I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 27. What’s So Special About a Water Supply System? (1)
Before work could begin, the first thing So Yeon-hui did was purchase various tools at Jijang Market.
Unlike the twenty-first century, where one could rent an excavator and dig out a drainage ditch in ten minutes with a click, she wanted to use proper equipment since such conveniences didn’t exist.
The good fortune was that the price came in right at budget.
‘I was worried I’d have to dig with broken pickaxes, but thank goodness we avoided that.’
Of course, all of this was possible only because So Yeon-hui had carefully accumulated Good Deed Points over time.
The 700 cash she’d extracted from Wi Family Young Master and turned over entirely to the household, along with helping the aunts of Shim Family, had played a larger role than expected.
At any rate, was it thanks to that?
Apart from the physical strain, the construction itself proceeded remarkably smoothly.
The silver ingot worth one tael that she received from Wi Jung meant she didn’t need to make excuses about where the tools came from.
“Where on earth did you find this shovel? The ground yields to it so easily. If we’d had this earlier, farmwork would have been so much easier.”
“There are good hoes too, Grandmother. I’ll bring one next time.”
“No, no. This time we managed to procure equipment thanks to that generous young master, but we haven’t yet gathered all the money for taxes. How can I be so greedy? For now, let’s make do with what we have.”
Instead of pressing further, Jang drove the shovel into the earth with a satisfied smile.
As the soil gave way with each satisfying thrust, her spirits soared accordingly.
But the eldest lady Hong was motivated by quite a different reason altogether.
“Yeon-u, didn’t I tell you not to bring stones with jagged edges? Only smooth, round ones that feel nice to the touch?”
So Yeon-u pouted as though wronged, but Hong was relentless.
Her expression was so stern, even as she sifted through the gravel, that had she not been her usual doting grandmother, the sight would have seemed almost grim.
“That one measly well will control the So Household? Ha! Ridiculous! I won’t suffer such indignity just over water! Not a chance! Absolutely not!”
The biggest concern before work began had been Hong’s opposition, but now So Yeon-hui regretted having worried at all.
The grandmother, whom she’d expected to be full of complaints, threw herself into the work with unexpected enthusiasm. Who could stop the So Household now?
The only drawback was that with even the eldest, Hong, gathering gravel from the valley with such vigor, no one in the family dared take a rest.
“I never imagined Grandmother would work so hard.”
“Indeed. I’m half-worried she’ll exhaust herself and fall ill.”
So Yeon-hui finally caught her breath in the kitchen, ostensibly washing the dishes from their light meal, and sighed beside her mother.
Her throat felt parched, so she poured water through the filter and boiled it thoroughly again, then drank a bowl. Only then did her chest feel a little lighter.
“My, the water tastes so much better when filtered. No fishy smell at all.”
“Yes, I think so too. Well water, no matter how clean it looks, always had a faint algae smell, but this has none of that.”
If well water was in such a state, what of water from the valley?
With fish and all manner of creatures living in it, the taste was decidedly rank.
But water that had undergone even simple purification and been boiled was only clear and sweet. It was a shame that such a wonderful technique couldn’t be spread more widely.
After finishing the dishes haphazardly, as the sun climbed toward noon and its rays grew harsh,
So Jin came down from the mountain with several thick bamboo tubes balanced across his shoulders.
While others would struggle to move even one at a time, he carried three on each shoulder—six in a single trip.
‘Truly, he was this land’s greatest general.’
She held memories of her father’s former magnificence, but since opening her eyes in this place, he always appeared quiet and sometimes faintly listless.
Yet in these moments—when he unhesitatingly felled trees, carried them, and labored for his family—his face grew animated and his eyes sparkled with such light.
How could one not perceive the deep affection contained within?
So Yeon-hui rushed to her father, hastily wiping sweat from his brow with her sleeve, and quickly handed him a bowl of clean water.
“Father, please pace yourself. It’s not like we can finish everything in a day anyway.”
If there were five or six hands working, perhaps. But with only three people who could fully dedicate themselves to the construction, how could one be so hasty?
Better to proceed slowly, even if it took longer, than to rush and exhaust everyone, leaving the work unfinished.
“Besides, we originally planned just the water supply system, but then added the drainage system too. The work doubled, so we should double the expected timeline.”
But So Jin took the bowl and drank slowly, then shook his head with a bright smile.
It was the most radiant expression the family had seen from him since his exile to Cheongyang County.
“There’s no need. While gathering bamboo, I already drove all the necessary stakes into the ground at intervals along the path from the spring. Now we just need to heat-treat the bamboo and install the pipes—the water supply system will be finished in no time.”
“My lord, you did all that work alone? You should have called for Yeon-u or me to help.”
“Calling for help and going back and forth would have consumed energy faster. By setting stakes from above and rolling bamboo down as I descended, I handled everything efficiently in one pass rather than repeating the work.”
What sort of extreme efficiency-mindedness was this? Could it be that a Korean soul remained strongly within him after all?
But what could she say to someone who, despite merely moving about the yard, had already calculated the optimal route and worked accordingly?
Since his reasoning wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, So Yeon-hui could only laugh.
‘Still, the pickaxe is starting to feel heavy. With so much work still left, this could be a problem.’
Her mind insisted they could manage with rest breaks, but her heart urged her to finish the construction as quickly as possible.
Even as she’d just advised taking things slowly, So Yeon-hui sighed in frustration at her own impatience.
It was then.
“Ahem! Hello. Is anyone here?”
A voice came from beyond the flimsy bamboo-woven fence.
“I’m from the Shim Household. Might I have a word with the So family’s lord?”
The voice belonged unmistakably to Grandfather Shim, yet unlike usual, he was not alone.
Aunt Song and Aunt Yu, whose faces had become familiar through trips to the Five-Day Market, were present, along with Shim Family Eldest Son and Shim Family Second Son—whom So Yeon-hui was seeing in person for the first time.
And they stood holding large and small water jars in their arms.
“Elder, what brings you all the way here?”
So Jin greeted them with a slight bow.
Grandfather Shim returned the bow with a somewhat embarrassed nod.
“It’s just—we brought water. Your household suffered inconvenience because of our family. I apologize for the delayed apology.”
He had his sons set the water jars down in the So family’s courtyard.
It appeared they’d brought every jar in their house and filled them with water—five vessels in total.
‘Wang must have made it difficult for the Shim Household to approach the well, given how much he watches their every move.’
While not to the extent the So Household faced, the Shim Household had apparently suffered their own rejection from the villagers of late.
Yet still they showed such care and devotion.
Moved by their sincerity, So Jin smiled even more warmly.
“It’s not because of the Shim Household. It’s Wang’s narrow-mindedness alone.”
Though all this trouble arose from helping Shim family women, neither So Jin nor any of the So Household harbored resentment.
Rather, their faces seemed to glow with even more vitality than before. How could the old man not wonder at this?
He glanced around the courtyard, then raised his brows in question.
“…Is it some major construction you’re undertaking?”
“Ah, yes. We’re using bamboo pipes to draw water from the spring above down to the courtyard. That way, there’s no need to struggle up and down that slope to fetch water.”
“Bamboo pipes to draw water down to the courtyard?”
Grandfather Shim’s eyes widened.
Observing the irrigation ditch dug from the courtyard toward the fields, the gravel piled on one side, and the bamboo, he quickly grasped the method and swallowed hard.
Then he hesitated slightly, beginning to gauge the expressions of So Jin and the lady Hong.
“That is to say…”
The Shim Household made their livelihood cutting bamboo and crafting mats, furniture, and such for sale.
Wouldn’t the work progress far more smoothly if they helped process the water supply pipes?
So Yeon-hui pondered for a moment, then brushed the dust from her hands and stepped forward eagerly.
“Grandfather.”
“Yes?”
“Your bamboo is unusually thick. The ones growing on the mountain aren’t quite that sturdy.”
Understanding her hint, Grandfather Shim replied at once.
“Ah yes. We plant bamboo saplings brought from the southern regions, so they grow thicker and are far more durable.”
“Bamboo like that would be perfect for water pipes. With proper heat treatment, it wouldn’t rot for ages.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
Bolstered by this positive response, So Yeon-hui made her bold proposal.
“Then, would you allow us to use your bamboo for the So Household? In exchange, I’ll extend the water supply system to the Shim Household courtyard. Your family can draw water from the spring just as easily.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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