I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 72

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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 72. Have You Ever Heard of Patent Rights? (3)
The innovation didn’t stop at the method of serving meals.
The So Household had also arranged their dining space in quite a distinctive manner.
Since there was no separate reception room, they’d spread a straw mat in the middle of the courtyard where no materials were stored.
However, except for the Seat of Honor where So Jin, the Head of Household, sat, they’d lined up mysterious boxes in place of Individual Dining Tables or regular tables.
“Ju Ha-yun, could those possibly be made from a single sheet as well? Something that folds and unfolds?”
“Hardly. No matter how exceptional So Yeon-hui’s talents may be, surely such a thing is beyond the realm of possibility.”
While examining the structure of the boxes with suspicious eyes, they witnessed So Yeon-hui, having finished distributing the meal, emerge from the storage quite naturally, carrying a couple of enormous sheets.
And then, folding them deftly, she transformed them into a single box.
“!!!!!”
At this point, the Iron Plate Tableware, which looked as though it had been cast, hardly seemed remarkable at all.
“Every time I turn my eyes, something new jumps out. I’m going mad with it. Listen here, Ju Ha-yun! I must sit before that young lady, so secure us a spot at once!”
“Wait, just a moment! Surely even so, how can you abandon the guest’s proper seating……!”
Ju Ha-yun hurried to restrain his cousin, but unfortunately, he was just a beat too late.
Wi Jung turned his back on what was plainly the Seat of Honor that the Head of Household had prepared for them, bolted forward, set his Meal Tray directly in front of So Yeon-hui, and dropped down onto it with a thud.
‘Finders keepers, after all!’
It was a moment where the experience gained from years of scrambling to claim his share amid younger siblings who harbored constant designs on his older brother’s portion came to the fore.
* * *
‘Why in the world does this fellow have to sit right in front of me out of all the available spots? The Seat of Honor is sitting empty and tidy over there!’
Having arrived in exile as a pauper, the So Household had far more absences than presences.
Among them was an Individual Dining Table—or rather, a personal table as one might call it.
Properly, one ought to prepare a separate Individual Dining Table for each person according to etiquette, but the house was cramped to bursting—how could they indulge in such luxury?
So ordinarily, the whole family ate gathered around a single table that served dual purposes as a desk.
‘I’ve inadvertently introduced modern dining culture, haven’t I?’
Still, based on their grandmother’s emphatic insistence that they couldn’t serve guests at that same table every time, they’d recently procured exactly three wooden Individual Dining Tables, including one for So Jin, the Head of Household.
So they’d placed a wooden Individual Dining Table at the Seat of Honor, and for the remaining spots, they were using Delivery Boxes from Jijang Market, folded and repurposed as tables.
“But sir, if you’re a guest, shouldn’t you be using that Individual Dining Table over there? Why would you wish to share a table with the workers?”
“Ha ha! Though I may have been at fault in my oversight, in any case, I came today intending to help with the So Household’s work with my whole being. I couldn’t possibly expect such special treatment.”
And with that, before she could stop him, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating the food from his Meal Tray.
One cannot ask someone in the middle of a meal to move seats.
So Yeon-hui, whose carefully constructed Isolation Project had been thoroughly undone, clutched at her aching heart.
Heedless of her distress, Wi Jung stroked the Delivery Box that served in place of a table with his fingertips and spoke.
“Remarkable. This is a form of object I’ve never seen before. That dish you used to wrap the candied fruit last time, and this Meal Tray as well—and now you use such a unique Individual Dining Table too. It seems the So Household possesses many extraordinary things. Don’t you think so, Ha-yun?”
Given how the situation had unfolded, how could Ju Ha-yun possibly extract himself?
He sat carefully beside Wi Jung and addressed So Yeon-hui.
“I was just marveling at this advanced system of Meal Distribution. The way you arrange the food in a single bowl like this—it reduces labor and makes maintaining order far more convenient. I’ve learned much from it.”
Perhaps because that one-sided atmosphere of camaraderie looked rather pleasant?
Jeong, who happened to be sitting beside Ju Ha-yun and Wi Jung, couldn’t resist—he chuckled heartily and joined in, brightening the mood further.
“That it is, indeed. The day I first came to work here, I was quite taken aback, I tell you?”
“Ha ha, sir. That’s unkind of you to say. Our household is hardly exceptional…….”
“Hardly exceptional! Everyone who’s heard my stories wants to come work here, that’s what! Where else would you find such a thoughtful employer!”
Every time he went down to the village, people asked whether they needed more hands.
So Yeon-hui now understood the reason, shaking her head with a wry smile.
Just then, Yu, who’d been quietly spooning broth, glanced at Ju Ha-yun and Wi Jung and asked.
“By the way, are you two relations of our So friend here? You both look sturdy enough that you’ll certainly prove useful later.”
Ju Ha-yun answered, doing his best to conceal his alarm.
“Ah, we’re not relations, but…… our families had some association from way back.”
But wait—why was this young man speaking so naturally to an elder in such familiar tones?
‘Could it be… they’re from a noble family?’
Jeong tapped his chopsticks against his Meal Tray and asked the two men.
“The way you’re dressed already stood out to me. Are you young gentlemen from distinguished families perhaps? Did you come from the Capital City like our So friend here?”
Wi Jung waved his hand gracefully, polite yet fluid.
“No, sir. We have had relations with my grandfather’s close friend for many years—our grandfathers were intimate companions. However, I myself am a native of Cheongyang County, so unlike my grandfather’s friend, I’m merely a country bumpkin who’s never even glimpsed the capital.”
“Oh, come now. A country bumpkin, you say! Judging by your manner of speech, you’re clearly a man of refinement.”
Unlike Jeong, who continued his playful banter unbothered by Wi Jung’s reply, the Shim Family Eldest Son and Second Son, who’d been sitting beside the So Household children, quickly exchanged glances with each other before lowering their heads abruptly.
Knowing as they did that So Jin and his father had been a general, it was obvious that a friend of the previous generation’s Head of Household must be a person of considerable standing.
The two men quietly increased the distance between themselves and Wi Jung and Ju Ha-yun, accelerating their eating pace.
They deemed the quickest path to wisdom was finishing their meal as rapidly as possible and leaving the table.
Given such circumstances, what choice did So Yeon-hui have? She had to find a way to end this meal quickly and break up the gathering.
Reluctantly, she picked up her chopsticks. Then Ju Ha-yun, looking embarrassed, lowered his head and spoke.
“I apologize for arriving so unexpectedly and now imposing upon you for a meal as well.”
“Please, don’t apologize. Laying bricks is no easy labor, yet you’ve generously helped us. We should be the ones thanking you. The dishes may be humble, but I’ve prepared them with care. Please, eat your fill.”
At her warm encouragement, Ju Ha-yun, flustered, gave a short nod and picked up his chopsticks.
But Wi Jung, watching Ju Ha-yun and So Yeon-hui in turn, displayed his discontent with a subtly pouty expression.
“Ahem! I too shall eat well.”
“Yes, do. Though you did cause quite an accident, after all. But for now, you are a guest of the So Household.”
At that sharp retort, Wi Jung raised his eyebrows as if aggrieved.
“This young lady So has a rather penny-pinching streak to her, I notice.”
“It may have meant nothing to you, sir, but our family is poor—every material is precious to us.”
Did he have any idea how much hardship she’d endured gathering Good Deed Points for the foundation-laying ceremony?
Since such things were difficult to procure in this region, broken or chipped bricks were especially painful losses.
Perhaps that sentiment had shown plainly across her face.
Wi Jung, carrying the weight of guilt, felt his spirits plummet at So Yeon-hui’s frigid expression, and his shoulders sagged.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to do it intentionally…… I shall certainly repay you for the bricks.”
Instead of responding, So Yeon-hui took a spoonful of steamed egg.
After all, thanks to Wi Jung’s desperately clumsy handiwork today, dozens of bricks had been ruined and two kilograms of Calcium Hydroxide had been wasted, scattered in all directions.
The cost of the lime mortar alone came to several hundred coins. How could he possibly make it up?
Faced with So Yeon-hui’s unyielding expression, Wi Jung fidgeted for a long while before finally pouting and pursing his lips.
“Then why did you choose such difficult materials in the first place? You could have just thrown together mud and straw to build a wall, but here you are making walls with bricks as if you were building a tomb!”
“Good grief. This is exactly why one shouldn’t engage in conversation with people who know nothing.”
“What?”

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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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