Reborn as a Fake Heiress Marrying the Tycoon-Chapter 1154: He’s So Poor

Gu Zi smiled. "That’s exactly what I mean, Su Shen. I know you didn’t mean any harm, but you must understand—children’s hearts are delicate. Sometimes, if we speak too directly, they might misunderstand. They could think that, just because we’re having a baby, we love them any less."

Su Shen paused, the weight of her words sinking in. He pulled her closer, his embrace tender, as though she were the most precious thing in the world. "I understand now, Gu Zi. I wasn’t thoughtful enough," he murmured, his voice laced with guilt.

Later that night, Su Li lay wide awake in bed, his thoughts racing. Clutching his piggy bank, he counted his meager savings for the third time, and his heart sank. He was so poor—far poorer than his older brother, Su Bing.

But with a baby on the way, he would have to become a big brother, wouldn’t he? How could he be a good older brother with so little money? What if the baby, when it was born, decided to follow Su Bing instead? That thought filled him with an overwhelming sense of dread.

"No, no," Su Li thought, his resolve hardening. "I can’t let that happen. I need to save more money!" He made a firm decision—no more unnecessary spending. He’d follow Su Bing’s example and cut back on snacks, which would save him quite a bit of pocket money. But that wasn’t enough. He needed to find ways to earn more.

The next day, as soon as school began, Su Li rushed to tell Gao Ming the good news. "My mom’s pregnant! There’s going to be a little baby, and I’m going to be a big brother! Gao Ming, do you have any ways I can make money? I need to save up for my little brother."

Gao Ming blinked, a little confused at first. He hadn’t quite figured out how Su Li’s mom having a baby would make Su Li a big brother, but seeing how serious his friend was, he didn’t question it. He immediately began brainstorming. "How about we use our free time after school and on weekends to collect recyclables? We can sell them at the school gate. Oh, and my dad told me our new house will be ready soon. Su Li, we’ll be neighbors! I’ll help you take care of your little brother."

That struck Su Li like a bolt of lightning. He had completely forgotten that Uncle Gao had bought the house next door—no, not the one that had belonged to the unfortunate Jiang family, but the house on the other side. It was almost finished being renovated, and soon his family would have new neighbors.

Best of all, it meant he and Gao Ming could walk to school together again. The thought made him feel giddy with excitement.

The two friends wasted no time. That very day, they began collecting recyclables—old newspapers, discarded books, torn paper bags, rusty nails—anything that could be sold. After a week of hard work, they had gathered four large bags full of waste. They eagerly brought them to the school gate, anticipating a small fortune.

As they stood waiting for the gatekeeper to count up the money, Su Li’s heart raced with excitement. When the gatekeeper handed them fifty cents, both boys were stunned into silence. Four whole bags of recyclables—just fifty cents?

Su Li walked out of the gatekeeper’s office, deflated. He immediately abandoned the plan to save money through recycling and decided he had no choice but to swallow his pride and ask Su Bing for help.

On the way home, Su Li kept stealing glances at his brother. Su Bing had noticed something was off with Su Li but played along, pretending not to notice.

Finally, at home, Su Li couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Brother, I want to make money. Do you have any ideas?"

Su Bing raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. He wasn’t sure why Su Li suddenly wanted to make money, but it wasn’t the first time his little brother had gotten a wild idea.

Su Bing, who had already worked out a plan to sell ice cream made by their mother, saw an opportunity. He had developed several flavors and planned to sell them at school. But to sell them, he needed someone to handle the sales, and Su Li seemed like the perfect person for the job.

Su Bing knew his younger brother wasn’t exactly the most responsible, but this might be just the right moment to involve him. He’d been waiting for Su Li to approach him about it, and now that he had, Su Bing was ready to seize the opportunity.

"There is a way," Su Bing said, his tone playful but calculating. "But first, you have to sign a partnership agreement with me before I tell you the method."

Su Li didn’t hesitate for a second. "Brother, where do I sign? I’ll sign anything! If it means you’ll teach me how to make money, I’ll sign ten agreements if I have to!"

Su Bing nodded with a small smile. He pulled out the agreement he had prepared earlier and placed it in front of Su Li.

Without even reading it, Su Li grabbed a pen and signed with gusto, even adding a red thumbs-up for good measure.

Su Bing couldn’t help but feel a small pang of guilt for taking advantage of his brother’s eagerness, but he quickly pushed the feeling aside. It was all for Su Li’s own good, after all.

The weekend came, and Su Bing spent the next two days training Su Li in the art of selling. By Monday, Su Li was officially on the job. With a foam cooler in hand, he proudly sold ice cream to his classmates, using his brother’s carefully honed methods.