Decision by Drawing Lots

"The road in Huangtu Bay is still too narrow, and it needs to be widened," said the village chief, taking out a cigarette, lighting it, and taking a puff.

"The last time we had our land in Huangtu Bay repaired, they already took away 1000 square meters, and we haven't seen any compensation," Wang Qiang's mother said with a gloomy expression after hearing this.

"Last time when the road was repaired, several households had their land occupied without any compensation. Road construction is a good thing, and once the road is repaired, it will be convenient for everyone to travel," said the village chief with an impatient tone.

"I can't control what others do. Last time, our land was occupied for 1 minute, and this time, they want to occupy our land again for road construction. If you don't compensate us, it's definitely not acceptable. If my land is messed around like this a few more times, it will be gone," said Wang Qiang's mother firmly.

Wang Qiang and Wang Xue, as siblings, watched from the side, feeling quite upset.

"Anyway, I've made it clear to you. You can't let your own issues affect the village road repair. No one else has complained, so why are you making a fuss? The road repair will start at 8 am tomorrow. You can come to the field and watch. Everyone with land in Huangtu Bay will be there tomorrow." The village chief's face was stern as he took a deep puff from his cigarette and walked away with his hands behind his back.

"Mom, why is the village chief like this? Look at that condescending attitude, he's practically a local tyrant!" Wang Xue roasted after the village chief left.

"Oh, indeed. In the village, the village chief is the law. Whatever he says goes. Even if the land is occupied a bit, there's no compensation. Where can we go to complain about it?" Wang Qiang's mother sighed worriedly and said.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the field with you to have a look," Wang Qiang said, looking at his mother.

"Well, it's good for you to see. Now that you've grown up, it's time for you to know some things," Wang Qiang's mother nodded.

The next day, Wang Qiang and his mother arrived at their own land in Huangtu Bay early in the morning. Taking advantage of the fact that the road repairmen had not arrived yet, Wang Qiang's mother drew a line to mark the boundary before the first road expansion.

Only then did Wang Qiang visually see the area of his family's land that had been occupied during the first road expansion.

"Mom, isn't there land over there? Was the land over there occupied during the road construction last time?" Wang Qiang asked, looking at the wheat field next to the road.

"That's Zhao Weilong's land. We didn't occupy his land last time," said my mother with a complicated expression.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang exploded with anger, "Why? Why only our land? According to the original road, his land should be the priority choice!"

"Last time, the village chief pointed out that Zhao Weilong's family was cultivating wheat, which aligns with the recent policies supported by the government. Since we were growing fruit trees, the village chief and the director unanimously agreed that occupying our land was the best choice."

"This is ridiculous!"

"I disagreed, and then the village chief proposed drawing lots."

"The side that drew the 'occupy' character would occupy their land, while the side that drew the 'exempt' character would not occupy their land. In the end, I drew the 'occupy' character, and as a result, our land was occupied for road construction," Wang Qiang's mother said ruefully.

"I asked you to come today because if we have to draw lots, you can do it. Maybe our land won't be occupied," said Wang Qiang's mother, revealing her true inner thoughts.

"Well, I see!" Wang Qiang nodded.

Not long after, almost everyone who owned land in the area had arrived. Only then did everyone notice that the village chief, village director, road repair personnel, and bulldozers had also shown up.

The village chief briefly mentioned the need to widen the road and also pointed out the specific sections that required expansion. After his explanation, two or three households, like Wang Qiang's family, initially resisted the idea of having their land occupied, just like Wang Qiang's mother. However, under the earnest guidance of the village chief and the director, they all relented and acquiesced.

"Huizhen, I know you have concerns about the land occupied by your house. The same thing applies. Your family plants fruit trees, while the neighbors plant wheat. The country is now strongly supporting wheat production, so we have to prioritize using your land during the road expansion process," the village chief said with a concerned expression.

"Yes, Huizhen, you need to understand that this is the current national policy. There are several people in similar situations to yours, and they all agree. Think about it carefully," the village chief echoed.

Wang Qiang's mother heard them talking and looked at Wang Qiang.

Wang Qiang saw his mother winking at him and understood her intention. "The village chief, it's like this. We also plan to grow wheat on our land later. We also need to respond to national policies, so there's no reason to give priority to occupying our land," Wang Qiang said while looking at the village chief.

"This... Isn't this already planted?" the village chief was taken aback, and after a moment's reaction, he said.

"We have already made preparations, and now this fruit tree has to be cut down," Wang Qiang said firmly.

"Since that's the case, you can still draw slips of paper like last time!" the village chief said, seemingly well-prepared, and then nodded to the village director.

The village director took out a small express delivery box from the electric tricycle he had been driving. The box was wrapped tightly with wide tape, leaving no gaps except for a small hole the size of an adult's fist on the top.

"Wei Long, you come over too!" The village chief waved his hand at Zhao Wei Long across the way.

Zhao Weilong grinned, revealing a set of large yellow teeth, and then walked over. He glanced at Wang Qiang and his son, grinned, and then stood easily in front of the village chief who was holding the box.

"Guizhen still wants to decide the party responsible for the land occupation for road construction through a lottery draw. Do you agree?" the village chief said, looking at Zhao Weilong.

"I agree." Zhao Weilong nodded without hesitation.

"Alright, Guizhen and Weilong, stand in front of the box," the village chief continued.

At this moment, when the others saw that the lottery was about to take place, they all gathered around. Suddenly, there were over 30 people standing around, most of whom owned land in this area, and a few were road repair workers invited by the village.

"Who do you think will be lucky enough to draw the exemption this time, and who will draw the occupation?"

"Last time, it was Liu Guizhen who drew the 'Zhan' character. I guess it won't be her this time, right?"

"It's hard to say. The probability this time is the same as last time, so it's hard to predict."

The people around them were now all discussing.

"There are two paper balls in this box now. One is marked with 'Zhan', and the other is marked with 'Mian'. If the person who draws the 'Zhan' character needs to occupy land for road construction this time, his land will be used. Similarly, if the person draws the 'Mian' character, his land will not be occupied," the village chief said loudly.

"Do you two have any objections?" the village chief asked, looking directly at Wang Qiang's mother and Zhao Weilong.

"No!"

have

When Wang Qiang's mother spoke, everyone looked at her in surprise, and the masseter muscle on the village chief's cheek twitched.

"Village chief, I want my son Xiaoqiang to participate this time. He represents me, is that okay?" Wang Qiang's mother looked at the village chief and said.

"Okay, but this is a big deal, not a child's play. If the outcome is not satisfactory, you can't change your mind!" The village chief nodded in agreement and then warned.