Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 61. Hereditary Catnip!
Chen Nian has been paying close attention to Elsa's situation.

Just like with Xiaobai, he would conduct a detailed 'cloud check-up' on this elegant snowfield king every day and give detailed suggestions based on Lu Yao's feedback.

The progress so far has been encouraging.

Elsa's eyes gradually warmed, and she began to take the initiative to get closer to Lu Yao.

He spends significantly less time by his grandmother's old rocking chair, and even when he paces around the room, there is a hint of exploration in his movements. His appetite and spirits are steadily improving.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

However, upon seeing the message from Lu Yao, Chen Nian's heart tightened.

Did something happen to Elsa?
Seeing that Lu Yao had just sent the message, he immediately typed a follow-up question.

"What's going on? Could you explain in detail?"

The other party responded almost instantly.

"Good morning, Teacher Chen. Here's what happened."

It turns out that with Lu Yao's attentive care, Elsa no longer fixated on staring blankly out the door, but would occasionally take the initiative to rub against Lu Yao.

This is a sign that she is gradually opening up.

Lu Yao was delighted with this.

Following Chen Nian's advice, she kept a close eye on Elsa.

Just when she thought Elsa would recover and get back on her feet, Lu Yao discovered that Elsa had changed her 'base'.

It started to like squatting by the window, staring blankly out the window.

Nobody knows what they're looking at.

Even the previously effective soft calls were no longer useful; her amber eyes were fixed intently on a distant direction outside the window.

I can sit there all day long!
Worried, Lu Yao had no choice but to ask Chen Nian for help.

After listening to Lu Yao's words, Chen Nian asked, "Has its appetite decreased?"

"No."

Lu Yao replied, "Its appetite is now at a normal level, and its spirits are much better, but I don't know why, it keeps staring out the window in a daze."

After hearing the description, Chen Nian frowned and pondered.

"Your appetite and mental state are normal? Then there shouldn't be any physiological problems."

"Have you tried opening the window to see if it wants to go out for some fresh air?"

“I’ve tried,” Lu Yao replied quickly. “I’ve opened it several times, but it just hovers on the windowsill, peeks out to sniff the air, and doesn’t seem to want to go out.”

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yao sent a photo.

—In the morning light, Elsa sat on the windowsill, her posture noble yet tinged with an inescapable loneliness, her gaze piercing through the open glass window and casting into the distant void.

Chen Nian stared at the photo, a golden light flashing in her eyes.

This indicates that Elsa is in good health.

"Then it's still a matter of the mind."

Chen Nian rolled out of bed, picked up the baseball cap draped over the back of the chair, and put it on her head, pressing the brim down just right.

"Would it be convenient to have a video call? I'd like to see Elsa's condition more closely."

The video call invitation popped up almost immediately.

The screen lit up, revealing Lu Yao's slightly haggard face, with faint dark circles under her eyes revealing her anxiety.

"Good morning, Professor Chen. I'm so sorry to bother you so early."

Chen Nian adjusted the brim of her hat and gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't mention it. Look, I've already put on my hat and am ready to go out for my morning exercise. It's no trouble at all."

Seeing Lu Yao's obvious weariness, he couldn't help but urge her, "While you're helping Elsa get through this, you also need to take care of yourself first."

Lu Yao forced a smile, tinged with gratitude.

"Okay, Teacher Chen."

"Why don't you go for your morning exercise first? We can meet up when you get back."

"No rush." ​​Chen Nian waved her hand. "Let me see Elsa first."

If you're already wearing a hat, wouldn't it be a waste not to take a good look at it?

"Ok."

Lu Yao flipped the camera.

In the image, Elsa is bathed in the golden morning light, as if draped in a holy veil of light.

It sat upright on the windowsill, its silver-gray fur shimmering like silk in the light. Its posture remained upright and elegant, but its focused gaze out the window was exactly the same as in the photograph, as if time had frozen at that moment.

It didn't even twitch the tip of its tail.

"Little Elsa~"

Off-camera, Lu Yao gently called out in a tone that mimicked her grandmother's gentlest voice. Elsa's earlobes trembled almost imperceptibly, like a breeze brushing against flower petals, before returning to silence without turning her head.

"Teacher Chen," Lu Yao's voice sounded with some concern.

Seeing this, Chen Nian adjusted her hat.

It conceals the two small bumps that suddenly appeared above.

Then he focused all his attention on Elsa on the other side.

A very faint purring sound, like an echo from a distant valley, pierced through the barriers of space and clearly reached his cat's ears.

The sound was not a joyful gurgling.

Instead, it is low and lingering, carrying an indescribable longing that stretches like an endless tide!

"I see."

Chen Nian understood and quietly retracted the cat ears.

Then she whispered to Lu Yao, "Elsa is probably looking out the window because she's reminiscing about the days when she and her grandma went to the cat show together."

"Memories?" Lu Yao repeated, puzzled.

"Yes, memories."

Chen Nian's gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, landing on Elsa's serene profile.

As a world champion, Elsa's path to victory was not smooth; she fought her way up from the bottom.

All of this is inseparable from the painstaking nurturing that Grandma Lu Yao put in!
During this time, Elsa has participated in countless cat shows, and going out to attend cat shows has become a part of Elsa's life.

It was gazing out the window, reminiscing about its past with its grandmother.

Recall those moments when it shone under the spotlight, surrounded by applause and honors, but more importantly, recall the figure who was always by its side, giving it boundless trust and love.

"The scenery outside the window may have evoked fragments of a journey in its memory. It is indulging in it, reliving those years when it fought side by side with its grandmother and shared glory."

"This is... lovesickness."

"Longing turned into an illness?!"

Lu Yao's heart clenched instantly, and her eyes immediately reddened: "Will it be alright?!"

"Don't worry!" Chen Nian immediately reassured him, her tone reassuring and calm.

"Look, it can eat and drink now, and its energy is recovering, which means its overall vitality is rebounding!"

"My current state is more like my thoughts are temporarily 'trapped' by a particularly profound memory, and all my attention is immersed in the light and shadow of the past."

"What we need to do is give it a gentle 'stimulus' to help it gently pull its wandering thoughts back to the present and refocus on the beauty of reality."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yao calmed down.

"You mean catnip?"

Catnip.

—The 'magic herb of happiness' in the cat world can stimulate a cat's nerves, bringing temporary excitement and relaxation, and some cats may even become unusually intoxicated and lazy as a result.

It has the effect of regulating emotions.

Upon hearing Chen Nian's words, Lu Yao immediately thought of catnip.

“That’s right! It’s catnip!” Chen Nian nodded approvingly: “Regular catnip can have a certain calming and distracting effect.”

"You can give it a try first."

"it is good!"

Lu Yao's family always keeps catnip on hand, but she had never thought of this before.

She quickly brought over a small jar, carefully opened the lid, and held the catnip, which emitted a unique fragrance, to Elsa's nose, gently shaking it.

Elsa moved.

Although her eyes were still looking out the window, her small nostrils twitched involuntarily, her head lowered slowly following the movement of the small jar, and her chin even unconsciously rubbed against the cool edge of the jar, letting out a barely audible hum in her throat.

Lu Yao was overjoyed!
However, this slight loosening was fleeting.

When the catnip was removed, Elsa blinked twice in confusion before quickly regaining her focused gaze, which seemed to penetrate the glass and look towards distant memories.

Tried again, same result.

"Teacher Chen," Lu Yao pouted, looking at Chen Nian with a wronged expression.

"It seems that ordinary 'happy grass' has limited effect on our 'world champion' level."

Seeing Elsa's unmoved expression, Chen Nian was not disappointed at all; instead, a knowing smile flashed in her eyes.

He waved his hand:
"In that case, I have no choice but to bring out my 'family heirloom catnip'!"

Lu Yao: "Huh?"

Are there any hereditary catnip recipes?
(All things in heaven and earth should follow the principles of Yin and Yang!)

　Can I have a ticket?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)