After leaving Li Baoyu’s house, Zhao Jun hopped the wall back into his own yard.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Hua Gou and Qing Gou both shot out of their doghouse, craning their necks toward the gate and barking.

As Zhao Jun tilted his head to look, he heard someone call out from outside the yard, "Anyone home?"

The voice sounded familiar, but Zhao Jun couldn’t quite place it. He walked toward the gate to greet the visitor and saw a man dressed in a coarse, cotton-padded jacket and pants, with a dog-skin hat on his head and a whip in his hand.

"Oh, Second Brother-in-law!" Zhao Jun exclaimed, having recognized the man.

"So, Zhao Jun is home," the man said. Seeing someone was there, he pushed open the gate and walked in from outside.

Zhao Jun waved a hand at his two dogs. As if they understood, Hua Gou and Qing Gou barked at the visitor twice more before heading back to their doghouse, their bellies full and round.

Their swollen bellies were from what they had eaten on the mountain today, which still hadn’t fully digested.

The man walked up to Zhao Jun and said with a smile, "Are my uncle and aunt home?"

"My mom’s home. Come on, Second Brother-in-law, let’s go inside and talk."

Zhao Jun led the man inside. Wang Meilan, who was busy at the stove, was taken aback when she saw who it was. ’What is he doing here?’ she wondered.

But a guest was a guest, so Wang Meilan quickly rose to greet him.

This visitor was named Xing Zhuyong, the husband of the second daughter of Hu Mantang, who was a sworn brother of Zhao Youcai.

The Zhao and Hu families were very close. Because Zhao Jun considered Hu Mantang’s second daughter his "second sister," he addressed her husband, Xing Zhuyong, as "Second Brother-in-law."

However, Xing Zhuyong rarely visited the Zhao Family, so his appearance today meant he must have come for a reason.

After seating Xing Zhuyong on the kang, Zhao Jun poured him a cup of water. As the elder, Wang Meilan didn’t stand on ceremony with Xing Zhuyong and got straight to the point. "Are you free today, Zhuyong?"

Xing Zhuyong cupped the thick mug of hot water in both hands to warm them. Hearing Wang Meilan’s question, he chuckled. "Auntie, what do you mean free? It’s the busy season at the farm."

Xing Zhuyong lived in Yongli Village. He was an honest, dutiful man—a hard worker who could endure great hardship.

Every year, he planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. But once winter arrived and there was no more work in the fields, he would join other villagers at the Forest Farm, driving sleds to haul timber.

Hearing this, Wang Meilan grew even more curious. "If it’s your busy season, then what brings you all the way over here?"

Xing Zhuyong set down his mug and said to Wang Meilan, "Auntie, I was hoping to borrow your Da Hua."

The moment he said this, Wang Meilan and Zhao Jun exchanged a look. Although she didn’t approve of her son hunting, Wang Meilan was also very fond of Da Hua.

So, Wang Meilan didn’t immediately agree. Instead, she asked, "Zhuyong, what do you need the dog for?"

"I want to take him to hunt a Black Bear." After saying this, Xing Zhuyong thought for a moment and added, "I have two dogs of my own, but they’ve never dealt with a Black Bear. I heard from my father-in-law that there isn’t a better lead dog in any of the surrounding villages than your Hua Gou. I was hoping he could help me pin one down."

Wang Meilan smiled and asked, "But Zhuyong, you know he’s not familiar with you. Even if you take him, he won’t work for you."

"Well..." Xing Zhuyong glanced over at Zhao Jun before saying to Wang Meilan, "I heard at the farm that my little brother here has gotten quite skilled, bagging two Black Bears just this fall. I was wondering if he could come stay at my place for a couple of days?"

Zhao Jun understood immediately. Xing Zhuyong didn’t just want to borrow the dog; he wanted to borrow him, too.

When Wang Meilan heard this, she was instantly displeased. She was already reluctant to let Zhao Jun go hunting in the mountains, and now things were getting worse. The more he hunted, the more famous he became, to the point that people were now seeking him out for his reputation.

"Your brother just went into the mountains today..." Wang Meilan began, intending to refuse. She wanted to say that since Zhao Jun had just gone hunting, he needed to rest at home for a while.

It wouldn’t be a direct refusal, but Wang Meilan was confident Xing Zhuyong would understand her unspoken message.

But before Wang Meilan could finish, Zhao Jun suddenly cut in, "Second Brother-in-law, how did you get here?"

"Oh, I came by sled," Xing Zhuyong replied.

"Perfect. I’ll ride back with you on the sled," Zhao Jun said, agreeing on the spot and ignoring the warning look his mother was giving him.

’Ever since getting the gun, I’ve been itching to take the dogs out and find a Black Bear’s Den. I can’t believe he came to me first!’

Wang Meilan shot Zhao Jun a fierce glare, then stood up. "Go? What’s the hurry? It’s getting late. At least have your Second Brother-in-law stay for a bite to eat before you leave."

"Auntie, there’s no need," Xing Zhuyong said, quickly getting to his feet. "It’s still early. Let my brother come eat at my place. Before I came, his sister was already preparing food at home."

"Mom, don’t worry about it. I’ll go get Baoyu, and we’ll pack our things and leave," Zhao Jun said. He then turned back to Xing Zhuyong. "Second Brother-in-law, you wait here. I’m going to get Baoyu."

"Oh, alright." Xing Zhuyong was taken aback. He had come to ask for Zhao Jun, not Li Baoyu. But Zhao Jun didn’t give him a chance to object; he was already out the door, and it would be awkward for Xing Zhuyong to stop him.

But Zhao Jun didn’t care what Xing Zhuyong thought. Ever since the incident with Li Erchen, he had become exceptionally cautious.

To be honest, he didn’t fully trust Xing Zhuyong at the moment, which was why he had to bring Li Baoyu. He was confident that no matter how dangerous the situation became, Li Baoyu would never abandon him to save his own skin.

Zhao Jun left his house, hopped the wall over to Li Baoyu’s house, and walked in to the sound of Jin Xiaomei still scolding Li Ruhai, though she was restraining herself from hitting him this time.

Meanwhile, Li Baoyu was off to the side, watching with gleeful enjoyment.

Jin Xiaomei was yelling so loudly that no one in the room heard Zhao Jun push the door open and enter.

It just goes to show, you can always count on a dog to guard the house. Despite being on an IV drip, Da Huang heard the noise and tried to struggle to his feet.

Li Baoyu snapped to attention, quickly holding the dog down before looking toward the door.

"Brother Jun, what are you doing here?" Li Baoyu asked.

"You coming with me?"

"What are you two up to now?" The question came from Jin Xiaomei.

Zhao Jun walked over to the kang, patted Da Huang’s head, and said to Jin Xiaomei, "We’re just heading over to Yongli for a bit."

Seeing the confused look on Jin Xiaomei’s face, Zhao Jun knew she wouldn’t let Li Baoyu leave with him without a clear explanation. So, he told both her and Li Baoyu the reason for Xing Zhuyong’s visit.

"Then let’s go!" The words were barely out of Zhao Jun’s mouth when Li Baoyu started clamoring to leave, not even pausing to think. Jin Xiaomei, who was standing beside them, could only roll her eyes.

But she knew she couldn’t stop her son; he was a grown man, after all. The crucial point was that she’d heard from Li Dayong that Zhao Jun’s Spear Technique was quite good, so her son should be safe going with him.

Even more importantly, Zhao Jun was a true friend to Li Baoyu. Whether it was the Bear Gall or the Lynx Fur, he was always willing to share such valuable items.

It wasn’t that Jin Xiaomei cared about the money; she valued the bond between the two young men far more.

Seeing Jin Xiaomei fall silent, Zhao Jun nudged Li Baoyu. "Well, hurry up and get your things."

"Right, right." Li Baoyu nodded eagerly, then asked Jin Xiaomei, "Mom, are my leg wraps dry?"

Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu each owned two pairs of leg wraps. But today on the mountain, Li Baoyu had used one pair to bandage Da Huang’s wound. The other pair had gotten soaked while crossing the snowy mountains, and Jin Xiaomei had put them by the heated wall to dry.

"I’ll go check," Jin Xiaomei said, heading for the outer room.

Now, only Zhao Jun, Li Baoyu, and Li Ruhai were left in the room. Seeing Li Baoyu constantly glancing at Li Ruhai, Zhao Jun asked in a low voice, "What’s with him?"

Li Baoyu stared at Li Ruhai, a look of great regret on his face. Without turning his head, he said to Zhao Jun, "If I leave, I’m going to miss Dad giving him a beating tonight."

Zhao Jun: "..."

Li Ruhai: "..."

Zhao Jun laughed. "Are you serious? Hurry up and get dressed so we can go. It doesn’t matter if the leg wraps aren’t dry. We can ask Xing Zhuyong for a pair when we get there."

Li Baoyu grinned at that and reached for his cotton-padded jacket.

Just then, Li Ruhai, who had been cowering at the far end of the kang, suddenly spoke up.

Li Ruhai’s voice piped up, "Brother Jun, can you take me with you?"

Zhao Jun knew at once that the boy just wanted to tag along to escape his punishment, but there was no way he could agree to that.

But just as Zhao Jun was about to refuse, Li Baoyu let out a sudden yell. "Mom! Your youngest wants to go hunting with us!"

"What?" Jin Xiaomei burst back in, leg wraps in hand. She tossed the wraps aside, slipped a shoe off her foot, hopped onto the kang, and started smacking Li Ruhai with the cotton shoe.

"Alright, let’s get out of here." Zhao Jun bent down, picked up the two leg wraps, and dragged the gawking Li Baoyu out the door.