I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 49

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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 49. Tofu and Two-hwa (3)
“Jin, come taste this.”
Hong-ssi thrust a fresh spoon into So Jin’s hand, her face flushed with excitement.
The little grandchildren were all but drooling as they watched, yet she saw to her son first—and So Jin felt his cheeks warm at the realization that he remained her youngest, the late-born treasure.
“I’m grateful, Mother. And you, too, should try it.”
“Yes, sir. It’s remarkable to see Mother display such a reaction—I confess, my expectations are quite high.”
By the time So Jin and Jang-ssi reeled from the intense, silken sweetness of the Two-hwa, the children—at last their turn—seized their spoons with glee.
“Wow! It’s really sweet and soft! Elder sister, if we sold this, we’d make a fortune!”
“Wouldn’t we? Better than expected—turns out adding that extra pour of Black Sugar Syrup at the end was the answer.”
It made everything sweeter and completely masked the beany taste of the soy milk.
So Yeon-u didn’t say another word, but the way she’d practically buried her face in the bowl told So Yeon-hui that today’s Two-hwa was an unqualified success.
“The taste is truly excellent. Well done, Yeon-hui.”
Though Hong-ssi’s single sentence was sweeter than the Two-hwa itself—if one could call that an irony.
* * *
To sum it plainly: the delivery of tofu and Two-hwa to the Wei Family Estate went perfectly.
Because So Yeon-hui had written out the recipe beforehand, the Tofu Tang Soo came together beautifully without her supervision, and the Two-hwa needed no words at all.
Everyone at the banquet who tasted it fell captive to that fantastical sweetness.
There was a small hiccup on the return trip—Wi Jeong mistook their donkey for his family’s and made a scene about it—but it was smoothed over as usual.
The sixth prince, Ju Ha-yun, settled matters with a lightning-quick jab to Wi Jeong’s ribs.
With the success bonus of ten silver taels and a donkey plus cart, So Yeon-hui set aside exactly five taels for taxes and plowed the remainder into a grand venture.
She rented the shop next to the Jang Family Butcher Shop and opened So-ga’s Snack Stand.
On that first day, when So-ga’s hung its sign with a heart full of hope—
“Get your Two-hwa! Sweet, silky Two-hwa for just three copper coins!”
“Premium sweets praised by the nobility—Two-hwa for sale!”
The twins hawked as if in competition, their voices ringing out.
Whether it was their precocious sibling charm that drew eyes, or word that the Two-hwa had graced the Wei Family’s birthday celebration—
despite lacking the visual pop of a Tang Hulu, passersby began to slow their steps.
“Three coins for one scoop?”
“Yes, it’s truly soft and delicious.”
“I can’t quite tell from the looks of it. And that black syrup you’re drizzling—I’ve no idea what it is.”
At the wary customers’ words, So Yeon-hui smiled gently.
“Come now—one taste and you could eat two and die without noticing. If you’re still nervous, I’ll give you a free sample. Try it, and if you don’t like it, no need to buy.”
It was a bold offer, born of her confidence in the Two-hwa’s flavor, but the customers found her unorthodox marketing so foreign that they grew even more suspicious.
“You’re going to ask for money after we eat, aren’t you?”
“No, truly free. Really, you don’t need to pay a thing. Though you can only have one sample. Shall I give it to you?”
“Free? Then of course we should try it!”
So Yeon-hui handed out the taste samples she’d portioned into small bamboo cups, one to each customer.
The moment they heard “free,” they’d stuffed the Two-hwa into their mouths—and their eyes went wide.
“Two scoops! No, three scoops!”
“Me too—two, two scoops!”
I told you to just go ahead and commit—didn’t I?
So Yeon-su and So Yeon-u set about packing Two-hwa into bamboo containers with newfound energy.
So Yeon-su would carefully scoop it into a cup; So Yeon-u would pour the Black Sugar Syrup over it; then she’d cap it with paper, sealing it with twine.
It was labor-intensive packaging, but there was no better way to hand over such delicate Two-hwa without breaking it.
Still, hoping to reduce the trouble of constantly making new containers, So Yeon-hui devised a scheme.
“Clean that bamboo cup you just got nice and well, and bring it back later. For every ten containers you return, you’ll get one free serving of Two-hwa. So don’t throw them away—keep them.”
“Really? Then I’d better save them up!”
“So we just need to bring the bamboo cups?”
“Not any bamboo container will do.”
So Yeon-hui picked up an empty cup and showed them the bottom.
“See this seal mark here? Only containers with So-ga’s Seal Mark count.”
It was a pattern she’d burned into the base with a branding iron bought from a stationery vendor—so fine and intricate that even the imperial household didn’t use such work, making counterfeiting nearly impossible.
So Yeon-hui lifted her chin and shot the customer a pointed, if polite, warning.
“Picky, aren’t you? But I understand. I’ll collect the cups we’ve used and bring them back.”
How frenetic was that morning?
Before noon even arrived, her stock of Two-hwa was sold out. Total earnings: two hundred sixteen copper coins. After deducting fifteen coins for the raw soybeans, she’d cleared two hundred one coins.
As the proprietors of the Jang Family Butcher Shop watched business boom so spectacularly, their eyes began to glimmer in a rather peculiar way.
Yang-ssi, the wife of the butcher shop, called out to her in a playful tone.
“Little Miss Yeon-hui, your Two-hwa business is going too well, isn’t it? I’m starting to worry the Hyang-jang will become yesterday’s news.”
“Oh, the Hyang-jang is delicious! Surely that won’t happen?”
“It really will! The side dishes made with Hyang-jang are the best!”
So Yeon-u cried out in her characteristically clear, bright voice. So Yeon-su, as if waiting for his cue, chimed in.
“Especially bamboo rice bowls made with Hyang-jang—those are the best.”
Quick-witted little things, those two.
So Yeon-hui gave each of her siblings a playful pinch on the cheek, then handed them each a bowl of Two-hwa she’d set aside.
Meanwhile, Yang-ssi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at the mention of cooking with Hyang-jang.
“Bamboo rice bowls made with Hyang-jang, you say?”
At her subtle probing, So Yeon-hui tilted her body subtly toward Yang-ssi.
“Auntie, if you’re curious, I’ll show you the recipe later in private. There are far too many ears around here.”
Her gaze, sweeping the shop’s surroundings, had grown notably sharp.
And for good reason—lately, loiterers who bought nothing and simply lingered near the shop had multiplied noticeably.
‘Probably errand runners sent by the Pungyun Trading Company. A large merchant house, yet they can’t even act openly. Tch!’
Yang-ssi, having caught the drift, laughed heartily and deftly changed the subject.
“My goodness! You really are talented, little Miss Yeon-hui. Whoever you marry will be very blessed indeed! Very blessed!”
* * *
Not long after she’d finished with the Two-hwa, a familiar footstep sounded.
It was Yu-ssi and Song-ssi, the two daughters-in-law of the Shim Family, who’d taken over tofu distribution for the three So siblings.
“Oh, I’m exhausted! The demand for tofu today was madness—I’m completely drained!”
“Wow! Is tofu really that popular?”
So Yeon-u’s eyes went wide.
“It sure is! People are buying faster than we can bring it!”
“I still prefer sweet Two-hwa! That’s surprising!”
“I like tofu better.”
So Yeon-su cut in with a slight note of stubbornness.
“Tofu pan-fried in sesame oil and sprinkled with salty soy sauce—there’s nothing tastier.”
“That’s not true at all! Two-hwa is better!”
“Tofu is better!”
The twins locked shoulders and began to bicker.
Song-ssi laughed and, with the practiced dexterity of someone who’d raised three children young, separated the two.
“You two are made by your own sister anyway—what’s the fuss? This is funny; even if you come from a noble family, children are children. How much you’re like our own twins!”
So Yeon-hui let her smile fade and turned toward Yu-ssi.
“Children will be children, I suppose. Did you sell well using the Auntie method?”
Yu-ssi gave a quiet nod.
“Yes. Thanks to that free tasting promotion you taught me, selling went smoothly. Though I did have a lot of people asking for just one more taste, which was a bit awkward.”
Yu-ssi, with her timid nature and difficulty hawking, had managed to sell out her tofu nonetheless—and So Yeon-hui felt a particular warmth toward her. She made her voice warmer deliberately.
“Ah yes, there are always those types. From now on, when someone like that comes along, tease them and say that greed for freebies makes you bald. It’s not a curse—just the way of the world.”
Yu-ssi’s face brightened, and she broke into a genuine smile.
“Right. I’ll try that next time things get hard.”
So, shall we settle accounts now?
So Yeon-hui collected the tofu sales proceeds from the two aunties, then pulled out a bamboo slip she’d brought and recorded today’s quantities, calculating the commission fees.
Yu-ssi had sold twenty-five blocks; Song-ssi, thirty-five blocks. With a commission of one copper coin per block, their earnings came to twenty-five and thirty-five coins respectively.
“Here—the receipt and today’s commission.”
As she handed over the money with the receipt, both women accepted it eagerly. Song-ssi especially broke into a wide grin.
“Oh, thank you! If I had my way, I’d sell fifty blocks a day!”
“Can you even carry that much?”
Yu-ssi shot back with a light laugh. Song-ssi snorted indignantly.
“How could I not carry it? I could split them, go around selling, and pop by So-ga’s once in the middle to swap for a fresh batch.”
Fifty blocks per person? Making would be harder than selling—that volume was impossible at their current scale.
She tallied the coins in her purse and thought slowly. Their earnings every three days hovered around four hundred ninety coins. After living expenses and material costs, more than three hundred fifty coins remained.
“We’ll probably have to…”
So Yeon-hui smiled meaningfully.
“…invest once more.”

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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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