Chapter 588 I Can Adopt You, Be Your Mother Charlotte comforted him, “It’s okay. When the weather clears up tomorrow, we’ll take your master down the mountain for a check-up and bring you along for some fun. How does that sound?” Being such a young child, the prospect of going down the mountain to play made Peter’s eyes light up. He even started urging Charlotte and Joe to rest early so they could get an early start the next day. Charlotte found herself both amused by his enthusiasm. Out of respect for the temple, Charlotte and Joe didn’t sleep in the same room but stayed in two adjacent rooms instead. Despite the rooms’ simple furnishings, they looked clean, indicating that the master and Peter probably kept them in good order. In a strange room, all alone, Charlotte thought she might have trouble sleeping or feel anxious. However, as soon as she lay down, she fell into a deep slumber. The next morning, Charlotte was awakened by a rapid knocking on her door. She sat up in bed, feeling uncomfortable, and held her head. Perhaps it was the rain from yesterday, but she had a splitting headache, and her whole body felt heavy and sluggish. Glancing at the weather outside, after a night of rain, the sky was now clear and beautifully blue, a sight to behold. After briefly settling her discomfort, Charlotte got out of bed. She was met with an anxious-looking Peter when she opened her room door. Peter exclaimed urgently, “I just went to wake up Master for morning prayers, but no matter how hard I knocked, he didn’t respond! Could something be wrong?” “I’ll go check with you,” Charlotte said. Without hesitation, she followed Peter, ready to leave. Enter title… At that moment, Joe emerged from his room. “I’m going with you.” Charlotte nodded, and with Peter in tow, they arrived at the door of the master’s room.
As expected, even after knocking repeatedly, there was no response from inside. Joe and Charlotte exchanged a quick glance, and without hesitation, Joe kicked the door open. Charlotte instinctively pulled Peter away from the entrance. Watching the unresponsive room, Joe furrowed his brow. “I’ll go in first and check. When I call for you, then you can come.” Joe entered the room slowly. After a moment, he emerged with a grim expression. “I’m arranging for someone to come over. You two, don’t go inside.” Charlotte instantly understood the situation inside the room and silently held Peter closer. Peter seemed to sense something, too, and stayed quiet in Charlotte’s embrace, not crying or making a fuss. An hour later, the manager from the hot spring club arrived with a team of people at the temple. They quickly investigated the situation. “The master has passed away peacefully in his sleep due to his old age,” explained the accompanying police officer and doctor to Charlotte and Joe after their investigation. It wasn’t until this moment that Peter, with teary eyes, grabbed Charlotte’s sleeve and choked out, “Master… He won’t come back anymore, will he?” Charlotte was at a loss for words. She wanted to comfort Peter, to tell him everything would be fine. But she knew that words alone would never suffice in the face of such deep grief. All she could do was hold him once again. With the master’s passing, it was clear that Peter couldn’t stay here any longer. Especially given his lack of legal documentation and proof of identity, it would be even more challenging. Charlotte knelt down and, in a solemn tone, asked Peter, “Would you like to come with me? I can adopt you, be your mother.”
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