The meeting hall smelled of wet timber and drying grain. Pema sat near the door with her tools at her feet. Tavi stood against the back wall, arms folded, while Ruo sat beside the ferry crew. On the front table lay the official ledger and the family copies Suyin had gathered.
Daro opened the official book. “I will read the entries by year. Stop me if your household has a different amount.”
One by one, families named their payments. Some amounts matched. Others had extra lines from the year the western ward was repaired. A farmer said his family had paid the increase even after the north pylon was fixed. Another resident pointed to a family name on the roster and said its owners had moved to the mainland years before.
A clerk named Mera stood, face red. “The roster was not updated after three families resettled. We carried their names forward because the remaining branches stayed under the same ward.”
“Did the remaining branches agree to take the missing share?” Suyin asked.
Mera shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Her answer drew a low murmur through the room. Daro raised one hand. “We will correct the roster, but the ward still needs a reserve. We cannot remove every amount before we know what keeps the walls active through a long storm.”
