Chapter 756: The Thoughtfulness of an Older Man
Su Li stuttered, “Mom, I…I just ate too fast, got a bit choked. I’ll slow down.”
Gu Zi watched him, her gaze turning stern. She knew her son well enough to see through his evasions. “What’s going on? What’s with the secrecy? Can’t you even tell your own mother?”
Su Li couldn’t bear to hear her words. He spilled everything at once, “I didn’t mean to hide anything from you, Mom. I regret agreeing to them. Today, I told my classmates that you cook delicious food. They all wanted to come over and taste your cooking. I said I’d ask you first. I’m sorry, I didn’t think…I didn’t think it would tire you out…”
As the boy spoke, his tone became self-reproachful. Gu Zi’s stern expression faded, replaced by a look of concern. She quickly patted Su Li’s shoulder, saying, “So that’s all it is. You could have told me right away. How could it be tiring? Even if you didn’t invite your classmates, wouldn’t we still eat?
“However, the next couple of days might be a bit rushed. How about this? We’ll host a food party at home on Saturday. You can invite your classmates over. It’ll also help you bond with them. Su Li, if they want to come, let them. Su Bing, you should invite some classmates too.”
Su Bing, suddenly called upon, obediently nodded. Although he didn’t have many close friends in his class, if his mother wished for him to socialize more, he would invite some people. There were plenty in his class who wanted to befriend him. However, he knew hosting a party would tire his mother out. He said, “Mom, Su Li and I will help you on Saturday.”
Su Li, now cheerful, nodded in agreement. “Yes, Mom. Since it’s our event, we should actively participate! Otherwise, when Dad comes home and sees you worn out, he’ll surely be angry.”
Gu Zi looked at her two sensible sons, feeling a sense of gratification.
At that moment, the sound of their little sister waking up and crying came from the living room. Gu Zi stood up, smiling, “Alright, it’s settled then. Your sister is awake, I’ll go get her.”
When Gu Zi arrived in the living room, the little girl’s face was already streaked with tears. Her small mouth was puckered up, and her pitiful appearance tugged at the heartstrings.
Gu Zi quickly opened her arms to embrace Su Le, and the child immediately ceased her crying, clinging tightly to her mother.
A warm feeling spread through Gu Zi’s heart as she picked up the girl to prepare some milk powder. “Oh, we need to buy more milk powder. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the supermarket,” she said.
The little girl accepted the bottle of milk, took a sip, and finally lost her listless expression. In her babyish voice, she responded, “Mommy buys milk powder for Lele, Lele also wants to buy milk powder for Mommy.”
Gu Zi was somewhat surprised. “My little darling, can you already speak such complete sentences? Mommy is so happy. Are you happy?”
Gu Zi noticed that ever since she hired a speech therapist for Su Le, the child’s language skills had improved remarkably. Apart from the therapist’s expertise, Su Le must have a natural talent for language. It was a pity that in her previous life, her potential was stifled by unfortunate circumstances, leading to a tragic end.
Now that Su Le was her daughter, Gu Zi was determined to prevent history from repeating itself. She would raise Su Le well, educating her to become an outstanding young woman with self-confidence and self-respect, ensuring that Su Le would lead a happy life.
The next morning, after finishing her breakfast, Gu Zi put in extra effort to weed the backyard. She had Big Yellow, their dog, haul away two loads of weeds.
Big Yellow went alone for the last trip because when Gu Zi wanted to accompany him, he blocked her way. Gu Zi guessed that Big Yellow wanted to go alone, so she didn’t insist on going with him.
Although Gu Zi was worried – after all, Big Yellow looked fierce and could easily frighten people – he needed to adapt to and be accepted in his new environment. This was a good opportunity for him. Before Big Yellow left, Gu Zi put a muzzle on him to prevent any accidents.
During the time Big Yellow was away, Gu Zi was both expectant and anxious. Big Yellow was already a part of the Su family. Fortunately, Big Yellow was reliable and returned after a short while, his tail wagging as he circled around Gu Zi and Su Le.
Relieved, Gu Zi closed the gate, removed Big Yellow’s muzzle, and patted his head, praising, “Our Big Yellow is really great. I’ll give you an extra meal at noon!”
Big Yellow wagged his tail even more excitedly. After petting him a bit more, Gu Zi got up to change her clothes and take her daughter to buy milk powder.
Just then, a motorcycle pulled up at the gate.