A court courier arrived at the clinic gate with a sealed notice and a wooden case. Ning asked the farmers gathered outside to keep the patient entrance clear. Several people had come after hearing that the court blamed Yan’s forbidden cultivation for tainting the orchard soil.
The courier unsealed the notice. “The Registry’s report says the cultivation has changed the soil. Until the question is settled, these plots may be unsafe.”
“Which plots?” Qinghe asked.
He opened the case. Three sample jars sat in straw, each with a paper label and wax seal. Qinghe compared the dates and locations against the old orchard records. Yan stood beside her, reading over her shoulder.
“These were taken before the assault,” she said. “Show me the seals and the control sample.”
The courier produced a fourth jar. Its label named a patch Yan had never visited. Qinghe checked the soil notes kept by the irrigation crew. The change in each sample matched mineral deposits that had appeared near the water channel the previous year.
Pei, one of the growers, leaned in from the doorway. “My well showed the same streak when we dug it. The water leaves a pale crust on the stones.”
