In the courtyard, everyone is afraid of the little boy who is so smart!

The eyes of the villager who spoke were full of anxiety and helplessness, and the beads of sweat on his forehead sparkled in the sunlight, as if to prove that what he said was true.

At this time, a voice came from another corner. A middle-aged man said with some apology:

"Yes, Captain. When I left home this morning, my mother kept complaining that she wasn't feeling well."

"I was always thinking about it, so I wanted to go to the clinic and get some medicine for my mother."

"This election is a big deal, but I'm worried about my mother's health. Can you please postpone it and schedule it for tomorrow?"

His face was full of dilemma and he rubbed the corners of his clothes unconsciously with his hands.

Zhao Shuzhuo listened to their requests quietly, but the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing an imperceptible sneer.

There was no mockery in this smile, but it was filled with unquestionable determination. He raised his head slightly, looked at everyone with a firm gaze, and then slowly spoke:

"My fellow villagers, I understand that you will inevitably encounter various emergencies in your life."

"However, this election of village chief is related to the future development of our entire Jianye Village and is a top priority."

"We have been preparing for a long time, and everyone is gathered here today. If the election time is changed arbitrarily because of some family matters, when will the election be successfully completed?"

"How can we guarantee fairness and justice? Therefore, if anyone is unable to participate in the vote today due to special circumstances, it will be considered as your automatic abstention."

"This is the rule, and it is also for the long-term interests of our village. I hope everyone can understand."

Zhao Shuzhuo's words were like a heavy hammer. After they fell, those who proposed to postpone the election instantly drooped their heads like eggplants hit by frost.

The expression that originally contained some expectation disappeared without a trace in an instant, leaving only silence.

Their eyes were evasive, not daring to meet Zhao Shuzhuo's sharp gaze, and their feet moved restlessly on the spot, as if something hot on the ground was baking them.

Zhao Shuzhuo narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a sharp insight into everything. He raised his voice again and said in a more severe tone:

"Humph, don't think you can hide your little tricks from me. I have lived in this village for so many years, what have I not seen?"

"In previous elections in our village, there have been cases of backdoor voting, which has caused a lot of losses to everyone."

"This time, in order to prevent such a phenomenon from happening again, I and other relevant personnel deliberately did not disclose the specific method and time of the election in advance."

"I'm just worried that some people might form cliques and do some shameful things behind the scenes."

"This is so unfair to the villagers who are doing their duty and caring about the village."

He paused, and scanned the entire audience with a sharp gaze, which seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts and reach the deepest and most secret corners of everyone's heart.

"Therefore, today's vote must be carried out. There is no room for negotiation. Those who can vote should conscientiously cast their sacred votes in accordance with the regulations."

"If someone is really delayed and cannot participate in the vote, then it can only be regarded as abstention."

"This is to maintain the fairness and seriousness of the entire election process, and also to be responsible for the future of our Jianye Village."

After saying that, Zhao Shuzhuo no longer paid attention to those embarrassed people, walked straight to the front of the line, and handed the pen in his hand to the first villager in line.

When those people saw that their wishful thinking was easily seen through by Zhao Shuzhuo, their faces turned pale and blue, and they were so ashamed that they wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

They knew very well that their behavior was inappropriate, and under the majesty of Zhao Shuzhuo and the gazes of everyone, they could only lower their heads in shame, obediently line up at the back of the line, and say nothing more.

At this moment, a solemn and serious atmosphere permeated the entire village courtyard, and the voting officially began under the chairmanship of Zhao Shuzhuo.

Every villager is thinking about the most suitable candidate for village chief in his mind, and is ready to cast a crucial vote for the future development of the village.

The voting and election process is like a precisely run clock, ticking away in an orderly manner.

Everyone walked towards the ballot box one after another, with solemn and serious expressions, and every movement revealed their respect for this election.

After casting their votes, everyone stood aside consciously as if they had telepathy. In the quiet atmosphere, only the sound of light breathing and the rustling of clothes could be heard.

Everyone was patiently waiting for the moment when the voting ended, as if time had slowed down in this quiet wait.

Soon, the last person finished voting. At this time, Zhao Shuzhuo stood up straight, looked around with a firm gaze and said:

"To ensure that this election is absolutely fair and just, we will begin counting the votes now."

"I will be in charge of counting the votes, but we need to select someone to read out the votes for everyone."

His voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the quiet space. As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly hoarse but very loud voice came from the crowd:

"Shuzhuo, let me read it."

Zhao Shuzhuo looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person speaking was Uncle Huang who had called him at his home before.

Uncle Huang walked out of the crowd with steady steps, his weather-beaten face full of determination.

He walked up to Zhao Shuzhuo, raised his head slightly and said:

"Shuzhuo, I am an old man, childless, and I don't have any special relationship with any family in the village. It would be fair for me to read the votes."

Zhao Shuzhuo's gaze gently fell on Mr. Huang, who was over 70 years old. Time had carved deep wrinkles on the old man's face.

But he also exuded a reassuring calmness. He nodded slightly, his tone full of trust and respect:

"Okay, then Mr. Huang, you read the votes and I'll do the counting."

After saying that, Zhao Shuzhuo calmly picked up the paper and pen that had been prepared long ago, slowly walked to the chair next to him, and sat down with an upright posture.

He took a deep breath, as if he was performing an extremely sacred ritual, preparing to devote himself to the counting work.

Uncle Huang cleared his throat and began to read out the names one by one, his voice echoing clearly in the quiet space.

Zhao Shuzhuo pricked up his ears and listened attentively, the pen in his hand seemed to be given a mission.

Every stroke was written neatly and powerfully on the paper, as if engraving the villagers' precious choices.

Following Grandpa Huang's voice, he carefully wrote the correct characters under the corresponding names.

That focused look was as if the whole world was left with only Mr. Huang's voice and the records he wrote.