Song Yaoyao walked to the table.
Looking at that map that embodies the hopes of all the people on the island.
She picked up a pen, traced lines on the map, and finally selected a place at risk of landslide, and began to make corrections.
Her hands trembled slightly with excitement, and she muttered, "You want to find coal mines? I'll let you find them! I'll make sure you all die in the mountains!"
In no time, she had completely altered the map.
She carefully folded the revised map, tucked it into her bosom, and then tiptoed out of the wooden shed, disappearing into the night.
In the neighboring village, several women who used to work at Song Yaoyao's cooperative were sitting around under a dim oil lamp, discussing the recent coal mine news that was making headlines on the island.
Suddenly, a soft knocking sounded on the door.
One of the aunties got up, opened the door, and found an envelope on the ground by the door containing the map that Song Yaoyao had just modified.
The group huddled closer to the oil lamp, carefully examining the map, their faces showing a mixture of surprise and greed.
"Who sent this map? This is a golden opportunity to make a fortune! We have to find the coal mine before anyone else!"
"An auntie said excitedly."
The others hesitated for only a moment, but the opportunity to make a fortune overwhelmed their reason, and they all nodded in agreement.
So they packed their tools overnight and, under the cover of darkness, hurriedly set off in the direction marked on the map.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, and the moonlight was blocked by dense foliage.
It was pitch black all around, and they walked with uneven steps, occasionally tripping over the stones under their feet.
But the thought of the wealth they were about to acquire made them grit their teeth and persevere.
However, when they arrived at the cave indicated on the map, misfortune struck.
The mountain above the cave was already loosened due to the previous storm surge and heavy rain, and their reckless entry caused the cave to collapse.
With a loud "boom," a large number of rocks rolled down from the cave ceiling and hillside, instantly burying them.
Screams echoed from the cave, reverberating through the silent forest and sending chills down one's spine.
One of the women reacted quickly, and at the moment of the collapse, she ran out of the cave with all her might, thus narrowly escaping disaster.
She was dressed in rags, her hair was disheveled, and her face was full of terror. She scrambled back to the village for help.
Song Yaoyao had been waiting at the village entrance for a while. When she saw her aunt return, she immediately pretended to be a helpful villager and went to greet her.
She helped her aunt up and asked loudly, "What happened? What's going on?"
The aunt, panting heavily, recounted the events in fits and starts.
Upon hearing this, Song Yaoyao immediately raised her voice and shouted, "This must be the work of that guy surnamed Ling! They want to monopolize the coal mine and deliberately gave us the wrong map to kill everyone!"
As she spoke, she pulled out the altered map from her bosom and held it high so that the early-rising villagers around her could see it.
Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately erupted in uproar.
"How could that be? Comrade Ling isn't that kind of person."
Someone muttered to themselves.
But Song Yaoyao wouldn't let this opportunity to stir up trouble pass by.
She continued to embellish the story, "How is it impossible? Look, this map is irrefutable evidence. They deliberately drew the coal mine in such a dangerous place, but how come they were fine when they went there? They must have had bad intentions. Now that such a big incident has happened, they definitely can't escape responsibility!"
Under Song Yaoyao's instigation, the villagers' emotions were gradually ignited, and their dissatisfaction and anger towards Ling Huanwu and Zhou Jiuzhen grew stronger.
When someone mentioned that Ling Huanwu had used a knife to cut the rope when they crossed the suspension bridge on their way to the mountain camp, it further confirmed Ling Huanwu's cruelty. The villagers from the neighboring village believed it without a doubt and were filled with rage.
They picked up hoes, carrying poles, and other tools and headed towards Ling Huanwu and her companion's residence, ready to demand an explanation.
A crisis of trust quietly engulfed the entire island under Song Yaoyao's scheme.
*
The first light of dawn.
The light seeped in through the cracks in the dilapidated wooden shed and fell onto the simple bed.
Ling Huanwu slowly woke up, and in her drowsy state, she was startled when she saw the triplets still fast asleep not far away. She thought she had returned to her previous life.
She shuddered, sensing someone behind her. Instinctively thinking it was Zhou Shuyao, she slapped him across the back, only to find that it was Zhou Jiuzhen, who had suddenly opened his eyes, looking bewildered and aggrieved.
At that moment, he clung to her like an octopus, his head resting on her shoulder, like a big kid who hadn't woken up yet.
"Huanwu, you're finally awake..." Zhou Jiuzhen's voice was still heavy with sleep, and his tone was full of grievance for being hit. "You don't know how lonely I was when you were asleep. I finally woke up, and why did you hit me?"
Ling Huanwu felt a little guilty, touched the half of his face that had been hit and gently pushed him, "Alright, get up quickly, we still have to take the villagers and leaders to see the coal mine today."
Zhou Jiuzhen didn't move an inch; instead, he hugged her even tighter.
Ling Huanwu had no choice but to glance at the time and quickly get up and get dressed.
While getting dressed, Zhou Jiuzhen clung to her again, resting his head on Ling Huanwu's shoulder, his face cold and pitiful: "I have a broken bone and can't get dressed properly, you have to help me."
Ling Huanwu almost laughed out of anger at him. While getting dressed, she pretended to put his head inside her clothes. "You can build a house with one hand, but you can't even dress yourself?"
Even so, she still patiently helped Zhou Jiuzhen put on his clothes.
While washing up, Zhou Jiuzhen used the same trick again, resting his head on Ling Huanwu's shoulder and reaching for her toothbrush: "My toothbrush bristles have all fallen out, I'll use yours."
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