Chapter 67 Late-Night Conspiracy
July 30, 2025.
Lin Xi was on edge for two days. Under Zhang Xiulan's instigation, the villagers outside were eager to take advantage of Lin Xi's house. However, in the past two days, people only used binoculars to spy on her small farm, or secretly came to her house to wander around during the night when they were watering the vegetables.
However, because Lin Xi's windows were covered with one-way privacy film and there were blackout curtains inside, no light could get through at night. Moreover, there was another glass wall covered with one-way privacy film inside the fence of the entire courtyard.
Outsiders can't find out anything about what's going on inside.
Lin Xi was glad that there were no drone enthusiasts in Yunxiang, otherwise they could see the thriving water spinach in her field just by flying over her house.
Then outsiders will find out about her peaceful life at home.
Although no one can enter the yard, being constantly spied on is always unsettling.
Her glass walls only covered the perimeter of the courtyard, with only security bars above, because the crops needed water from nature, and the rooftop solar panels needed direct sunlight to charge.
The villagers who came to investigate were all sneaking around at night when they went out to work in the fields. It was dark, and they had to be on guard against zombie attacks, so they were very worried and dared not linger in front of Lin Xi's house.
Lin Xi originally thought this group was going to be a force to be reckoned with, but the unexpected happened on the 13th.
The power went out in the early hours of the 30th.
It was mid-July, almost the hottest time of the year, and even at night, without direct sunlight, it was still scorching hot.
Some people's air conditioner outdoor units are not very noisy, so they will turn on the air conditioner at night. Even if they don't turn on the air conditioner, the noise from the electric fan inside is not loud enough to attract zombies.
However, once the power goes out and the doors and windows are closed, the indoor temperature becomes so high that it is almost impossible to breathe.
It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. The already scarce food situation has become even more difficult.
As night fell, after everyone returned home from working in the fields, several families, unable to sleep due to the heat, secretly opened their windows, and some even sat on their balconies with fans to cool off.
A few days later, since no one had been attacked by zombies while out at night for a long time, people gradually began to regard the night as a safe period.
On the night of July 31, many villagers actually went to Zhang Xiulan's yard with palm-leaf fans.
Once the main gate was closed, they sat comfortably on the porch, fanning themselves.
Lin Xi certainly didn't think they were just letting their guard down and enjoying the cool evening air. They could do that at home, which was both convenient and safe.
They're risking being chased by zombies by gathering together; they must be plotting something.
But they also knew that making noise would attract zombies, so they dared not talk loudly. Lin Xi saw through the binoculars that they were all getting closer and whispering to each other.
People pointed in the direction of Lin Xi's house from time to time, while others pointed to the sky, as if to say that there was something on the roof.
Lin Xi's roof is covered with photovoltaic panels. He started using a solar charging system two years ago and has hardly ever used household electricity.
When Lin Xi's house was being renovated, some people saw the photovoltaic panels that had been brought into the village. At that time, the "birdcage" around Lin Xi's house was not yet completed, and in everyone's eyes, she was not a strange "lunatic".
All people know is that she won her lawsuit against her uncle and rebuilt a villa on that plot of land.
Upon seeing the solar panels, all that could be heard was people complaining sourly about her being from a big city and being too picky.
Now that the power is out, everyone is eager for a roof of solar panels to improve their quality of life.
What was once criticized as a strange "cage" has now become an incredibly sturdy home in the eyes of many.
Through the night vision binoculars, Lin Xi saw the greed in their eyes.
However, one person's greed is just greed, but when a group of people are greedy, competition will arise.
There's only one house, and not everyone can live there; they might start fighting amongst themselves before they even get their hands on the coveted spoils.
Lin Jie stood up from the crowd, patted his chest, and said confidently, "That land originally belonged to my Yang family. That brat stole it and built this house on it."
Zhang Xiulan chimed in, "That's right. As long as everyone helps us get rid of that brat, we'll take over the house and repay everyone with good food and drink. That way, everyone's life will be better."
Lin Jie's wife and son looked at him with starry eyes, silently celebrating their impending escape from the power outage and lack of air conditioning.
The others watched speechlessly as this family indulged in self-gratification, oblivious to their future life.
He looked as if he had won the lottery in peacetime.
However, Lin Xi, who was already in a safe fortress, did not feel comfortable. She had died too many times and was numb. She just wanted to live well until the end of the apocalypse.
She also experienced days of power and water outages and hunger, and the hardships she endured were no less than those of these villagers.
Even though she now lives in a safe fortress with electricity and water, she doesn't feel very happy and is still worried about her safety and future.
The villagers outside didn't think that way. Most of them had already eaten all the remaining food and edible crops and grass on the ground, and everyone wanted to get their hands on Lin Xi's house.
Therefore, while people disagreed with Lin Jie's statement, no one voiced their opposition.
One of the people stood up and said a few words in a low voice. Everyone except Lin Jie looked at this person with great trust.
Lin Xi recognized the man; he was the reinforcement Zhang Xiulan had brought when she came to seize the house—the village secretary, Zhuang Changdong.
Zhuang Changdong adjusted his glasses and said to Lin Jie with a serious expression, "Since the house originally belonged to your Lin family and your cousin lives there, the task of finding out the situation is entrusted to you."
Lin Jie and Zhang Xiulan were stunned. They hadn't expected that everyone would agree on the issue of ownership of the house and then use that as a pretext to give them a difficult task.
The other villagers, who were usually respectful to Zhuang Changdong, chimed in, "That's right, that's right. You are the hosts, so it's most appropriate for you to go."
Zhuang Changdong then said gently, "When the apocalypse comes, everyone will suffer. Don't just kick that young girl out. Tell her to give up her house and share her supplies. We're all neighbors, and our ancestors were related to each other to some extent. We should help each other."
“That’s right, that’s right…” the villagers echoed again.
Lin Jie and Zhang Xiulan were in a dilemma. They couldn't very well admit that the house no longer belonged to the Lin family, so they had no choice but to go and find out the situation themselves.
From afar, Lin Xi saw that Lin Jie's eyes held more clear foolishness than greed.
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