The morning market in Yangzhou drifted with the aroma of Fuchun steamed buns. Just as Zhang Yifan's Wooden Ox team stepped onto the stone slab road, the vermilion lacquer on the oxen began to sizzle and emit white smoke—Huwa had sneaked in and mixed Xinjiang cumin into the lacquer while he wasn't looking, claiming it "repels bugs and adds fragrance." The result was that it attracted every stray cat along the entire street.
"You little rascal!" Zhang Yifan chased after him, holding a dripping paintbrush. "Do you take the Wooden Ox for a whole roasted lamb? Mixing cumin into the lacquer!"
Huwa hid behind the lacquer racks of the lacquer workshop, the anti-slip lotus seed pods on his ox hooves still stained with bun filling. "Brother Fan doesn't understand! Yangzhou's Mildew Bug is afraid of fragrance, not spice. Pair cumin with vermilion lacquer, and the bugs will pass out from the smell the moment they catch a whiff!"
Chapter 37