Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu arrived home just after eight o'clock.
Zhao Jun was worried his sisters might be asleep, so he didn't have Li Baoyu drive the car all the way to their gate. Instead, they parked in an open space seventy or eighty meters away.
Then they got out, carried their things, and walked home. This way, the dogs in both their yards, who knew them well, wouldn't start barking.
By now, the sky outside was dark, but lights were on in both houses. Their families were waiting up for them.
The two went their separate ways. As Zhao Jun entered his yard, Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon, who were shut in the warehouse, barked a couple of times. As for the other large dogs, aside from Black Tiger whining twice, the rest all got up to greet him but only wagged their tails.
Zhao Jun, carrying two net bags and two butter-paper packages, reached his front door. He tried to shift everything into one hand so he could open the door.
