I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 896 – The Suspense from Han Cheng
Within the tribe, when it came to spoken Mandarin, Chinese characters, and literacy, the person with the highest level was, naturally, Han Cheng—the one who had received a systematic education and came from a humanities background.
As the person who had brought these things to the tribe, it would be strange if his skill were not high.
Apart from him, the next most skilled was Shi Tou.
The rest of the tribe members were generally fine at speaking, but their reading and writing abilities were nowhere near as high.
After all, speaking and recognizing or writing characters are vastly different skills.
This was already in terms of language; math was even more worrying.
Besides Han Cheng and Yuan, very few people in the tribe could reach a level equivalent to second-grade math in later elementary school.
In other words, finding qualified teachers was not easy.
However, Han Cheng soon realized.
Since he was about to implement graded education in the tribe, the teachers did not need to possess extremely high skill levels.
Particularly for those teaching preschoolers, all that was required was memorizing the contents of the corresponding textbooks and understanding them thoroughly. Higher-level mastery was not strictly necessary.
Over the years, Han Cheng had consistently taught the tribe members Mandarin and arithmetic in a relatively unsystematic way, yet the results were quite significant.
Among the students he had taught, the top ones were Shi Tou and Yuan.
But even excluding these two prodigies, there were still many capable individuals. At least in a system of graded teaching, it was possible to adequately assign teachers to each grade and class.
With a plan forming in his mind, Han Cheng made a decision and summoned Shaman, Eldest Senior Brother, Shi Tou, and Yuan to discuss it.
After hearing Han Cheng outline the problem and the proposed solution, Shi Tou’s eyes immediately lit up.
Shi Tou had personally taught more people to speak Mandarin and write characters than even Han Cheng himself.
So he deeply understood the difficulties Han Cheng described.
Before Han Cheng explicitly mentioned the problem, Shi Tou’s understanding had been vague and unclear.
Now, with Han Cheng’s clarification, Shi Tou instantly felt enlightened, as if a light had been switched on inside him.
However, even with this clarity, he could not immediately think of a solution.
After all, the tribe had never encountered such an issue before.
Shi Tou’s frustration did not last long. When Han Cheng explained the solution, Shi Tou became even more enlightened, entering an excited daze.
He kept repeating Han Cheng’s words in his mind, muttering the new terms “graded classes” and “divided grades,” marveling at the system’s ingenuity and Han Cheng’s wisdom.
In Shi Tou’s eyes, this method was perfect.
It elegantly solved the tribe’s educational problems. Through this system, teachers could teach with ease, and students would not be held back.
Those with higher skills would no longer have to repeat material they already knew, but could instead study more advanced knowledge.
Those with lower skills would not be overwhelmed by peers at higher levels.
It wasn’t just Shi Tou. Once Yuan and the others understood Han Cheng’s intent, they also appreciated the brilliance of the system.
Shaman and Eldest Senior Brother, however, were mostly uninvolved in these matters and did not experience the deeper insights that Shi Tou and Yuan did.
Seeing this, Han Cheng could not help but smile.
The system of dividing by class and grade, along with exams, though criticized by some later, was undeniably excellent—it solved countless problems.
Any issues arising under this system were far fewer and easier to manage than before.
Understanding this, Han Cheng implemented the system in the tribe without hesitation.
He would not let isolated cases distort his judgment.
Once the system was set, Han Cheng spread the news throughout the tribe, inviting capable members to voluntarily register for a teacher selection exam to be held two days later.
After arranging this, Han Cheng, along with Shi Tou and Yuan, hurriedly began preparing the exam papers.
Shi Tou and Yuan had little prior experience in creating exams, so Han Cheng took the lead.
Apart from the recent minor exam for the tribe’s youths, Han Cheng had rarely created exam papers.
But this was not an issue. Although he had little experience in setting papers, he had spent over ten years being tested by them.
With this, he could produce a few sets of exams.
Furthermore, the level required for the tribe’s assessment would not be high, roughly equivalent to below sixth-grade elementary school.
Within a single day, Han Cheng created three sets of exam papers at varying difficulty levels, split into language and math.
Once done, he gave the papers to Shi Tou and Yuan to copy multiple sets, instructing them not to leak the contents early.
Shi Tou and Yuan did not take the exams themselves—they had been appointed as teachers, directly responsible for higher-grade instruction.
After assigning these tasks, Han Cheng checked with Wu about the registration progress.
He expected that many people would sign up in one day, at least dozens.
Being a teacher was a desirable profession, especially in a society with few occupations.
Though teachers faced responsibilities and some pressure, it was far lighter than the heavy labor of other jobs.
In the current tribal context, a semi-teaching, semi-laboring teacher was one of the most comfortable roles, alongside Han Cheng himself, Wu, and Shi Tou, who was the next leader.
Han Cheng was confident that many would register once the opportunity was announced.
To his surprise, after the entire day, only three people had registered with Shaman.
Two of them had previous experience teaching Mandarin and writing in the tribe.
This result greatly exceeded Han Cheng’s expectations.
After a brief moment of disbelief, Han Cheng approached Xiao Mei and Xiao Li, Cheng’s partners, to discuss an important matter.
The twin sisters had each borne three children, for a total of six, though none were twins.
Having been taught by Han Cheng alongside Shi Tou, Hei Wa, Tie Tou, Xing, and Chen, their writing and literacy skills were solid, though not at Shi Tou’s prodigy level; they were at least above average within the tribe.
Such skills were more than enough to teach lower grades. Yet neither had registered.
“Why didn’t you sign up for the teacher exam?”
Han Cheng asked directly.
Xiao Mei and Xiao Li appeared embarrassed and hesitated before explaining.
Han Cheng understood their thinking.
They considered teaching a sacred duty. Their skills were limited, and they feared failing.
This mindset was common throughout the tribe.
Historically, literacy and character learning had been handled mainly by Han Cheng and Shi Tou, giving the impression that teaching writing was a holy duty.
Writing and reading were revered.
Once someone mastered them, they could convey ideas without speaking.
Each square character seemed perfect, their eyes filled with charm and divine light.
Moreover, when Han Cheng initially introduced Mandarin and Chinese characters, he leveraged his divine aura to present them as the language and script of the gods.
Even now, tribal members still referred to Mandarin and Chinese characters in this way.
This deeply ingrained perception elevated the teaching profession, making it seem untouchable.
People feared that poor instruction might damage the sacred language and script.
Understanding the tribe’s mindset, Han Cheng could not help but be amused and touched. The tribe’s people were pure-hearted and respectful of language and writing.
Such reverence was something later generations could learn from.
Han Cheng reassured the twins: “Your skills are enough to teach beginners. After passing the exam, you will undergo three days of collective training. Shi Tou, Yuan, and I will instruct you on how to become qualified teachers. You can also ask Shi Tou or Yuan any questions.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mei and Xiao Li felt relieved and motivated.
Han Cheng encouraged them further: “Go register with the Shaman. It’s a way to contribute to the tribe.”
Soon, the twins registered.
Seeing this, Han Cheng smiled and continued persuading others.
With Han Cheng personally encouraging, registrations quickly rose.
By the following evening, 53 people had signed up, pleasing Han Cheng greatly.
Due to the large number, the exam papers had not yet been copied.
Late at night, in the office beside the blue-brick building, Han Cheng, Shi Tou, and Yuan worked under lamplight, copying exam papers for the following day.
“Such a curse!”
Han Cheng set down a completed paper, rubbed his sore hands and eyes, and groaned inwardly.
The initial thrill of persuading so many to register had vanished, replaced by regret.
Had he known the workload would be this heavy, he would never have encouraged so many.
Nonetheless, the work still had to be done.
After a short rest, Han Cheng took a blank sheet, picked up his pen, and continued copying, using an existing sheet of paper as a template.
Only deep into the night did the three finish all copies.
After organizing the papers and leaving the office, the tribe’s chickens had already started their second morning calls.
They secured the office doors and went to their rooms to rest.
Time passed quickly, and it was now the next morning, around eight or nine o’clock.
The blue-brick building’s floor had been sprinkled with water and carefully swept.
Rows of long tables were sparsely occupied, unlike usual.
The 53 exam candidates sat in four rows, aligned front to back.
Han Cheng, standing on the podium, acted as chief examiner.
“The exam relies on your own abilities. Write what you know; if you don’t know, don’t guess randomly. No cheating. Anyone caught cheating will face cancellation of exam eligibility at a minimum, or even lose tribal citizenship and become a slave!”
Before distributing the papers, Han Cheng spoke with unprecedented seriousness.
Even if absolute fairness could not be guaranteed, one must strive for it; otherwise, the exam would lose all meaning.
His words silenced the room further.
The candidates became extremely nervous; some so timid that they could not move their heads, fearing they would be perceived as cheating.
“Distribute the papers.”
After a pause, Han Cheng picked up the papers, split them, and handed them to Shi Tou and Yuan to distribute along the aisles.
“This exam has four major sections. Check that all four are present before starting. Write your name in the space provided before attempting any questions.”
As Shi Tou and Yuan handed out the papers, Han Cheng continued to explain procedures and precautions to the first-time candidates.
Only the rustle of papers and Han Cheng’s voice could be heard.
Soon, all candidates had received their papers, and the room became silent as they began.
Han Cheng stood on the podium, observing.
For the first time, he experienced the satisfaction of supervising an exam he had created—watching students chew on pencils, frown at his questions, and concentrate.
Few chewed pencils, as the first exam, language, was familiar, and this was the easiest of the three.
Han Cheng’s mind wandered; supervising did not demand much attention.
This was not due to negligence, but because tribal members were honest. Advanced cheating skills did not exist.
Even without his stern warning, no one would have cheated, especially with him, Shi Tou, and Yuan present.
As time passed, candidates finished and handed in their papers.
Han Cheng picked up a pen soaked in red vine juice and began grading.
The exam level was roughly equivalent to first grade in elementary school, without pinyin.
Being the author, grading was effortless.
Almost immediately, he finished grading all the papers and calculating the scores.
He did not release the results yet, allowing students a short break before the second exam: first-grade-level math.
Unlike the language test, more candidates chewed pencils in concentration.
Han Cheng proceeded with grading as before, writing scores on each paper.
Math grading was even easier than language.
Once all papers were submitted, he closed the classroom door and, with Shi Tou and Yuan, ranked the papers by score, recording the names and scores from highest to lowest.
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