Miss Village Beauty 573, Main Text 573 – The Promise with Xiao Ying Lu Yun ran all the way to the poplar grove and spotted Ling Xiaoman and Lu Xiao Ying sitting on a large stone beneath a poplar tree, drawing and chatting happily. From time to time, the two beautiful women burst out laughing. This content is the textual material of Chapter 573 of Miss Village Beauty 573. A gentle breeze lifted Ling Xiaoman’s hair, her graceful figure beautifully wrapped in her dress—truly stunning, thought Lu Yun. Seeing Xiao Ying and recalling just how the Jinzhi auntie had looked a moment ago, Lu Yun felt a pang of guilt. After all, Xiao Ying’s mother, he couldn’t very well treat her badly. If he made her aware of it, she’d probably hate him for life—this arrangement wouldn’t be worth it at all. “Xiao Ying, haven’t you two finished yet?” It’s already been quite some time since just now. At Ling Xiaoman’s pace, they should have finished long ago. When Xiao Ying saw Lu Yun approaching, she waved at him and smiled, saying, “You’re really slow. Miss Ling has "Come here, this is what I've drawn—take a look, don't you think it's nice?" Saying this, she held out the painting with the grace of someone presenting a treasure, and handed it to Lu Yun. Lu Yun wiped the sweat from his forehead and then wiped his hands on his clothes before taking the painting from Lu Xiaoying. To his surprise, it was a clear portrait of himself—though the technique wasn't yet refined, it was immediately evident that she had captured his likeness. "That's me!" Lu Yun said, turning to Xiaoying. "Do I look that good?" Xiaoying blushed, lowered her head, then lifted it again and said, "Of course not!" She giggled, her cheeks glowing with rosy flushes, revealing lovely dimples. Ling Xiaoman also presented her own painting, smiling gently and saying, "Take a look at mine!" Lu Yun took it, thinking perhaps Xiaoman wouldn't be able to draw anything but himself. But when he looked, there it was—indeed, it was him! Huh... What are these two doing here? They said they came to the small forest because the environment was lovely, and thought they were coming to paint landscapes. Ling Xiaoman's drawings were much more lifelike than Xiao Ying's—each one perfectly rendered. One depicted herself fishing by the riverbank, another showed her playing soccer on her school playground, and a third captured her riding a bicycle, speeding off with a roar. "Hehe... Your drawings are really great," Lu Yun said, blushing slightly as she touched her head. "Why don't you ever draw me?" Ling Xiaoman and Lu Xiao Ying exchanged a warm smile, neither answering Lu Yun's question. "Ling Teacher is so much better at drawing than I am," Lu Xiao Ying said, with growing confidence on her face. "I'd like to learn from her. For now, I can only manage a few static scenes. One day, I'll capture all your different appearances!" She then felt a bit shy speaking this in front of Ling Xiaoman, glanced at Lu Yun, and composed herself, saying to Ling Xiaoman, "Ling Teacher, please teach me well! I'll study hard and be a good student!" Lin Xiaoman looked at Lu Xiaoying, then at Lu Yun, who was standing by, slightly dazed—something seemed to be coming to her. She smiled to herself, thinking how cute these kids were. "Good! I'll teach you well. The teacher will believe you'll do great!" Lin Xiaoman said warmly to Lu Xiaoying. "All these drawings are mine—so I'm taking them! That's settled. You won't be allowed to go back now, since they're all in my hands." Lu Yun carefully rolled each sheet of paper and held them close, as if they were precious treasures. Lin Xiaoman chuckled, "I'm giving them to you—no one's even competing for them. Look at you!" "Hehe... Xiaoman姐, Xiaoying, we've been drawing for so long—I'm getting thirsty! I saw that apples on the east side of the village were ripening a few days ago—I'll go steal some for you both!" Lu Yun said. At the mention of stealing apples, Lu Xiaoying immediately set down her brush, stood up, and excitedly exclaimed, "I'll go too!" "Lin Xiaoman, who had grown up in the city, always felt a bit resistant when hearing the word 'stole.' She said, 'Isn't it a bit awkward? The apples are grown so hard by the people—how can we possibly steal them? If we want to eat apples, we should just go and buy them.' Xiao Ying held Xiaoman's arm and said, 'Xiaoman sister, you haven't heard this yet—things that are eaten with a bit of stealth are actually more delicious!' Lu Yun nodded, 'Exactly! Besides, on the eastern side of the village, everyone is neighbors and relatives—we eat enough to satisfy ourselves, and we don't waste much. So it's not really stealing!' Xiaoman still seemed a little hesitant, but seeing the two children so enthusiastic, she didn't want to dampen their spirits, and said, 'Go ahead— I'll be right here waiting.' Just as Lu Yun was about to nod and agree, he remembered last week’s incident. If Ling Xiaoman suffered any more harm, he’d never be at peace for the rest of his life. Yet he didn’t want to mention it, fearing that Ling Xiaoman might become anxious. So he said, “Xiaoman姐, I’ll take you and Xiao Ying back home. Then we’ll go out again. You’ll be alone here, unfamiliar with the surroundings, and I just can’t feel comfortable leaving you.” How perceptive Ling Xiaoman was! Upon hearing Lu Yun’s words, she immediately grasped his intention. Moved once again by his thoughtfulness, she nodded and said, “Alright!” They gathered their things and headed toward Lu Yun’s third aunt’s house. As they approached the front door, Lu Yun whispered, “Sister, don’t tell Aunt San about the apple incident! Otherwise, I’ll have to face a reprimand. If she asks, just say I went out with Xiao Ying and will return shortly.” "Lin Xiaoman smiled and nodded. 'You're still afraid of getting scolded, aren't you? Look at you—day after day, you're fearless whether it's sky or ground, as if you'd like to poke holes through the sky!' Xiao Ying interjected. 'His third aunt never hits him! She's never seen Lu Yun get scolded in all his life!' Lu Yun smiled—his third aunt indeed cared for him more than his own mother. How could she bear to hit him? She was only afraid that when he went to steal apples from the old Zhang family on the east side, he'd go completely crazy. So she waved to Lin Xiaoman and said, 'Xiaoman, let's go!' Xiao Ying and Lu Yun walked off toward the eastern part of the village together. 'Xiao Ying, I miss you!' Lu Yun quietly said to her. Xiao Ying felt a warm glow in her heart. 'I'm right here with you! What more do you want? You just want to make me happy!' When Lu Yun saw that no one was around, he took Xiao Ying's hand and said, 'I just want to be with you all the time. Even when I'm with you, I still Xiao Ying let Lu Yun lead her, and she could feel what he was saying. Even while being with him, she still felt deeply in his heart, as if she never got enough of him. "Xiao Ying," Lu Yun asked, "when do you think we'll grow up? When will I be able to marry you?"