I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 40

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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 40. Culinary Showdown (3)
In the chaotic kitchen, So Yeon-hee understood something about herself.
‘When a crisis strikes, my mind actually grows cold and sharp.’
Her hands moved with urgency, yet her thoughts remained eerily calm.
So when she heard Ju Ha-yoon’s voice in that brief moment,
she could choose a new path without hesitation.
“Ice, sir?”
“Yes. If there’s any ice left in the Ice Storage, bring as much as you can. As much as possible.”
At the surprisingly composed tone, Ju Ha-yoon’s brows rose slightly.
But he asked nothing further. He simply turned and left without a word.
‘He trusted me, so I must trust him in return.’
It was autumn now—neither spring nor peak summer.
There couldn’t be much ice left in Storage, but So Yeon-hee crouched low at the counter anyway, firmly believing in him and his capabilities. Then, pretending to search for additional ingredients, she slipped her hand deep into the side of the bag she’d brought, narrowing her eyes.
At the same moment, she spoke softly to herself.
“Shop window, open.”
With that murmur, the Magic Shop window appeared.
Without hesitation, she searched for Soy Milk and Agar Powder, then tapped the purchase button.
Her Advance Points drained rapidly, and moments later, something heavy settled into her palm from deep within the bag with a soft thud.
She glanced around cautiously, then exhaled slowly.
‘No one noticed. Thank goodness.’
So Yeon-hee tore open the box and poured the agar powder into a bowl.
While she soaked the agar powder in water, the sugar syrup she’d prepared earlier for candied fruit began to bubble vigorously.
‘Caramel or sugar syrup—they’re only a whisper apart. Just let it cook a touch longer.’
As she gently rolled the pot, a deep amber hue bloomed, and the sweet, heavy aroma of caramel spread through the kitchen.
She quickly brushed the perfectly made caramel syrup along the inner walls of tea cups, then poured soy milk, sugar, and the soaked agar into a pot and began simmering it gently.
After about three minutes of gentle heating, the sweet, nutty fragrance of soy milk filled the air at once.
‘Using agar powder instead of gelatin—good choice. The work goes much faster.’
She set the pot down, let the soy milk cool briefly in cold water, then carefully poured it into the teacups she’d already lined with caramel syrup.
As the fifteenth and final cup filled to the brim, the kitchen door opened and Ju Ha-yoon entered, his arms laden with ice.
“Here. I’ve brought it.”
He set the heavy ice bucket on the counter with measured breaths, and So Yeon-hee beamed at him.
“Thank you. With your help, I’ll be able to finish even the final dish.”
Ju Ha-yoon nodded silently and returned to the raised platform. So Yeon-hee then poured salt and water into the ice bucket.
The temperature inside plummeted instantly, and cold mist began to rise.
She nestled each teacup of pudding mixture between the ice, then covered the bucket with cloth to keep the cold from escaping too quickly.
While the pudding chilled, So Yeon-hee finished the plating of the remaining dishes with unhurried precision.
The Vietnamese Spring Rolls, as the appetizer, she arranged on the plate with peanut sauce alongside, and the carefully simmered Meatball Soup she placed in a shallow bowl, garnishing it with egg strips.
The Five-Color Lotus Root Sticky Rice Steamed Dish she arranged to show the cross-section, then sprinkled peanut powder and served the soy-ginger sauce in a small dish on the side.
For the Tofu Sweet and Sour—the highlight—she deliberated, then brushed sauce across the base of the plate and arranged the fried tofu pieces in a neat line.
‘Hmm, not bad at all. The tofu sitting on that sauce looks just like white river stones.’
The plating differed considerably from traditional Chinese technique, but Fine Dining Plating possessed its own distinct beauty.
Especially the Tofu Sweet and Sour, which she finished by scattering finely chopped green onion across it—the effect was both elegant and satisfying.
Finally, she turned the now-firm pudding cup upside down onto a small plate and gave it a gentle tap with her finger.
“What’s this?”
The silky soy milk pudding slid onto the plate, gleaming.
‘Perfect. Absolutely perfect!’
With satisfaction, she placed the final dish—the Caramel Soy Milk Pudding—on the completed feast table.
At that very moment, the aroma reached its peak and the bell signaling the end of the competition rang.
* * *
“You’re such a troublemaker, really.”
Wi Cho-yeon crossed her arms and clicked her tongue.
“Why did you hand it over to someone else instead of just leaving it with the head chef as usual? Now look at the chaos you’ve caused.”
“This wasn’t my doing.”
Wi Jeong waved his hand defensively.
“If not you, then who would pull something like this?”
“I did it.”
A low, quiet voice cut through the barrage of accusations.
It was Ju Ha-yoon.
Wi Cho-yeon’s cheeks flushed crimson in an instant—mortified at having just criticized him before her unacknowledged love.
She faltered for a moment, lips trembling, then quickly composed herself and changed tack.
“Now that I think about it… sometimes these fresh experiments aren’t so bad.”
“Traitor!”
Wi Jeong stared down at his sister with betrayed eyes.
“You conniving minx.”
Wi Cho-yeon’s fingers flicked out like lightning, driving them into Wi Jeong’s ribs.
The descendant of the Wi Clan struck with cold, merciless precision.
Wi Jeong collapsed forward without even a cry.
Soon the feast tables arrived.
One held the head chef’s dishes; the other, So Yeon-hee’s creations.
Ten courses in total, two each per person, were laid out in splendid array.
“A veritable Sumptuous Feast!”
“Should we serve ten dishes like this at every banquet?”
“Indeed. The variety and presentation alone are dazzling—a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.”
The judges’ expressions brightened at the lavish spread.
Especially the head chef’s Cold Mushroom and Cucumber Salad—it was visually rich and appetizing.
The cucumber was sliced thin and fanned open, with glistening brown mushroom arrayed across it, the arrangement so neat and precise it spoke of years of disciplined craft.
By contrast, So Yeon-hee’s Vietnamese Spring Rolls looked utterly unfamiliar.
Behind the translucent wrapper, colorful vegetables shimmered—it was difficult to tell whether it was food or fine art.
Placed beneath bright sunlight, it gleamed like something from a jeweler’s vault.
“What exactly is this made of?” Wi Hyo-gwang asked, peering at the spring rolls.
“Thin crepes made from rice batter with vegetables wrapped inside. They’re meant to be dipped in sesame sauce—a peanut-based condiment.”
Perhaps because of the unfamiliar, striking appearance, despite the head chef’s dishes boasting greater visual opulence, chopsticks from all around gravitated toward So Yeon-hee’s spring rolls.
Even Wi Young-young, the youngest of the Wi household, who ordinarily refused vegetables outright, reached first.
“Wow! This is really delicious!”
Wi Young-young bit into a spring roll dipped in sesame sauce, her eyes widening with delight.
The vegetable smell she usually disliked had vanished entirely; instead, her mouth was filled with the rich, slightly sweet taste of the sauce.
Without even swallowing, she reached for a second one, prompting laughter from the assembled family.
“Since when do you have any appetite for vegetables?” the Grand Lady asked, smiling at her granddaughter.
“But this brown sauce is so tasty! And wrapped in the crepe, it doesn’t taste bitter at all!”
At the child’s bright exclamation, the tense atmosphere dissolved.
Lady Gyo, who had long worried about her daughter’s picky eating, tasted the spring rolls and added her vote. The tide had turned in So Yeon-hee’s favor.
‘Seven to eight. Just one vote ahead, but winning from the start feels absolutely wonderful.’
Delighted by the unexpected lead, So Yeon-hee brought out the next dish.
The Five-Color Lotus Root Sticky Rice Steamed Dish, even more striking than the spring rolls, drew gasps from the judges before a single bite.
“Oh my, how beautiful! You’ve filled every hole in the lotus root with sticky rice!”
“Five-color lotus root indeed—the hues are exquisite.”
The sight of each lotus root hole brimming with colorful sticky rice was like a painted masterpiece.
One bite brought the earthy flavor of lotus root and the sweet weight of sticky rice flooding the mouth.
But was the combination with the ginger-soy sauce containing sugar not quite right?
As the tasting continued, chopsticks gradually shifted toward the head chef’s Three Mushroom and Vegetable Steamed Dish.
The familiar, understated steamed vegetables proved easier to eat than the strange new flavors.
The unchallenging taste made votes accumulate steadily.
‘Tied now, I think. A professional head chef is no easy opponent.’
As the tension peaked, the Tofu Sweet and Sour was placed on the table.
Glossy sauce flowed like a river, and pale, crispy fried morsels were arranged like stepping stones. By any measure, it looked like sweet and sour pork.
Pure meat cuisine.
When the Grand Lady, Lady Baek, showed confusion, So Yeon-hee quickly explained.
“This is tofu—bean curd. It’s made entirely of soy, with no meat whatsoever.”
At her words, the gathered court stirred once more, just as it had when the first course arrived.
“You made curd from beans and fried it like this?”
How on earth?

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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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