Chapter 485 Balloon Shooting (1/2)

Chapter 485: Balloon Shooting

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Sophie beckoned him over and Crispy Noodles ran to her. On the way a tomato fell out of his pocket. He went back, grabbed the tomato and ran back again.

The raccoon stopped in front of Sophie, stood up and gave her the little tomato. Then he went to Li Du, used his front paw and showed him the little gifts inside his pocket.

Seeing that, the lady doctor pretended to be angry and said, ”Hey! Crispy Noodles, only one tomato for me and everything else for Li? I'm not going to like you anymore.”

Crispy Noodles turned to blink at Sophie. Then he took out a stick of grilled corn for Li Du and showed Sophie his little gifts.

Sophie was amused and giggled. The people around her were amazed.

”What a sweet little raccoon!”

”If all raccoons are so well behaved, I wouldn't ever chase them away from my backyard!”

”This animal must have undergone extensive training. Otherwise, it would be impossible for it to perform an action like this.”

The act of Crispy Noodles asking for gifts was a small episode in the parade. The parade proceeded smoothly without any hiccups. The crowd took one and a half hours for a two-mile journey.

After returning to the square, Mayor Thompson took the stage and gave a short speech.

The speech was all about blessings and well-wishes for everyone. The mayor thanked everyone for coming to the autumn harvest festival, and gave his congratulations to the all the farmers and ranchers for the harvest.

After the speech, a band came up to the stage and began to perform.

Li Du saw Mr. and Mrs. Martin had also come to the celebration. He wanted to greet them but both of them went straight for Mayor Thompson, so he gave up on going to them.

Watching from the side, he saw the Martins greet the mayor and point at him. It seemed that they were talking to Mayor Thompson about him.

Mr. Li didn't know what they were talking about with the distance and all the noise, so he waved and smiled at the three with a nod.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin smiled back at Li Du while Mayor Thompson nodded at him. Li saw the mayor pat his chest as if he promised something to the Martins.

Sophie tugged his sleeve and pulled him away. ”Come, there are some shooting games. I saw a teddy bear and I liked it a lot. I wanna see if I can get it!”

Li Du glanced over and saw the commonly-seen activity in carnivals where one shot some targets to win prizes. There were a couple of such booths with walls filled with small balloons and people could choose between airguns, arrows or bolts to play.

Prizes were determined by the number of small balloons shot. Patrons could get different prizes with most of them being plushies of various designs, shapes and sizes. The toys were exquisite and lovely in the booth Sophie had spotted the bear. They were exquisitely crafted and had attracted many children, who all gathered around the booth.

The teddy bear that Sophie took a liking to was not a small one; it was close to the height of a small child. It was round and fat with smooth, glistening fur. It had a small tail and small hairy ears just like a real bear.

Sophie's eyes revealed her desire to get the bear. ”How's your marksmanship?”

”Not really amazing,” said Li Du with a somewhat bitter smile. ”I've never used a gun. I mean a real gun.” He felt that this might be too ambiguous and added, ”I mean a real gun that fires bullets.”

Sophie was not bothered by his words. She cheerfully replied, ”Well, okay then. I'll try to get it myself.”

It was ten shots for a game no matter the type of weapon used. The costs were different for men, women and children. A game cost a man ten dollars, which worked out to a dollar per shot. However, it only cost five dollars for a woman and two dollars for a child.

Evidently, the booth owner was very smart at keeping the risks to a minimum.

The crowd of children cheered and shouted. Business was good. Although there was no lack in people trying their luck with the shooting, most of them were empty-handed after using up all their shots. Even if someone was lucky enough to win a prize, they only managed to get a small prize.

Sophie paid ten dollars for two games, which was 20 shots. Her marksmanship was lackluster. The distance from the point of shooting to the wall of balloons was more than thirty feet. Most of her shots missed and she didn't manage to win a single prize.

She was frustrated and disappointed. She pouted and said, ”Argh, I didn't get anything.”

The children were less likely to hit the balloons. An Asian boy was the same as Sophie and didn't manage to win a prize. With a helpless expression on his face, he put down the airgun and stretched out a hand to touch the nearby hippo plushie.

When the black booth owner saw what the boy was about to do, he snapped at him. ”Hey kid, don't touch that! You can't touch the toy if you didn't win it!”

”The child's hands are clean,” Li Du said with a smile. ”And it's just a touch. It shouldn't matter, right? After all, they're your customers.”