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墨書 Inktalez
In elementary school, I progressed from First Grade to Second Grade, and then to Third Grade. Gradually, my classmates became more familiar with each other, and the differences in our academic performance became increasingly evident. In a class of just over twenty students, my grades stood out remarkably: while others struggled for a long time with their assignments, biting their pencils in frustration, I would finish early and leave the classroom to play; while others burned the midnight oil, red-eyed and squeezing out every last bit of effort, I managed to balance my homework with chores like gathering pig feed, and I was ready for bed before nine o'clock every night. During midterm and final exams, while others were anxiously waiting for the bell to signal the end of the test, still trying to squeeze out some last-minute answers, I would hand in my papers ten to twenty minutes early and leave.
One day, those classmates who found studying challenging discovered a shortcut: copying. Naturally, I became their common "gunman."
Copying also requires a certain level of skill.
During class assignments, teachers usually roam around the classroom, and who would dare to do such a thing right under their noses? However, the wisdom of the crowd is limitless. The students quickly came up with a solution: they cut sheets of paper into small squares a few centimeters on each side and gathered these little slips in the hands of a few academically strong students. As soon as one of them solved a problem, they would write the answer on a slip and pass it down one by one. I have no way of knowing how many students managed to copy these precious answers within the limited time, but ever since these little slips appeared, the number of students failing to submit their assignments dropped dramatically. The assignments turned in, regardless of the process, generally had acceptable answers, and passing became quite assured.
As for homework, since everyone had gone home, our class, though only consisting of a little over twenty students, covered two platoons and more than twenty production teams. In larger courtyards, there were at least ten. Generally, students had to take on certain labor tasks when they returned home and couldn’t possibly run all the way from one courtyard to another just to copy homework. Moreover, those like me who excelled at assignments often only began working on them after finishing their labor tasks in the evening. Without a source, it was hard to come up with a way to copy homework.
Within just a few days, the students devised a new plan: selecting one or two gunmen from each courtyard unit. While everyone was working in the fields or woods, these gunmen would complete their assignments. The other students would share the labor responsibilities of the gunmen and either copy their answers or simply take their work home and return it the next day at school.
Exams are both the most difficult time to cheat and the time when cheating is most needed. Passing notes is still the best method, but the invigilation by the teacher is very strict, and any small movement could be discovered. Therefore, various tricks have been devised for passing notes, such as crumpling the note into a ball and throwing it on the ground as if it were trash, and then having another student slowly pick up the ball with their toes.
To avoid being caught, students have come up with a proactive approach: they write down possible exam content on small notes in advance and then copy them during the exam by taking them out from hidden parts of their body. However, predicting the content of the exam is very difficult, and this is where the role of the "gunner" becomes more prominent. They need to have a thorough understanding of all the course material, identify the key points, and also understand the teacher's mindset for setting questions. Because I can often guess many of the exam questions, my classmates always ask me for these notes before the exam.
In the exam room, there is another way of passing notes that doesn't require any physical notes, only a pair of bright eyes: after the "gunner" completes the questions, they pretend to carefully check their paper, seemingly casually pick up the exam paper and show it to the classmates on the left, right, and behind. The eager classmates who have been waiting for this opportunity can then quickly copy the complete answers.
Once during a final exam, a female classmate who usually performed very well happened to be seated directly behind me. Perhaps lacking confidence in herself, she quietly asked me before the exam, "During the math test, can you let me see the answers, especially for the longer questions at the end?" I nodded in agreement.
When the exam began, I quickly finished all the questions and estimated it was time to show her the answers. However, a small sense of vanity overtook my conscience. After all, she was a frequent competitor for the top three spots in the class. I inexplicably changed the answers to different numbers, my heart pounding in my chest. I deliberately showed her the paper, and then repeated the action.
The inevitable result was that I scored my usual perfect 100, while she only got around 70. It was the first time she had fallen out of the top five in the class, and I heard she also received a harsh beating from her single mother at home.
After knowing the result, I fell into deep regret. Although my poor self-esteem does not allow me to tell her the truth of the matter, and it is even more impossible for me to say sorry to her, it has changed my understanding of the gunman: since I promised to help others, even if it is passive or forced, I must wholeheartedly help, and I cannot play tricks to mislead others.
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