Zhao Jun and Zhou Chengguo parted ways on their way down the mountain, each heading to his own home.
Just before leaving the mountain, Zhao Jun took off his white coat and untied his leggings, stuffing them both into his satchel.
He got home just after two in the afternoon, which surprised Wang Meilan. After asking him about it and learning that he hadn't run into any trouble at work, his mother finally relaxed.
When Zhao Youcai came home that evening, Zhao Jun didn't tell him about hunting the tiger on the mountain. He just ate dinner and went to his room to sleep.
It was only a little past six, but the sky was already dark. With no entertainment to speak of back then, going to bed early was hardly unusual.
It wasn't just Zhao Jun. In the log haulers' bunkhouse at No. 77 Logging Camp, many of the men, exhausted from a long day's work, were already lying down. Some had even started snoring.
