Three Big Bowls

In the memories Li Ye inherited, his impression of Wen Leyu wasn't very deep.

One reason was that Wen Leyu was a "quiet" girl, rarely initiating conversations.

Even when you spoke to her, you'd talk for ages before she'd concisely reply with one or two words. Some children at Liuqiao Township Elementary School even mocked her, calling her "Little Mute."

Another reason might be that Wen Leyu's appearance didn't fit the aesthetic of the era at all. Back then, Li Ye was only focused on Lu Jingyao, thus overlooking this pearl in the sand, this unpolished jade.

Looking at the movie stars of the seventies and eighties, they all had "round faces like a full moon."

At the very least, they had oval faces and plump figures, exuding a strong aura of youth and health.

For example, Liu Xiaoqing in "Little Flower," Cong Shan in "The Herdsman," or the Queen of the Women's Country in "Journey to the West," and so on.

But small faces like Lin Daiyu's in "Dream of the Red Chamber" were very rare.

Wen Leyu, however, had a small, palm-sized face, with exceptionally large eyes that took up most of the facial space, creating a unique kind of beauty.

This gave people a misconception: at first glance, she was striking, but upon closer inspection, one might feel she wasn't quite as stunning as XXX.

Moreover, judging by Wen Leyu's face and hands, her skin was far from the "rosy" complexion popular at the time.

Wen Leyu's skin was a shade of pale white, devoid of blemishes, which would later be sought after as "cool white skin." But in this era, it was usually associated with malnutrition and "not eating enough."

Coupled with Wen Leyu's slender figure, it inadvertently led to her being categorized as a "pitiful child." She was pretty, certainly, but not quite a "peerless beauty" in the context of this era.

However, if such a Wen Leyu were placed forty years later, she would be considered a true beauty, blessed and cursed by heaven!

Pale, youthful, slim, with large "car-sized" eyes. If one were to evaluate her carefully, Wen Leyu was a composite of the best features of several famous long-legged, small-faced beauties of later generations.

But Wen Leyu was even younger than them, possessing a touch more innocence and a touch less worldliness, as pure and translucent as a flower bud kissed by morning dew.

A girl like this, it wouldn't be too much to steal a few more glances, right?

So, when Li Ye noticed Wen Leyu stealing glances at him, he turned his head, quietly waiting for her to look over.

Perhaps the wheels of fate began to turn, or perhaps a romantic telepathy struck a chord. Just as Li Ye struck a pose, Wen Leyu's gaze fell upon him.

Wen Leyu clearly froze for a moment.

But unlike most girls of this era, she didn't shyly turn her head away from Li Ye's gaze. Instead, she calmly met his eyes.

If he were still eighteen in his previous life, Li Ye wouldn't have had the nerve to meet the gaze of a beauty like Wen Leyu. In a few seconds, he might have become timid, his face flushing red.

But in this life, Li Ye's mental age was already decades older, and this body was that of a dashing, refined, and handsome young man. Let alone meeting a girl's eyes for a few seconds, even for minutes or hours, Li Ye wouldn't feel the least bit flustered.

Then, Li Ye was surprised, because he suddenly realized that Wen Leyu had a pair of eyes that could speak.

Wen Leyu's gaze was initially friendly, but as Li Ye's admiration grew more direct, her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with confusion, and finally, a hint of shy annoyance appeared.

"Long time no see?"

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You're still looking?"

"How did you become so bold now?"

"..."

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

Eyes that were said to speak – wouldn't it be a shame not to appreciate them carefully?

"Ahem~"

"Pay attention to the lecture!"

A light cough from the podium separated the two entwined gazes, which returned to the books.

Li Ye calmly continued to read along with the text, but Wen Leyu pursed her lips tightly, as if angry.

It was unclear who she was angry with.

"Now I'll give you some test questions. Write down your answers on paper and hand them in later."

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

At first, the students in Class One could easily write down the answers in their notebooks, but soon, some started to panic, and eventually, the vast majority were scratching their heads, clueless.

Li Ye understood at a glance. The questions Teacher Ke posed were clearly structured from easy to difficult, designed to test the English foundation of the students in Class One.

Judging by the reactions of the students in Class One, the results were bound to be unsatisfactory.

Li Ye casually scanned the blackboard, his pen never stopping, smoothly writing down the answers in his practice book.

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

Wen Leyu looked at Li Ye's practice book in surprise, then at Li Ye, and then back at the practice book, clearly finding it incomprehensible and unbelievable.

Even if she didn't know the English level of the students at County Second Middle School, she knew Lu Jingyao's level. If the students at County Second Middle School were all this amazing, how could Lu Jingyao have scored first in English for the entire county just a few months ago?

"Students who haven't finished, please answer carefully. Those who have finished, please hand them in first."

Teacher Ke looked towards Wen Leyu and Li Ye again, giving her daughter a displeased glance.

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

They handed in their answers to the podium one after another, causing a stir of whispers.

"Has Li Ye finished?"

"He's not going to hand in a blank paper, is he?"

"That new girl, Wen something Yu, also handed hers in. Is she that amazing? I've only written less than half."

"You've written half? You're not just guessing, are you?"

"Nonsense, aren't you guessing and bluffing your way through?"

It wasn't just the students in Class 1 who didn't believe Li Ye; even Teacher Ke looked at the answers Li Ye submitted with some doubt.

As a professional, she could tell at a glance how high the accuracy rate of the answers was. Moreover, Li Ye's fluent English handwriting didn't look like someone who had only recently started learning English.

Li Ye didn't notice Teacher Ke's doubt. He was following Wen Leyu back to the back row of the classroom, completely captivated by the sway of her hips.

Clothes in those years didn't have the concept of being tight or body-hugging; they were all bulky and loose, completely concealing people's figures.

But Li Ye, with his vast experience from viewing countless images, had incredibly sharp eyes. Judging solely by the degree of sway in Wen Leyu's waist, he could determine the proportion of her upper and lower body.

Long legs, definitely long legs. A height of 1.7 meters, yet over a meter of that was leg length – how strange.

Of course, in this era, long legs were nowhere near as sought after as they would be later. Wen Leyu's height of just over 1.7 meters might not even be considered an advantage in many people's eyes.

In the 1980s, a young man of 1.75 meters was considered exceptionally tall. At least half of the men were under 1.7 meters. A handsome young man like Li Ye, at 1.8 meters, was an abnormally rare specimen.

Similarly, in the 1980s, a girl of 1.6 meters already gave the impression of being very tall.

Wen Leyu's height of just over 1.7 meters was like a girl of 1.85 meters in later generations. In the marriage market, it was a definite disadvantage. (This is true, with marriage statistics to prove it, but the vast majority of those involved are unaware.)

[What a benefit that transcends time!]

Sitting next to Wen Leyu provided Li Ye, who had felt a bit dry and bored after transmigrating, with a small comfort.

"Rustle rustle~"

A small note was quietly pushed in front of Li Ye by Wen Leyu.

Li Ye looked at it. It read, "Are you going to test into the Capital City to find Lu Jingyao?"

Li Ye was stunned for a moment, not expecting the cool and indifferent Wen Leyu to be so gossipy.

Without hesitation, he wrote on the paper, "No, Lu Jingyao and I are over. We have no relationship anymore."

Wen Leyu was silent for several seconds, then pushed the note back: "If you want to test into Lu Jingyao's school, I can help you."

Li Ye immediately replied, "No need, I'm aiming for Tsinghua-Peking Universities."

"..."

Wen Leyu, usually calm and steady, was shocked. She stared blankly at Li Ye, her small mouth open, not closing for a long time.

Finally, she hesitantly wrote a few words on the note: "How many bowls of rice can you eat?"

Li Ye replied honestly, "Three big bowls, piled high."