Qiao Wen pinned Gu’s revised valve diagram above the workshop bench. The old Registry plan showed one release path. The revised sheet marked the path omitted from the earlier copy, and Gu had added a signed admission that he had approved it without checking the fittings.
Qiao did not accept an apology as a repair. He measured the western copper band and wrote down the dimensions for a replacement. Then he checked the schedule. If the transport cart arrived from the river road on time, the band could be fitted before dawn.
A message from Gu came through the prepared relay. He sent the dimensions, a replacement schedule, and a statement that he would answer the inquiry himself.
Yan read it beside Qinghe. “The hearing will need his testimony, even if it implicates people still in office.”
Gu’s reply came after a short pause. “Younger engineers shouldn’t carry the history alone.”
Qiao listened without joining the exchange. He had a crew waiting at the western station. They needed dimensions, not a philosophical apology. He marked the copper width and sent Bai a supply request.
Bai rerouted a cart from the river road. It had been carrying spare fittings for a different station, but Qiao showed the crew how to adapt one of the bands without weakening it. The original parts would be replenished later. No one removed a piece from a working local barrier.
