The hearing began with Mera’s seed contract laid open before the council. The bitterleaf harvest waited in shallow racks at the shed, where the keeper turned the bundles every few hours. Mera had brought the receipt from the flood year and her grandmother’s small account book. Ke brought the guild’s copy of the balance. The original district ledger had not arrived.
Wei sat at the center of the long table with Ning beside him, recording the proceedings. The elders took places along the wall, close enough to hear but not so close that they blocked the growers. Yan stood near the back with the witnesses. Ke had chosen a chair on the opposite side, and Mera sat with Tavin at her shoulder.
Wei asked Mera to read the contract clause aloud. She did not shorten it: the guild would receive a third of the bitterleaf until the seed debt was paid. Then she presented the receipt, which showed a full payment in the year of the flood.
“The receipt is private,” Ke said. “Our account book still lists a balance.”
“Your own copy uses a different pen for the balance,” Qinghe said. “That difference cannot establish when the line was added.”
