Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 282 She's clearly an old woman, yet she still calls herself a girl!
Lingzi is full of enthusiasm and preparing to become a great writer, but Lin Xiuyi doesn't care much about it.

Although the stories he told his younger cousin were all classic tales from his past life, whether a book becomes a hit or sells well depends not only on talent but also on a great deal of luck.

Lin Xiuyi wasn't prepared to be a plagiarist; that would be too exhausting.

……

At the entrance of the Mihua Art Museum
“There are much more people than usual,” Lin Xiuyi frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd coming and going.

He had passed by here a few times before and always remembered it as deserted. He never expected that there would be such a long queue at the art museum's ticket office today.

“It must be because of the exhibition,” Kudo Yusaku pointed to the sign next to him. “From June 1st to 15th, our museum is exhibiting the famous painting Mount Fuji by the painter Kisaragi Hōsui.”

"Kisaragi Hōsui?" Reiko asked curiously. "Is this painter very famous?"

Chikage Tomizawa brushed a strand of short hair that had fallen in front of her eyes: "This person must be the most famous landscape painter in Japan in recent years."

"He is best known for painting Mount Fuji. The painting exhibited this time once sold for more than 200 million yen at an auction in Tokyo."

"Over two hundred million?" Rei Furuya gasped, his fingers unconsciously counting. "How many zeros is that? Is being a painter this lucrative?"

“It’s not about making money as a painter, it’s about making money as a famous painter.” Lin Xiuyi looked at the magnificent entrance hall of the art museum. “Most painters remain unknown throughout their lives, and some can’t even make ends meet.”

“Writers are pretty much the same.” Yusaku Kudo nodded in deep agreement. “Only a few can truly make it big.”

“I’m telling you two,” Tomizawa Chikage said, covering her face speechlessly, “we’re here today to appreciate art, not to make you lament about reality.”

Chikage Tomizawa had already bought tickets for herself and Hideichi Hayashi, so Yusaku Kudo, who didn't have a ticket, had to queue up by himself.

Lin Xiuyi and Tomizawa Chikage led their three children into the art museum first.

Taking advantage of Kudo Yusaku's absence, Tomizawa Chikage sidled up to Hayashi Shuichi, biting her lip and whispering an apology: "I'm sorry, I got carried away and said the wrong thing."

"Forget it." Lin Xiuyi glanced at Kudo Yusaku, who was in line. "Judging from Kudo's expression, he probably doesn't intend to investigate further. But you're just lucky today because you didn't keep your mouth shut. Sooner or later, you'll get yourself arrested."

“I wouldn’t normally act like this,” Tomizawa Chikage scoffed. “If you weren’t there, I would have relaxed a bit and wouldn’t have acted like this.”

"So, it's my fault after all?" Lin Xiuyi raised an eyebrow, annoyed.

"I didn't say that." Tomizawa Chikage pouted and looked away.

"Master, what are you talking about?" Rei Furuya suddenly poked his head out from between the two. "Is there something Miss Tomizawa doesn't want others to know?"

"Don't pry into girls' secrets, you little brat!" Tomizawa Chikage waved her hand impatiently.

"Tch, she's clearly an old woman, yet she calls herself a girl," Furuya Rei muttered under her breath. "Narami and Reiko-neechan are the girls..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tomizawa Chikage hit him hard on the head.

Tomizawa Chikage gritted her teeth and said angrily, word by word, "Are you looking for death?!"

"Sorry." Furuya Rei chuckled dryly and quickly pulled Narumi along, running ahead.

"Slow down, don't bump into anyone!" Lin Xiuyi reminded him.

"You brat, just wait till I get my hands on you!" Tomizawa Chikage stomped her foot angrily. Although they were supposed to be visiting an art museum, in reality, none of the four—Hayashi Hideichi, Reiko, Furuya Rei, and Narumi—had any artistic talent whatsoever.

Lin Xiuyi stood in front of the painting with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed—for him, the difference between a good and bad painting was simply how beautiful it was.

As for the emotions conveyed in the painting?

He racked his brains but could only recall the sentence from the textbook: "It profoundly expresses the author's homesickness."

Reiko tilted her head to look at the painting, just like her older brother, her little face also filled with confusion.

On the contrary, Tomizawa Chikage, who seems carefree, completely changed her demeanor when she stood in front of the painting.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping intently over every stroke of the brush, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking her head, and occasionally unconsciously tracing lines in the air with her finger.

Throughout the journey, she patiently explained the exquisite details of each painting to everyone.

Lin Xiuyi and Reiko, both illiterate in art, were completely confused, while only Kudo Yusaku was able to follow up on what Tomizawa Chikage was saying.

The young novelist would occasionally adjust his glasses, and he could analyze everything from composition to color usage with great clarity and insight.

The group soon arrived at a painting of sunflowers.

“This painting is probably an imitation of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers,” Tomizawa Chikage frowned as she looked at the intensely colored painting in front of her, her red lips slightly pursed. “Unfortunately, it only imitated the appearance; it didn’t capture the true essence of Van Gogh’s painting.”

“Indeed.” Yusaku Kudo nodded. “The most valuable aspect of Van Gogh’s paintings is the strong emotional expression they convey. This painting is far from that.”

"Onii-chan," Reiko tugged at her brother's sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "I think my drawings are better than this."

“I feel the same way.” Lin Xiuyi couldn’t help but laugh out loud, ruffling his sister’s hair. “I don’t know how they can see the artist’s emotions in such a haphazard and messy painting?”

"Haha, Van Gogh's paintings are indeed incomprehensible to ordinary people."

A hearty laugh came from behind them. The brother and sister turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a mustache and a bald head in the middle.

“But this painting is just not good-looking,” Rei Furuya said bluntly, her little face full of confusion. “It’s a mess.”

The middle-aged man wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and patiently explained, "You can't judge a painting by its appearance alone. A truly skilled painter will pour their emotions into their work, allowing you to feel the painter's emotions as soon as you see it."

At this point, the middle-aged man stood up, walked slowly to the sunflower painting, and looked up at it for a moment: "Although it lacks soul, it is not easy to imitate the appearance of Van Gogh's painting so well."

After saying that, he walked steadily into the depths of the art museum.

Chengshi watched the middle-aged man's back and whispered, "That uncle looks pretty powerful."

"Tch, he's bald, of course he's amazing!" Furuya Rei made a face, which made Narumi cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Don't talk nonsense," Tomizawa Chikage glared at him and said in a low voice, "That person just now was Master Kisaragi Mine himself!"

"Huh? He's Master Kisaragi?" Furuya Rei scratched his head. "I suddenly feel like what he just said makes a lot of sense."

(End of this chapter)