[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-13":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294431,4489,"Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen: Three Bowls","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-13",13,"\u003Cp>In Li Ye’s inherited memories, his impression of Wen Leyu was not deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One reason was that Wen Leyu was a “quiet” girl who rarely initiated conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you spoke to her, she’d let you ramble for half the day before replying with just one or two brief words; some children at Liuqiao Township Primary School mocked her as “Little Mute.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another reason was likely that Wen Leyu’s appearance completely failed to match the aesthetic standards of the era; back then, Li Ye was only focused on Lu Jingyao, thus overlooking this pearl among sand, this uncut jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at film stars from the 1970s and 1980s, they all had “full-moon” round faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, they had oval faces, plump figures, radiating strong vitality and health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, Liu Xiaoqing in “Little Flower,” Cong Shan in “The Herdsman,” or the Queen of the Women’s Kingdom in “Journey to the West,” and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet faces like Lin Daiyu’s from “Dream of the Red Chamber” were exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wen Leyu had a small palm-sized face, with eyes so large they dominated most of her facial space, creating a unique kind of beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This gave people an illusion: at first glance, she was striking, but upon closer thought, she seemed less impressive than xxx.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, from Wen Leyu’s face and hands, it was clear her skin had nothing to do with the era’s ideal of “rosy” complexion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu’s skin was a pure, slightly sickly white—later generations would idolize this as “cold white skin,” but in this era, it was typically associated with malnutrition and “not eating enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that her emaciated frame, and by accident, she was categorized among “pitiful children”—beautiful, yes, but hardly linked to the era’s definition of “peerless beauty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet if this Wen Leyu were placed forty years into the future, she would be a true embodiment of a beauty cursed by heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pale, young, slender, with large Kazzlan eyes—if judged carefully, Wen Leyu was essentially a composite of the best traits of several famous long-legged, small-faced beauties from later generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wen Leyu was younger than them, more innocent, less world-weary, as pure and translucent as a flower bud glistening with morning dew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it too much to ask for a second glance at a girl like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Li Ye noticed Wen Leyu stealing glances at him, he turned his head and waited quietly for her to look over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the wheels of fate had begun to turn, or perhaps a romantic spark had just ignited—no sooner had Li Ye assumed his pose than Wen Leyu’s gaze drifted toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu clearly froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike most girls of the era, she did not shyly turn away; instead, she met Li Ye’s gaze calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life at eighteen, Li Ye would never have dared to hold the gaze of a beauty like Wen Leyu—he’d have blushed and stammered within seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in this life, his psychological age totaled dozens of years, and his body was tall, elegant, and refined; whether staring at a girl for seconds, minutes, or hours, he felt no guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Li Ye was startled—he suddenly realized Wen Leyu had eyes that could speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu’s gaze began friendly, but as Li Ye gazed back openly, her beautiful brows slowly furrowed, her eyes grew puzzled, then... finally, a hint of shy annoyance emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long time no see?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you staring at me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still staring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you become so bold?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s eyes couldn’t speak, but he could smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could one not savor the legendary eyes that could speak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pay attention!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light cough from the podium broke the tangled gaze, pulling both back to their textbooks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye calmly continued reading the text aloud, but Wen Leyu pressed her lips tightly, as if angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew who she was angry at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I’ll give you some test questions—write your answers on paper and hand them in later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the reading, Teacher Ke turned and began writing questions on the blackboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, students in Class One could jot down answers easily, but soon many grew baffled; eventually, most scratched their heads in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye immediately understood: Teacher Ke’s questions progressed from easy to hard, designed to assess the class’s English foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the students’ reactions, the results would surely be disappointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye casually scanned the blackboard, his fountain pen never stopping, answers flowing smoothly onto his notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he felt something and turned to look at his desk partner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu stared at Li Ye’s notebook, then at Li Ye, then back at the notebook—clearly bewildered, disbelieving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she didn’t know the English level of students at County No. 2 High, she knew Lu Jingyao’s level; if all County No. 2 students were this good, how could Lu Jingyao have scored top in the entire county just months ago?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Students who haven’t finished, keep working; those who have, hand in your papers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke glanced again at Wen Leyu and Li Ye, giving her daughter an irritated look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu pulled her gaze from Li Ye and quickly wrote answers on her paper, finishing all the questions in short order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two handed in their papers one after the other, sparking murmurs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Li Ye finish?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did he turn in a blank paper?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That new girl, Wen what’s-her-name, turned hers in too? Is she that good? I only got halfway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You got halfway? You didn’t just guess, did you...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course you guessed—you didn’t even do that much!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did Class One disbelieve Li Ye—even Teacher Ke, upon seeing his answers, felt doubtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a professional; one glance told her the accuracy rate, and Li Ye’s fluent English handwriting looked nothing like someone who’d just begun learning English.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye didn’t notice Teacher Ke’s doubt—he was following Wen Leyu back to the rear of the classroom, captivated by the sway of her hips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, clothes had no concept of tightness or shaping—they were all bulky and loose, completely concealing figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye, with his seasoned eyes honed by countless films, judged her body proportions solely from the height of her waist’s sway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long legs—absolutely long legs. At 1.7 meters tall, she had over a meter of leg—truly strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in this era, long legs weren’t nearly as prized as in later generations; Wen Leyu’s height of over 1.7 meters wasn’t even considered an advantage by many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1980s, a man at 1.75 meters was considered tall; over half were under 1.7 meters; a handsome youth like Li Ye at 1.8 meters was an abnormal rarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, a girl at 1.6 meters in the 1980s already seemed tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu’s height of over 1.7 meters was like a girl at 1.85 meters in later generations—a definite disadvantage in the marriage market. (This is true, backed by marriage statistics, though most people were unaware.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Truly a cross-temporal blessing!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting beside Wen Leyu brought a small comfort to Li Ye, who’d felt dull and lonely since his reincarnation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sssss~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small note was quietly slid to Li Ye by Wen Leyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye looked: it read, “Are you going to take the exam for Beijing to find Lu Jingyao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye paused—he hadn’t expected the cold, aloof Wen Leyu to be so gossipy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he wrote on the note: “No, Lu Jingyao and I are finished. We have no connection.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu fell silent for several seconds, then slid the note back: “If you want to take the exam for Lu Jingyao’s school, I can help you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye replied instantly: “No, I’m taking the exam for Qingbei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The always calm and composed Wen Leyu was stunned; she stared blankly at Li Ye, her small mouth open, unable to close for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, she hesitantly wrote a few words on the note: “How many bowls of rice can you eat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye replied honestly: “Three bowls. Must be piled high.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1343,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","839de30bd2a244925c991a4e713958f54bb07dceb1bc8dd6ff7d191f825ad810","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-14","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-12",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]