I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 204 – From Cowherd and Weaver Girl to Calendars
It was late at night, and it was a bit cold outside. The members of the Sparrow Tribe, who would usually be fast asleep by now, were surprisingly wide-awake tonight, unwilling to go to bed.
This included the older members like Fire One, Fire Two, and the shaman, as well as the somewhat more mature children.
Their severe lack of mental stimulation in daily life made them extremely fascinated by the stories told by the Divine Child, which had become an integral part of their evening routine.
Even the original wisest member of the Sparrow Tribe, the shaman, was completely engrossed in the stories.
At the same time, they were extremely amazed, pondering how the Divine Child knew all these things.
After a while of contemplation, of course, there was no result, so they could only attribute it to the omnipotence of the divine.
Han Cheng himself was not sleepy either. In this world without smartphones or computers, he had plenty of time to sleep every day.
While Tie Tou, Hei Wa, and the others could engage in some physical activity to expend their excess energy and find some amusement at night, he, as a single man… was truly pitiful.
Seeing these people so enthusiastic, after some contemplation, Han Cheng decided to retell the original version of “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl” from start to finish.
Although it was the second time they had heard it, the people still listened with great relish.
Divine Child, what is a year?” The one who posed the question was still Shi Tou. He always enjoyed pondering and being the heir to the next shaman; he had more contact with Han Cheng than others. Due to their status and the deer milk, he felt less distance from Han Cheng than others. (I can’t come up with a suitable word to describe this more complex feeling, alas.)
Han Cheng smiled faintly. This time, he deliberately emphasized the meeting once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the original story, hoping that Shi Tou, this fellow, would finally start asking questions.
He had considered calendars before but never found a suitable opportunity. Coupled with other things to be busy with, he had temporarily put it aside.
Tonight, when he accidentally mentioned the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and these concepts were included, it would be easier for them to understand these unfamiliar concepts through mutual confirmation.
So, after thinking for a while, Han Cheng decided to use this as a breakthrough point and guide the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe to understand concepts such as years, months, and days, as well as corresponding calendars.
Living without a specific concept of time was unbearable.
It was manageable for now without a calendar, but as agriculture gradually developed and grew, a relatively accurate calendar became particularly important.
Agricultural cultivation was a big deal. You couldn’t rely on guessing for the timing of planting, could you?
Han Cheng said, “From the melting of ice and snow to the blooming of flowers, to the shade of trees under the scorching sun, and then to the falling leaves and snowflakes, and back to the melting of ice and snow, this long period is called a year.”
After hearing Han Cheng’s words, the people began to ponder.
The first to show a look of enlightenment was the shaman. He had experienced many things and was clever, so he accepted it more quickly than others.
The others also gradually understood the meaning of a year. After all, they had seen and experienced all these things that Han Cheng mentioned. It’s just that they had never thought about it in this way before. Hearing Han Cheng talk about it now, combined with their own experiences, it was not difficult to understand and accept this concept.
“I understand!” Shi Tou suddenly exclaimed in excitement, his face glowing.
“A year is just a name like my name is Shi Tou.
A year is the name for this long period from one melting of ice and snow to the next melting of ice and snow when flowers bloom!”
As he spoke, he seemed excited and hopeful as he looked at Han Cheng.
A crescent moon had risen quietly, and the cold moonlight bathed this quaint courtyard, quietly enveloping the people who refused to sleep at night.
Han Cheng smiled and stretched out both hands, giving two thumbs up to Shi Tou.
With the approval of the shaman, Shi Tou seemed particularly cheerful.
Those who hadn’t understood the meaning of ‘year’ quickly became enlightened after Shi Tou associated it with names they were already familiar with and accustomed to.
Using this momentum, Han Cheng continued, “Everything should have a name…”
He then explained the concepts of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
With the groundwork laid by understanding ‘year,’ grasping the concept of the four seasons was not difficult for them.
However, they heard too many new things at once tonight, and many couldn’t remember all the names immediately.
This wasn’t a big problem. As long as they understood the concept, the issue of names would naturally be remembered after some time.
Of course, this did not include the shaman and Shi Tou, who frequently used their brains. The two of them remembered the names of the year and the four seasons firmly.
Not only that, after receiving praise, Shi Tou, whose mind became even more agile, spoke up again, asking what ‘July seventh’ meant.
So, Han Cheng divided the year into twelve months, with three months for each season.
Compared to the simple task of memorizing names earlier, these questions about numbers seemed much more difficult. Many people did not understand the complex connections immediately and found it exceptionally profound.
Shi Tou’s two big eyes twinkled, shining like the stars in the sky.
This child was the best at the Han Culture of the entire Sparrow Tribe and had the highest ‘education level,’ able to count up to a thousand without error.
After blinking for a while, Shi Tou’s face lit up with joy, and his teeth, despite the gaps, looked very white in the moonlight.
“Divine Child, is the sun under the moon?” After understanding the concepts of year and month, Shi Tou remembered the meeting on July seventh of the lunar calendar in the story and seemed to understand the relationship. Blinking his eyes, he asked Han Cheng.
Now Han Cheng finally understood why math teachers in the future always had smiles on their faces when explaining problems to students who consistently ranked first in math.
Teaching such a smart student was truly a pleasant experience.
They were far better than those who would exasperate their teachers and please their mothers-in-law.
Han Cheng couldn’t help but give Shi Tou a thumbs-up again.
“The sun is indeed under the moon, and each month has at least twenty-eight days…”
“From sunrise to the next sunrise is one day… The bright part is daytime, the dark part is nighttime, and now it’s nighttime…”
Han Cheng, caught up in the moment, switched to teaching mode.
“Divine Child, why do the lengths of the months vary?” Many people around had circled in their eyes, but Shi Tou became increasingly spirited. Not only did he remember everything Han Cheng had explained before, but he could also raise his questions.
Seeing Shi Tou smiling, Han Cheng pointed to the moon, hanging like a gem in the sky. “It can enlighten you.”
Everyone looked up at the half-moon in the sky, their minds muddled, not knowing what other secrets lay within this familiar sight.
“What changes does this moon undergo? Compared to a few days ago.” Han Cheng watched for a while and, seeing Shi Tou’s puzzled expression as he looked at the moon, reminded him.
“A few days ago, it was big and round, like the yolk in a bowl…”
Shi Tou scratched his head, not understanding why the moon, which was big and round a few days ago, was now less than half. It looked like it had been bitten off by something fierce.
“In the future, draw the moon every night. When you have drawn enough moons, you will understand why the length of the month varies…”
Han Cheng seemed somewhat enigmatic as he spoke.
Of course, he appeared enigmatic because he only partially understood calendars.
Even though in the future he would deal with dates every day and know about the intricacies like there being 365 days in a year, leap years occurring every four years, February having 29 days in a leap year and 28 in a common year, he couldn’t create a complete Gregorian calendar based solely on this knowledge.
Compared to the complex Gregorian calendar, the lunar calendar, based on the moon, was much easier to handle. After all, the moon’s changes were significant and observable everywhere, making it much more straightforward than the Gregorian calendar.
Moreover, the lunar calendar was more suitable for agricultural production.
“This small rain in spring startles the spring in the valley, the summer is full with ripe wheat, the heat of summer continues, autumn dew signals the arrival of autumn, and winter snow brings cold winter.”
He still remembered this song about the 24 solar terms he learned in elementary school very clearly. Once Shi Tou observed the moon enough and the basic lunar calendar emerged, he could insert these solar terms according to the current climate characteristics. Then, this calendar would be completely sufficient for guiding agricultural production.
However, creating a calendar was a meticulous task. Although he knew there was a distinction between “big leap” and “small leap,” he didn’t know which month required it. This would require long-term observation and recording.
Of course, not all tasks could be done by the Divine Child. Wouldn’t that be too burdensome? So, this task fell to the extraordinary Shi Tou…