Yan and Ning crossed the service lane beside Furnace Three with a medicine jar and the shift request tucked under her arm. A cart rolled out from the furnace yard. Its left wheel wobbled, and the grate stacked on top shifted with a scrape.
“Look out,” Ning called.
The grate slipped. Yan reached for it before it struck the ground. Heat came through his glove as the metal edge passed over his palm. He let go at once, but the corner still brushed his skin and left a hot, bright sting.
The grate struck the stone. Yan pulled his hand against his chest. A small blister rose near the base of his thumb.
“Don’t touch it again,” Ning said. She turned toward the infirmary lane and called for help. “We need water and a clean cloth.”
Physician He came from the infirmary with a basin. He moved the grate aside with a hooked tool and checked Yan’s palm. “Sit on the step. Keep the hand above the basin.”
Yan lowered himself carefully. The burn throbbed. His bones felt firm, but the skin itself stung sharply where the hot edge had touched. He did not feel the familiar pleasant warmth from Ashen Marrow or the smooth circulation from a pill. This was an outside injury from hot metal.
He asked, “Could a pill turn this pain into strength?”
Physician He shook his head. “The burn came from the grate. It isn’t a cultivation cost. We treat the burn.”
Yan looked at his palm. “Then I’ll let you treat it.”
He held his hand in cool water while the physician checked the blister. The first minutes were uncomfortable, then the heat in the skin began to ease. Ning held the jar and kept the shift request from sliding onto the wet step.
“How long should he keep it in the water?” she asked.
“Until the hot sting settles. Don’t break the blister. We’ll cover it with a clean dressing, and he should keep it dry and watch for swelling or discharge.” Physician He lifted Yan’s fingers slightly. “Can you move them?”
Yan flexed them. His thumb moved stiffly; the fingers moved normally. “Yes.”
“Don’t grip hot tools until the skin has closed. Come back if the pain worsens or the blister changes.”
The physician wrapped the palm with a clean cloth and helped Yan tie the knot loosely enough not to squeeze the thumb. The burn still stung, but the cloth kept it from brushing against his coat. Ning watched the cart with the loose wheel.
“Who is responsible for maintenance?” she asked the worker pushing it.
“The mechanic checks them next week.”
“The wheel is loose now. The grate almost fell on him. Another person may be carrying a heavier piece.”
The worker looked at the damaged wheel. “I can report it.”
“Report it and park the cart. Don’t send it through the lane.” Ning went toward the steward’s office with the shift map and the physician’s restriction. “I’ll ask for the mechanic before the next run.”
The worker wheeled the cart against the wall. The loose wheel knocked against its frame. He put a board under the cart to keep it from rolling and marked the wheel with a strip of red cloth so the next shift would not use it by mistake.
“Can you enter the cart number on the maintenance slate?” Ning asked. “A cloth mark may fall off.”
The worker read the stamped number from its side and wrote it on the repair slip. Ning checked that he had copied the last digit correctly. The cart would stay parked until the mechanic signed the job complete.
Yan stood slowly, keeping his bandaged palm turned upward. “You’re filing the shift request and the repair at once?”
“I’m asking for the repair first. Then I’ll give Steward Qiao the request.”
“Do you want me to come?”
“I can tell him what happened. You can wait here until the sting settles.”
Ning carried the papers to the office. She showed Steward Qiao the cart and described how the wheel had let go. Qiao called the mechanic before the next shift and asked him to replace the wheel before the cart returned to service. Ning waited while the mechanic wrote the repair into the maintenance slate. She checked the cart’s number and the time beside the entry.
When she came back, the grate had been moved to the side of the lane with two wooden wedges beneath it. Yan sat on the stone step with his hand wrapped. “He ordered it fixed?”
“He did. The mechanic is coming before the next run.”
“And the shift request?”
“Tomorrow. He said he’ll review the lower-exposure station when he has the schedule.” Ning pointed at the medicine jar. “We still have our appointment copy and the physician’s note.”
They walked to the infirmary for the physician to inspect the dressing. Physician He changed the outer cloth and told Yan to avoid getting it wet. He said the blister should settle over the next few days, but it would need ordinary care and time. The internal strengthening from Ashen Marrow did not protect the skin from heat.
“Can I still carry light baskets?” Yan asked.
“If you keep the dressing clean and don’t press the burn against a handle,” He said. “No lifting hot tools or working where sweat will soak the wrap. Come back if the blister breaks or the redness spreads.”
Ning repeated the warning as they left. “You can carry the medicine jar with the other hand. You don’t have to prove the hand works.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You reached for a falling grate.”
“It was falling toward you.”
“I saw it. Next time, call for help instead of catching hot iron.” She adjusted the jar’s cloth cover and kept it in her own hand on the way back. At home, Yan kept the bandage away from the wash bowl. Ning prepared the inhalation treatment but waited until he had put the medicine jar on the dry shelf. “Does the burn hurt less?”
“Less than when the grate touched it. It still stings.”
“That’s what the physician expected.”
“The manual doesn’t have to clean this wound.”
“Neither does the manual have to wash your hand.” Ning pointed at the basin. “You’ll keep it dry and let the skin close.”
Yan smiled. “Your treatment is stricter than Gu’s practice rules.”
“It has fewer broken stones.”
He sat with the palm resting on a folded cloth while Ning measured the herbs. The inhalation bowl steamed gently, and she followed the new instructions exactly. When she had finished, she noted the time and the way her breath felt. Nothing had improved immediately, but she had begun the plan.
The burn still throbbed at the edge of the bandage. Yan recorded that the hot grate touched his palm through the glove and caused a blister. He wrote down the cooling water, dressing, and instruction to keep it dry. The entry stayed in his ordinary injury notes, separate from his pill and technique records.
The next afternoon, the mechanic returned with the cart. He replaced the loose wheel and rolled the empty frame across the lane. Ning checked that it moved evenly, then asked Yan to lift the grate with tongs instead of his hand. He kept the burned palm covered and used the tool. The metal cleared the path without touching anyone else.
Ning signed the maintenance line. “Now it can go back to the furnace yard.”
Yan set down the tongs. His palm still stung, but the blister remained covered and dry. The cart wheel turned smoothly. No one else had to catch the grate.