My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 156: Chapter 128: Unanimously Elected Village Chief and the ”One-Man Show

The host family would never drive away such ”beggars,” but would instead welcome them warmly. However, their meal was different from a regular banquet. The host would prepare an Eight Immortals table and serve them eight bowls of rice with toppings.

And so this table, with its eight large bowls, was also known as the ”beggar’s feast.”

As for ”ten large bowls,” the word for ”ten” is a homophone for ”stone.” Since farmers in Sichuan Province often used stone troughs to feed their pigs, serving ten bowls was also considered inauspicious.

Thus, the ”nine-bowl feast” was the standard for running banquets in Sichuan Province. Poorer families might serve seven bowls, while wealthier ones would serve eleven.

For example, for a few years, the Dingjiu feast in Li Family Village only had seven dishes per table because they were too poor. Only now that conditions have improved do they serve nine bowls.

In the past, women and children weren’t allowed to attend, perhaps also due to poverty. Now that things are better, everyone comes to eat and enjoy themselves.

Even so, the dishes today were a far cry from the New Year’s Eve dinners many families enjoyed at home. After all, this ”Dingjiu” feast was funded by the village committee, which had a limited budget and couldn’t afford to make it too lavish.

In some places, everyone would pool their money or each household would contribute a few dishes, but that was no fun. Eating for free was the best part.

After the ancestor worship concluded and before the feast began, Li Family Village held its village chief election, which took place once every five years. The final result, of course, was Li Xiang winning by a unanimous vote!

In truth, China’s village chief elections are the most legitimate ”popular elections” in the world—true democracy. Each village chief is genuinely elected, vote by vote, by every single person: men and women, young and old.

An election like the one in America claims to be a popular vote, but it isn’t. It only determines which party wins the election results in each state. Moreover, the candidates are already set, with only two or three competing. After each state’s election, there’s still a process where ”electors” vote. There are only a little over five hundred of these electors, and their votes are what truly decide who ultimately takes office.

The average person’s vote is a joke, especially in those safe states. No matter how you vote, you can’t affect the final outcome. Why else would they be called safe states? Only in swing states do votes have a tiny bit of an impact. Some impact, yes, but not much.

With the village chief election results in, Li Jinyu had also spoken to his superiors about the village party secretary position and had recommended Li Xiang.

In a poor, remote village like this, it was unlikely they’d parachute in an outsider. Besides, in most rural areas (statistics show around 95%), one person ”carries both loads on one shoulder,” meaning the village chief and the party secretary are the same individual. So, it was basically a sure thing. The official documents from the higher-ups would probably come down after the New Year holiday.

”Let’s have a round of applause to welcome our new village chief to say a few words for us!” Li Jinyu called out in a booming voice.

His ”iron throat and bronze lungs,” honed from singing *The Case of Chai Mei*, were naturally full of power. Though he was older now and had nearly run out of breath hitting a high note the other day, that was only because the ”Yang Ban” section for Bao Longtu had too fast a rhythm. With its high pitch and rapid tempo, it was something the average person truly couldn’t perform.

But when speaking normally, Li Jinyu had no trouble at all. He didn’t need a microphone; his shout could be heard by the entire village.

The crowd roared with approval, their applause like thunder.

Li Xiang took the stage. He held up his hands, pressing down gently, and the crowd fell silent.

Having lived two lives, experienced the Apocalypse, and being an Extraordinary Being, Li Xiang naturally had no stage fright. He surveyed the crowd and clasped his hands in a traditional greeting. ”First, to all the grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunts... and to all the children of the village, I want to wish you a happy New Year! May you have a fresh start, and may every year be better than the last!”