IPW Chapter 7: Enjoying Food, One of the Perks of Being Alive

 Yun Yue and Chun Jian were a little surprised—their Young Master seemed noticeably more approachable and gentle today. They bowed respectfully before exiting the room. 

Sima Youyue sat in eager anticipation, his thoughts drifting to fantasies of delicious dishes. But when Yun Yue finally brought the food in, his entire mind went blank and entered a state of shock. 

“This… this is the meal you prepared for me?” he asked cautiously, pointing a trembling finger at the dishes on the table. Everything looked like it had just been boiled in plain water—leaving it colourless and lifeless. 

 The day before, he’d only had a simple bowl of meat porridge and hadn’t paid much attention to the food. But now, faced with this utterly bland spread, he was genuinely shocked. 

“Please forgive us, Young Master!” the two maids immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing in fear. 

“What are you doing? I’m not blaming you! Get up, quick!” Sima Youyue cried out, startled by their extreme reaction. 

Only then did he recall from his inherited memories how strict the former Sima Youyue had been—strict enough to instill deep fear into his attendants. The moment they saw his displeasure, their instinct was to beg for mercy. 

“Thank you, Young Master,” the two girls said as they stood up, still shaken. 

Sima Youyue no longer paid them any mind. He clutched his stomach with one hand, picked up his chopsticks with the other, and scanned the table for anything remotely edible or rather appetizing. Ten minutes later, he gave up and set his chopsticks down in defeat. 

“Just bring me a couple of fruits.” 

After finishing the two fruits, he flopped back onto his bed, rubbing his empty stomach and muttering, “I still need real food…” 

Tsk tsk… Still so picky about food. You’re in the divine ranks—you don’t even need to eat to survive anymore. 

A warm, doting voice echoed in his mind. It felt timeless, almost like it had crossed through time and space and was now a memory. A vague image flashed by. 

“Whose voice is that…? Is it another one of this body’s memories?” he wondered. But something didn’t feel right. This body was supposed to be useless—how could it be at divine rank? Who was this voice talking to? 

When dinner was also difficult to swallow, he’d had enough. Sima Youyue marched into the kitchen and stir-fried two simple dishes himself. 

For the first time since arriving in this world, he was finally able to eat to his heart’s content. 

That night, as he drifted off to sleep, the same nightmare recurred—a piercing scream slicing through the darkness: 

“Sima Youyue… DIE!!” 

This voice was unmistakably from her previous life. 

“Ximen Youyue. You need to die! Only then can I be the continent’s only genius! Hahahahahaha! 

Who was that? Why didn’t she remember this at all? 

“Go to hell!” 

Two shrill and wrathful voices sounded together overlapping each other as they echoed around her. They grew louder and louder, laughter and rage overlapping until she jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. His soaked clothes clung to his skin, and his confused gaze flicked around the room. Sadness and uncertainty lingered in his eyes. 

“Those two names… again…” he whispered. 

The moon hung high in the sky, but sleep never returned. Every time he closed his eyes, those voices would echo in his mind. 

Sima Youyue. Ximen Youyue. 

He combed through his memories. The name “Sima Youyue” appeared, of course—but “Ximen Youyue”? It didn’t seem to exist in this body’s memory. There is no mention of this name, neither in his past life nor in the memories of this body. He was completely blank regarding the introduction of this name. 

By morning, his eyes were puffy and dark. When he looked in the mirror, a tired panda stared back at him. 

At breakfast with his grandfather and brothers, he made small talk to lift everyone’s spirits. 

“Third Brother, Fourth Brother, why haven’t you gone to the Academy yet? And Big Brother, Second Brother, don’t you need to head out soon?” 

Before he even finished speaking, his eyes drifted to the breakfast table—and his face fell. 

The food looked the same as yesterday’s: bland, unappetizing, and thoroughly uninspired. He picked up his chopsticks with visible reluctance and poked at the food with furrowed brows. 

“We were waiting for you,” said his eldest brother, Sima You Qi. “We wanted to make sure you were alright first. There’s still time to leave afterward.” 

“What’s with your eyes?” Second Brother Sima You Ming narrowed his eyes, concerned by the dark circles. 

“Two fat mosquitoes wouldn’t let me sleep,” he replied flatly. 

It was summer after all—mosquitoes were no surprise. 

He barely touched his food before setting down his chopsticks again.

“Why did you stop eating?” Sima Lie asked, clearly worried. 

“It tastes terrible. I’ve lost my appetite,” he replied bluntly. 

“But haven’t you always eaten like this?” he asked, confused. He looked at the food—nothing seemed out of the ordinary. 

“If Youyue doesn’t want to eat, clear the table,” Sima Lie ordered. 

The maids quickly removed the dishes. His brothers didn’t say anything as they didn’t rely much on food these days anyway. They were just there to keep him company. 

“Well then, we’re heading off to the Academy,” said Sima You Ran, rising from his seat. 

“We’ll be going too,” Sima You Qi added. 

“Alright, go on,” Sima Lie waved them off. Once the brothers left, it was just the two of them. 

“Youyue, what do you plan to do today?” 

He had originally planned to explore this world more, maybe head to the library to read and gather information. But the food situation bothered him so much that he blurted out, “I want to go to the kitchen and take a look. And while I’m at it, I’d like to teach the chefs a few things.” 

“Teach… the chefs?” Sima Lie choked, stunned.

“Yes. Oh, weren’t you invited to the palace to meet with the Emperor today? Don’t worry—I’m not going out. I’ll stay home like a good boy.” He smiled reassuringly. He knew that Grandpa was afraid he might get bullied again if he went out, so he wanted to put his Grandpa’s mind at ease. 

Sima Lie wasn’t entirely convinced. After all, he’d promised this before and still snuck out. But when he saw Sima Youyue walk directly into the kitchen, he decided to trust him that is…at least for today. 

Sima Youyue spent the entire day in the kitchen. When Sima Lie returned from the palace, he greeted him excitedly. 

“Grandpa, come quick! Try the dishes we made today!” He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and popped it into Sima Lie’s mouth before he could respond. 

“Mmm!” Sima Lie’s eyes widened as he slowly savoured the flavour. “What is this dish? It’s incredible!” 

“I taught them how to make it. Not bad, right?” he said as his eyes gleamed with pride. 

“Hahaha! Much better than before!” he laughed heartily. 

“Of course! They spent the whole day practicing to get it right.” While it still wasn’t perfect by his standards, it was miles ahead of the slop he’d eaten earlier. 

He had even dragged Yun Yue and Chun Jian into the kitchen—they showed potential. In fact, the dish he fed Sima Lie was made by Yun Yue. 

“Excellent. Have them keep practicing. You see? When you put your heart into it, good things happen! You should spend more time teaching them—it’s rare for you to have a hobby that isn’t chasing after boys or stirring up trouble.” 

“I know. Don’t worry,” he said with a soft smile. 

Suddenly, a thought came to him. He set his chopsticks down and sat up straighter, he looked at Sima Lie with warmth in his eyes. 

“Grandfather, I’d like to go to the Book Pavilion to read.” 

The Book Pavilion—this world’s version of a library. He needed to get used to the local terminology.