Olan led the first maintenance shift after the assembly’s trial rule.
He arrived before the refugee repair crew and checked the water marks from the previous day. Two households had signed up for different tasks: one would clear the channel, and another would prepare the noon meal. The family keeping the water record sent its older member with a slate and a stool, so she could sit near the measuring post rather than stand in the mud. Olan confirmed each name against the schedule before the crew touched the gate. Hala stood by the lower gate with a measuring stick and a slate. She would record the depth before anyone moved gravel.
“Clear only the marked section,” Olan told the crew. “The orchard plot is not the whole channel.”
Yan took a basket and asked if he should start at the bank. Olan pointed to the line where gravel had washed into the path. “There. We need the drain clear before we test the gate.”
Yan carried the stones one basket at a time. He could have moved them faster, but the crew was sorting pieces by size. The large flat ones would support the brace; the smaller ones would fill the gaps. He placed each pile where Hala could see it.
