The Country Beauty 268, Main Text 268 – Childhood Memories 268 Recalling My Childhood Lu Yun grasped her delicate little hand firmly and smiled, "How can it be that you're not finding a boyfriend? What's so important about that that I should be bothered?" Since they had grown up playing together from childhood, Lu Yun's gesture felt completely natural—there was no awkwardness at all. This content is the text from Chapter 268 of "The Country Beauty 268." – The Love Pavilion – (paoshu) "Have some time, Dan said—no matter how big the matter, it can just cool off on the side. Let's go, we'll build fortifications on the sandy hill." Lu Yun said with a smile. "Thank you so much, Lu Yun," Wu Dan whispered. "Back then, you used to call me 'Brother' all the time, chasing after me like you were on my tail, always asking me to play with you. Now, you hardly ever call me that." As soon as Lu Yun finished speaking, Wu Dan's face turned even redder, yet she lifted her head and looked at him. "I wasn't that little back then. Now, I don't want to call you 'Brother' anymore." Lu Yun scratched his head, glanced at the sky, and said, "Alright, let's go play. Otherwise, when it gets dark, we'll miss the fun." Wu Dan nodded, and the two of them soon arrived at the sandy hill at the eastern end of the village. Lu Yun and Wu Dan removed their shoes and walked barefoot on the soft, fine sand, finding a shallow pit left by a villager who had been digging. They sat beside it, and Lu Yun quickly scooped out a solid block of earth with a branch, then skillfully arranged it with several gestures. In no time, the rough outline of a house began to take shape. Wu Dan seemed not to have paid much attention to Lu Yun's words, instead tracing her fingers along the earthen house Lu Yun had built, and suddenly said, "Do you remember, when we used to play house as children, what you told me back then?" Lu Yun regained his focus and thought for a moment, then laughed heartily, "Of course I do. When you were carried by your friends to be the bride, I rode a stick like a horse to go and meet you. I remember that our wedding hall was actually the earthen cave I dug myself, with a small earthen house I built beside it. Inside the hall, I told you back then that I wanted to marry you one day." As he finished speaking, he realized something was off—Dan Dan, though only a little younger than himself and quite cheerful, had never once asked him this question in the past few years. Had she really remembered those childhood words all this time? Wu Dan continued to trace patterns on the mud house with her fingers, holding both knees in one hand and speaking softly, "Do you still remember what you did for me in the bridal chamber?" Lu Yun was now completely stunned—this moment he would never forget, because strictly speaking, the first girl Lu Yun had ever touched was the petite and graceful Wu Dan right in front of him. When they were簇拥 into the bridal chamber, Wu Dan didn't know what a bridal chamber was, all she saw was Lu Yun using a wooden hoe to dig out a large hollow space, and then spreading a plastic sheet over it. After carrying Wu Dan into the bridal chamber on a wooden stick, Lu Yun laid her flat on the plastic sheet. It was summer, and the village children usually wore little clothing; in just a few moments, both of them were completely bare. At that time, Lu Yun didn't know what exactly happened during the bridal ceremony—except that he had occasionally seen the village's Wang Qiao and a woman from a neighboring village engaged in the act in the cornfield. Following their example, he simply lay down on young Wu Dan, imitating Wang Qiao's movements and clumsily performing the ritual. "Dan Dan, you were so young back then—how did you suddenly think of asking about this?" Lu Yun said, a bit embarrassed. Though she was still young and unfamiliar with everything, he had watched her body countless times. He knew exactly where on her body there were birthmarks and scars. Wu Dan smiled and said, "It's nothing special. I just noticed how you built such a small house, and suddenly remembered things from my childhood." Lu Yun nodded with hesitation, yet when Wu Dan's fingers withdrew from the small house she had haphazardly built, he was startled—carved into the surface of the house with her fingernails were five clear characters: "I love you, Lu Yun." "I'd like to play house, Yun-gong," Wu Dan said, her head lowered so that her facial expression was out of sight, yet her voice carried an unexpected sadness. Lu Yun stared at her, stunned: "Dandan, we've both grown up now. Those things no longer suit us." Wu Dan replied, "I know. I'm just saying it casually. Isn't that just like you—when you used to tell me all those things as a child, you've now completely forgotten them?" Unlike Lu Xiaoying, Wu Dan's family also didn't have great means, so they naturally found themselves drawn together—since childhood, they had played together, growing up as close as two people could be. Looking at the characters carved by Wu Dan on the old house, Lu Yun felt a sudden tightness in his chest—she had always remembered what he had told her as a child. "Dan Dan, I..." Lu Yun suddenly didn't know what to say. Wu Dan lifted her head, a few tears glistening on her cheeks, and managed a smile. "Lu Guan, I've never forgotten what you told me. I always thought you'd be like me—someone who holds onto promises. But you've already forgotten them. I know I'm not as beautiful as Xiao Ying, so it's only natural that you'd prefer her." Lu Yun's heart was in turmoil. At this moment, all he could offer were words of comfort, which would only deepen Wu Dan's hurt. For a while, both remained silent, the only sound being the wind gently sweeping across, lifting a swirling dust. The wind grew stronger, gradually obscuring their figures. Wu Dan broke the silence first, saying, "Lu Guan, the wind has picked up. Let's go inside the cave and take shelter." "It seemed as though the dust had blurred her vision, Wu Dan kept saying while rubbing her eyes. Lu Yun quickly stood up, expelled the dust that had blown into his mouth, and took Wu Dan's hand, leading her into the large pit beside them. ... Country Beauty 268, Main Text 268 Updated!