Chapter 3: Eat In Peace
"This... this is amazing," Matthew said, scooping another bite of beef stew into his mouth. He leaned back slightly, chewing with real satisfaction.
"God, I missed this." It has been so long since he had something so good!
He sat alone at the far end of the cafeteria, a full tray in front of him—steamed rice, grilled chicken, beef stew, dumplings, and a side of roasted vegetables. It was too much food for one person, but he didn’t care. He picked up a fried spring roll and bit into it without hesitation.
"In the end... I really died without eating anything I actually liked," he mumbled to himself. "All those restrictions. Boiled vegetables. No salt. No red meat. Nothing spicy. Couldn’t even drink soda." What’s the use of money if you are too sick to even eat the food that you like?
He took a gulp of iced tea and exhaled.
"Being young and healthy is definitely a good thing."
He paused for a moment and stared at the tray. Then he reached for a second helping of rice and dumped the rest of the beef stew over it. There were a few students looking his way, mostly because of how much food he had, but he ignored them. He had no intention of eating like some well-mannered heir today.
He picked up the chicken leg, tore into it, and muttered, "You really don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone."
His hands didn’t tremble anymore. He didn’t need help holding utensils. No more nurses spoon-feeding him or watching his sugar intake. No more IVs. No more pills.
He grabbed another dumpling, dipped it in soy sauce, and popped it into his mouth.
He was genuinely enjoying himself. After years of counting calories and swallowing bitterness, this was the first real meal he’d had in decades. The cafeteria staff hadn’t changed much, either. Same seasoning. The same soft bread rolls on the side. The same slight overuse of garlic that he remembered complaining about back then. "Should I reward them for their cooking?" he mumbled.