163: Chapter 163: Lion Dance Leads the Way! The Ceremony of Congratulations Begins!

"Why hasn't Great-grandfather come yet?" Xiao Budian whispered to Su Nuan beside her, "My stomach is already singing."

Su Nuan rubbed her head: "Hold on a bit longer, your Great-grandfather is discussing serious matters with the clan elders."

As they were speaking, the conversation at the entrance of the ancestral hall seemed to end.

Su Han turned and walked toward the seating area, with the clan elders and Su Bowen following closely behind.

"Take your seats—" Su Bowen shouted with a voice full of vigor.

Over a thousand clansmen moved in unison, yet there wasn't the slightest bit of chaos.

The elders took their seats first, while the younger generation helped pull out their chairs;

Children were arranged next to their elders, and everyone knew exactly where their place was.

The livestream camera captured this orderly scene, and the bullet comments erupted in amazement again:

"My god, this discipline is way better than our company's annual meeting!"

"Did you see that white-haired old lady? She even saluted Su Han before sitting down!"

"This is what you call heritage! Modern people have lost all the old traditions..."

Only after Su Han took his seat at the main table did the clan elders sit down in order.

Su Bowen stood by the main table, looked around, and said loudly: "Today, Third Uncle has achieved military merit, and the whole clan shares in the glory. According to the old rules, the first cup of wine is to honor our ancestors!"

All the clansmen stood up at the same time, raising their cups toward the ancestral hall.

Su Han also stood up and slowly poured the wine from his cup onto the ground.

"The second cup is to honor Third Uncle!" Su Bowen's voice choked up slightly, "Protecting the country and bringing honor to the ancestors!"

Over a thousand wine cups turned toward Su Han simultaneously, glinting under the sunlight.

The scene was so overwhelming that even the outside guests eating nearby fell silent, and some instinctively took out their phones to record it.

Su Han raised his cup in return and drained it in one gulp.

"The third cup," Su Bowen suddenly raised his voice, "is to honor all soldiers who protect our country!"

"To the soldiers!" The clansmen's resonant voices echoed over the village.

After the three cups, Su Bowen looked at Su Han.

After receiving a nod of approval, he finally announced: "Let the feast begin!"

With that command, the previously solemn and dignified atmosphere instantly became lively.

Children cheered and lunged for the delicious food they had been longing for, while adults laughed and served each other dishes. The banquet was suddenly filled with joy and laughter.

The livestream camera focused on the main table, where several clan elders were taking turns serving Su Han food. Soon, the bowl in front of him was piled high like a small mountain.

"Third Uncle, try this abalone. It was just caught from the sea this morning!"

"Third Uncle, your Sixth Aunt simmered this soup for four hours. It's the best for nourishing the body!"

"This is the crab roe I specifically saved for you..."

Su Han looked at the "mountain" in his bowl between laughter and tears: "Enough, enough, I can't eat this much."

"Nonsense!" The oldest clan elder glared at him, "Look how thin you are. You must not have eaten well in the army! You must finish all of this today!"

This scene was broadcast live, and the bullet comments went crazy with laughter:

"Hahaha, the fear of being dominated by elders!"

"Even the Soldier King can't escape the fate of being force-fed!"

"That food is enough for three people, right? Are the clan elders planning to feed Major Su until he turns into a ball?"

Xiao Budian's table was even more boisterous.

The little one had finally waited for the feast to start. She couldn't wait to pick up a piece of braised pork and stuff it into her mouth, puffing out hot air from the heat but unwilling to spit it out.

"Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it." Su Nuan hurriedly poured water for her.

"Great-grandaunt, you don't know," Xiao Budian said with her cheeks bulging, "I didn't eat breakfast this morning, I was just waiting for this meal!"

Black Panther was pacing anxiously by her feet. Xiao Budian secretly tossed it a rib, only to be caught red-handed by Su Wu: "Feeding human food to Black Panther again!"

"He also wants to celebrate Great-grandfather's merit!" Xiao Budian said righteously.

Throughout the entire banquet, the popularity of the livestream room remained high.

Netizens watched while salivating:

"Those crystal shrimp dumplings look so delicious!"

"Look at that carved winter melon soup! It's practically a work of art!"

"I can't take it, I'm ordering takeout! Watching this is torture!"

Halfway through the banquet, an unexpected interlude made the atmosphere even more enthusiastic—Wang Yuanchao brought the War Eagle Squad and the Womens Special Operations Team to toast Su Han.

"Chief Instructor!" Monkey held a wine cup and said with a grin, "We're here representing the brigade. You must drink this cup!"

Big Bear was even more direct, bringing over a whole bottle of Moutai: "Chief Instructor, following army rules, we start with three cups!"

Su Han looked at this group of "ill-intentioned" squad members and laughed helplessly: "Alright, you've grown bold, haven't you? Daring to force wine on me?"

"How would we dare!" Zhou Mo said solemnly, "This is on behalf of all the brigade members to express our respect to you."

Wang Yuanchao added fuel to the fire from the side: "Su Han, on a day like today, it wouldn't be right if you didn't drink."

Su Han shook his head, picked up the wine cup, and drained it, earning a round of cheers.

The Womens Special Operations Team was not to be outdone. Su Qingcheng led six sisters in a line to toast: "Great-grandfather, we represent the Women's Commando Unit in wishing you more new merits!"

Su Han looked at this group of valiant female soldiers and nodded with satisfaction: "When we return to the unit, your training intensity will double."

"Huh?" The female soldiers' faces instantly fell, drawing laughter from everyone.

The banquet lasted until two in the afternoon before gradually coming to an end.

Before the clamor of the flowing feast had completely faded, the sound of thunderous gongs and drums suddenly rang out at the village entrance.

Eight gold and red lion dancers leaped into the village entrance to the beat of the drums. The lion heads were held high, and the lion tails fluttered, tracing brilliant arcs under the sunlight.

"They're here, they're here!" Xiao Budian jumped up from her chair, not even having time to swallow the sweet and sour rib in her mouth. She pulled Su Nuan and ran toward the village entrance, "Great-grandaunt, look! The lion dance troupe!"

The livestream camera immediately turned to the village entrance. Behind the lion dance troupe, dozens of soldiers in service uniforms were lined up on both sides of the road, advancing with steady steps.

The military ranks on their shoulders glinted in the sun, and their solemn expressions radiated an inviolable majesty.

The bullet comments exploded instantly:

"Holy crap! Look at this display!"

"Look at the one in the middle! That's a Major General's rank!"

"Oh my god, they really are here to deliver the military merit plaques!"

Walking in the very center of the formation was a Major General around fifty years old, the general star on his shoulder epaulets shining brightly.

Beside him was Ma Qiming, the head of the Yuezhou Armed Forces Department. Behind them followed four honor guard soldiers in pairs, each pair carrying a military merit plaque for First-Class Merit and Second-Class Merit.

The plaques had gold characters on a red background, with exquisite patterns of wheat ears and steel rifles carved on the edges, emitting a solemn glow under the sun.

...

I was busy during the day, so I stayed up tonight to finish writing the update.

The next update won't be until tomorrow night at midnight.