Having participated in the competition at Red Smoke Pavilion, it was no longer early, so the pair happily merged with the crowd and noticed a vendor selling little meatballs nearby. They each ordered a portion of meatballs.
Claims of meatballs notwithstanding, flour was actually the main ingredient. Otherwise, a bowl of meatballs for five copper coins would certainly have meant a loss.
Perhaps because they had just had too much fun, they both were hungry, and even though the meatballs weren't that tasty, they finished them off completely, soup and all.
After wiping their mouths, Xia Zheng's fussiness kicked in again, "Tsk tsk, calling these meatballs, they should be called dough balls!"
Having said that, he still cheekily leaned into Lin Yuan's ear and said with a twinkle in his eye, "Wife, when will you make some meatballs for your husband to eat? It's been a few days since I ate your cooking, and I really miss it."