Chapter 487 Village Official Election

The villagers spoke enthusiastically.

However, these comments were all trivial matters. For example, someone was raising chickens haphazardly and hoped the village would regulate it to prevent their vegetable garden from being constantly pecked by chickens and ducks; another was that when everyone's homestead land was being remeasured, some people were preparing to build new houses, but their neighbors were refusing to give up an inch of land; yet another was that some people in the village were neglecting their elderly parents and should be severely punished...

Zhao Tiezhu carefully wrote down all the opinions, no matter what they were.

This process lasted for nearly an hour before the scene gradually quieted down.

"Alright, that's enough for today's comments." The village head gestured downwards with his hand. "Everyone saw the bulletin board here, right? There's a small box on the left. If you have any comments, you can write them down and put them in this box... If you can't write, that's okay too. Come to my house and we can talk face-to-face!"

“After Lao Xu raised his opinions at the last meeting, Da Shan’s mother and I discussed it for a long time and redefined the management model for Dahe Village. As everyone knows, since last autumn, there have been more and more things to do in our village, especially this year. It is really unrealistic for Tie Zhu and me to handle everything. In addition to money and accounts, there are many other things. I hope that the people of Dahe Village can actively participate in the management of the village.”

Chief Xu immediately asked, "What does it mean to participate in village management?"

"As everyone knows, each village has a village head, who is in charge of all matters within the village. Now, I plan to delegate all the tasks at hand to everyone to help me manage them." The village head looked at everyone and said, "Let's start with the issue of money, which is of most concern to everyone. It's really not appropriate for the Zhao family to manage so much money, so I plan to arrange for someone else to manage the money. Tiezhu will be in charge of keeping accounts, and I must sign off on any major expenditures. This way, we can supervise each other and prevent any problems from arising."

"So who should manage the money? We hope the villagers will volunteer or nominate someone."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

No one expected that after Chief Xu raised his opinion last time, the village head would actually change the person in charge of the money. It wasn't just a few coins, but several thousand taels of silver!

I wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting this money to anyone!

Old Mrs. Zhu said loudly, "I think it's better to do it the way it used to be. Let the village head and your family manage the money!"

Grandma Zhao nodded: "That's right, that's what I think too."

“In the past, the village only had a few dozen or a few hundred taels of silver, which I could manage. But in the future, with the development of the market, the village’s assets may exceed ten thousand taels. It’s not good for me to keep so much money in my hands,” the village head said seriously. “At least two people should be in charge of managing the money. Everyone can elect two or three people to manage it together.”

Aunt Wang said, "Then I'll choose Aunt Dashan."

"Yes, yes, let Aunt Dashan take care of it."

“Dashan’s mother is now a resident of Sui’an. She has plenty of money at home and would definitely not keep these things from the village.”

“I also agree with letting Aunt Dashan manage the money.”

Cheng Wanwan: "..."

She has a huge pile of account books at home, and she has to spend half a day every day looking at them, so she dares not take on any more work.

She stepped out of the crowd and said seriously, "My husband's family name is Zhao, and I am also a member of the Zhao family. Tiezhu and I are from the same clan. If the two of us are in charge of money and accounts, it will be easy for people to gossip. I suggest that everyone recommend someone from among those with less common surnames. I wonder if Chief Xu has any suitable people?"

Chief Xu breathed a sigh of relief. If Da Shan Niang really controlled the money, then even if he had ten mouths, it wouldn't be of any use, because in Dahe Village, the status of the Sui'an people was much higher than that of the village head, and he dared not openly challenge them.

The people of Sui'an asked for his opinion in public; this was a way of giving him face.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Since you've asked, I'll have to shamelessly recommend my son. He doesn't have many merits, but he's straightforward and honest. With someone like that managing the money, there's no guarantee there won't be any trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Wulai said, "Clan Chief Xu, your son is thirty years old and he manages the accounts with Tiezhu. Isn't that taking advantage of Tiezhu's young age? You should find someone of a similar age. My son Dagang is perfect. Don't you all agree?"

Zhang Dagang is indeed a good kid in the village, but since he was born with such parents, no one in the village dares to praise him, otherwise Zhang the scoundrel will take advantage of them.

Next, several more people raised their hands to recommend or nominate themselves, and finally eight people stood up.

“This money belongs to all the people in our village, so let the whole village decide who should manage it,” the village head said. “Now, everyone, think for ten seconds, and then we will vote by raising our hands.”

The eight people standing on the stage were all people with rare surnames, and some of them were not even recognized by the villagers.

If I had to choose one, I would definitely choose the slightly more reliable one. Zhang Dagang is reliable, but he has unreliable parents, so he is not even worth considering.

After much hesitation, the only option left was Xu Kun, the son of the Xu clan chief.

Firstly, the Xu family is considered the second-largest family in Dahe Village, and the Xu clan chief values ​​his reputation, so normally he wouldn't cause any trouble.

Secondly, Xu Kun is indeed a good person; he is honest and hardworking, and doesn't seem like the kind of person who would steal money.

When villagers elect people, they don't look at professional skills, but mainly at character. If a person's character is acceptable, everyone will support them. So when it came time to vote by raising hands, 80% of the people voted for Xu Kun.

Chief Xu's eyes narrowed as he smiled.

The Xu family has become involved in important village affairs, and will now have a place in Dahe Village.

Next, other positions were elected in the same manner: a person specifically in charge of agricultural affairs, a person specifically in charge of resolving disputes, a person specifically in charge of addressing the needs of the elderly, women, and children, a person specifically in charge of the tourism industry, a captain of the guard team, a person in charge of managing the school...

These positions were mostly held by people from other families, and even some refugees elected someone to take on a less important role...

Because of this event, the villagers felt a sense of participation, and their sense of cohesion grew stronger.

After the election, a second vote was held on whether to expand the market.

Because they had just earned some income from selling cotton, and the village head made unconditional concessions, the vote passed unanimously.

The village head waved his hand and said, "Alright, meeting adjourned. Those who were just elected, please stay for a short meeting!"

This time, a total of eight people were selected. In addition to their regular jobs, they will hold positions in the village and receive an additional salary from the village.

"Now that you've become the village's management personnel, you should all contribute to the village's development. You've all heard today's opinions, right? Go back and come up with a plan." The village head looked at everyone and said, "Another matter is the expansion of the market. This isn't difficult; we can finish it quickly by hiring more people. The problem is that the lotus flowers at Aunt Dashan's house have all withered, and fewer and fewer people are coming to visit. Everyone, think about what methods we can use to attract city dwellers."

"It's autumn now, and the osmanthus flowers on the mountain are in full bloom. They smell wonderful. City people must like them too."

"There are also wild chrysanthemums, all over the mountains and fields, but the road is not easy to walk on. Otherwise, we could build a road into the mountains and build a pavilion."

Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "The chrysanthemums in my flower garden are all in bloom, and there are all kinds of varieties. How about we hold a chrysanthemum appreciation party?"