#夏日生活打卡季 #
Text/Ye Muqing
During the period when I was selected to serve as the village committee election working group, I saw or heard many anecdotes about elections, and although there were also negative information such as bribery and fighting, I could not deny the weight and significance of that vote among the masses.
A terminally ill old man died peacefully after casting a vote at the bedside, and that vote was the embodiment of his value during his lifetime. There was an idle farmer, the staff carried the ballot box to the head of the field, he sat down and smoked three bags of cigarettes before he thought about who to choose, and that one ballot paper seemed to be his intensive cultivation and sloppiness. There is also a criminal suspect who escaped, for a vote that can give him dignity, decided to come back and plead guilty.
It was the first night I went to Renshui Village to carry out the election work, and the director of the township forest police station, Wang Wang, opened the phone to me, saying that there was a villager surnamed Lin in my village who had absconded after stealing wood three years ago, and if he could be guaranteed to complete his vote smoothly, he was willing to let the police take him away at the scene...
For the sake of safety, to prevent him from escaping again, and to give him a chance to mitigate his punishment, the police at the police station asked him to turn himself in first, and then escort him to the election.
The two village chief candidates panicked when they heard that he was coming back to vote. They quickly showed that they had not informed him, and they knew in their hearts that whoever notified him was equivalent to knowing where he was hiding, which constituted a suspicion of harboring and harboring crimes. I explained to the village representative and everyone that he had called the police station to inquire about the election and had offered to go home to participate in the election.
One of the two candidates was his brother-in-law and the other was his cousin, and neither of them was willing to accept his election, fearing that he would "smear" him.
I said that he was not tried before, he was still a suspect, and that it was his right to participate in the elections, and he could not refuse.
Everyone was silent for a while, and a candidate named Lin Xiaojin finally said that he was my cousin, he couldn't hide, and if he really wanted to vote for me, I had no right to object. I will now register the ballot on his behalf.
The deadline for the next day's election is set for 12 to 4 p.m., half an hour before the end of the election, and villagers are still returning to vote after working in the fields.
At this time, the police at the police station called, saying that the car on which the suspect was escorting him back to participate in the election had a flat tire, and he was afraid that he would not be able to arrive in time.
This election time must be strictly observed, and the box must be sealed at the point. We immediately pulled out a mobile ticket box and took the scrutineer to the scene. His cousin candidate Lin Xiaojin also went by car.
Faced with a police car that broke down on the side of the road, there were only 5 minutes left until the voting ended. When we ran over carrying the ticket box, he also got out of the car with tears in his eyes. Lin Xiaojin stepped forward first and took his hand: "Brother, please choose me?" I won't let you down. ”
He took the ballot paper handed by Lin Xiaojin, drew a perfect circle after Lin Xiaojin's name, suddenly knelt in front of the ballot box, and reverently cast the vote he was looking forward to like a bodhisattva in a temple. When he stood up, he smiled comfortably and took Lin Xiaojin's hand: "I have disgraced my family, whether you or my brother-in-law are elected, do a good job and win glory for our village!" ”
The result of the election was unexpected, his vote did not drag down Lin Xiaojin, but let the villagers see Lin Xiaojin's tolerant mind and courage to take responsibility, and he also turned from a disadvantage to an advantage, and won a big victory in the election.
About author: Ye Muqing is a member of the China Poetry Society and the Fujian Writers Association. He has published poetry collections such as "Acacia is Better Than Loneliness" and "Deep Mountain High Song". His works have won the "Love and Peace" Essay Excellence Award of People's Literature magazine, and the "Five One Project" Award of Fujian Province.