Reborn as a Fake Heiress Marrying the Tycoon-Chapter 1163: Liveliest New Year

Su Le had originally skipped over excitedly, hoping to ask her mother for a taste of whatever delicious thing she was feeding her second brother. But just as she was about to speak, she saw her second brother suddenly gag.

Her footsteps froze mid-step. Without a word, she spun on her heel, pulled out a book from her schoolbag, flipped it open, and buried her face in the pages—pretending she’d seen absolutely nothing.

In the courtyard, Su Bing had caught the entire scene through the window and instantly pieced it together. So that was where the stench was coming from—it had to be those mysterious pieces of tofu. Tsk. Her mother’s taste was getting more intense by the day!

Su Li couldn’t hold it in any longer. He spat the tofu right out, then scrambled to grab the kettle, pouring himself water and gulping it down in desperation. He stared at Gu Zi with wide, traumatized eyes.

His own mother actually liked tofu that tasted like poop?

Seeing the children’s reactions, Gu Zi finally understood. The three of them clearly had zero tolerance for stinky tofu. She felt a little disheartened, but she wasn’t the kind of mother to force anyone to eat something they couldn’t stomach.

"It’s fine if you don’t like it," she said, brushing off the disappointment with a gentle smile. "Grandma Gao dropped off some pastries earlier—they’re in the kitchen. Go grab some to fill your bellies first. We’ll wait for Dad to come home before having a proper meal."

Su Li noticed the faint trace of disappointment on her face. Hesitating a little, he asked carefully, "Mom... do we really not need to eat with you?"

That smell... he just couldn’t take it. It was horrendous.

Gu Zi reached over and patted his head affectionately. "Of course not, sweetheart. Go on and have the pastries now—they won’t taste as good once they’re cold. I can finish all this stinky tofu myself, don’t worry."

Su Li nodded, finally learning the name of the culprit: stinky tofu. Still, he didn’t understand—why stinky? If it was stinky, why would anyone want to eat it?

At that moment, the doorbell rang again. Su Bing went to open it. Standing at the door was none other than Chen Yu, Sun Yi’s husband. He had come looking for her.

In fact, the moment he’d stepped onto the property and caught a whiff of the overpowering stench, he’d been sure that Sun Yi must have been here. She was nowhere to be seen, of course, which made him wonder if she was deliberately avoiding him.

He turned to Gu Zi and asked, "Gu Zi, my wife’s secretary said she came by your place. Is she here? I need to talk to her."

Chen Yu, knowing full well that Gu Zi might try to cover for her, spoke with deliberate clarity, attempting to convey sincerity.

Unfortunately for him, Gu Zi had never been the type to pity foolish men. Where had he been all this time, when Sun Yi had cried herself numb and shut down completely? Did it really have to come to this—to chasing her down like a drama serial—before he realized he needed to win her back?

Even if Gu Zi did know where Sun Yi was—and she didn’t—she wouldn’t have told him a thing.

"She was here earlier," she replied with a perfectly composed expression. "She dropped off some goodies, but she seemed busy—said she was meeting someone important. She left right after. I honestly don’t know where she went."

Chen Yu saw he wasn’t getting anywhere. He made a polite excuse and left. frёewebηovel.cѳm

No sooner had his car disappeared around the corner than Chen Xi came sneaking in like a cartoon character on tiptoe. Spotting the last three pieces of stinky tofu left in Gu Zi’s bowl, he practically sprinted over.

"Gu Zi! Can I have the last three pieces, please?" he begged.

Out in the courtyard, Su Li was helping his little sister build a snowman when he overheard. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Wait, there were people who fought over stinky tofu? This was getting scary.

Gu Zi had already eaten her fill anyway. Seeing how eager Chen Xi was, she handed the bowl over with a smile.

"You like this stuff too?" she asked, curious. "Why not have your sister-in-law get some for you?"

Chen Xi grabbed the bowl and started eating like a man possessed. Within seconds, two pieces of tofu had vanished. In between mouthfuls, he explained, "She doesn’t even come home anymore! She’s fighting with my brother. I don’t even dare show up in their line of sight. I’m just trying to survive without getting caught in the crossfire. How can I dare ask her for anything?"

His voice turned pitiful, eyes almost watery with grievance. Honestly, he didn’t even know how things had escalated so quickly—why his sister-in-law suddenly wanted a divorce.

Well, on second thought, maybe he did know. His brother kind of had it coming. He’d been out gallivanting with other women for months, ignoring both his wife and kid. The man was a world-class jerk. Honestly, his sister-in-law should’ve been mad long ago.

After wolfing down the third and final piece of stinky tofu, Chen Xi was sweating buckets but looked utterly satisfied.

Su Li stared at him like he was witnessing a scientific anomaly. His expression bordered on reverence. Grown-up tastes were seriously hard to predict these days.

Gu Zi watched him sympathetically. He did seem genuinely fond of Sun Yi, and since he was still standing on that side of the battle line, she decided to reward his loyalty. She packed up some preserved sausages and cured meats sent from Guangcheng and handed the bundle to him.

Chen Xi lit up with delight, clutching the goods like he’d won the lottery. As he made his way back home, he made a silent vow—if his idiot brother still hadn’t coaxed Sun Yi back by the time Chinese New Year rolled around, then he was coming to Gu Zi’s house for the holiday. No way was he going to sit through an awkward family gathering, stuck in the middle of a war zone.

As the end of December arrived, the entire village buzzed with New Year preparations—slaughtering pigs, sacrificing to the kitchen gods, fireworks crackling earlier than those in Guangcheng, and a fresh layer of snow falling almost daily. Everything was blanketed in glistening white.

Over the past few weeks, families who had once moved out began trickling back into Jiangjia Village. New visitors came to view houses. The old superstitions and gossip that had once haunted the place had finally been dispelled.

Now, this location—close to everything, yet still reasonably priced—had become prime real estate. Rental prices had shot up, and home values followed.

For the first time in years, Jiangjia Village was hosting the liveliest New Year in recent memory.