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.
