Chapter 26: A Celebration Banquet?

"Old Village Chief, what is the meaning of this?"

The room was filled with spring colors and melodious tunes. On stage, Hong'er and other entertainers showcased their graceful dance moves, while off-stage, Su Yao was attended to by numerous gorgeously dressed young ladies from the Wang family, who poured wine for him.

Amidst the pleasant fragrance, Su Yao swirled his wine cup slightly. His gaze swept across the young girls and the old village chief, his brows furrowed tightly. He did not understand; they had agreed on a victory banquet, so why was there this inexplicable performance instead of food?

Yes, all Su Yao wanted right now was to eat; he had no interest in following the plot! But could he be blamed? Having only eaten twice today, his character’s hunger gauge had been sounding alarms for quite a while.

It wasn’t that the Wang family had mistreated him or failed to prepare food; it was simply the reality of the era. In this late Han Dynasty, outside of the upper echelons of nobles and officials, commoners ate only twice a day: the morning meal (chao-shi) between 7:00 and 9:00 AM, and the afternoon meal (bu-shi) between 3:00 and 5:00 PM. The rations provided by Wang Village naturally followed this custom—it was standard practice, not a slight.

However, for Su Yao, who was accustomed to three meals a day and often prided himself on being a foodie, this was truly torture. Just yesterday, he had used the pretext of a victory celebration for his men to ensure everyone had an extra meal, finally getting his fill. Today, after such intense exertion, he was starving to the point where his stomach felt stuck to his spine. Who would have thought that upon returning to this victory banquet, he wouldn't be allowed to eat?

First, a group of young girls had dragged him into a side room to scrub and wash him, then changed his clothes, only for him to be brought here to watch another group of young maidens sing, dance, and play games of taking turns to toast him.

*Damn it*, couldn't they just fast-forward to the meal?

"Is our benefactor dissatisfied with the young ladies?" the old village chief asked.

"No, not at all. The ladies are wonderful."

Yes, the ladies were indeed wonderful. Aside from their youthful appearance—which made him feel somewhat uneasy—they were undeniably high-quality, clearly reflecting the meticulous effort of the character designers. He couldn't help but start to believe that this Wang family might truly be a prestigious clan. Look at these girls beside him: some elegant and beautiful, others charming and cute, still others vibrant and youthful. What was even rarer was their dignified demeanor; when they met his eyes, they all lowered their heads in a modest, gentle, and lady-like fashion. It was truly a sight to behold, flawless in every way.

"Then, benefactor, are you dissatisfied with the wine?" the chief asked.

"The wine is... passable."

"Oh? This is our cellar’s renowned vintage, Hedong Divine Yeast Wine. To have it called merely 'passable' by you... it seems you are also quite the connoisseur of spirits."

Su Yao shook his head with a smile. Although he wasn't a heavy drinker, he would have some during class reunions or family holidays. While he didn't know what this Hedong Divine Yeast Wine was, his greatest impression of it was... well, it was hard to comment on.

It lacked the potency of hard liquor and the crispness of beer, not to mention how it compared to modern drinks like soda or milk tea. In the real world, he would never choose this kind of warm, cloudy wine, let alone down it cup after cup. This wasn't him acting snobbish; it was simply that the brewing industry was still primitive at this time, and distillation technology hadn't even been invented yet. Comparing it to modern beverages was truly bullying the ancients.

Seeing Su Yao finish his cup, the chief gestured for the girls to refill it and asked again, "Since you are satisfied with the ladies and the wine is acceptable, why do you seem so displeased, benefactor?"

The reason for his unhappiness? He was practically drowning in wine while having yet to take a single bite of food, and the old man had the nerve to ask!

Su Yao turned his head to listen to the sounds of cheering, drinking, and feasting outside. He drained his cup and, maintaining a polite yet awkward smile, said, "When shall we begin the meal?"

"It is coming, it is coming. Do not be impatient, benefactor; have some more wine first." The old village chief finally felt at ease and stroked his beard.

At ease? Yes. It was fortunate Su Yao couldn't read minds; if he knew what the old chief was thinking, he would have likely flicked his sleeves and stormed out. *Stinking old man, are you toying with me on purpose? Trying to starve me to death?*

Of course, that wasn't the case. Through their interactions over the past few days, the old chief had finally grasped a bit of Su Yao’s nature. He knew clearly that if the food were served and Su Yao gobbled it all down in two bites, he would dash out the door within minutes to find a room and fall asleep; chatting about anything would be impossible. By dangling food in front of him and pairing it with wine and beauties, he could finally squeeze out a few words on topics unrelated to missions or difficulties:

"Benefactor is a young hero, truly extraordinary. I wonder if you have a wife, children, or a betrothal back home?"

Su Yao drank another cup and shook his head in denial.

"Oh? A man of such appearance and talent, yet unmarried at the age of maturity—is there some unspoken hardship?"

"Huh?"

Su Yao was stunned. He had just created his account; he was as clean as a whistle. What kind of "unspoken hardship" could there be? And besides, he was at the age of "capping"—he wasn't thirty or forty; why were they acting like he was some leftover bachelor?

After another cup of wine, the fire in Su Yao’s belly burned even brighter. However, Su Yao didn't realize that in the Great Han, for a family with decent prospects, being unmarried at his age did indeed qualify him as a "leftover."

This was because the Great Han Empire, a classic militaristic state, had implemented a system of early marriage since its founding to ensure a massive pool of recruits. Men at fifteen and women at thirteen were required to marry; in fact, a woman unmarried by fifteen was considered a crime, punishable by a fivefold increase in the poll tax for her family. Under such circumstances, raising daughters became a luxury; having too many could truly bankrupt a family. The Han Dynasty thus saw a trend of extravagant dowries, all to send daughters off as early as possible to avoid the heavy tax burden.

So, where did the "wife-loving" (netorare) trend of Cao Cao come from? It was all caused by this bizarre social system—all the beautiful young maidens were already someone else's wife by the time they grew up.

Although Su Yao didn't fully understand this yet, being asked about his marriage and family made him realize something. Could this be a "marriage event" trigger?

The *Dynasty Warriors* world naturally had a marriage system. Unlike the single-player version, the online version allowed for one official wife and a quota of concubines, shared with a maximum of 200 servants. It had to be said that this marriage system was a major motivation for many online players to cultivate in the single-player mode.

Sure enough, after a bit more small talk, the old village chief brought up the idea of marriage. In his words, these girls were all grateful to Su Yao for saving their lives, and if he didn't mind, they were willing to offer themselves to him and forge a lifelong bond.

Su Yao shook his head. Under the candlelight, the shy, smiling faces of the girls were incredibly enchanting, swaying gracefully. His "little brother" said he was very satisfied.

However, he refused!

Su Yao waved his sleeves, his face flushed, thinking to himself: *This isn't because I'm afraid of the legal hammer!*

What a joke. The *Dynasty Warriors* world was a healthy game that had passed official review. Since this event existed, he could guarantee that these girls didn't have any legal issues. Just now, the old chief had said they were all of marriageable age. Su Yao understood that this was the classic "loli-styled adult" trope—where they were drawn to look young, but the lore claimed they were adults or even thousands-year-old spirits. If you asked, they’d just say it’s a "2D" matter; what could you do?

"..." Su Yao closed his eyes, downed another cup of cloudy wine, and suppressed the heat in his body. He thought:

*The reason for refusal is simple: I, Su Yao, am not interested in generic NPCs!*

Exactly. Women like these, who appeared in the starter village without even a name, were prepared for those who were desperate. Even if they were hyped up, they were ultimately just that—nothing special. Even if he married them, he probably wouldn't gain much prestige.

Su Yao was a man of patience. He couldn't let his "little head" control his "big head" here, not to mention he already had his eyes on a target!

"Ahem. So, does this mean you already have someone in your heart, benefactor?"