Two days later.
Before daylight had fully broken, people were already streaming toward the square.
A long table stood in the center of the Clan Grounds.
Two stacks of paper lay on it, their edges weighted down with stones.
The left side read "Aqi, rice shop owner," and the right read "Tanaka, former village official."
Jars of chili sauce were stacked at Aqi's corner of the table; old official documents lay spread out at Tanaka's.
Kiyoshi stood at a corner of the table without a ballot in his hand.
He was there for the spectacle.
The sun climbed to the eaves, but the crowd in the square still had not dispersed.
Old Zhou, who sold sugar figurines, set up his stall and hawked his wares, holding up a stick.
Carpenter Sun, who repaired roofs, came too, carrying a ladder over his shoulder to join the fun.
Children chased each other around the table legs until their mothers hauled them back.
Few people voted; far more came to watch.
Auntie Wang squeezed to the front with a basket on her arm. "I'm voting for Aqi. She lent me three pecks of rice last year and never pressed me to pay her back."
Someone behind her chimed in. "I'm voting for Aqi too. She's generous with her chili sauce."
Auntie Liu tugged her granddaughter along. "Come on, give your vote to Auntie Aqi. Remember to say thank you."
The little girl stuffed her ballot into the box, then turned and ran.
Uncle Zhang silently filled out a ballot and slipped it into the wooden box.
Uncle Chen, the fish seller, slapped his ballot into the box. "Her nephew helped me mend my fishing nets."
The young mail carrier tossed his ballot in. "Auntie Aqi patched my boots last time."
Auntie Wu, who