Chen Qingqing shifted a step to her right, close against Xu Ye’s side.

Inside the living room, Chen Hansong got up and went over to the window. Looking out at Xu Ye and Chen Qingqing by the yard gate, and for some reason he could not have explained, the sight of the two of them standing there hand in hand struck him as right.

Jiang Meilin came over as well. She watched the pair at the gate, and a faint smile appeared on a face that was still lovely.

Chen Hansong glanced down at her, and his heart gave two hard thumps.

…

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

Xu Ye lifted his wrist and checked the time. “It’s getting late, and I’ve got an early start tomorrow. I’ll head back in a minute. I’ll come over again when I’ve got time.”

Chen Qingqing nodded, then discreetly held out the red packet Jiang Meilin had given her.

Xu Ye didn’t understand. “What’s this for?”

“For your car,” Chen Qingqing said quietly.

“I’ve got money.”

“If you use my money, then part of the car is mine.”

Xu Ye took the packet, laughing. “Even if you didn’t give me any money, part of the car would still be yours.”

The two of them stood at the gate talking quietly for a while. For all the strong tea he’d drunk at home, Xu Ye was starting to feel sleepy. He patted his mouth through a yawn and turned to go in and tell Jiang Meilin he was leaving, only to see Chen Hansong and Jiang Meilin standing side by side at the window. So he simply waved and made a gesture to say he was off. Once Jiang Meilin nodded, Xu Ye said goodnight to Chen Qingqing and drove away.

Chen Qingqing watched the Santana until it was out of sight before she turned and went back into the living room.

And at that moment, the phone in Chen Hansong’s pocket buzzed.

He took it out and found, to his surprise, that it was from Xu Ye — five characters and nothing else. More haste, less speed.

At first Chen Hansong didn’t follow. But after a moment’s thought he seemed to work out what Xu Ye meant by it, and he hurriedly found himself an excuse. “You two get to bed early, then. I’ll be off.”

Something came over Jiang Meilin, and it was out of her mouth before she knew it. “Drive slowly.”

Chen Hansong broke into a foolish grin on the spot, his mouth stretched wide.

…

After New Year’s Eve.

The second day of the first month.

On that day every household pays its New Year visit to the mother’s side of the family. Xu Ye wasn’t properly awake when Zhang Hong hauled him out of bed, and once he’d eaten a bowl of dumplings the whole family set off for the countryside.

Before he was even through the yard gate, Xu Ye could hear his aunt Zhang Lan and Wang Yuxin.

His grandparents had had three daughters and no sons. Besides Zhang Hong and Zhang Lan there was a middle sister who had married into a family over in Suzhou; being that far away, she couldn’t manage even two visits a year now. Xu Ye had a good impression of that aunt, because when he was small and staying at his grandmother’s she had been forever buying him snacks.

“Grandpa, Grandma, happy New Year~”

“Xiao Ye’s here.”

The older generation all favor boys over girls to some degree or other. In the younger generation Wang Jian and Zhang Lan had one daughter; the middle sister, Zhang Ying, had a boy and a girl, but she lived far off and neither child had grown up here, so the bond wasn’t deep. All of which naturally made Xu Ye the treasured grandson in both old people’s eyes.

The moment he set foot in the yard the two of them would happily have carried every good thing there was to eat in the house out in front of him. Somebody had told them about Xu Ye having a girlfriend — no one knew who — which left his grandmother taking a particular interest, following him about and asking without a break, as though she’d have him married by tomorrow.

All Xu Ye could do was answer as each question came.

The weather was fine that day, and by mid-morning there was sun in the yard. His uncle sat down for a while and started yawning.

Zhang Hong and Zhang Lan were already getting the lunch ready. Seeing Old Xu and Old Wang sitting out in the yard enjoying the sun, Zhang Lan complained, “Why is it that men’s eyes can’t see housework? Day in, day out, they don’t do a thing.”

That set her husband off at once, and he went straight to his father- and mother-in-law to make his case. “Dad, Mom, you two can settle this. We didn’t get to bed until past one last night. I was driving over here before eight this morning and I was on the road for over an hour. I get out of the car, I want to lie down for a bit, and she tells me I’ve done nothing the whole way but sleep. Now is that fair?”

It made Xu Ye laugh out loud.

The talk went back and forth, and Xu Ye felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time — the noise and warmth of a big family.

The first days of the first month went quickly. Every day there were relatives to visit or relatives coming to the house, and it wasn’t until the fifth that Xu Ye had time to arrange to meet Qin Zhiwei.

They met at the compound gate, and Qin Zhiwei opened with, “What did you drag me out for?”

“To look at cars at the dealership.”

“You’re buying a car?”

“Mm.” Xu Ye shrugged, entirely casual about it. “I planned this ages ago. Let’s try to drive one home today.”

“What sort of car are you after?”

“Just a runabout. Something around a hundred thousand.”

“On finance?”

“Cash, obviously. Why would anyone take a loan out on a car?”

“You bastard. I knew you made money last year.”

Xu Ye flagged down a taxi, said they were going to look at cars, and the driver took them straight to where the dealerships were clustered.

“Oh — that reminds me.” Qin Zhiwei turned in his seat, perfectly serious. “I ran into Gu Mengyao in the street on the third. She was with her brother.”

Xu Ye rolled his eyes. “I blocked her a long time ago. Why are you telling me?”

“She’s changed a lot too. She dresses very grown-up now, and she wears a lot of makeup. She doesn’t look eighteen or nineteen at all.”

“She’s green tea, that one.” Xu Ye added, “If she fell in the Yellow River, the whole country could drink Longjing.” [TL: 绿茶, “green tea,” is slang for a woman who plays sweet and innocent while working an angle; Longjing is China’s best-known green tea.]

“Your mouth is more poisonous than a pit viper.”

“Don’t believe me, then.”

Jiangzhou’s brand dealerships were all clustered in one place, which made test drives easy. At around a hundred thousand there wasn’t much choice. The Lavida and the Sylphy sold well enough, but they were much too old-fashioned for a young man to drive; after those came the Civic, the Levin, the Axela and a few others that sold roughly as well and that younger buyers went for more.

Since there was nothing else on that day, Xu Ye decided to test-drive one of every make and see which actually suited him.

So the two of them went round Honda, Toyota, Mazda and Volkswagen in turn. Once he’d driven them all, Xu Ye still felt the Mazda Axela suited him best, so he asked the price without hesitating, and after some haggling he paid by card there and then.

Temporary plates were issued and the paperwork was done, and by early evening Xu Ye was driving the car away.

Qin Zhiwei looked more excited than he did. “Damn it, a new car really is comfortable to sit in. The smell inside is a bit strong, though.”

“New cars all smell. Leave the windows open in the sun for a few days and it’ll ease off.”

“Everyone else is delighted when they buy a new car. How is it that you buy one and don’t seem to feel anything at all?”

“Why is it I never get the storyline where the salesman looks down on me and I turn out to be a tiger in pig’s clothing?”

“You’ve read too many novels.” Qin Zhiwei rolled his eyes. “Where are we going now?”

“I’ll drop you home first. Tomorrow I’ll let you get some practice in.”

“And tonight?”

“Tonight I’m picking up Chen Qingqing and taking her somewhere with nobody around for a drive.”

“Try being a decent human being.”

(End of Chapter 194)