The east road narrowed where the river fields gave way to orchards.
Families rode in groups they had chosen, not in the order their names appeared in the camp book. The wounded traveled in the clinic wagon with Qinghe. Ning rode beside the first supply cart, checking names against the list from the river camp whenever a household changed wagons. Han rode at the rear with two scouts and a folded copy of the watch schedule. The furnace records traveled in a covered box separate from the household books.
Yan walked beside the first wagon until the road climbed. The bandage around his forearm stayed dry beneath his sleeve. At the rise, a village council waited under a wooden arch. The elder, Mera, came forward with two water carriers and looked past Yan to the lines of carts.
“We can take the families we agreed to take,” she said. “The others must choose among the neighboring settlements. We won’t make space by putting people two to a bed.”
Ning climbed down with the household list. “We have the same number as the departure roll, including the family found at dawn. Two households have chosen to remain near the border farms.”
