I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 46

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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 46. The Purpose of Bricks
“Father! Wait just a moment!”
So Jin’s foot paused as he was about to step down from the carriage.
“Hmm? Why are you getting out of the carriage?”
“You’re going to gather materials for the stove, aren’t you? There’s no need—I’ve already prepared them separately in here.”
“You’ve already gathered materials for the stove?”
Curiosity sparked, and So Jin turned back toward the carriage.
So Yeon-hui smiled brightly and pulled out a heavy bundle from among the baggage. Then, with practiced hands, she unwrapped the package and revealed what lay inside.
“Yes. I bought some bricks. What do you think? They look really sturdy, don’t they?”
A moment of silence passed.
So Jin’s expression hardened subtly—a stark contrast to his usual self, who smiled encouragement even at trifles.
‘What’s this? Am I imagining things?’
So Yeon-hui glanced at her father’s face, wondering if she’d made some mistake.
But So Jin’s stern expression showed no sign of softening. In fact, when So Yeon-hui handed him a brick, he visibly flinched.
“Why…are you making that face? Is there something wrong with the brick I gave you? There don’t seem to be any flaws on it.”
So Jin seemed reluctant to upset his daughter, and he deliberated for a long moment.
Then, with some difficulty, he finally opened his mouth and asked cautiously.
“You see…no matter how much you paint it or drill holes in it to disguise its form, this is still a tile made by firing clay. That is, it’s something used when creating a space for the dead. How can you build a stove for cooking with that? I must confess, it troubles me somewhat.”
Ah, right.
So that’s why bricks weren’t used so often in construction or daily life.
She’d been thinking of using bricks when renovating the house later. To get this reaction was rather disheartening.
Imagining how she’d be criticized for building a living person’s home like a tomb, So Yeon-hui broke into a cold sweat, scratching her temple.
‘There have been many times when the lack of modern goods was the problem, but never when the goods themselves were the problem.’
Just then, unexpected reinforcements thrust themselves into view. It was So Yeon-u.
“Hmm? Isn’t that actually a good thing? Unlike ordinary buildings that crumble as people live in them, a well-built tomb remains intact even after hundreds of years, doesn’t it?”
“W-well, that may be true, but wouldn’t it be considered inauspicious?”
“If you’re really that concerned, we can just be the first to taste the food made in that stove. If we eat it and there’s no problem at all, then there’s nothing inauspicious about it, is there?”
“Yeon-u is right. It’s not as if there are bricks in the tofu, and it’s a bit much to nitpick over stove materials. Besides, I plan to build my room with a brick wall later. Really sturdy.”
So Yeon-hui added casually, as if she were simply choosing tonight’s menu.
It was So Jin who took a sharp breath at such a lighthearted attitude.
“That is…! Building a room with brick, no less. You seem quite intent on stopping this old father’s heart.”
“Why would my sister building a brick room stop your heart?”
“Well! Bricks are mainly used for tombs, aren’t they? Building a room with brick implies preparing a space for a coffin—how could this old father not be startled?”
“But tombstones bricks don’t have holes poked through them like this. And they’re not this fine and smooth, or this reddish color.”
“That is…true enough.”
“The color and shape are different, so what’s to worry about? If we coat the outside with white—I mean lime whitewash—the finish will be clean and pretty.”
“White powder coating too? The more you speak, the more dreadful it becomes. Anyone who saw it would think you were building a royal tomb.”
So Jin seemed quite shaken, swaying momentarily before letting out a deep sigh.
Then, at some point, So Yeon-su, who had been quietly listening to the three of them, suddenly interjected.
“If you make a wall with bricks and coat it with whitewash, will it really be that strong and long-lasting? Strong enough to use for a royal tomb?”
“Yes, of course. If a clay and straw wall lasts about three years, a brick wall will easily last ten to thirty years? And unlike clay walls that need to be completely replaced, brick walls can be partially repaired. Besides, bricks are so much stronger than clay walls that they don’t break easily.”
So Yeon-hui lightly tapped the brick in her hand with her fist.
Even from a distance, a firm and solid sound traveled up through her knuckles.
“Then I want to live in a brick room instead of a clay one too. Dust falls from the walls every time I sleep, and it’s already inconvenient. If I have to go through this every three years, I’d much rather have a brick room.”
“Yeon-su, what are you…”
So Jin looked at his second daughter with bewilderment.
But So Yeon-su continued calmly, undeterred.
“Father, please don’t think about this so negatively. Our house is located in the Frontier Region. We never know what might happen or when, so shouldn’t we have at least one brick room where the family can safely take shelter? Bricks don’t crumble easily like clay walls.”
“Even so…”
“Oh, now that I think about it, there’s a story like this too. The Three Little Pigs.”
“The Three Little Pigs? What’s that?”
So Yeon-u’s eyes sparkled as she chimed in. So Yeon-hui’s lips curved up slightly as she continued.
“After their parents passed away, three young piglets each decided to build a house in their own way. The oldest wove straw, the second used branches, and the youngest built with bricks.”
“Wow, pigs build houses too? I thought pigs just liked to be eaten!”
“It’s a metaphor, a metaphor. Anyway, after they finished building their houses, a wolf came! The house made of straw blew away with just one breath, and the house made of branches crumbled with just one bump of its body.”
“Wow! That wolf must have incredible lung capacity!”
“Is that what matters right now? The houses of the first and second brothers were completely destroyed!”
“Hmph. So what? I’m the youngest anyway. As long as the youngest’s house was fine, that’s all that mattered.”
At So Yeon-u’s brazen reply, So Yeon-su’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
“Unbelievable. Sister, what happened to the youngest’s house? If the wolf was that strong, couldn’t it destroy the brick house too?”
Though So Yeon-su asked in a tone almost like interrogation, as if begging for a certain answer, how could one change the ending of a story on a whim?
So Yeon-hui smiled awkwardly, wrinkling her nose slightly as she shrugged her shoulders.
“Unfortunately…not at all. Instead, it charged with all its might, broke all its teeth, and ran away crying. Brick houses are definitely the best, right?”
Depending on the version, there are tales where its head was cracked and it died, or where the three little pigs boiled the wolf alive and made it into a stew.
But such things are too cruel for children’s ears, so they’re omitted!
Yet despite the heavy simplification, the ending seemed satisfying enough, for So Yeon-u began to grin with delight.
“Hehe. I don’t know what ‘the best’ means, but I’m glad the youngest survived. My sisters can live in straw houses or wooden houses from now on. I’m definitely going to live in a brick house.”
“Hey, So Yeon-u! When did you say I was your brother? Why are you backing out now?”
“Hmph! You shouldn’t have acted like an older sister in the first place!”
“Tsk, honestly!”
The twins bickered as they always did and ran out into the yard.
As their boisterous voices faded, So Jin remained silent for a long while, alternating his gaze between the children and the bricks.
‘Is it truly difficult to overturn deep-rooted prejudices in such a short time?’
So Yeon-hui began to think once more about how to convince her father.
But as she did, So Jin gazed into the distance, his brow furrowed, until at last he carefully opened his mouth.
“Yeon-hui…is that story truly real?”
“Of course it is. It’s a very famous story in the Western Regions.”
Though the tale originally emphasized the lesson that one must live diligently, surely a lesson can take on different meanings depending on the listener’s frame of mind.
“Hmm…”
So Jin drew in a slow breath.
Shortly after, he tapped the brick in his hand a few times, then spoke with careful deliberation.
“Come to think of it…building a house with bricks might not be such a bad idea after all.”
It was a weighty word, precious as a deep mountain stone.

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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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