I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 52

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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 52. The Way of Water Management (1)
Wang Chun-bae finally knelt.
At first he’d kept his lips sealed, as if resolved to endure to the end, but when Wi Jung pressed him relentlessly—pointing to each number inscribed on the bamboo strips—his resolve crumbled.
Once the dam broke, his confession poured out without restraint.
How he and Wang had conspired long ago to keep certain parcels of land off the registers. How they’d deceived vagrants and convicts drifting into the village, telling them they were working public land when they were actually tending hidden fields. How all the harvest from those fields had been divided between the Wang clan and Wang himself.
Wi Jung quietly recorded each word of the confession onto the bamboo strips.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Take him away.”
Soldiers dragged Wang Chun-bae from the room. The office fell quiet once more.
But Wi Jung’s expression was peculiar. There was something unsettling in the way he looked at So Yeon-hui.
“So Yeon-hui.”
“Yes.”
“A problem has arisen.”
Wi Jung set the bamboo strips on the table and continued with careful deliberation.
“The hidden fields that the Wang clan concealed have no registered owner on paper. However, your father has been farming that land since this year began—and all the villagers know it.”
“Does that become a problem?”
“If it were mountain land, we could classify it as uncultivated and claim a tax exemption. But land within the village doesn’t allow for that.”
Wi Jung paused for a moment.
“It could be construed that the So Household farmed unregistered land without reporting it to the state.”
So Yeon-hui’s lips tightened.
They were already exiled convicts.
If they added another charge—farming fields in secret and evading taxes—it would not end with a mere fine.
‘I thought I’d barely managed to keep Father from the labor gangs, and yet…’
So Yeon-hui bit her lower lip and swallowed her frustration.
Wi Jung, reading her expression, raised a hand gently.
“Of course, there is a way out.”
“What way might that be?”
“We reclassify it as tenant farming—the Wang clan grants the land to the So Household. Your father then becomes a tenant of the Wang family, farming their fields in their stead. As for the hidden nature of the land, he simply didn’t know.”
Wi Jung unfolded his fan and continued.
“In that case, the crime of not reporting the hidden fields falls squarely on the Wang clan, and the So Household can actually claim compensation for the labor you’ve invested in cultivating their land.”
So Yeon-hui blinked.
“Compensation?”
“Yes. Since you cultivated the Wang family’s fields on their behalf.”
Wi Jung added plainly.
“Of course, disputes over tenant rent are civil matters beyond the magistrate’s purview. But thanks to you, the taxes I can collect have increased substantially—so I’ll handle that settlement myself.”
Silence fell for a moment.
It was an outcome she’d never imagined. She’d expected merely to straighten out the tax issue and count herself fortunate, yet here she was being compensated instead?
She couldn’t grasp how things had unfolded this way. But it wouldn’t be proper to refuse good fortune that had walked through the door on its own.
So Yeon-hui rose slowly from her seat and bowed deeply toward Wi Jung.
“I am truly grateful, Wi Jung.”
This time it was sincere.
Because she’d just earned fifty Good Deed Points by saving her father from labor conscription.
But Wi Jung, unaware of the full context, looked awkward and chuckled softly behind his fan.
“Not at all. After all, this is now my responsibility too.”
* * *
Having shown such genuine consideration, she couldn’t very well refuse to reciprocate.
So Yeon-hui sipped her tea and paused to collect herself.
‘Though Grandmother did warn me not to speak of it carelessly…’
So Yeon-hui shifted her seat, accepted another cup of tea, and opened her mouth.
“As I promised, I’ll tell you about the Water Conduit System. But only on the condition that it’s not limited to building dams—that it extends to drawing water conveniently all the way to the city.”
At this plain-spoken declaration, Wi Jung quickly gathered his bamboo strips and brush, straightening his posture.
“First, you need to divide water flow into two main categories: clean water being drawn in, and used water being drained away.”
“So you separate the clean from the dirty.”
“Exactly. Far to the west, there’s a country called Roma.”
Wi Jung raised an eyebrow.
“Roma?”
“It’s a distant land, so treat it as reference only. That country laid stone aqueducts from the mountains into the city, drawing in clean water, while used water was channeled away through separate drainage conduits. Because of this, the entire city could use clean water.”
“So they laid water channels in two layers.”
“Conceptually, yes. A Water Supply System works by letting water flow naturally from a high point—like a spring in the mountains—down to lower elevations. In a place like Cheongyang County where there’s plenty of mountainous terrain, it’s actually easier to build. The opposite—handling the drainage—is what’s difficult.”
Wi Jung wrote quickly on the bamboo strips as he asked.
“Is it very difficult to manage wastewater?”
“Wastewater must never be allowed to mix with sewage and filth. Even gray water, if simply drained into a river, means downstream villagers will drink it. So it needs to be designed with some form of purification process.”
“It sounds complicated just hearing it. Is it truly necessary?”
“Of course. Water contains things invisible to the eye that cause illness. People get sick from drinking dirty water—that’s the reason.”
“Then, if the city properly purifies its wastewater, epidemic disease could be prevented? But how does one purify water?”
“That’s… the core technique of the So Household’s Water Conduit System.”
So Yeon-hui thought for a moment before continuing.
“You need sand, charcoal, and cotton.”
“Sand, charcoal, and cotton?”
Wi Jung stopped writing and asked.
“Did you place these things inside the bamboo tubes? Is that why the water was so clean?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s not a complicated technique, but the difference between having it and not having it is profound. Especially the cotton—when it comes time to replace it, you pull it out covered in filth, quite a sight. Fortunately, we use bamboo conduits here, which can be replaced periodically. That’s a blessing.”
“Does the material of the conduit matter greatly?”
“Very much so.”
So Yeon-hui’s expression hardened as she continued.
“That’s where Roma made its mistake. They built their aqueducts from lead.”
“Lead? I understand the appeal—it’s easy to work with among metals.”
“But lead dissolves slowly into water. Drink that water for long enough, and your mind deteriorates, your body decays gradually. In extreme cases, it can be fatal. There were quite a few emperors of that nation whose minds were unsound—some say it was because of the lead aqueducts.”
At So Yeon-hui’s frank words, Wi Jung’s brush froze.
However distant the subject of foreign imperial courts, such blunt talk of emperors with unsound minds was startling. Her way of speaking was quite unorthodox and difficult to reconcile with propriety.
“Then what material should be used?”
“Bamboo is the most practical. It’s easy to obtain, lightweight, and safe in contact with water. Stone aqueducts are also fine. But stone construction takes time and costs substantially more. For a place like Cheongyang County, it’s more realistic to install bamboo conduits in sections. If it were a single conduit, that might be a problem, but bundled in multiple lines carrying water, the volume should be sufficient.”
Wi Jung nodded slowly and wrote the last character on the bamboo strips. He reviewed them for a moment, then smiled.
“So Yeon-hui, this is quite extensive knowledge. For something learned from books, it’s unusually specific, isn’t it?”
So Yeon-hui picked up her teacup without hesitation.
“I must have read some very good books.”
So Yeon-hui set down her cup and fell briefly into thought.
Then she spoke again.
“There’s one more thing I should mention.”
“Please do.”
“Building the Water Conduit System is important, but there’s actually something more urgent that must be done first.”
Wi Jung picked up his brush again.
“The common people must be made to boil all drinking water.”
“Is that truly so important? Well water is clean enough—people can drink it as is, can’t they?”
“No.”
So Yeon-hui shook her head firmly.
“River water and well water are no different. Village wells are actually more easily contaminated because human waste seeps into them through the soil. But when you boil water, many of those disease-causing agents I mentioned earlier are destroyed.”
“Boiling alone accomplishes this?”
Wi Jung regarded her with skepticism, but So Yeon-hui paid it no mind.
“For greater assurance, a Distillation Apparatus could be built to collect only the vapor. But the efficiency isn’t good. Simply filtering once and then boiling is more practical.”
Wi Jung set down his brush and fell into thought. His expression showed he had much to consider.
‘Of course, at this era’s level of understanding, accepting talk of microscopic life will be difficult.’
But whether believed or not, results don’t change. So Yeon-hui pressed forward more forcefully.
“So the people of Cheongyang County must be told: First, all drinking water must be boiled. Second, hands must always be washed with clean water before and after eating.”
“Will that truly prevent epidemic disease?”
“Not prevent—reduce.”
So Yeon-hui corrected herself.
“Most epidemics spread because people drink dirty water or handle food with contaminated hands. Cut off those pathways alone, and the infection rate drops dramatically. The aqueduct project takes time and costs money, but this can be started tomorrow. Why wait?”
Wi Jung didn’t stop writing, his brush moving rapidly as he asked.
“But how do you communicate this to the people? Most cannot read.”
‘Is he seriously asking me to formulate entire policy now? How much more detail does he want?’
So Yeon-hui crossed her arms in exasperation but answered willingly.
“Call the village headmen and clan leaders, teach them directly, and have them spread the word to their people. Or use market day—when the most people gather.”
Wi Jung looked up from his bamboo strips. His gaze at So Yeon-hui had changed slightly.
“So Yeon-hui.”
“Yes.”
“Wherever did you learn all of this, truly?”
So Yeon-hui’s eyes dropped slightly.
“I told you—I read very good books.”
Wi Jung chuckled and shook his head.

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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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