Hu Lei felt like she had been dropped from a tower when she heard the question. In that moment, she considered running back to the bureau and asking if they could undo the marriage. It was only a little signature. How did it turn into an evening with the Zhong family?"You do not have to go if you do not want to, Xiao Lei." The man seemed to notice her discomfort.
Hu Lei definitely did not want to go. However, she considered the most critical matter. These were Ah Feng"s parents. She could not pretend that they did not exist. Moreover, it was obvious that they cared deeply for him. Since she did not intend to let him go, she needed to find a way to get along with her in-laws.
"It is not like that." She chewed on her plumb lip a little. "Have you told them anything about me?"
She wanted to know what she would be working with if she met them. If she understood the situation, she could be more prepared. Of course, she knew that his family did not really like her. However, that did not mean that she could not change their mind and have them accept her wholeheartedly.
Zhong Feng looked uncomfortable about the question. Hu Lei looked at him with a legendary death stare.
"I have not told them about you. They have only heard about you from Mian." He responded.
Hu Lei frowned at these words. She finally understood the reason she had been accosted by the round man in the hospital parking lot. It seemed that Zhong Mian had been the culprit that painted her in a negative light. Granted, their meetings in the past had not been successful. But was there a reason to report to her parents like a little childish tattletale?
"Did your parents not ask you about me? They must have been interested." She said thoughtfully.
Zhong Feng"s eyes darkened a little. Though his parents treated him well, they often avoided direct confrontation with him when it came to personal matters. His mother had tried encouraging him to find a girlfriend and to forget the past without inquiring about the matter involving Hu Lei.
Zhong Tian had confronted him once, but his father had already reached his own conclusion, not caring about the details. At the time, Zhong Feng had been worried about Hu Lei"s disappearance. It had not seemed important to clarify the matter at the time.
Now, it seemed like this poor decision had come back to haunt him. He felt that he had caused this problem, regardless of his reasons. However, he would ensure that Hu Lei would not be hurt, intentionally or unintentionally.
"It does not matter. Even though they might have checked up on you, they will not cause trouble." Zhong Feng responded.
Hu Lei felt that there were a lot of words left unsaid. However, she did not want to worry about the past. She would deal with any issues as they came. Even if she decided to blame Zhong Feng for failing to build up her reputation before his parents, nothing would change.
In addition, there were some things that she needed to handle personally. How could she depend on Zhong Feng for even this simple matter?
"You should not speak like that. Your parents obviously treasure you." She smiled a little, deciding not to dig further.
Zhong Feng reached his hand to clasp her hand. He knew that her mind had drifted to her own life. He did not want to speak empty words. No words would make a loss as great as hers seem less. However, he could only provide comfort through his presence.
Hu Lei quickly threw off her morose mood.
"I should prepare appropriate gifts when making my magnificent debut." She declared.
Zhong Feng smiled a little.
"You don"t have to bring anything. Once father and mother meet you, they will immediately like you." He spoke with certainty.
Hu Lei felt that he did not have an appreciation towards the situation. They had even sent in that foolish round man after her. Obviously, they did not have a good impression of her. Seeing the flat gaze she levelled at him, Zhong Feng had a little inkling about what she had on her mind.
"You are thinking too much. Regardless of rumours, they will understand their error with one look at you." His voice had a bewitching confidence.
However, Hu Lei did not fall for this enchantment. She would definitely not listen to this man who lacked social awareness. Though he was smart, he had a knowledge gap in the intricacies of human behaviour. If her apparent in-laws liked her on sight, then the sun would set in the east.
"Drive to the Cauldron Street." She said, not giving his words a second thought.
Zhong Feng wanted to speak, but a glare from Hu Lei caused him to keep driving silently. Hu Lei realised that she had unlocked a skill: the wifely obedience glare. She chuckled evilly to herself as she thought about the possibilities. Her new husband looked at her as one would a crazy person, but he kept driving without a word.
When they reached Cauldron Street, Hu Lei ordered an unwilling Zhong Feng to remain in the vehicle while she hunted for a good gift that would leave a good impression. With her natural charm and an appropriate item, she would conquer the Zhong family.
Cauldron Street was nothing special. It was an eclectic street with all kinds of shops, ranging from grain stores to cafés and tea shops. Hu Lei"s goal was a traditional medicine shop. She did not know exactly where it was since she had never been there before.
However, her father had mentioned that this shop was the best place to get high-quality medicinal tea. He would always tell her that if she got back to Supreme City, she should check out the shop. She had not paid him much mind because at the time, he would make casual conversation to try to distract her from tests.
Unfortunately, after looking for the shop for a while, it proved difficult to find the shop because her father had never told him its name. Moreover, there was no such store in the area on her map application. For a moment, she considered leaving. However, she decided against it because she really wanted something meaningful for the occasion
After all, she did not want to make a superficial gesture. Unless it was an impossible situation, she would not give up getting along with Ah Feng"s family. With this in mind, she asked a few people and was finally directed to an alley off Cauldron Street.
She walked down into the lane with some apprehension. It was not that the alley was scary. The street was spotlessly clean, and the area looked completely secure. However, it was completely abandoned. It was almost as if no one had been there for a while.
If the medicine shop was not open, she would need to think of a secondary plan. As a relative newbie in Supreme, she had still not discovered any good stores. It would be inconvenient to continue loitering around.
As she came closer, she smelt a medicinal aroma wafting into the street. She smiled in relief. If there was a medicinal scent, there must be someone in the shop. Hu Lei walked a little faster in excitement.
When she stood before the shop which was simply labelled "Apothecary", she realised that the flowery medicinal scent was quite familiar. She felt a wave of nostalgia in her heart. Her father used to make her a strange concoction for nausea and stomach upset called "Soothing Blossoms" which helped her deal with foreign foods. It had this exact smell.
In general, medicine was like food. When made by different people, there would always be some variation. She found it strange that she could not tell any difference with her sensitive nose. If her father had not died before her, she would believe that he was the one inside. Suddenly, she felt anxious about meeting the owner of the shop and not because of the tea.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the nostalgia in her heart. Her small hand tightened, and she lifted it to knock the door, even though there was a "Closed" sign. She waited outside while shifting in place nervously.