The "Epidemic Prevention Carnival" of Qingniu Medical Hall set up its stalls along the banks of the Wei River, literally transforming the river beach into a giant garlic-scented paradise. Huwa had converted a ferry into an "Epidemic Prevention Pirate Ship." The bronze ox sculpture at the bow wore an eyepatch, and the pipe clamped in its teeth puffed out not smoke, but a minty mist mixed with chants from the Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold. A giant garlic model hanging from the stern banged rhythmically as the ship rocked, sounding just like a metronome for the epidemic prevention slogans.
"All hands on assemble!" Huwa shouted, wearing a self-made Qingniu mascot costume with bits of sticky garlic paste still clinging to his backside. "Today we aren't just playing games—we're going to scare the dysentery bacteria until they wet their pants!" The moment his voice fell, apprentices pushed out all sorts of bizarre contraptions. Most ingenious was the "Tongue Diagnostic Fishing Rod" made by Old Zhang's grandson, Little Huwa: with a flick of the fishing line, what came up wasn't a fish, but a garlic-scented slip of paper inscribed with the corresponding sweet medicine recipe. Yangzhou's Shopkeeper Qian's "Disinfection Bumper Cars" were equally impressive; whenever two cars collided, their nozzles would spray bubbles imprinted with formulas from The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.
These sweet-prevention masterstrokes had the whole crowd in stitches. Huwa had tu…
Chapter 510