Chapter 128: Let Me Do It
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
What arrived weren’t just people, but also props.
Li Du had been in America for some time, but he hadn’t attended many parties. As he didn’t have friends in school, he never had the chance to do this.
Thus, the activities played during parties in America were unfamiliar to him, including a Mud Monkey Competition.
But once the props came, he could more or less figure out what they would be doing during the competition.
Someone had brought a large-sized inflatable pool, the kind that appeared commonly in TV dramas. It would be able to function as a pool in the backyard after being filled with water.
The ones that people normally used were smaller, but this one was huge, covering about 400 to 500 square feet.
After inflating the pool, the guys poured water into it. A truck drove over, and there was someone else shoveling dirt in. With some mixing, the pool had turned into a swamp.
Seeing this, Li Du sucked in a breath of cool air and asked, "Hey, will everyone be fighting each other in this game?"
Sophie’s reaction made him less anxious. She shook her head fervently and said, "How could that be? It’s not good to fight. Everyone will be just competing for a ball, that’s all."
"Huh?!" Li Du was stunned.
Sophie explained, "Later, the participants will draw papers. The people who draw the Monkey paper will jump in, and then people will tease them with a leather ball until they manage to snatch it."
Li Du laughed bitterly. The Americans were creative.
With the arrangements done, the doctors and nurses from the hospital came to the backyard. With that, the party could really begin.
As this was a donation campaign for the community hospital, the doctors and nurses had to be the main participants.
All the doctors and nurses had to draw lots; even the ladies had to do it.
The game would be played in several sets, with four monkeys in each set. There was a tall wooden chair in the center of the swamp, kind of like the umpire chair during tennis matches.
Someone would sit on the chair to control the ball with a line. The mud monkeys would try their best to snatch the ball.
After understanding the rules, Li Du stood at one side to wait for the game to start.
The scale of the hospital was large, with many employees. Over 60 people had attended the event. They drew papers from a box like lucky draws; whoever had the paper with the monkey would be the Mud Monkey.
Sophie picked out a piece of paper and ran nervously to Li Du. "Help me take a look at what picture it is."
Li Du took the paper and made fun of her, "What, you don’t dare to look?"
Sophie’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she said with unease, "I dare, but I don’t want to see. God bless me, I don’t want to be the Mud Monkey."
As she spoke, she took out a cross from her well-endowed chest.
Li Du opened his hands and glanced at the paper, and then wore a shocked expression. He looked at Sophie with eyes full of pity.
The female doctor’s face flushed red instantly. She heaved a heavy sigh, and said dispiritedly, "No! Is my luck that bad? It’s just the first set, and I got the Mud Monkey?"
Li Du said, "Smile a little."
Sophie shook her head and said, "I can’t."
"Smile a little, and I’ll give you a surprise."
Hearing that, Sophie smiled. "I’m not the Mud Monkey? You’re playing with me, aren’t you!"
Li Du turned over the paper. Nothing was written on it. "A girl who likes to smile generally doesn’t have bad luck—see, your luck isn’t so bad."
The four who picked the Mud Monkey walked out. Coincidentally, it was two men and two women.
One of the women had her husband replace her. The others said, "Lars, with that, you’re a Traitor Monkey!"
The man, Lars, laughed and said, "No problem! I’ll deal with all of you by myself."
Sophie explained, "Originally, with four Mud Monkeys, it would be a fair competition. If someone subbed out, then the substitute would be recognized as a Traitor Monkey. The other three can work together against him or her."
A doctor who picked the referee symbol sat on the wooden chair. He held a fishing pole; a rope connected to the pole and a small leather ball.
Sophie held Li Du’s hand and pulled him along, "Let’s go forward to see, it’ll be interesting." Her small hand was smooth and tender, but was slightly cool to the touch. Li Du felt a slight shudder down his spine.
It was pitiful to say, but this was Mr. Li’s first time holding a girl’s hand as an adult. If we were to go some years back, the last time was during kindergarten, where he was playing games with female classmates and they held hands.
Seeing the two holding hands and walking to the side of the pool, Thompson, who was holding onto a camera as large as a cannon, had a sudden gleam in his eyes.
Four people were struggling in the swamp. The referee was controlling the fishing pole as if he were actually fishing, the ball dancing in the air all around the swamp while the four tried to snatch it.
Two of them blocked Lars to let another female nurse get ahead. The judge did not make things too difficult for her. After making her run around for a bit, he lowered the pole to let her get the ball.
She left the swamp, and the game continued; another monkey continued blocking Lars, the two struggling in the mud, and another went to get the ball.
With two men remaining, the game got more interesting. The two were wrestling each other, pulling and tripping the other. Besides trying to fight for the ball, they had to hinder the other party.
Lars was well-built, and in the end he managed to get the ball. The last person spent some time in there before getting the ball.
Sophie said, "This game has a penalty system. The last person to get the ball today has to donate 200 dollars."
The second set of lots was drawn, and this time it was four men. Sophie made a cross above her chest. "God bless, don’t let me be the Mud Monkey in the next either."
The four men were having an even fiercer competition than the previous. Chasing and wrestling in the mud, the fights were messy, inducing lots of laughter from the audience.
The third set of lots was drawn, and after drawing a piece of paper, she passed it to Li Du again. She then gave him a bright smile.
Li Du smiled back, but it was a bitter smile. He flipped over the piece of paper, and a picture of a monkey was taunting Sophie.
Seeing this, the female doctor’s smile immediately collapsed, to the point that she almost cried.
Dr. Hamilton saw this, and said with a smile, "Our Sophie is the Mud Monkey this time."
Thompson snatched a piece of paper from someone else. "What a coincidence, I’m the Mud Monkey too."
Li Du saw Sophie’s depressed state, took the piece of paper from her, and gave her a wink. "Alright, I’ll be the Traitor Monkey."
Hamilton whistled. "Wow, now there are two Traitor Monkeys!"
With that, Thompson’s expression changed. He stuffed the piece of paper back into the original person’s hand. "I was just kidding, haha, Ronny is the real Mud Monkey."
The male nurse beside him rolled his eyes and walked far away from him.
Sophie looked embarrassed, and said, "That’s not fun, Li, let me do it."
Sophie still wanted to say something, but he laughed it off and waved his hand to show it was fine. He went to the bathroom and changed into a pair of swimming trunks to enter the mud.
But when he got to the swamp and raised his head, he was slightly taken aback. The referee this time was Thompson. The other three were also taken aback when they came out.
"Dr. Thompson, why is it you?"
Thompson snickered and said, "I am the expert in this game, and everyone wants to watch an intense competition."
As he spoke, he shook the pole energetically. The ball flew past Li Du’s eyes at a speed that was hard to react to.
"That’s too fast," Sophie shouted. "Dr. Thompson, slow down…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the ball flew over again. Li Du chanted, "Time Deceleration!" in his mind, and the trajectory of the ball slowed down immediately.
Li Du jumped and reached out, grabbing the ball as quick as lightning!