smile.
"No, I only have one biological father," Yun Qingran answered honestly.
This answer made Xiao Jie laugh, and he said, "Do you think I can be your godfather?"
He liked this girl very much as soon as he met her. She was so pretty and cute, with a slightly chubby oval face. She looked like a lucky person.
Moreover, she was very clever and thought of inferring the height of the deceased based on the height of the bones, thus ruling out the possibility that the skeleton belonged to Shi'er.
She is also very knowledgeable, possessing the unique skill of predicting height by looking at bones.
She's practically his dream girl!
When Madam Xiao gave birth to Xiao Shi, she injured her body and could not have any more children. Although Xiao Jie longed for a daughter, he was too devoted to his wife to let her try for a second child. Unexpectedly, meeting Yun Qingran today rekindled his desire for a daughter.
Xiao Jie: How do I fight for custody of my child with a stranger? I need help urgently!
"Ah!" Yun Qingran was a little shocked. Master Xiao wanted to adopt her as his goddaughter.
A look of shock crossed Nangong Xu's face as he stood to the side. Xiao Jie only had one son, who was mentally challenged. Over the years, countless people had wanted to recognize him as their godfather or adopt him as their son, but he had refused them all. He never expected that today he would actually take the initiative to want to recognize Yun Qingran as his goddaughter.
"What, Ranran, don't you want me to be your godfather?" Xiao Jie tempted. "Being my goddaughter means you can inherit a portion of my Xiao family's business."
She could inherit a portion of the Xiao family's assets! Yun Qingran's pupils instantly transformed into two gleaming little gold ingots. A true money-grubber.
Xiao Jie was pleased to see this undisguised greed. It's understandable that people are born loving money, but he despised those hypocritical people who pretended not to love money when they clearly did.
It's so good that Ranran is so open about it; she likes money too, otherwise why would she own so many businesses and make so much money? He and Ranran are kindred spirits, and Xiao Jie is even more convinced that they have a father-daughter bond because they both love money!
"Of course not, daughter greets godfather." Yun Qingran knelt down with a thud.
Let me clarify here: she's not having weak knees; she's practically cashing in on her knee strength!
"Get up, get up, my dear daughter. This is a gift from your godfather." Xiao Jie took out a silver note from his pocket.
"I can't accept this," Yun Qingran said, embarrassed.
"Here you go, you little money-grubber." Xiao Jie stuffed it into her hand.
"Then I'll gladly accept your offer." Yun Qingran smiled and picked up the silver note. When she saw the number on the note, she stumbled.
Ten million taels!
She wouldn't even dare to burn such a large amount of paper money for her ancestors. She and her third uncle have never earned ten million taels of silver since they started working as monkeys!
When Nangong Ye saw this amount, he was also stunned. The annual income of the Southern Chu State Treasury did not even reach ten million taels.
"Thank you, godfather." Yun Qingran smiled like a foolish son of a landlord.
"Master~" Madam Xiao woke up, and when she saw the skeleton on the chopping board, she was about to cry again.
"Madam, please don't cry. This is not Shi'er." Xiao Jie quickly stepped forward to help her up.
"Is it really not Shi'er?" Madam Xiao asked, clutching Xiao Jie's sleeve tightly.
“Our goddaughter says no.” Xiao Jie looked at Yun Qingran.
"Goddaughter?" Madam Xiao looked at Xiao Jie with suspicion.
“Madam, her name is Yun Qingran. She pieced together the skeleton and deduced that the skeleton’s owner was only seven feet tall, not our Shi’er. I’ve adopted her as our goddaughter,” Xiao Jie said.
"Is this really not Shi'er?" Madam Xiao looked at Yun Qingran expectantly.
“My brother is eight feet tall, and this skeleton is seven feet tall. The difference is so big that this skeleton should not be my brother’s,” Yun Qingran replied.
"That's wonderful, it's not Shi'er." Madam Xiao cried tears of joy, then took Yun Qingran's hands and looked at her with affection. "I've always wanted a daughter, but I've never been able to have one. Today, my wish has come true."
Madam Xiao also liked Yun Qingran very much.
Yun Qingran smiled shyly yet happily, for she now had two more relatives.
"Ranran, this is a gift from your godmother." Madam Xiao took a seal and a key from her waist and handed them to her.
"Thank you, godmother." Yun Qingran carefully wrapped the two items in a handkerchief.
Although it was just an ordinary seal and key, it was a small gift but a big token of affection; it was the first gift her godmother had ever given her.
"Ranran, don't lose these two things. This seal is the seal of the manager of Taifeng Money Exchange, and the key is the key to Taifeng Treasury," Xiao Jie reminded her.
Yun Qingran paused, her hand holding the seal and key wrapped in a handkerchief. "Say it again, what is this?"
"If it's lost, it's lost. Your godmother will just give it back to you. It's no big deal," Madam Xiao said generously.
A money exchange was lost just like that, and Yun Qingran said she was so poor she cried!
Hehe~ (????) But I'm not poor anymore, I'm a super rich girl!
A look of shock crossed Nangong Xu's face again. It seemed that not only did Xiao Jie like Yun Qingran, his goddaughter, but his wife liked her even more.
But thinking about it, it's not surprising. Girls like Ranran are popular with all ages and genders.
"Godfather and godmother, don't worry, I will definitely find my brother." She felt obligated to help her godfather and godmother find their brother, whom they had never met.
"Ranran, we're begging you." Mentioning Xiao Shi, Xiao Jie and his wife's expressions turned sorrowful and pained.
"Mm." Yun Qingran nodded heavily.
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