When Su Le woke up, Gu Zi made her a cup of milk powder for breakfast.
The second floor's floor was now clean, and she had been gradually cleaning and organizing other areas in the house over the past few days.
As noon approached, she took little Su Le to the kitchen.
Gu Zi remembered from books that children usually started speaking between the ages of eight to ten months, and Su Le was almost two years old but still couldn't speak.
The book version of Su Le had normal language abilities during high school, which meant that her lack of speech might be due to a lack of guidance.
Gu Zi sat next to Su Le, selecting vegetables and gently said, "Brother."
Su Le tilted her little head, her big eyes blinking, and in a babyish voice, she said, "Bro...ther."
Gu Zi's eyes brightened, and she leaned in to kiss Su Le's forehead, smiling warmly. "Oh my, our little Lele is so smart."
Su Le's eyes narrowed with happiness.
"Lele, say it again, 'Brother,'" Gu Zi gently encouraged.
This time, Su Le said it more naturally.
"Lele is very smart!"
"Okay, now say Daddy," Gu Zi said tenderly. She spoke slowly, concerned that Su Le might not understand.
"Say Mommy'" Gu Zi said patiently.
Listening to Su Le's voice, Gu Zi couldn't help but smile. Judging from the progress Su Le had made just now, she was indeed very intelligent, and with time and teaching, she would likely learn to speak fluently.
She put the vegetables into the water, started preparing lunch, and taught Su Le how to eat. Afterward, she had her own meal.
There were still leftovers in the pot, so she mixed them all together.
She noticed that the dog's food bowl contained leftovers, and she thought the dog might eat these as well.
She walked over to the tethered dog, recalling the scene from yesterday when the big dog had jumped towards her.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the dog cautiously.
The dog was lying down with its eyes half-closed and didn't seem to notice her getting closer.
She didn't dare get too close. She crouched down and poured the leftover food into the dog's bowl, then quickly stepped back.
The dog slowly opened its eyes, glanced at the bowl, then at Gu Zi, and then lowered its head to eat.
Seeing the dog eating peacefully, Gu Zi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that this dog was quite gentle.
She returned to the room and cleaned up the kitchen, then noticed Su Le crawling happily towards the outside.
Su Le was almost two years old and should start learning to walk. Thinking of this, Gu Zi gently helped Su Le stand up and encouraged her to take her first steps.
Su Le stood still, her little legs trembling slightly, and she looked up at Gu Zi. In a babyish voice, she said, "Mommy."
"Lele, now you need to learn to walk," Gu Zi said in a gentle tone. She took a step forward with her left foot and looked at Su Le. "Do you understand?"
At first, Su Le just looked at Gu Zi's face, her clear, big eyes blinking.
Gu Zi pointed to her own left leg. When Su Le followed her gaze, she said, "Walk."
This time, Su Le seemed to understand and took her first shaky step. Her body swayed, but Gu Zi quickly supported her.
They were standing by the doorway, and Gu Zi heard voices from outside.
"It smells so good, it's meat! Grandma, I want to eat meat, I want to see Lele!"
Gu Zi looked over and saw a three-year-old child sniffing as he spoke loudly to a middle-aged woman beside him.
The middle-aged woman didn't reply but looked at Gu Zi curiously.
She lived next door to the Su family and knew that Aunt Chu came over every day to cook for the three children. But when did such a pretty girl like Gu Zi appear in the Su family?
This young girl had radiant white skin and seemed very gentle as she taught the child to walk.
Could it be that she was the one who made the dog's food?
"Who are you?" Zhang Cuihua asked hesitantly.
Gu Zi smiled politely and introduced herself, "Auntie, hello, I'm from the Lin family, and I'm here to fulfill the arranged marriage agreement with Mr. Su."
Zhang Cuihua's smile disappeared instantly, and she looked at Gu Zi with a cold expression, scrutinizing her from head to toe. She said icily, "So, you're Lin Miao from the Lin family?"