Chapter 50

At 8:30 in the morning, dozens of people started to gather at the village committee office.

Not only did the heads of the street committee come, but also representatives from the district party committee organization department, the new district office of the municipal government, and the people's congress and political consultative conference.

Zhao Zhiqiang didn't deliberately try to identify all the leaders, but he smiled and greeted Xu Shulin, whom he had met once, and the young girl Jiang Han.

Jiang Han clearly didn't expect Zhao Zhiqiang to greet her first, and her face turned slightly red. She nodded, a bit flustered, and involuntarily thought of the scar on his chest.

Not long ago, Zhao Zhiqiang received a text message from Li Shangbo, which gave him a rough idea of the situation. Last night, for the sake of Chang'an Village, the South City District, along with the Iron South Street Party Secretary and Director, and the Chang'an Village Party Secretary Zhang Weifa, held a meeting for half the night, discussing and finalizing the new construction plan for Chang'an Village as directed by the city party leadership.

Gu Meiyun and Pang Wenxian personally attended the meeting and gave instructions. Deputy District Chief He Dacheng made key revisions, which did not overturn any of the villagers' key concerns in the original plan, including matters related to demolition, land occupation, and compensation. After several hours of discussion, the district and street committee formed a more stable plan that could both fulfill the city leadership's arrangements and not violate the will of the villagers, while also promoting the construction of the new district.

Although Li Shangbo didn't say it outright, Zhao Zhiqiang already knew that today's announcement of the election conditions would be different from what he had imagined and from the information Wu Bing had gathered, because he knew that Secretary Gu had actually persuaded the city leadership, and the words he spoke at the meeting had taken effect.

What kind of village construction plan would it be?

Zhao Zhiqiang was also very interested.

The big leaders hadn't arrived yet, but the village party secretary, with dark circles under his eyes, appeared at the entrance of the village committee office.

Clearly, he was also startled by the large number of people.

After searching the crowd for a while, he looked at Zhao Zhiqiang for a bit longer and asked, "Where is Zhao Tiejun? Why isn't he here?"

Immediately, someone from the street committee spoke up, "Secretary Zhang, Zhao Tiejun had an accident last night. He fell into a ditch and scratched his face. He's in the hospital now. If there's anything you need to tell him, I can pass the message along." The speaker was Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Tiejun's paternal uncle and the brother of the former director, Zhao Guangming.

"Lazy donkey on the mill, always causing trouble," Zhang Weifa muttered, then hurried to the main venue of the current election meeting.

"Come in, members of the election committee and the village committee. I'll convey the spirit of the meeting held by the district and street committee last night. Before the higher-level leaders arrive, you should all have a clear idea. Oh, right, who is Zhao Zhiqiang?"

"I am, Secretary," Zhao Zhiqiang smiled, looking at the elderly man, touching his head, and thinking, "I don't have the personality of that guy Zhao Tiejun, but his lie was a bit too clumsy."

He still didn't recognize Zhao Zhiqiang, unsure if the young man in the old military uniform he had glanced at earlier was the same kid from back then. It was really his suggestion that had led to the city leadership's direct instructions for the pilot project.

Although he didn't know the benefits or drawbacks of this pilot project, the fact that it had reached the highest levels of the city government was a big deal.

It was an honor to have a meeting with the district party secretary and district chief for half the night. These two young men, one good at resolving issues and the other with good ideas, were both quite capable!

"Those running for the position of director should not come in," Zhang Weifa said, seeing Zhang Jike and Fu Jinghua, the current village committee members and representatives, about to enter, and closed the door.

Zhao Zhiqiang returned to the crowd. The young men who had seen his impressive display yesterday gathered around him, asking questions and even testing his arm strength and leg power. They quickly got into a playful tussle.

Zhang Jike was a bit nervous, dressed in a neat suit, but with dust on his shoes, which was quite noticeable.

Fu Jinghua wore a simple jacket and military boots, standing by the wall smoking and joking with other representatives.

The various officials from the district and township who had arrived early were completely puzzled as to why they were here for a village-level supplementary election. Were they here to supervise? What was there to supervise in a village chief election?

"What are they up to?" Some villagers, sent by their groups to witness or who had come voluntarily, were very curious.

"I heard that because of the big corrupt official Zhao Guangming, the new district construction was severely affected, so the city designated our village as a key village. Not only did they send the team led by Deputy Director Jiang, but this election is also being supervised by the district organization department, civil affairs, the new district office, and the people's congress and political consultative conference. And you don't know this, but this village chief election is not like the ones in the past or in other villages."

"So what's different? Aren't they just going to campaign for votes?"

"Tsk, if you want information, my information is the best..." The villagers chatted idly, and soon the sound of cars was heard outside, and the village committee members hurried out to greet them.

Ten minutes later, the chaotic crowd formed several orderly rows. Because there was no larger meeting room, they gathered in the open air as they had the day before.

In the freezing cold, Zhang Weifa used a handheld megaphone to warmly welcome Deputy District Chief He Dacheng, Deputy Director of the District Organization Department and Director of the Compilation Office Sun He, Street Party Secretary Zeng Xiaofeng, and Director Li De, among others. Then, he quickly asked Director Li De to announce the conditions for the current election of the village chief of Chang'an Village.

It was too cold to speak at length, and Li De was no exception. He had intended to give a long speech, but after standing for three minutes, he changed his mind. He cursed inwardly that this village didn't even have a proper large meeting room.

Standing in front of the crowd, he wiped his nose and said, "Fellow villagers, I won't read the document. I'll just say it plainly. The long words are hard for you to understand, and I have trouble pronouncing them. Chang'an Village is now part of the South City New District and is one of the villages to be transformed into a new socialist countryside. As you all know, the village has been included in the demolition and transformation plan. However, due to the Zhao Guangming incident, your village has become a focus of attention at the city, district, and township levels. Because of the various interests involved and the lack of a village chief to lead, the situation is chaotic. Therefore, the city has ordered, the district has arranged, and the township has deployed. Now, the village transformation plan will be proposed first, and then the direction will be determined, giving the power to decide how to build the new village to you."

The crowd immediately burst into discussion, like dumplings boiling in a pot of water.

Power?

The villagers were confused. Power had always been in the hands of the officials. What would they do with it?

"Stop, stop! Don't lose your composure at the first sign of benefit. Here's how it works: the four candidates will propose their plans. The one with the most support will win. That's the first part. The second part is that each of the four, including Zhao Tiejun, must, within one month, not only complete a new village construction plan but also, based on their proposed plan, personally raise funds, sponsorships, and projects for the village. For every million yuan raised, they get one point. The one with the most points wins. The funds will be deposited into a public account for village construction as they are received. Of course, if they are not selected, the funds will be returned to the intended investors."

Boom!

The noise grew louder, and the crowd was no longer whispering but shouting loudly.

"What?"

"What kind of election is this?"

"Really unusual!"

"One month, what can be done? It's almost the New Year..."

Someone immediately expressed disbelief, thinking the plan was too unrealistic.

"Quiet, quiet!" Li De shouted, "One more thing. The time will start after the New Year. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, we will gather here again to present the plans, evaluate the sponsorships, and hold the election. The new village chief will be sworn in and take office that day. Is there anything you didn't understand?"

"Chief, why do we need to vote after the first two parts are decided?" a villager asked, puzzled. "What is a plan presentation?"

"Don't you understand voting? It's required by the election law!" Li De was a bit impatient.

At this point, Deputy District Chief He Dacheng, who had been standing behind Li De, stepped forward. He didn't want to stand there any longer in the cold. This plan was his proposal, and Gu Meiyun and Pang Wenxian had agreed to it, so he was the most suitable to explain it.

Ignoring Li De's apparent displeasure, he waved his hand and said, "Director Li has already explained it clearly. This time, in Chang'an Village, the election method hasn't changed, but the approach has. The candidates will not just be elected by votes but must show the villagers what they can actually bring to the village after taking office. In our local terms, it's like saying, 'Let's see if you're a donkey or a horse by taking you out for a ride.'"

The crowd fell silent.

"The village construction plan is the election plan. The four candidates will formulate and gather enough support for their plans, which will account for 70 points in the evaluation. The remaining 30 points will be assessed by experts from the new district planning office, focusing on the rationality of the construction layout and resource allocation. You can see from the scoring that the experts' evaluation is not the main part, but rather the villagers' approval will be the primary factor. There are over 400 households and 4,000 people in the village, with 2,130 valid election votes. Only a plan with more than half the votes will be valid, and the one with the most votes will win. The sponsorship points do not require a vote; the highest scorer wins. The election votes are still set up to test the candidates' prestige and trustworthiness among the villagers. This means that just having ability is not enough; one must also have good morals and character to be a good village chief!"

Applause broke out.

Despite the cold, He Dacheng heard the clapping, the sound of hands slapping together.

Zhao Zhiqiang had been listening attentively, showing no emotion. This method was indeed novel. Was it the idea of the beautiful secretary? However, although it was a new approach, he was not opposed to it. Everyone had the same conditions, so he was ready to compete.

Zhang Jike was excited, his legs moving restlessly, though his smile was forced. He was thinking, "Isn't this a bit like a U.S. presidential election..."

Fu Jinghua remained calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. However, he was inwardly surprised by this unusual method.

PS: Thank you, Hongchen, for the tip.

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