TFWYH – Chapter 269 The Night Generation

At her words, everyone immediately did as told.

Tang Wan continued, “Tell me—what is in this room?”

The oldest boy spoke up at once. “There’s a pot and a stove!”

The others were quick to follow.

“There are bowls and chopsticks!”

“There’s a wooden basin, and firewood too!”

“There are tables and chairs, and a lamp!”

…

After all, this was where they lived. They knew exactly what was there, and even felt that Tang Wan’s question was somewhat odd—such a simple thing to ask.

But very soon, they realized they were wrong.

“You’re right,” Tang Wan nodded, then suddenly changed her tone. “Then let me ask more precisely. How many bowls have chips? Which direction is the lamp wick facing? How many scratch marks are on the table? How many pairs of chopsticks are in the chopstick holder?”

Everyone: …

They were struck completely speechless.

“Open your eyes,” Tang Wan said. Not surprised that they couldn’t answer, she continued, “Seven bowls have chips. The lamp wick faces the window. There are four large scratch marks on the table. And there are twelve pairs of chopsticks in the holder.”

They looked around, and found that what Tang Wan said matched perfectly, down to the smallest detail.

The oldest boy frowned and asked, “Are such trivial things something we need to remember?”

Tang Wan replied, “They are absolutely necessary. Because an excellent shadow guard, upon entering an unfamiliar place, can memorize every detail of the surroundings within just three breaths. For example, where the doors and windows are—that makes it easier to escape. Or if something goes wrong and you’re in danger, what objects around you can be used. Or again, the distance between you and the target—if you can’t get away, whether you can restrain him immediately, take him hostage, and negotiate terms.”

The boy was rendered speechless at once.

The others exchanged looks as well.

Tang Wan swept her gaze over them one by one and spoke again. “Of course, some of you don’t know martial arts, while others do. In the future, I may not necessarily make you shadow guards. But even if you’re not shadow guards, you’ll be scouts. This kind of behavior must become a habit, etched into your bones. It will never do you any harm.”

“Understood!” they answered in unison.

At least they were obedient.

Tang Wan then looked at the oldest boy. “What is your name?”

The boy knelt on one knee in a proper manner. “This servant has no name. I ask that Master grant me one.”

“Young Master said you should name them yourself,” Yuan’er whispered softly in Tang Wan’s ear at that moment.

Tang Wan thought for a moment, then quickly decided on their names.

The oldest was called Ye Yi; the rest were named in order of age.

“Thank you, Master, for granting us names!” The children all knelt on one knee together. It was clear Yuan’er had done quite a bit of ideological preparation with them.

Tang Wan said, “All of you, get up. Now tell me what you did before, and what skills you each have.”

“Yes, Master!”

The ten of them were very well-behaved and began introducing themselves, starting with Ye Yi.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Tang Wan had a general understanding of them.

Ye Yi and Ye Er were cousins. Their family had once run an escort agency, and their martial skills were fairly good. But something happened to the agency, and the two were implicated. In the end, to survive, they fell into servitude.

Ye San was a girl from a poor family. Her parents sold her to make a living, and after being passed around several times, she learned excellent embroidery skills.

Ye Si was a boy of about thirteen. His father had been a shop manager, and from a young age he was influenced by this environment—he could read, and had even taken the preliminary civil service exam for children, though he didn’t pass. Later, something happened at home: his father fell out with his employer and was thrown into prison, and he too was implicated.

…