“What are you doing? It’s dangerous!”
“It’s just a little bit of smoke, it won’t even make a sound, where are you going to hide?”
As Luo Heng finished speaking, the iron lump that had been ignited emitted a hissing sound as it burned, billowing clouds of thick smoke rising from it. However, the explosion that Xing Dai Rong expected never came.
Xing Dai Rong stared incredulously at the smoke-filled ball that was burning, only to hear the small crackling and popping noises of firecrackers before it quickly died down. She widened her eyes.
“How is this possible?”
“Do you even have the nerve to ask how this is possible?” Luo Heng was furious. “We followed your recipe exactly, according to your so-called ‘one sulfur, two nitrate, three charcoal’ ratio. To ensure accuracy, I had them meticulously weigh each ingredient multiple times!”
Hearing this, Xing Dai Rong stared at the burnt gunpowder in a daze, her voice filled with confusion. “Impossible, it’s impossible. The book clearly says this is the formula, I can’t have gotten it wrong. This is definitely the formula for gunpowder.”
Xing Dai Rong hadn’t actually memorized it incorrectly. However, what she had memorized was the chemical formula!
“One sulfur, two nitrate, three charcoal” was the molecular chemical formula for gunpowder (s+2kno3+3c=k?s+n?↑+3co?↑). But the actual recipe for gunpowder was based on the molecular weight calculated from the molecular formula. This meant the true gunpowder ratio was approximately 75% potassium nitrate, 10% sulfur, and 15% carbon.
Since the invention of gunpowder, its recipe had been constantly modified, going through countless iterations. In the ancient Ming dynasty, before the development of molecular formulas, they had already achieved a ratio of gunpowder that was closest to the chemical formula.
However, even though Xing Dai Rong had recited the black powder formula, this was still not the optimal recipe. Later, Europe discovered that nitrate was the primary ingredient in gunpowder’s explosion. They adjusted the proportion of nitrate to 78% or even higher, creating explosives with a stronger blast.
Of course, Xing Dai Rong knew nothing of this. She was unaware that she had only memorized a chemical formula, and she had overlooked a whole lot of real-world details. How could she possibly create gunpowder? She had knowledge, but it was all theoretical. When it came to practical application, her ideas were even more far-fetched than her belief that she could make money from a buffet.
She stared at the result of her confident efforts, still unable to believe it. She desperately tried to find excuses. “Maybe your nitrate wasn’t pure enough? Or maybe there were too many impurities in the sulfur? Or maybe you didn’t put enough charcoal?”
“Slap!” A hand landed on Xing Dai Rong’s face.
The doubting Xing Dai Rong was gradually brought back to reality.
“Are you still trying to act?”
“Luo Heng!” Xing Dai Rong, despite being slapped, didn’t even get angry. Instead, she became even more panicked. She grabbed Luo Heng, her eyes pleading. “Try it again. I didn’t lie to you! Please, try it again!”
Humans are strange creatures indeed. In front of Cheng Yunshuo, she would never act like this. Even when she had her buffet business go bankrupt and splashed water on him, she could still freely lose her temper with Cheng Yunshuo, expecting him to appease her as if it was his responsibility.
But now, in front of Luo Heng, she was so humble, so afraid of losing his favor.
“You think I’m going to believe you?!” Luo Heng pushed Xing Dai Rong away.
Since bringing her back, he had faced countless problems. He had broken things off with Cheng Yunshuo, damaging his interpersonal relationships. He had been scolded by his parents, and received a barrage of behind-the-scenes mockery. He felt like a fool, completely fooled by Xing Dai Rong.
For her, he had boasted to his parents. His mother had repeatedly looked at him with strange eyes, telling him how embarrassing Xing Dai Rong was for the Luo family. She even mocked him, asking if he was blind or crazy to believe her. Now, all of that was true.
The truth slapped him in the face, burning like fire. Luo Heng could no longer pretend to be a gentle gentleman. His cruel nature was exposed. He looked at Xing Dai Rong, who was still stubbornly refusing to believe him, and grabbed a tray with a cup and saucer on it from the table, smashing it against her.
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