Qinghe sent Ning the updated household count through the message mirror. She had included only the number of families, the people who needed medical transport, and the supplies required for the first group.
The mirror clouded, then showed Ning at White Orchard. She stood beside a stack of folded blankets and a ledger. Behind her, a woman from the orchard council carried a box of medicine through a doorway.
“I have available beds, carts, water barrels, and medicine stock,” Ning said. “The council approved the clinic room and one shelter hall. They have not approved opening more homes.”
She turned a page and read off the counts. There were enough beds for the first patients and elders, but not for every family. The Orchard could lend three carts for the road. It could send water barrels, but the station would need to return them after the move.
“How many residents need to travel lying down?” Ning asked. “And how many families have livestock?”
Qinghe checked the quarry list. “Six people should travel with room to lie down. Four more need a companion because they can’t manage the steep stretch alone.”
Ning wrote the numbers down. “Then I’ll reserve two carts for the patients and one for their relatives. The water keepers can travel with the other families.”
