As soon as the New Year Sweet Prevention Temple Fair kicked off at Qingniu Medical Hall, the streets of Chang'an were filled with a sweet mist carrying the scent of garlic and malt sugar. Huwa had transformed the medical hall's main gate into a blinking green ox face, its nostrils puffing out a disinfection mist carrying auspicious phrases from the *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold*, while a string of giant garlic firecrackers that could sing the "Epidemic Prevention New Year Song" hung from its mouth: "Amidst the firecrackers, the old year departs; eat garlic, drink medicine, and avoid the runs!"
"Come and get your blessings!" Dressed in red silk and a green ox costume, Huwa wore a "ward-off-evil waist belt" made of garlic strings and held up a glowing "epidemic prevention red envelope"—which, when opened, contained not money, but sweet beans wrapped in the epidemic prevention formulas of the *Jiuzhang Suanshu*. "The rule for today's temple fair is that anyone who can use a sweet trick to scare the dysentery bacteria away from the New Year will be rewarded with Xiaotao Eatery's garlic-scented ingot candy!" As soon as he finished speaking, the market exploded with excitement. Dawa, an apprentice from Tibet, led a yak decorated in red and festive silks; as the prayer wheel on the yak's back spun, the scattered Tibetan medicine fragrant powder mixed with the "New Year rap" recorded by Huwa. In front of the booth of the Silla apprentice Jin, children lined up to pl…
Chapter 512