As it was getting dark, Xu Ye left after all.

It was Old Zhang who had called him away.

Not that he had been planning to stay the night at Red Leaf Estate anyway.

Things between him and Chen Qingqing were moving along steadily, but they hadn't reached the last step yet. And there were cameras in the living room — if he really did stay, his mother-in-law would be sure to find out. There were still things you had to be careful about.

Once he had driven out of Red Leaf Estate, Xu Ye called Old Zhang back. "Mom, what's so urgent that you need me home?"

"Don't come home. Go straight to the train station."

Xu Ye didn't follow. "What for?"

Old Zhang seemed to be in the middle of something else. She shouted at the top of her voice, "Your Second Aunt is about to arrive. Drive over and pick her up."

"Why don't you send my dad?"

"I've packed your dad off to buy groceries. Your Second Aunt is eating here tonight."

Xu Ye answered right away. "You got it. I'm on my way."

He hung up and headed for the train station.

Of the three sisters — Zhang Hong, Zhang Ying and Zhang Lan — it was Zhang Ying who had been the best behaved and the quietest when they were young, a Jiangnan woman of the classic sort. And yet in the end she was the only one who married out of the province.

Xu Ye had always thought well of this aunt. According to his grandmother, as a small child he had trailed around after her constantly, and she had been very good to him in return. They were rarely in touch the rest of the year, but whenever she called Zhang Hong at New Year she would have Xu Ye come to the phone and wish her a happy new year — so that she had an excuse to send him a red packet of New Year money.

Xu Ye parked at the curb and hurried over to wait by the station…