April went by fast.

The weather got nicer by the day.

On the last day of the month, Xu Ye and Chen Qingqing caught the high-speed train home. They didn't drive because the next day was Labor Day, and the highways were guaranteed to be jammed, so Xu Ye had booked the tickets well in advance.

They left a little after eight in the morning and got to Jiangzhou around one in the afternoon. This time Old Xu drove over to pick them up. The car must have just been washed. It was polished to a shine, and even the inside had a faint, pleasant scent.

Xu Ye was pretty surprised. Old Xu had smoked for so many years that he'd expected the car to reek of cigarettes, but it didn't smell of anything at all.

"How many days do you two get off for May Day?"

"Three."

"How's the renovation going on the house?"

"It'll be pretty much done by the end of June. Let it air out over the summer for a few months to get rid of the formaldehyde, and we should be fine to move in by the end of the year."

"Your mom brings it up at home all the time. If you've got time over summer break, take her to stay there for a while. Let her see a little of the world."

Xu Ye frowned. "Mom's not working anymore?"

Old Xu nodded. "You know what her company's like. They're always paying late, and business hasn't been good the last couple of years. Your mom figured she'd already paid into social security for twenty years anyway. A while back, the company was laying people off. She was worried the boss would let the young girl in her department go, so she went to him herself and quit."

Xu Ye grinned. "She should've quit ages ago."

"Your mom's thinking the two of you will be graduating from college soon. When you get married and have kids, you'll need someone to help look after them. That's why she was so quick about it this time."

Chen…