Lin Zhiyue rode the brand new Forever 28-inch bicycle, humming a cheerful tune, and drove along the winding country road towards the village.
The afternoon sun shone on her, outlining a warm silhouette for her. As she rode the bicycle, the wheels turned briskly, raising a light cloud of dust.
There were several heavy bags hanging on the handlebars, filled with candies, egg cakes, biscuits and other items purchased from the supply and marketing cooperatives, as well as some daily necessities she selected for herself. Each item carried her yearning for a better life.
As soon as we arrived at the village, the bicycle shining with metallic luster in the sun attracted everyone's attention.
The villagers were chatting in groups at the entrance of the village, or busy with their work at their doorsteps. At this moment, they all stopped what they were doing involuntarily and cast surprised glances.
"Hey, look who this is!" A voice sounded from the crowd with a bit of sourness, "Isn't this Lin Zhiyue? She's only been out for a short time, and she's already riding such a brand new 28-inch bicycle. There are so many things hanging on the handlebars. She looks really luxurious!" The speaker was Aunt Wang, a famous gossip in the village. She put her hands on her hips, staring at Lin Zhiyue with jealousy in her eyes.
"That's what I mean," another villager echoed, curling his lips.
"She is just an orphan. Her parents are gone. How can she still live such a comfortable life? We, who have families to support, work hard every day, but we don't get to enjoy this kind of life." For a moment, there was a burst of whispers all around. In the eyes of the villagers, there was envy, jealousy, and some complex emotions secretly surging.
Among the crowd, a few smart people began to ponder secretly.
One of them was a middle-aged man named Li Er. He rolled his eyes and whispered to the people next to him: "You said, didn't Lin Zhiyue's father die in an accident? I heard that there should be compensation in this case. Maybe she can live such a good life with this compensation." As soon as these words came out, the people around him showed surprised expressions.
"What? She has compensation?" A young man opened his eyes wide, his face full of disbelief.
"What does a little girl need so much money for? She lives better than most people in our village. It's really unfair!" There was a hint of indignation in his voice, as if Lin Zhiyue's good life was snatched away from them.
A few scoundrels in the village were lazily leaning under a big tree at the entrance of the village, chatting idly.
After hearing these words, their eyes lit up instantly.
One of them was a moustache-wearing scoundrel named Zhao San. He nudged his companion with his elbow and said with a malicious smile, "Hey, guys, this is an interesting matter. A young girl with a large sum of compensation. Isn't this a clear opportunity for us to make a fortune?"
The other second-rate guys nodded one after another, with greed flashing in their eyes, as if they had already seen the scene of the compensation money falling into their pockets.
They began to whisper to each other, planning in low voices, and occasionally glanced in the direction where Lin Zhiyue left. A conspiracy against Lin Zhiyue seemed to be quietly brewing in these dark corners.
Lin Zhiyue was completely unaware of the strange looks and undercurrents of malice behind her. She rode her bike happily and went straight home.
After parking the bicycle in the yard, she carefully carried the bag hanging on the bicycle into the house and sorted out the candies, egg cakes and other foods. Each one was neatly arranged, as if these ordinary objects carried her detailed plans for her future life.
On the other side, discussions at the village entrance continued to ferment.
Aunt Wang's sharp voice sounded again: "I think Lin Zhiyue is a restless person. After her parents left, she started to have fun. I don't know if she spent the money properly."
These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples and the villagers' discussions became louder and louder.
Li Er's mind became more and more active. He lowered his voice and said mysteriously to the people around him: "In my opinion, we have to find a way to find out how much compensation she has. Maybe she has a lot of good things hidden." There was greed in his eyes, as if he had already seen the wealth waving to him.
And those second-rate guys, led by Zhao San, began to stir.
They decided to go to Lin Zhiyue's home first to investigate the situation.
As night falls, the moonlight is like water, sprinkling on the quiet village.
Zhao San, along with his two companions, crouched down and quietly moved towards Lin Zhiyue's home.
They hid in the shadows outside Lin Zhiyue's yard, their eyes fixed on the dim light coming from the house.
Inside the house, Lin Zhiyue was sitting at the table, carefully sorting the daily necessities she brought back from the town. Occasionally, she would pick up a piece of candy, gently peel off the candy wrapper, put it in her mouth, and enjoy the sweetness of that moment.
She had no idea that danger was approaching her step by step.
Zhao San looked through the crack in the window and saw Lin Zhiyue's leisurely and contented look, and the fire of jealousy in his heart burned even more fiercely.
He whispered to his companion, "This little girl is living so comfortably on her own, we must find a way to get her money."
One of the companions looked hesitant and said, "Third brother, what if someone finds out?"
Zhao San glared at him fiercely and cursed in a low voice: "Look at your lack of ambition! Let's be careful, what can happen? As long as we get the money, we will run away, and no one will know that it was us who did it?"
While they were discussing, Lin Zhiyue suddenly stood up and walked towards the door.
It turned out that she heard some noise in the yard and wanted to go out to check it out.
Zhao San and the others were so frightened that they squatted down immediately, not daring to breathe.
Lin Zhiyue opened the door and carefully looked around the yard in the moonlight, but found nothing unusual.
She thought she had heard it wrong, so she went back into the house and closed the door.
Zhao San and others breathed a sigh of relief. They realized that it was not easy to get money from Lin Zhiyue.
But greed had blinded their minds, and they decided to make a more careful plan.
The next day, Zhao San asked around in the village about Lin Zhiyue's whereabouts and learned that she often went to the mountains to collect herbs.
A sinful idea quietly formed in his mind. He planned to set an ambush on Lin Zhiyue's way into the mountains to collect herbs and forcibly rob her of her money.
At this time, Lin Zhiyue was still busy preparing for her future life according to her own plan.
She was drying the herbs she had picked from the mountains in the yard, preparing to sell them in town, completely unaware of the impending danger.
The atmosphere in the village became increasingly weird. The jealous looks and malicious speculations gradually enveloped Lin Zhiyue's head like dark clouds, and a crisis was quietly approaching.
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