My mother was born as the second daughter to what would in the end be a big family of 6 children - 5 daughters and 1 son. As I understand, sons were still (and maybe still are to an extent) valuable to a family, as they carry down the family name. My grandparents kept having children expecting a son, but instead 4 daughters were born first. They finally got their son on their fifth try; then they had one last child, my littlest aunt (in age and in size!!)
My mom says their house on the hill surrounded by farms was one of three relatively modern houses in the neighborhood. My grandfather had a vision of building a proper house for his family, and when he got married, he acted on the vision. The house has gone through some major renovations- a modern bathroom was put in place while I was a small child, the floors were redone at a certain point, and more things here and there- but the house my mom grew up in is still where my grandparents live, and where my family used to go to celebrate Korean holidays while we still lived in Korea. (My mother's family still gather at my grandparents' house at least twice every year per tradition, but it hasn't been possible for me and my immediate family since we live in North America now.)
The house is a single story house with three rooms, a living room area (which doubles as a dining room) and a kitchen. One of the rooms is tiny and is now used as a storage room filled with sweet potatoes and various vegetables/crops that my grandparents' farm yields. There used to be no beds in the house, but plenty of thick blankets to sleep on top of. Now there is a single bed for my grandfather (an addition not too long ago, possibly for his back). My grandmother still prefers the floor.
Some of the fondest memories of Korea from my childhood was in that house. I remember our huge family (with aunts and uncle all getting married, the family kept growing) all gathering during Chusuk (Korean Thanksgiving) or 설날 (Korean New Year). The house would be noisy with aunts, uncles, and cousins, and we'd have huge feasts of food and play games or tell stories at night. Then we'd all divide into the two big rooms, spread out all the blankets and sleep side-by-side, women and children in one room and men in the other.
I loved those long weekends where we got to run around the countryside and help my grandparents pick fruits and vegetables. There were cows and chickens in our yard or nearby. There were persimmon trees and acorn trees, barrels filled with bean paste and chili paste made from the soy beans and chili from our farm. And I especially loved my aunts and uncles who loved laughing and telling jokes and, as long as I can remember, got along quite well.