Ning pinned three settlement maps to the village hall wall and left a clear space beneath each one for questions.
The first showed empty cottages near the old canal. It had enough beds for many families, but the clinic lay a long walk away. The second had workshops, fields and a damaged irrigation channel. It could take fewer households at first. The third stood close to the market and the school, but it had room for only a handful.
Families gathered in small circles instead of forming a line before the council. Ning had asked Mera not to announce placements before people saw the maps. Mera agreed, though she warned that a few cottages needed roof repairs and the canal water could not be trusted until the next gate inspection.
Jori stood at the workshop map with his son. “If I take the bench, do I have to open a shop immediately?”
“No,” Mera said. “The owner is willing to lend the room for a month. You can decide whether to stay after you see it.”
“What happens to my tools?”
“They can be stored in the workshop. The village will list them as yours.”
Ning wrote the offer on a separate slip and had Jori read it before he folded it into his coat. He chose the workshop village, though he still wanted to see the bench and meet the owner. His son asked whether there was room for a shelf.
