The institute’s chamber gallery filled with the sound of Min tightening an iron ring into the ward frame. Yan held the heavy plate while she aligned its bolts. She asked him to keep it level while she pushed the far edge into the groove.
“Does this press on your hands?” she asked.
“No.”
“Tell me if it shifts.”
“It isn’t shifting.”
Min tightened the first bolt, then the second. The plate settled into the groove without scraping the stone. She ran her fingers around the seam and found one place where the ring sat too high.
“Hold it there.”
Yan eased the plate upward. She used a narrow wedge to adjust the iron ring, then motioned him to lower it again. This time the edge seated flush. Min tightened the last bolt and pulled the release pin.
