I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 898 – Movable Type Printing
Autumn had arrived, and before anyone noticed, the sky had become very high.
Above the azure sky, fluffy, cotton-candy-like white clouds floated.
A cool breeze blew, rustling the leaves on the trees.
Even the exam papers in front of the children fluttered in the wind. Amid the rustling, two children set down their pens and hurried after the papers that had been blown away.
Han Cheng, proctoring the exam, watched the scene and smiled, feeling a strange sense of temporal dislocation.
It was as if he had returned to his own elementary school days, sitting on a small stool brought from home, taking exams in the open space outside the classroom.
Everything was quiet around him; sunlight warmed his body. Only his legs felt numb from squatting for so long, but otherwise, there were no problems.
Time flowed quietly as students began turning in their exams.
This time, Han Cheng did not collect the papers himself. Instead, he left the task to Shi Tou, Yuan, and the other Green Sparrow Tribe teachers.
There were only four proctors, including Han Cheng. This was partly because the tribe’s minors were honest and would not cheat, and partly because the later batches of papers had not yet been entirely copied; the remaining people were still working overtime to transcribe them.
The completed papers were gathered together. Some were filled to the brim, others had large blank sections.
Han Cheng allowed the minors who had proctored and copied papers to rest for a while before continuing with the math exam.
During their break, Han Cheng, Shi Tou, and a few others went to the restroom, then divided the collected papers into four portions, preparing to grade them shortly.
Han Cheng received the largest portion—about half of the total.
Sitting in a wooden chair with a backrest, he graded a dozen papers before standing and announcing the start of the second exam.
The minors returned to their seats and quickly settled down.
Shi Tou, Yuan, and Huang Chong distributed the math papers.
After watching briefly, Han Cheng sat back again, crossing his legs, resting the papers on his lap, and began grading the language exam with a pen dipped in red ink.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind and the sound of students turning their papers.
Fu Jiang, at some point, had lain down beside Han Cheng, resting his chin on his front paws while lazily flicking his tail.
After grading for a while, Han Cheng looked up briefly, then continued grading.
The moment was serene, beautiful, and tranquil.
It even tempted Han Cheng to consider becoming a permanent teacher in the tribe.
The first batch of papers was very simple, so grading was quick. When the students turned in their math papers, Han Cheng and the others had almost finished grading them.
After the math exam, they collected all the papers and finished grading the language exams. Han Cheng, being quick at arithmetic, totaled the scores.
Others began grading math papers.
According to the plan, two more exams were scheduled in the afternoon to select second-grade students, so time was tight.
After a busy session, both language and math papers were graded.
As expected, the number of students passing the language was far higher than those passing math.
Out of 453 participants, 371 passed language, 252 passed math, and 202 passed both.
Han Cheng’s plan was as follows: those who failed both subjects would start in preschool, along with those who had never learned to read or write.
Those passing only one subject would start first grade but would not participate in second-grade exams.
Only those passing both subjects could participate in the second-grade exam in the afternoon.
Those who failed the afternoon exam would repeat first grade; anyone who passed at least one subject could advance.
After lunch and further work, Han Cheng compiled lists: those who passed only one subject were assigned first grade, those who failed both were assigned to preschool, and the rest continued to the following exams.
As a result, first grade had particularly many students: 169 passed only language, 50 passed only math, for a total of 219. Including those who failed second grade, the number easily exceeded 250—far more than all the upper grades combined.
Preschool and first grade had the most students. It would take a few years for these numbers to normalize.
The afternoon passed quietly. In a lamp-lit room, Han Cheng and others continued grading, totaling, and copying scores.
Two days later, all exams were completed, and classes and grades were assigned based on results.
As predicted, higher grades had fewer passing students.
For example, in fifth grade, there were only 13 students, three of whom passed both subjects; the rest passed only one.
Preschool was divided into two classes of over 70 each; first grade had four classes of over 60 each.
Other grades had only one class per grade.
Once grades and classes were assigned, teacher resources were allocated.
Shi Tou and Yuan, being the most skilled, taught both fourth and fifth grades.
Since children also participated in labor, academic classes were only half-day, with two days off per week.
This schedule allowed Shi Tou and Yuan to manage two grades effectively.
The other 13 newly qualified teachers with lower academic skills and good temperament were assigned to preschool and first grade, some of whom handled two classes.
After this, they arranged temporary classrooms while new ones were built.
Before these small but essential tasks were complete, the tribe had already begun autumn harvest.
After a grand opening harvest feast, the Green Sparrow Tribe entered the yearly harvest season.
The children, having just completed exams and received class assignments, were lucky—they went straight into the harvest with the adults.
Han Cheng, however, still had work to do regarding teaching.
When compiling textbooks earlier, he hadn’t planned for grading by student level. He now revised the textbooks to match the appropriate grade.
The original two books were split, expanded, and extended.
Language texts grew longer and more advanced with each grade.
Mathematics texts advanced as well, including geometry (perimeter, area, volume), angles, reciprocals, fractions, decimals, linear equations, simple squares, and cubes.
Han Cheng, thinking of water rice and Jin’guan City in the south, worked tirelessly from morning to night, day and night, even thinking about lessons while humming tunes with Bai Xue Mei at night.
He realized holding a pen and working in an office was no easier; writing was mentally and physically exhausting.
After realizing his earlier misjudgments, he resolved that if time could rewind, he would never lock up Mo Bai or play tricks on him.
Days passed quietly. By the time the textbooks were finalized, the first batch of rice had been harvested, and the second batch was underway.
Han Cheng called Shi Tou, Yuan, and Huang Chong to a meeting to assign textbook transcription, application, and review. They were to study the textbooks for their respective grades and ask questions when unclear.
Once these were resolved, Han Cheng could proceed south. He even allowed them to temporarily skip the harvest.
Shi Tou and others studied intensively, taking notes and asking questions. Shi Tou had heavier responsibilities—teaching fourth- and fifth-grade classes and preparing for movable-type printing experiments.
They also guided others in making existing paper, as the tribe now required more paper due to textbooks and exams.
Han Cheng also checked supplies for the southern trip. He met with tribe leaders (Shaman, Eldest Senior Brother, etc.) to arrange winter sports, selecting qualified slaves for citizenship, and scheduling ceremonies for emancipated members.
These arrangements were essential for the tribe’s development and stability.
Han Cheng decided that hero worship and winter sports would proceed as scheduled, while the emancipation ceremony would be postponed.
The names of emancipated individuals would be announced during winter sports. They would move from the slave courtyard to the inner courtyard, enjoying full citizen rights, but receiving official IDs and Green Sparrow wine upon Han Cheng’s return.
He emphasized that giving these tasks to Shaman or Eldest Senior Brother would be inappropriate; the tribe had grown accustomed to him leading these ceremonies.
He also called Heiwa, Lame, Gu, Dou, and Old Yang to assign tasks for land reclamation, livestock management, and brick school construction.
Finally, Han Cheng explained movable type printing to Lame and Heiwa.
He was tired of manually copying dozens or hundreds of texts.
“…You can make small clay or wooden blocks, carve reversed characters on one side…common characters more, rare ones less…then arrange the blocks, apply ink, press paper on them, and instantly produce new copies…”
He bypassed carved printing and went straight to movable type.
Carved printing was unsuitable for the tribe; even the most repeated text rarely exceeded 300 copies. It would be inefficient.
Movable type allowed easy replacement of damaged characters and reuse, far more practical for a small-scale tribe.
Han Cheng was familiar with the concept from history lessons; details could be worked out experimentally.
Lame and Heiwa, as carpenters and potters, were not ideal for this task, whereas Shi Tou, Yuan, Huang Chong, and Xiao Mei were more suitable—they would handle the engraving, while Lame and Heiwa assisted with clay and firing.
Shi Tou’s group was excited. Having spent days copying texts, they realized movable type could significantly reduce their workload and accelerate tribal education.
After discussing, Han Cheng reassigned responsibilities: Shi Tou and others would lead movable type development, Lame and Heiwa would assist.
Meanwhile, harvest progressed, and Han Cheng was ready to depart.
On a misty morning, the Green Sparrow Tribe square gathered many people.
All supplies and designated travelers to Jin’guan City were assembled.
Han Cheng appeared carrying small Pea and Xiao Xing, kissed each of them on the cheek, then set them down. Both children followed him obediently.
“Be careful, move slowly; don’t rush. We’ll take care of the tribe…” Shaman reminded him.
Han Cheng nodded firmly, reassuring him.
After a brief pause, Han Cheng set off with his group.
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