The grove outside White Orchard had been trampled during Hanlo’s gathering. Footprints cut through the grass, and one stretch of fence had split where a cart wheel struck it. Olan organized a repair crew with local gardeners and two children who knew how to replant the ground cover.
Yan took a shovel and loosened the soil around a damaged root. He could have lifted the stump in one strong pull, but the gardeners asked him to cut the outer roots first so the neighboring tree would not tear free with it.
He set the shovel down. “Show me where you want the cut.”
One of the gardeners knelt and pointed to the line of dark roots. Yan followed it with the blade, working at the same pace as the others. The root gave way without pulling the tree beside it. He liked the steady labor and the precision it demanded.
The children carried baskets of ground cover from the nursery bed. One of them asked whether the roots should face the path or the shade. Olan said they needed room to spread without blocking the water groove. The child wanted to plant the clumps close together so the bare earth would be hidden sooner. Olan explained that they needed space to take root. The child set the first plant too close to the fence, then moved it after measuring with a handspan. The next one fit the space. By the fourth, the child had learned how far apart to set…
