An old man can’t rely on brawn alone, and Elder Tao was seventy-three. In both of his lifetimes, this was the first time Zhao Jun had ever seen a Mountain Runner of such an advanced age.

Just think of Xu Changlin, who at only fifty-nine could no longer handle the mountains.

And this Elder Tao was a good ten years older than Xu Changlin.

According to Elder Tao himself, he had come up on a horse-drawn sledge and had run into Zhao Jun just a few steps after getting off.

He struggled to climb slopes even when his legs were healthy. Now, with a sprained ankle, just walking was a challenge.

The roughly two-meter-long larch staff from before was now in two pieces. Zhao Jun had used one half to poke the wild boar’s backside, and Elder Tao was using the other half as a walking stick.

But leaning on the staff, Elder Tao moved far too slowly. It took him ages just to shuffle forward about ten meters.

If Elder Tao wasn’t moving, Zhao Jun couldn’t leave either. He had no choice but to hoist the old man onto his back and carry him, hoping it would be faster.

"Little Zhao, you should have done this from the start." Perched on Zhao Jun’s back, Elder Tao actually started to scold him. "I’m this old, and my ankle is sprained," he grumbled. "How could you possibly make me walk on my own two feet?"

’This made Zhao Jun so angry he felt like imitating Sun Wukong with the Red Child—finding a deep ditch and tossing Elder Tao right in.’

But in this freezing weather, lying motionless on someone’s back for a while left Elder Tao chilled to the bone. "Young man, put me down," he said. "Let me walk for a bit. If I move around, I can warm up."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun let out a theatrical cry. "You’re this old, and your ankle is sprained. How could I possibly make you walk on your own two feet?"

"You rascal..." Elder Tao reached out and patted Zhao Jun’s shoulder.

Zhao Jun laughed, set Elder Tao down, and supported him as they slowly made their way forward. Alternating between carrying him and helping him walk, it was a little past two in the afternoon by the time they finally reached the inspection team’s office.

As usual, the inspection team office was nearly empty. Zhao Jun led Elder Tao to the tool storage area and placed his measuring stick and marking hammer into a large iron cabinet.

Then, he reached for Elder Tao’s rifle.

But Elder Tao clutched the rifle, refusing to hand it over.

Zhao Jun said with a sigh of resignation, "After I finish up the accounts, I’m taking you to the Forest Farm to eat. They won’t even let you in the main gate if you’re carrying a rifle."

The moment he heard this, Elder Tao promptly handed the rifle to Zhao Jun. "Little Zhao, hurry it up," he said. "I’m starving."

Zhao Jun shot him a look and said irritably, "You’re starving? So am I! If I hadn’t been out hunting a wild boar with you, I would’ve eaten hours ago."

Elder Tao said nothing. He just leaned back against the iron cabinet, closed his eyes, and pretended he hadn’t heard a thing.

Not bothering to argue further, Zhao Jun went to find Xu Baoshan and handed over the weekly accounts for No. 77 Logging Camp.

Xu Baoshan took the ledger and flipped through it, seeing that Zhao Jun’s entries were perfectly neat, orderly, and clear at a glance.

Xu Baoshan flipped back and forth through the pages, remarking in surprise, "You inspected this much timber in just seven days?"

Zhao Jun smiled and nodded. "It’s the timber they stockpiled before the New Year. I finished inspecting all of it. I’m taking tomorrow off, and the day after that, I’ll head to No. 78 Logging Camp."

"Excellent, excellent." Xu Baoshan nodded again and again. "Keep up the great work, Zhao Jun. I’ll see about getting you nominated for a model worker award this year."

"Then I’ll thank you in advance, Team Leader." This was an honor he’d never received in his past life. Even though it wasn’t set in stone, Zhao Jun thanked Xu Baoshan anyway.

Xu Baoshan smiled and waved his hand.

Then, Zhao Jun said to Xu Baoshan, "Team Leader, I just got back and haven’t eaten yet. I’m going to the Forest Farm to grab a bite."

"Ah, you should go, then."

Zhao Jun left Xu Baoshan’s office to get Elder Tao, only to find the old man had fallen asleep leaning against the cabinet.

"Sigh." Zhao Jun sighed. ’It’s not easy for an old man his age,’ he thought.

But on second thought, ’All his hardships are entirely self-inflicted.’

Afraid of startling the old man by approaching too quietly, Zhao Jun deliberately made his footsteps heavier.

Elder Tao was a light sleeper and woke at the sound. He glanced at Zhao Jun and asked, "All done?"

"All done." Zhao Jun walked over, helped him to his feet, and said, "Let’s go, old timer. Time to eat."

It wasn’t far from the inspection office to the Forest Farm, but the ten-minute walk took nearly half an hour with Zhao Jun carrying Elder Tao on his back.

Upon entering the Forest Farm, Zhao Jun carried Elder Tao directly to Cafeteria No. 1.

It was nearly three o’clock when they arrived. The main dining hall was empty, save for a few kitchen staff napping on some long benches that had been pushed together.

Zhao Jun found a table and helped Elder Tao sit down, then went into the back kitchen to look for Zhao Youcai.

Upon entering the back kitchen, he saw Zhao Youcai sitting in front of the stove, roasting cellophane noodles to eat.

This was a simple pleasure for the poor in the Northeast—breaking dry cellophane noodles into small pieces and toasting them directly on the stove.

Zhao Youcai was startled to see Zhao Jun walk in and quickly asked where he’d come from.

Zhao Jun didn’t mention the thrilling boar hunt with Elder Tao, saying only that he’d found an old man with a sprained ankle in the mountains. Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai came out from the back kitchen.

As Zhao Youcai approached Elder Tao, he was stunned. The old man’s clothes were of a quality that even his own in-law, Zhou Chunming, couldn’t afford.

’Could this be just any ordinary old man?’

Remembering Zhao Jun had mentioned the man was from Yongxing, Zhao Youcai asked, "Sir, which production team are you from in Yongxing?"

Elder Tao glanced at Zhao Youcai, then at Zhao Jun. Instead of answering, he pointed at Zhao Jun and asked Zhao Youcai, "Is he your son?"

"He is." Zhao Youcai nodded.

Elder Tao’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly extended both hands toward Zhao Youcai.

Zhao Youcai instinctively reached out and shook Elder Tao’s hands. Then he heard the old man say, "Ah, Zhao Jun’s father! Whenever you go to hunt that Pig God, you absolutely must take me with you!"

Zhao Youcai was at a loss for words. He tilted his head to look at Zhao Jun, who reached over and pulled their clasped hands apart. "Dad," Zhao Jun said, "how about you just whip something up for me and this old gentleman to eat?"

"Wait here." Zhao Youcai turned and returned to the kitchen. He stoked the fire, heated oil in a wok, and flash-fried some chopped scallions until they were fragrant to make a broth base. He added shredded pickled cabbage and pork, waited for the water to come to a rolling boil, and then cracked in two eggs to poach.

Once the yolks were cooked through, Zhao Youcai added a bundle of dried noodles to the broth.

When the noodles were served, Elder Tao, holding his little bowl, began slurping them down with a loud SLURP SLURP. His table manners were a complete mismatch for his expensive clothes.

"Sir, please eat a little slower," Zhao Youcai advised from the side, wiping the back of his hand.

The old man was slurping so vigorously that broth had splashed onto Zhao Youcai’s hand.

Seeing the old man’s pace only quicken, Zhao Youcai tried again, "Sir, there’s no need to rush! There’s plenty more in the pot. When you’re done, I’ll serve you another bowl. If that pot runs out, I’ll just cook another one for you."

"Don’t cook any more," Zhao Jun interjected. "I heard that when you feed someone who’s been starving, you shouldn’t give them too much at once. They can eat themselves to death."