Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 342 The celebration begins

"Brother Lin Lin, what are you looking at?"

Ye Zi's question pulled Lin Lin back to reality. He looked away and stopped staring at the man and cat in the yellow helmet and sunglasses.

Grandpa Treasure Hunter and Treasure Cat, I never expected to see them in Jieyun, it really brings back some memories...

"I just saw people I've met before, nothing special."

"Shouldn't Brother Lin go and say hello?"

Lin Lin grinned. "Never mind, I've met them, but they might not have met me..."

Ye Zi glanced curiously in the direction Lin Lin had been looking, but the treasure-hunting team had already been swallowed up by the surging crowd, and she couldn't see anything.

"Alright, let's go pick up Master from the hospital."

"Discharged?"

Lin Lin coughed lightly, "It's a dialect from my hometown, meaning the patient has recovered and no longer needs to stay in the clinic."

Ye Zi said "Oh," paused, and then suddenly came to her senses:

"So, Brother Lin's hometown isn't actually Jieyun Village?"

Lin Lin was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly:
"Yes, my hometown is actually in a very far place, and I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to go back and see it again in this lifetime..."

Ye Zi pursed her lips, looking at Lin Lin's expression. It was clear that he wasn't very interested when the topic came up.

It's so far, just how far? Why do people say we can't go back?

Although she was curious, Yoko did not press the matter further.

She is a kind and understanding girl. She has only been away from Yanhuo Village for a little over a month, but she often misses everyone in the village. How sad would Lin Lin be if he could never go back?

So she changed the subject, casually commenting on the surrounding layout as she walked towards the clinic, sharing her thoughts with Lin Lin.

"It looks like they're setting up a stall over there. What are they selling? Barbecue? Won't they get tired of that?"

Lin Lin composed himself and turned to look. He saw that Ye Zi was pointing to a small stall set up by an Elf cat. Several strips of grilled meat were spinning around at a steady pace on the stall, and the aroma was attracting many tourists to gather around.

He smiled:

“We’re hunters, and the most convenient food for us in the wild is roasted meat, so we naturally eat a lot. But among the tourists coming and going, hunters are actually only a very small part.”

Then Lin Lin pointed to the area next to the barbecue stall:
"Look, besides barbecue, there's also grilled fish, fried noodles... a whole bunch of different stalls! Hmm... I don't need to cook tonight. We can just stroll around and eat as we go when the celebration officially starts."

Yoko then pointed to the facilities erected on the other side:

"Brother Lin Lin, look over there, why is there a small pond? What's that for?"

Lin Lin pulled his gaze away from the fried noodle stall, licked his lips, and looked again in the direction Ye Zi had pointed:

"Hmm... judging from this, they're probably scooping up goldfish, right?"

"Goldfish scooping?"

Ye Zi was confused. What kind of project was this? Was there anything fun about it?

Lin Lin walked a few steps toward the edge of the pool and glanced at the fish that had been put in. Among them were a few small, golden fish, their gold and red colors making them quite pretty.

In a physical sense, this little goldfish can sell for 500 z (presumably 500 z) and is an extremely valuable ornamental fish.

"This goldfish catching project is not as simple and crude as fishing in the wild. Look at the nets they use."

After asking the stall owner for permission, Ye Zi picked up a small net and examined it from side to side. She then looked at Lin Lin with some surprise:

"This net looks like it's made of glutinous rice paper! Glutinous rice paper tears easily when it gets wet, right? Using this kind of net to catch goldfish?"

Lin Lin smiled and nodded, "Yes, although it looks difficult, that's precisely where the fun lies. Catching goldfish is quite a skill!"

“At stalls like these that scoop goldfish, you usually pay to buy a net and can scoop from any pond you want. You can take whatever you catch with you. If you’re an expert, you can probably catch several goldfish in one go, but if you’re a beginner, you might break all the nets and still not catch a single fish.”

"Brother Lin Lin is amazing, he knows so much!"

Hearing Ye Zi's praise, Lin Lin immediately scratched his face in embarrassment:

"I learned about it when I watched anime before... Oh, anime is a kind of drama in our area."

Ye Zi chuckled twice. Lin Lin's shy and embarrassed look was really cute!

"This looks like fun. Shall we play this later?"

"Sure, no problem, you can play, you can play."

Of course, the fun had to wait until the celebration officially started. Lin Lin and his companion passed the goldfish scooping stall and quickly arrived at the entrance of the clinic.

Before they even entered the room, the two could hear noises coming from inside.

"Take it easy! The doctor said you'll need to rest for another two or three months before you can get back into the fight!"

The voice was familiar to both of them; it was Rachel.

"Hehehe, it's alright, it's alright! Look, I can move around without any problems! Ouch..."

The voice that followed was deep and rough; you could tell it was Kevin. And judging from the noise, it sounded like he was trying to show off and ended up aggravating his injury.

Upon opening the door of the clinic, Lin Lin and Ye Zi froze.

Kevin was shirtless, his body contorted in a tense expression, while Rachel had his arm draped over her shoulder and one hand on Kevin's waist, helping him stretch his muscles.

Upon seeing Lin Lin and Ye Zi enter, Kevin blushed and instinctively reached for a piece of clothing to put on, but as soon as he made a move, his expression suddenly froze.

"Master, are you alright...?"

Lin Lin looked worried. According to Dr. Yan, Kevin should have been able to move around freely today, but looking at the current situation, he didn't feel so reassured.
"No, it's nothing..." Kevin's face was contorted as he carefully stretched out his body. "It's just... ouch... I've been lying down for too long without moving, and then I suddenly moved too vigorously and got a cramp."

Rachel looked helpless, but still reached out to help Kevin stretch his body, while taking the time to explain the situation to Lin Lin and Ye Zi:
"That old guy was trying to show off, saying he was completely healed, and this is what happened, you all saw it..."

Yoko glanced at the man and woman in front of her, their bodies almost pressed together, then lowered her head, staring at the ground as she tried to minimize her presence. Ugh, this ground is just so...grounded...

Lin Lin didn't pay much attention to the rather ambiguous posture of the two people in front of him; he was only worried about his master's health.
"Master, is this alright? Should we rest for a couple more days and see?"

As he spoke, Kevin's expression softened. He grabbed a thin shirt from the hospital bed and draped it over his body, covering his strong upper body, which bore many scars.

Ye Zi secretly glanced up and, whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that there was a hint of disappointment in Ms. Rachel's eyes.
"It's okay, it's okay, if I lie down any longer my body will get moldy!"

Kevin waved his hands repeatedly, then puffed out his chest forcefully:

"Besides, shouldn't the celebration officially begin tonight? How can a celebration of heroes be without heroes?"

"This……"

Lin Lin was still a little uneasy. At this moment, Rachel took a few steps forward and stood next to Kevin:
"Alright, just enjoy your time with Yezi. I'm here, it's not your place to worry about this old man."

"I'm in my prime, the peak of my hunter career, how am I old..."

Kevin offered a weak rebuttal, but judging from Rachel's expression, it was probably ineffective.

"Then... shall we leave?"

"let's go!"

Rachel waved her hand, shooing the two away as if they were flies.

Why does it seem like my teacher's wife isn't very happy to see us?

Lin Lin stood at the door, somewhat puzzled. Just as he was pondering this, a soft little hand quietly grasped his palm and gently tugged at it. Turning his head, he saw Ye Zi giving him a bright smile.

"Brother Lin Lin, since Senior Rachel has said so, let's just go have some fun!"

In fact, Ye Zi had already guessed some of Rachel's thoughts. Her feelings for Lin Lin's master were probably similar to her own feelings for Lin Lin. She wouldn't be happy if her chance to be alone was disturbed.

But there's no need to say or explain these things. Didn't Rachel just say, "I just hope you and Yoko have fun!"

"Let's go, let's go, Brother Lin Lin, let's go catch goldfish!"

……

Night gradually enveloped the earth, starlight climbed the sky as always, and moonlight poured down like water, covering the dark earth with a layer of silver light.

Usually at this time, the villagers, who live a traditional life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, would tidy up and go to sleep, and the village would become quiet. Often, if a bird chirped twice, the nearby houses could hear it clearly.

But tonight is an exception.

The red village is decorated with lanterns and colorful lights. Red lanterns painted with various patterns hang under the eaves, and the lights dance to the rhythm of drums, turning the cool moonlight into a warm color.

In the open space in the center of the village, a wooden platform had been erected at some point. A large drum was placed in the center of the platform, and Ailu, holding a folding fan, sat on the drum, gently tapping the drum body with the fan to lead the drummer Ailu's rhythm.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

As the drumbeats pounded, various kinds of string and wind instruments rang out, intertwining to form a melodious tune. Below the overpass, villagers, tourists, hunters, and Ailu danced to the rhythm of the drums.

Although everyone's dance moves were different, and most of them were just freely twisting their bodies to the rhythm of the drums, which could not be called synchronized at all, at this moment, everyone felt the same joy.

"This melody sounds like a hero's testament... I never expected it could be adapted into such a cheerful tune."

Rickres stroked his chin and muttered to himself.

Because of today's celebration, there were many tourists in the village, so many that it was almost shoulder to shoulder. He no longer wore the flamboyant Tigrex armor that seemed to poke holes in anyone who came near him. He also put the Thunder Drum Tiger Bell in the hunter's hut. At this moment, Rickres was wearing the clothing commonly seen by the villagers of Yukumo.

However, at this moment, listening to the cheerful drumbeats, Rickres couldn't resist the urge to use his hands and regretted not bringing his hunting flute with him.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be wonderful to play the melody along with the drumbeats at this moment?

Moreover, in that case, he would definitely become the focus of the crowd and easily gain attention!
Dancing to the beat now feels alright, but it's still not quite there yet.

After jumping around for a while, Rickres's gaze suddenly paused slightly, landing on a shooting game booth next to him, or rather, on a man and a woman in front of that booth.

Without a doubt, that broad back view was undoubtedly his good brother Kevin. He had been wondering why he hadn't seen Kevin when he went to the clinic, only to find out that Kevin had already run away beforehand.

As for the person next to him, judging from the back, she was a tall woman with a very well-proportioned figure. When did Kevin, that old rascal, suddenly become so sensible? He even found a female companion?

As Rickles continued her dance, she blended into the crowd and slowly moved toward Kevin's position, all the while secretly observing the woman beside him.

As he got closer, his expression suddenly froze when he saw the woman's profile. Wait, this... how could it be Rachel?
After taking off her protective gear and changing into casual clothes, she looks so feminine! Is this still Rachel?

So, it turns out Rachel used to wear casual clothes?!

Rickres narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong, very wrong. There was definitely something fishy going on between these two!
He needs to observe carefully...

the other side.

Manjushri held the hair tie in her mouth, reached up and gathered the loose hair at the back of her head, retying it into a neat high ponytail.

She had only been back in the village for a short time. It wasn't that hunting the Tyrannosaurus Rex was particularly difficult, but rather that the journey back and forth was too long and too time-consuming without taking an airship. Most of her time was wasted on the boring sea voyage.

However, this is not entirely a bad thing. At least I can catch up with the local festival as soon as I get back and enjoy some of the joyful atmosphere. It's not like there was ever such a lively time in Yanhuo Village before. After all, everyone in the village had to deal with the threat of the Hundred Dragons Night Parade, so they naturally wouldn't be in the mood to hold any festivals.

Hmm... Come to think of it, it seems that the Yukumo Festival was held because those high-ranking hunters solved a major threat and brought peace back to the village.
I wonder when the troubles back home will finally be resolved...

Manjushri sighed, took off his yukata, and changed back into his favorite Thunder Wolf Dragon armor.

Forget it, why think about all that nonsense now? Let's just enjoy the festive atmosphere right now.

Hmm... Sayoko should still be in Yuukoku, right? I'll go check on her, and while I'm at it, I'll see that kid who's been wrestling with the Blue Bear Beast like I am. I wonder if those two have made any progress...

(End of this chapter)