As the Chinese viburnums in Yangzhou faded, Zhang Yifan’s fleet of Wooden Oxen creaked into the canal docks. The yak-leather cloaks on the oxen's backs were damp with water from the Yangtze River, reflecting the painted pleasure boats of the West Lake. Huwa squatted at the bow, brushing bright vermilion lacquer from Yangzhou onto a Wooden Ox, half a candied hawthorn still soaking in his lacquer bucket. "Look, Brother Fan! The red lacquer and the Ghost-Face Lantern look even more majestic than the gem-encrusted ships of the Hu merchants!"
"You little rascal!" Zhang Yifan chased after him, brandishing a dripping brush. "Are you using the lacquer shop's prized heirloom as paint? The owner is going to chase us all over for ten vats of compensation!" Huwa hid behind a Wooden Ox, the glass pieces on the ox's ears stained red by the lacquer, making them look like a pair of comical earrings. "What's there to be afraid of? I mixed Granary-Guard Beetle Shell powder into the lacquer. The bugs will steer clear of it, making it a hundred times more effective than their anti-pest varnish!"
The silk shop owner by the West Lake hurried over with a troubled expression, holding a piece of moth-eaten Shu Brocade. "Your esteemed pavilion's anti-pest sachets are effective enough, but these mildew spots—" Xiaoxiu stepped closer and saw a few grey moths crawling along the edge of the satin. They were none other than the "Mildew Bugs" unique to Yangzhou's plum rain season. "Easy!" Huwa suddenly pu…
Chapter 36