Archivist Du replaced the damaged cabinet seal before the group arrived. He checked the repair log with Guard Ren, then unlocked the drawer holding the original channel correspondence.
“Every page comes back in order,” Ren said. He watched the group sign the access sheet before Du opened the folder.
The file contained Gu’s proposal, the engineer’s request, and the Registry rejection. A private note from the hospital director asked whether a local pilot could protect workers during the central furnace upgrade. The answer was missing.
Du found the note’s reference number in the index and checked the adjacent drawer. The note had been moved to a hospital committee file after the flood repair. He retrieved the file and matched its number to the index before setting it on the table.
Before Du opened the committee file, he checked that the reference number matched the index and asked Ren to confirm the repaired seal. Ren tested its edge with a gloved finger and signed that it was intact. Only then did Du turn to the folder.
The committee record showed the hospital director had supported a small pilot but wanted the Registry to fund it. The Registry marked the request “deferred pending central review.” There was no later response.
