The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 218 Open and Fair Election_1

Chapter 218: Chapter 218 Open and Fair Election_1

Qi Shuli thought of a bad idea, secretly spreading the word that the university quota would be given to young people from the city by Qi Dazhu.

Once the villagers heard this, there was a lot of discussion.

By the time it reached Village Chief Qi’s ears, three days had already passed, and Village Chief Qi was so angry that he itched with rage.

Damn it, he’d never thought about giving the quota to young people from the city. He had been considering a few people from the village and was preparing to select from among the few middle school students in the village.

Now that the issue of the quota had been leaked, the villagers misunderstood him, and those young people from the city were full of hope. Once disappointed, they would also hold a grudge against him in the future.

In the past few days, Village Chief Qi dared not even leave his house, afraid of being pointed out and criticized.

Qi Xiaoyan felt sorry for her father and, knowing He Tiantian had lots of ideas, went to seek advice from her.

"Sister Tiantian, what should we do?" Qi Xiaoyan asked with a pained expression on her face. She had been in joyful bliss these days due to getting engaged, but now this incident had wiped that away.

He Tiantian asked, "Who does your father hope will go to university?"

"It’s just a few middle school students from the village. I’ve been selecting with some of the villagers." Qi Xiaoyan shyly smiled, her father’s actions were only human after all, and as a daughter, it wasn’t right for her to speak ill of him.

He Tiantian nodded her head and said, "With rumors like these spreading, if we don’t handle it well and select someone from the village, the young people from the city will have complaints, and they may even cause trouble. Yet, there’s only one quota. If we don’t handle it properly and no one is satisfied, Village Chief Qi won’t be able to do his job in the future."

"Yeah, my dad is also worried about it." Qi Xiaoyan said, "You’re quick-witted, please help think of a solution quickly."

The current situation was such that continuing to keep things under wraps and making the decision in secret was no longer viable.

If it couldn’t be done in secret, then why not make it public!

After all, spring plowing hadn’t started yet, there was plenty of time!

"Xiao Yan, Village Chief Qi is in a tough spot right now. It’s no longer about who gets the university quota, but whoever gets it, there will be dissatisfaction. Since this is the case, we should use the fairest method." He Tiantian said, smiling at Qi Xiaoyan.

"The fairest method?" Qi Xiaoyan questioned; if there were such a thing, why hadn’t her father thought of it?

"Yes, the quota belongs to Qijia Village. So let’s take the quota and tally up everyone who is eligible, and if these people want to go to university, then let the whole village vote." He Tiantian explained, "What do you think?"

At the mention of this, Qi Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up, "Right, that way the university student would be elected by everyone, not decided by my dad, and in this case, no one can blame him."

"The method is simple and effective. Doing it this way also shows that Village Chief Qi is impartial. Those who are scheming behind the scenes will be foiled." He Tiantian said, she wasn’t eligible herself, so she could look at the situation objectively!

"Indeed a good idea, I’ll talk to my dad right away." Qi Xiaoyan rushed off, ever since she had recovered, she had become much more cheerful.

Third Grandma Qi saw the two young girls and smiled sweetly, thinking how wonderful it is to be at such a carefree age.

When Village Chief Qi heard the strategy Qi Xiaoyan had gotten from He Tiantian, he slapped his thigh and thought, right!

After all, his daughter wasn’t involved, so whoever went to university didn’t really affect him.

The quota would be determined by election, which would show his fairness!

"Alright, let’s do that," Village Chief Qi chuckled, "Tell your second brother to inform the villagers and hold a meeting at the village branch."

Qi Xiaoyan hurried off to pass on the message next door.

Qi Ergou was in the middle of doing housework and, hearing there was something to be done, dropped what he was doing and went to notify the villagers.

Village Chief Qi, Qi Shuli, Zhao Dajiao, and two team leaders quickly arrived at the village branch.

Qi Shuli, taking things easy, really wanted to see what kind of trick Qi Dazhu was pulling!

Village Chief Qi looked around at everyone and said with deep emotion, "There has been a lot of discussion in the village recently, and you all know that."

A few people nodded.

"This has had a huge impact on our village branch. The quota is Qijia Village’s, not mine, Qi Dazhu’s, nor is it any of us here. It’s understandable that everyone has complaints. If that’s the case, then let’s let everyone decide. That way, no one can accuse me of abusing my power," Village Chief Qi said, glancing at Qi Shuli.

Following Village Chief Qi’s gaze, everyone looked towards Qi Shuli.

Qi Shuli tensed up, his expression slightly unnatural.

"Hehe, that’s a good idea, not bad at all," Qi Shuli said somewhat sheepishly under everyone’s gaze.

"Then how should we choose the candidate?" Zhao Dajiao asked, "In accordance with the commune’s regulations, isn’t it just the people in our village, but also young people from the city?"

Village Chief Qi laughed heartily and said, "As long as they meet the requirements, they can. Those young people from the city who leave their homes and come to our village, who made contributions last year in our Qijia Village, are also eligible."

"Alright then, we’ll tally up those who meet the conditions and also want to vie for the spot as candidates," Zhao Dajiao said, "Now let’s discuss who meets the requirements."

Everyone agreed and began to consider the candidates.

Aside from Qi Shuli, who was feeling unhappy internally, the others were fervently discussing.

Village Chief Qi personally wrote an announcement with a brush and posted it on the wall of the village branch.

For a time, the villagers were silenced, pondering whether their children met the requirements. Those who did came forward to register.

At that time, attending university was free, and the state even provided money. After graduating, one would become a formal employee eating the state’s grain, a guaranteed job for life.

Because of this matter, Qijia Village became bustling with activity. Those who met the requirements started to move around, canvassing for votes.

Those eligible to vote had to be villagers of Qijia Village aged eighteen or above and also had to be free of any stains or criminal records. Some with a bad "class status" could not participate in the election. This was also to prevent any scrutiny from the units.

Village Chief Qi was a very intelligent man. If he was going to do it, he was going to do it big.

Village Chief Qi wrote a report overnight and submitted it to his superiors. If this was handled well, it would become a shining example.

The Worker-Peasant-Soldier University students were selected through a combination of mass recommendation, leader approval, and school review. Their village was part of the first batch of Worker-Peasant-Soldier University students. If done well, they would become a model example.

Indeed, when Liu Dahai saw the report submitted by Village Chief Qi, he took it very seriously.

This was Taoyuan County’s only college quota, incredibly precious.

If it was managed well, it could be a significant achievement for him too!

Consequently, Liu Dahai personally gave instructions and said that on the day of the election, he would supervise it personally.

Liu Dahai also began writing a report to submit to the leadership at the next level.

The higher-level unit was very pleased and immediately approved, asking Liu Dahai to pay extra attention to smoothly complete the task. If handled properly, it would be established as a model example.

This matter fully demonstrated that the people were the masters and also effectively implemented the spirit and significance of recruiting Worker-Peasant-Soldier University students.