Chapter 452: You

Li Ye had always thought Wen Leyu was a calm, quiet girl, like a newly grown orange cat, maintaining sufficient fear and caution toward anything unknown.

【Is rat tasty? You keep watch, I'll catch one to try.】

【Is the snake dangerous? Hmm, we'd better be careful, don't let it bite us.】

But when Wen Leyu gripped the steering wheel, Li Ye realized her caution and fear vanished—her urge to control machinery had taken absolute dominance in her heart.

The steering wheel was still wobbling, yet her small hand was already clacking through the gearshift, more reckless and eager than Li Ye, the veteran driver.

Li Ye quickly pressed down on Wen Leyu's hand and said patiently, "Second gear's enough—we're not in a rush. Let's enjoy some quiet time on the road."

They believed hitting the wooden posts could atone for their sins and ward off misfortune; if they missed, they should deepen their faith in "the Lord."

Wen Leyu nodded helplessly, then suddenly said to Li Ye, "Don't worry—I won't become as formidable as her. In our home, you're the one in charge. I'll always listen to you."

At this moment, Wen Guohua was teaching and learning from Pan Xiaoying, looking like they were getting along very well.

But after arriving at Dongcheng Hotel, Wen Leyu fell into the new driver's common trap—she parked, turned off the engine, and was about to walk away, not caring how many parking spots she blocked or how much space she occupied.

"Leyu, hold on a bit longer—let's shift left half a meter. Driving shows skill, parking shows character. When people see your car parked straight and neat, they'll know you're a veteran driver."

Li Ye suddenly recalled a video he'd seen in his past life: a husband drove nearly a thousand kilometers to his in-laws' home for the New Year; his wife ate snacks, slept, and scrolled on her phone the entire ten-hour journey, never once thinking of taking over the wheel.

He now understood why Wen Leyu, who had never shown much interest in driving before, had suddenly gotten her license.

After entering the bowling alley, Li Ye and Wen Leyu saw only half of the twelve lanes occupied, while Wen Guohua was playing with a short-haired girl.

"Lower, lower, yes yes yes, ohhh—"

Li Ye pulled out a handkerchief, and Wen Leyu instinctively leaned her head over, letting him wipe the sweat from her forehead.

And Wen Leyu wasn't even married yet—she'd already thought far ahead, learning to appreciate a considerate man.

She pulled the handbrake, turned off the engine, and beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead.

Wen Leyu whispered, "I heard she's very capable at work—she's two years younger than my brother, yet last year she became a full-section officer."

As for whether her family had pulled strings, that's hard to explain.

Wen Leyu turned slightly, letting Li Ye massage her shoulders while she giggled, "I want to learn to drive as soon as possible—then when we go to Qingshui for the New Year and return to Beijing, I can drive half the way for you."

"Not bad, not bad! Leyu, you're way better than I was on my first drive. Just a bit nervous—your shoulders sore? Let me rub them. Don't be shy—we're what kind of relationship? No one's watching inside the car."

"How could that be? Is Uncle Wen suffering now? If your mom heard you say that, she'd beat your butt."

Wen Leyu paused, then added, "My mom says she didn't have any family help—she earned her position entirely on her own merit."

Wen Guohua is four and a half years older than Wen Leyu, so he's twenty-seven; that makes Pan Xiaoying twenty-five. She became a full-section officer last year—extremely fast, even for the early 1980s.

Following Wen Guohua's instructions, Li Ye and Wen Leyu went straight to the third floor of Dongcheng Hotel, turned two corners, and found a bowling alley, still rare for this era.

In other words, Wen Leyu had already considered the future need to shuttle between Qingshui and Beijing during the New Year holidays.

【This woman is a genius within the system.】

She hadn't even considered the idea of "this year at my place, next year at yours"—she wanted to share the burden to ease her husband's fatigue.

Li Ye slowly shook his head: "No one can help with this. Don't worry yourself over it."

"You're the Seven-Inch Blade, right? That book, 'Fugitive in the Fire,' gave me so much trouble! I read the first part and couldn't wait for the rest. My grandpa forced me to write you revisions, but you refused—and then he blamed me for being useless."

Wen Leyu felt Li Ye's pressure lessen and pouted—she'd been exhausted! Her shoulders weren't that sore, but his touch felt so good.

Besides, when she first got in the car, she'd clearly been eager, as if she wanted to become a veteran driver by tomorrow.

Wen Leyu pouted and said, "My dad may seem hot-tempered, but he adores my mom—so it's fine that she runs the house. But my brother? He can't stand being treated unfairly. If they ever quarrel—"

Pan Xiaoying dispelled the "stranger" tension with Li Ye and Wen Leyu in just a few minutes.

But Li Ye could clearly sense that Pan Xiaoying's ease wasn't ordinary "familiarity" or mere "charm"—it was a higher-level way of interacting with people.

Bowling entered mainland China in the early 1980s, but it was mostly a luxury hotel amenity—a single game cost several yuan, making it an absolute high-end entertainment.

"Oh oh, is this spot sore? Or down below?"

"Leyu, don't hold the ball like that. Let me call someone over to explain. I've only been here once—I don't know how to play either. Let's just mess around, and when it's time to eat, I'll take you somewhere delicious."

People like Wen Guohua grew up hearing and seeing things very different from ordinary kids.

Once in their units, they understood all the system's rules and regulations perfectly, and could truly thrive on their own merit.

Wen Leyu's talent for driving was surprisingly good—on just this short stretch from Zhongliang Courtyard to Dongcheng Hotel, Li Ye felt she was already stronger than most female drivers he'd met at driving school.

At least she didn't freeze up or panic when facing a pedestrian on the road.

Wen Guohua spotted Li Ye and Wen Leyu and waved at them with a smile.

A wife willing to share the burden is the luckiest encounter a man can have.

Think about it—a college graduate earned only sixty yuan a month; you'd spend it all in a few hours of bowling. Most people simply couldn't afford it.

The harder it was to afford, the more some people idolized it—bowling was packaged as a "luxury sport," exploding in popularity across the mainland, peaking at dozens of yuan per game.

This thing was originally just superstition, later developed into a "noble sport" like snooker, golf, and tennis.

Wen Leyu glanced at Li Ye, obediently gave up her urge to shift into third gear, and eased off the accelerator, making the red Santana crawl slowly across the empty street like a turtle.

But bowling wasn't originally a sport at all.

After ten or so years, when everyone had grown tired of the novelty, even discounted prices couldn't attract players.

But is this talent really just her own? Ordinary kids don't even start on the same starting line as them, do they?

"What are you two staring at? Come over already?"

Pan Xiaoying's words to Li Ye seemed warm, yet maintained perfect distance; when teaching Wen Leyu to bowl, she subtly adjusted her tone and attitude.

But then the two of them witnessed Pan Xiaoying's "power."

Wen Leyu glanced at Pan Xiaoying and whispered, "You felt it too, right? If she becomes like my mom, won't my brother suffer?"

But since Wen Leyu wanted to learn to drive, Li Ye had to take on the role of instructor.

"Why'd you stop? Just a few pats?"

She realized he was worried—worrying about driving five hundred kilometers from their hometown to Beijing just to honor his mother-in-law on the second day of the New Year.

Li Ye relaxed his grip, stunned for a moment.

"Leyu, you're talented, but don't get bored. As long as you can clearly distinguish the accelerator from the brake, you're no longer a new driver."

Li Ye nodded: "That's impressive."

Wen Leyu obediently began maneuvering the car, fumbling for over a minute until she finally parked it perfectly straight—she even liked how it looked.

Wen Leyu led Li Ye over, reminding him, "If she makes you uncomfortable, we turn around and leave—I won't tolerate her."

Li Ye seized a quiet moment and whispered to Wen Leyu, "Leyu, I see a shadow of someone in her—did your mom pick this sister-in-law based on herself?"

Li Ye smiled and watched for a while, then sharply realized that Pan Xiaoying could make all three—Wen Guohua, Wen Leyu, and himself—feel perfectly at ease. Her ability to connect with people was simply peerless.

"Of course not," Wen Leyu boasted. "I practiced sitting in the driver's seat for a long time—I'll be proficient in six months at most."

Li Ye knew the common problem for new drivers: tense muscles, especially in the shoulders and calves. A rub felt wonderful.

Li Ye studied her closely and whispered, "You say she's capable? I don't see it—look at your brother, he's smiling so happily."

Li Ye couldn't help laughing: "Leyu, you're different from her. No matter how much you change, you'll never be like her."

Wen Leyu obediently started moving the car, fumbling for over a minute before parking it perfectly straight, even pleasing herself with the result.

Wen Leyu led Li Ye over, adding a reminder: "If she makes you uncomfortable, we turn around and leave—no coddling her."

Li Ye seized a moment to whisper to Wen Leyu: "Xiao Yu, I see a shadow of her on you—did Mom pick this sister-in-law based on herself?"

Li Ye watched with a smile for a while, quickly realizing that Pan Xiaoying made everyone—Wen Guohua, Wen Leyu, and himself—feel utterly at ease; her ability to connect with people was truly peerless.

"Of course not," Wen Leyu said proudly. "I've practiced sitting in the driver's seat for a long time—I'll be fully skilled in half a year at most."

Li Ye knew the pitfalls of new drivers—muscles too tense, shoulders and calves most prone to ache; a rub felt especially good.

Li Ye studied her closely for a moment, murmuring: "You say she's amazing? I don't see it! Look at your brother—he's grinning so hard."

Li Ye couldn't help laughing: "Xiao Yu, you're different from her—you can change all you want, but you'll never be like her."