Zhang Manhua turned around and looked at Pei Ge with confusion. “Ge Ge, what are you doing? Do you have any leads?”
Pei Ge shook her head. She did not have any leads, and she did not even have sufficient evidence and witness. Even Pei Zhenghui, who was currently in prison, might not have thought that she was from the Qu family.
“Ge Ge, if there’s anything, you must tell me. Don’t hide it from me.”
Other than wanting to meet Qu Xiujie, Zhang Manhua still had a lot on her mind.
It had been so many years, but she still could not fall asleep at night. She kept her eyes open and stared at the ceiling the whole night. The memories of that night were too terrifying, and she still could not recover from it. If not for the support of the people around her, she would have been tortured by her immense heartache.
However, it was also because of this that she knew how many people around her truly cared for her and treated her well.
“Ge Ge, promise me that if you encounter any danger in this matter, don’t continue. I don’t want you to get hurt in the slightest. I won’t allow it, and I won’t agree to it. I know that your father’s car accident was inexplicable and there must be someone behind it, but I care more about you. You’re the one who survived now, so just stay by my side. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Do you understand?”
Her mother looked at her calmly, as though she had been thinking about this for a long time.
“Mom, I know. Don’t worry.”
Pei Ge nodded as the warmth in her heart slowly dissipated. The things she cared about were the same as Zhang Manhua’s. As long as her family was by her side, there was no need to know the truth.
However, in the blink of an eye, Pei Ge still firmly believed in her current thoughts. Nothing was more urgent than finding out about her father’s death. Even if there would be so much pain and suffering, she would still persevere in her determination and hope.
As long as she continued moving forward, she would not look back.
This was Pei Ge’s principle. She would always find the right time in the future to recover all her pain from the people who hurt her in the past. All their evil schemes would be exposed.
She could not forgive the person hiding behind her, who always coveted her happiness and broke it one by one. Since she was young, she forbore too many times and did not need to continue like this. As long as there was hope, she would not give up.
She would never give up.
The mother-daughter pair visited all the rooms in the house and stopped in the kitchen.
“Ge Ge, what do you want to eat? Mom will cook tonight and let you eat all you want.”
Zhang Manhua opened the fridge and looked at the plentiful ingredients and meat inside. The dishes were already in her mind. As long as it was something Pei Ge liked to eat, she would make it and make it taste unique.
“Mom, I like everything you cook. Let’s eat at our house tonight. I’ll give Ziming a call later. He’s still busy at the company. When he’s done, we’ll bring the children over and we can have a good meal together.”
Pei Ge removed two aprons from the hook on the wall and turned around. When she saw Butler Charlie standing at the door, she could not help but smile. “Charlie, are you sure you want to stand outside our kitchen door like this forever?”
“Of course, I want to ensure Madam’s safety.”
Charlie’s butler refused to budge. He had to keep Zhang Manhua under his watch.
“My mom is with me. Besides you, there are other bodyguards in this house. You can go rest in the living room.”
Pei Ge pointed at the sofa in the living room opposite the kitchen that was chosen according to her preference. Ji Ziming had people personally pick it out from the furniture stores.
“Ge Ge, forget it. Butler Charlie won’t go. He’s just short of entering our ladies’ washroom. He has to keep me safe so don’t mind him.”
Zhang Manhua received the apron from her daughter and took out fresh vegetables and fruits from the fridge. She then turned on the tap and took a basin to wash them. She did not feel uncomfortable with Butler Charlie standing beside her.
However, it was not easy for Pei Ge to get used to it. No matter how she looked at it, Charlie seemed to be in the way.
Finally, not long after, Pei Ge could not take it anymore. She looked at him and said coldly, “Butler Charlie, may I ask you to leave the kitchen or stand outside the kitchen? Don’t stand inside. When I want to take something, you’re blocking me; when I want to wash something, you’re blocking me as well. This plate of braised fish has already turned burnt.”
Pei Ge was getting agitated by Charlie. Her best dish had been forced to turn into a black lump by Charlie. One could not tell that this was a fish since it was without any characteristic of a fish.
It did not have the spirit of a fish either just like how Pei Ge’s face had lost its liveliness from before. She could only look at Butler Charlie but was unable to scold or beat him up.
Zhang Manhua held the meatball in her hand and laughed when she saw them. “Alright, alright. Charlie, you can go out and wait. We’ll be done soon.”
As expected, the moment Zhang Manhua spoke, Charlie obediently walked out. However, the moment he turned around, he looked at Pei Ge with disdain, as though mocking her for not being as calm as Zhang Manhua.
“Hey, you…”
Pei Ge placed the black braised fish on the table and looked at Charlie’s back view. Before she could say anything, he had already left the kitchen and stood outside, looking very arrogant.
“Ge Ge, don’t be calculative with him. Although he’s a little stubborn, he’s still very reliable. Your uncle arranged for him to be by my side for so long, yet nothing has happened.”
Zhang Manhua rolled out the dough with all her might. The meatball had already been molded and placed on a crystal plate at the side. A little while longer, when the water in the steamer boils, the meatball would naturally be cooked.
“Mom, you know him so well. If I were you, I would have gotten into a fight with this butler.”
Pei Ge turned around and pouted, her heart aching for her plate of braised fish.