Chapter Thirteen: The Three Big Bowls

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In Li Ye’s inherited memories, his impression of Wen Leyu was not particularly deep. One reason was that Wen Leyu was a girl of few words, rarely initiating conversations. Even if you spoke to her, it was usually a one-sided monologue from you, and she would only succinctly reply with one or two words. Some children at Liuqiao Township Elementary even mockingly called her "Little Mute."

Another reason might have been that Wen Leyu’s appearance did not conform to the aesthetic standards of that era. At that time, Li Ye was too preoccupied with watching Lu Jingyao, thus overlooking this hidden gem, a rough but exquisite jade.

Looking at movie stars of the 1970s and 1980s, most had round, full faces like a full moon. At worst, an oval face, with ample figures radiating strong youthfulness and health—such as Liu Xiaoqing in "Little Flower," Cong Shan in "The Wrangler," or the Queen of the Women’s Kingdom in "Journey to the West," and many others. Faces like Lin Daiyu’s in "Dream of the Red Chamber," with their small delicate features, were exceedingly rare.

Wen Leyu had a small, delicate palm-sized face, with eyes so large they occupied most of her face, forming a unique kind of beauty. It gave people an illusion: at first glance, she was strikingly fresh, but upon reflection, somehow not quite comparable to the era’s ideal beauty.

Furthermore, from Wen Leyu’s face and hands, it was clear that her skin did not have the popular rosy glow of the time. Her complexion was an unblemished, somewhat sickly pale. In later ages, this type of skin would be prized as "cool white," but in that era, it was typically linked with malnutrition and hunger.

Combined with her slender, almost frail figure, this unfortunate combination led to her being categorized as a "pitiful child." Though beautiful, she bore little resemblance to the "peerless beauties" celebrated in that era.

Yet, if such a Wen Leyu were placed forty years later, she would be nothing short of a tragically gifted beauty. Pale, youthful, slender, with large Kasalan-like eyes—if evaluated carefully, Wen Leyu embodied the combined virtues of several well-known long-legged, small-faced beauties of later generations. However, she was younger, more innocent, less worldly, like a flower bud kissed by morning dew, pure and translucent.

A girl like that deserved a longer, appreciative glance, didn’t she?

So when Li Ye noticed Wen Leyu secretly glancing at him, he turned his head quietly, waiting for her to look directly at him.

Perhaps the wheels of fate had begun to turn, or maybe a romantic spark was ignited just so—no sooner had Li Ye settled into his pose than Wen Leyu’s gaze flicked over.

She was clearly taken aback for a moment.

Yet she did not shy away bashfully like most girls of the time would, but calmly met Li Ye’s gaze.

If he were eighteen in his past life, Li Ye wouldn’t have dared hold the eyes of such a high-class beauty as Wen Leyu; just a few seconds would have left him blushing and stammering.

But in this life, his mental age had accumulated many decades, and clad in a fresh, handsome visage, he was unshakable. Not just for a few seconds, but minutes or even hours of eye contact, Li Ye felt no embarrassment at all.

Then, Li Ye was surprised to realize that Wen Leyu had a pair of expressive eyes.

At first, her gaze was friendly, but as Li Ye calmly admired her, her beautiful brows furrowed slightly in puzzlement, then... eventually showed a hint of shy annoyance.

“Long time no see?”

“Why are you looking at me?”

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“You’re still looking?”

“How did you get so bold all of a sudden?”

“...”

Li Ye’s eyes could not speak, but he could smile!

The legendary “speaking eyes”—wouldn’t it be a pity not to appreciate them carefully?

“Ahem~”

A light cough from the teacher on the podium broke the entangled gaze, redirecting attention back to the books.

Li Ye calmly continued reading the text aloud, but Wen Leyu pressed her lips tightly, as if angry.

It was unclear what—or whom—she was upset with.

“Now I will give some test questions. Everyone write your answers on paper and hand them in later.”

After reading the text, Teacher Ke turned to the blackboard and began writing test questions.

At first, the students in Class One casually jotted down answers, but soon many grew confused, and finally most scratched their heads in bewilderment.

Li Ye immediately understood that Teacher Ke’s questions were arranged from easy to difficult, designed to assess the English proficiency of Class One students.

Judging by their reactions, the results were unlikely to be satisfactory.

Li Ye casually glanced at the blackboard, his pen never pausing as he smoothly wrote down each answer in his notebook.

Suddenly, he felt something and turned to look at his deskmate.

Wen Leyu stared at Li Ye’s notebook in surprise, then at Li Ye, then back at the notebook—clearly unable to comprehend or believe what she saw.

Even if she didn’t know the English level of the county’s No. 2 High School students, she was familiar with Lu Jingyao’s level. If the students from the county’s No. 2 High School were really that outstanding, how could Lu Jingyao have scored first in English county-wide just a few months ago?

“Those who haven’t finished, please answer carefully. Those who have finished, hand your papers in first.”

Teacher Ke glanced again at Wen Leyu and Li Ye, giving her daughter a displeased look.

Wen Leyu withdrew her gaze from Li Ye, quickly scribbling answers on her paper, and soon completed all the test questions.

The two handed in their papers one after the other, prompting a ripple of whispers.

“Li Ye finished already?”

“Do you think he’ll hand in a blank paper?”

“That new girl, Wen something-yu, handed hers in too? Is she really that good? I’ve only finished less than half.”

“You only finished half? You didn’t guess, did you...?”

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“Nonsense, weren’t you guessing and bluffing all along?”

Not only did the students in Class One doubt Li Ye, but Teacher Ke herself was also somewhat puzzled as she looked at his submitted answers.

She was a professional—one glance could reveal the accuracy of the answers, and Li Ye’s practiced English handwriting did not look like someone who had just briefly been exposed to the language.

Li Ye did not notice Teacher Ke’s suspicion. As he followed Wen Leyu back to the rear of the classroom, his attention was caught by the gentle sway of her waist.

In those days, clothes didn’t have the concept of tight or form-fitting styles. Everyone wore loose, bulky garments that thoroughly concealed their figures.

But Li Ye, with his discerning eye trained from watching countless films, could, from the height of Wen Leyu’s waist movement alone, discern her body proportions.

Long legs—absolutely long legs. At just over 1.7 meters in height, her legs measured over a meter. Truly remarkable.

Of course, in that era, long legs were not as coveted as they would be in later times. Wen Leyu’s height of just over 1.7 meters was often not seen as an advantage.

In the 1980s, a young man of 1.75 meters was considered tall; over half were under 1.7 meters. A handsome youth like Li Ye, standing at 1.8 meters, was an unusual rarity.

Similarly, a 1.6-meter girl was already considered tall. Wen Leyu, at a little over 1.7 meters, was akin to a 1.85-meter girl in later generations—a definite disadvantage in the marriage market. (This is true, supported by matchmaking statistics, though most involved remain unaware.)

[Truly a benefit of crossing time and space!]

Sitting beside Wen Leyu brought a small comfort to Li Ye, who had felt somewhat lonely and bored after his time travel.

“*rustle* *rustle* *rustle*”

A small note was quietly slid to Li Ye by Wen Leyu.

He glanced down and read: “Are you planning to take the exam to go to Beijing to find Lu Jingyao?”

Li Ye was momentarily stunned, not expecting the cool, aloof Wen Leyu to be so gossipy.

Without hesitation, he wrote back: “No, Lu Jingyao and I are finished. We have no connection anymore.”

Wen Leyu was silent for a few seconds, then slid the note back: “If you want to take the exam to go to Lu Jingyao’s school, I can help you.”

Li Ye replied instantly: “No need. I’m aiming for Tsinghua or Peking University.”

“...”

The usually calm and composed Wen Leyu was shocked. She stared at Li Ye, her mouth agape for a long time before she closed it.

Finally, hesitantly, she wrote on the note: “How many bowls of plain rice can you eat?”

Li Ye answered honestly: “Three large bowls, must stand out.”