Although Conan was deeply displeased at being compared to a fox that, in his eyes, did nothing but eat, and... occasionally act cute yet fiercely, the Little Fox, who was being compared to Kudo Shinichi, didn't disdain Conan. That's because at this moment, she didn't care what Mu Tianyuan was saying. Normally, the Little Fox would definitely question why Mu Tianyuan was suddenly cursing, but now, the allure of roasted chicken was simply too great. How could she bother with Mu Tianyuan's verbal jabs? The Little Fox stared intently at the opposite wall, yelling at Mu Tianyuan, "There really is roasted chicken! Look! It's right there!"
Mu Tianyuan turned his head, scrutinizing the spot, then shook his head sincerely, saying via mind-link, "Sorry, I don't see it. Are you sure you're not a little dizzy from the artistic atmosphere, causing your eyes to play tricks on you?"
"Of course not! It's hanging right on the opposite wall, so obvious, how could you not see it?" the Little Fox retorted, flicking her tail rapidly. Hearing her reply, Mu Tianyuan followed her gaze, examining the spot for a long while before his lips twitched. He looked at the Little Fox and asked, "Are you talking about a painting?"
The Little Fox, still fixated on a particular painting on the opposite wall, said, "What else?"
Mu Tianyuan: "..."
Damn it, so after all that, this thing was talking about a painting! I thought it was talking about actual roasted chicken! The Little Fox paid no mind to how much trouble she had caused Mu Tianyuan. Her tail flicking like a windmill, she patted Mu Tianyuan with her paw and said, "Come on, let's go take a look! I think that painting must be amazing!"
"Is it just because it depicts roasted chicken? I'm telling you, your aesthetic sense must be seriously flawed, you know that?" Mu Tianyuan grumbled as he walked towards the painting. Mu Tianyuan felt like he was striding with the wind at that moment. For no other reason than the Little Fox's tail was flicking too fast, giving him the illusion that his "fox-brand turbo engine" was constantly accelerating... When Mu Tianyuan finally strode to stand before the painting, the Little Fox excitedly said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's it... this one! Look, roasted chicken! Roasted chicken!"
Mu Tianyuan carefully examined the oil painting, which seemed to depict a family happily gathered for a meal, and finally spotted what the Little Fox called "roasted chicken" on a platter held by a woman who looked like she had just come from the kitchen. Upon finding the roasted chicken, Mu Tianyuan looked at the Little Fox in astonishment. "You have amazing eyesight! That thing is smaller than a coin, yet you spotted it from over ten meters away? Do you have a built-in roasted chicken radar or something?"
The Little Fox ignored Mu Tianyuan's astonishment and said smugly, "See? I told you there was roasted chicken."
"Heh heh, that's called a turkey, you illiterate! And also, your 'obvious' is really too obvious. If I hadn't gotten closer, I really wouldn't have found it, you know?" Mu Tianyuan rolled his eyes, complaining weakly. Damn it, if it weren't for the Little Fox's help in locating this painting, I'd probably have to contribute at least a week's worth of ticket money to this art gallery trying to find it myself! Just then, Ran and the others also came over. Ran looked at the painting Mu Tianyuan was staring at, curiously asking, "Is there something wrong with this painting?"
"No, it just has roasted chicken in it." Mu Tianyuan shrugged, then pointed to the roasted turkey in the painting and said to Ran, "Look, it's right there."
"There really is one..." Ran, guided by Mu Tianyuan, finally spotted the roasted chicken in the painting. She then gave a dry chuckle as she looked at the Little Fox, who was squatting on Mu Tianyuan's shoulder, staring at the painting without blinking. Ran suddenly remembered Mu Tianyuan's earlier words and felt that she had really misunderstood him. He wasn't joking this time; the Little Fox really did see roasted chicken! Then Ran looked at Mu Tianyuan and said, "Um... Little Mu, I think you'd better hold the Little Fox tight. I'm afraid it might pounce..."
Just look at the Little Fox, acting like my dad when he sees Okino Yoko on TV! Ran was genuinely worried the Little Fox would lose control and pounce, just like her dad. Her dad, at most... just pounces at the TV at home, and it's his own TV. But if this Little Fox pounced, it would be an oil painting, and more importantly, it belonged to the art gallery. Who knew how much such a painting cost? If they were extorted, what would they do?
"Don't worry, the Little Fox isn't stupid, and she's well-behaved. She won't pounce to snatch the roasted chicken." Mu Tianyuan chuckled, shaking his head at Ran. Although the Little Fox was attracted by the roasted chicken in the painting, she wouldn't go so far as to pounce into the painting to grab it. If she did, wouldn't she be insane? Upon hearing Mu Tianyuan's words, Ran's expression subtly changed, and she gave a dry laugh, nodding, "That's good, that's good..."
Then Ran turned her head and silently glanced at her own dad, who was yawning nearby. For some reason, Ran always felt that Mu Tianyuan seemed to have unintentionally insulted her foolish and mischievous old dad... After admiring this "roasted chicken painting," Ran looked at another painting nearby, then said happily, "Look how beautiful the colors in this painting are!"
Mu Tianyuan turned his head, observed it, and nodded seriously. "It is indeed very beautiful..." In truth, what Mu Tianyuan really wanted to say was, does this girl, who seems to have deep artistic attainments, only look at paintings for their coloring? If so, would she not understand a sketch? Just then, an old man's voice came from behind Mu Tianyuan and the others: "You like it very much, don't you?"
Mu Tianyuan and Ran turned around at the sound and saw a white-bearded old grandpa standing behind them, smiling. Before Mu Tianyuan could say anything, the white-bearded old grandpa continued, speaking to himself, "I like this painting very much too. No, I like every piece of work here. They are my children."
"To be able to regard these... works as if they were your children, in my opinion, it can no longer simply be described as 'liking.' To be precise, you must deeply love them." Hearing this from the white-bearded old grandpa, who was like a door-to-door gift-giver, Mu Tianyuan immediately responded with a smile.
"Are you flattering him?" the Little Fox asked Mu Tianyuan via mind-link, still staring at the roasted chicken on the wall. Mu Tianyuan replied very straightforwardly, "No, I'm just chiming in. Otherwise, it would be so awkward if the old man kept talking to himself."
Upon hearing this, the Little Fox glanced at Mu Tianyuan, then said, "What, does this old man have a pretty granddaughter?"
"What do you mean?" Mu Tianyuan looked at the Little Fox, puzzled. Why would she suddenly bring up this old man's granddaughter? This old man doesn't actually have a pretty granddaughter, does he? "If he didn't have a pretty granddaughter, would you bother flattering him right from the start?" the Little Fox retorted, flicking her tail. Hearing this, Mu Tianyuan immediately rolled his eyes and said, "I don't even know him. How would I know if he has... a granddaughter? Besides, can't he have a pretty daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law?"
The white-bearded old grandpa, who didn't know whether he had a pretty granddaughter, daughter-in-law, or granddaughter-in-law, chuckled upon hearing Mu Tianyuan's words. He laughed so happily, nodding at Mu Tianyuan as he chuckled. "That's right, I deeply love them!" In that instant, the old man felt he had met a kindred spirit. Alas, if only this kindred spirit weren't an old man, it would be even more perfect! Mu Tianyuan then smiled at the white-bearded old grandpa, flattering him, "You're truly benevolent, old sir."
"Uh, hahahaha, this gentleman is right. I am indeed too benevolent. I love all the paintings here!" The white-bearded old grandpa was startled at first, then laughed happily. "Yes, I am benevolent. I love all the paintings here!" Then the old man, with a happy smile, looked at Mu Tianyuan and said, "I saw that this gentleman stopped in front of this painting for a long time. Does this gentleman like this painting very much?"
"Sort of," Mu Tianyuan's lips twitched slightly, but he ultimately nodded. Damn it, I actually don't like this painting at all. In fact, I don't really like any of the paintings here. It's not that my taste is too high; it's simply because my artistic cells have a congenital defect and I can't appreciate them at all. I wouldn't even be here if Uncle Mouri hadn't dragged me along yesterday! And the reason I'm still standing here isn't because I'm so fixated on this painting; it's entirely because the Little Fox wants to admire the roasted chicken and won't let me leave! But how could Mu Tianyuan say this out loud? The old man, seeing Mu Tianyuan nod, immediately became enthusiastic and began asking Mu Tianyuan what he liked about the painting. This old grandpa had finally met a kindred spirit; he absolutely had to have a good chat!
"To be honest, I don't really know how to appreciate it. Personally, I think whether it's a painting or music, as long as it makes people genuinely like it, then it's good." Mu Tianyuan knew nothing about art, so he could only start rambling. Then he pointed to the painting and said, "And the reason I like it is because this painting gives me a feeling of home."
Mu Tianyuan's answer was so sincere that the old man didn't scorn him. Instead, he nodded repeatedly at Mu Tianyuan with a look of gratification. The Little Fox took a break from her task to glance at the old man's gratified and satisfied expression, then flicked her tail and said to Mu Tianyuan, "Honestly, although I don't know why your answer just now was so good, I think, judging by the way this old man is looking at you right now, if you strike while the iron is hot and ask to hit on his granddaughter, he might gladly agree." The Little Fox then added, "Hmm, provided he actually has a granddaughter."
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +200 advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update