The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

To make steamed buns, cultivating yeast is actually quite simple—it's just about fermenting the food until it turns sour. The conventional method is to let the dough sit for a while, then dilute it several times to cultivate lactic acid bacteria and yeast.

Whether it's ruminant, Polish, zeolite, hops, quinoa, rye, or rice, they all taste sour; the only difference is how strong the sourness is.

Ming Luochen had seen the anchor try making traditional steamed buns himself. Although they came out fluffy, no one dared to eat them because of the smell—it was like biting into a dirty rag.

After all, in the beginning, the team was just a makeshift crew of three: a factory girl who wanted to become famous, a netizen she met online, and a recent graduate in film and media who they hired for three thousand yuan—that is, him.

It took him twelve years to build this IP. He watched as the factory girl handcrafted steel, built houses, created a farmhouse, and cooked natural delicacies, gradually bringing the lost Chinese craft back to life. From the initial dismal number of views (only a dozen or so) to the later glory of millions of likes per video, he endured countless all-nighters editing and countless moments of being verbally abused by clients.

The key is that this IP actually became a hit. The factory worker drove a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce, and he also received a bonus—although it wasn't much compared to the streamer, he bought a three-bedroom apartment and a Volvo in the city, and also saved up a six-figure sum. He remembers that his hands were shaking the day he signed the purchase contract. That apartment cost him six years of savings, but the feeling of holding the keys in his hand was as reassuring as a dream.

The team had originally planned to create a fusion of global and Chinese cuisine, sourcing delicious dishes and ingredients from around the world, adapting them into new Chinese recipes, and launching new content. They also planned to boost foreign trade and e-commerce sales to make a fortune. Everything was going well, but then, he was suddenly transported to another world.

Thinking of this, Ming Luochen looked down at his hands covered in flour and suddenly felt like laughing.

Homemade yeast does have a slightly sour taste, but he's in a medieval fantasy world now, and he hasn't eaten any staple food for days. He's craving it terribly, so this bit of sourness doesn't seem so unacceptable. Besides, it's better than eating an apple.

In the manor's kitchen tool room, there were tools and equipment for preparing banquet dishes and afternoon tea snacks. Ming Luochen rummaged through the drawers and cabinets and found a rolling pin, a cutting board, a sieve, a ceramic pot, and even a copper egg beater—although old-fashioned, it was still usable. He moved the necessary tools one by one to the kitchen counter and began to get busy.

Aura, Marina, and Valerius, curious about what he was up to, stood in the kitchen watching the spectacle. Valerius leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed; Marina stood beside her daughter, her head slightly tilted to the side; Aura stood at the very front, her eyes glued to Ming Luochen's every move. Their already limited entertainment seemed to be getting more and more interesting.

Ming Luochen kneaded a lump of dough, piling the flour into a small mountain on the work surface. He dug a well in the center, poured in warm water, and slowly mixed it in. His technique was clumsy, and his kneading movements weren't very smooth, but he was meticulous in every step. He placed the kneaded dough into an earthenware jar, sealed it with a damp cloth, and placed it in a warm spot near the stove. Being watched by his wife's family, he was genuinely a little nervous, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He picked up a wooden stick and started playing with the dough. It was similar to kneading clay; the simplest thing was noodles—roll the dough into a large sheet, fold it, and cut it into strips with a knife. The rolling pin rolled back and forth on the board, making a rhythmic "gurgling" sound, and the dough slowly turned into a thin sheet of dough in his hands.

But without chili peppers and soy sauce, Ming Luochen's first thought was to make three dishes: first, scallion oil noodles, using sugar, salt, and shrimp instead of soy sauce; second, mushroom soup noodles, suitable for his wife's family's vegetarian habits; and third, the most traditional egg noodles. As he thought about it, he couldn't help but swallow hard, letting out a "gulp" sound.

"You can still eat, kid?" Valerius teased, amused, as he saw Ming Luochen swallowing. His eyes crinkled with laughter.

"Hehe, just a little bit." Ming Luochen laughed awkwardly, wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned to the manor's head chef, and began to explain in a serious tone, "Did you understand? From now on, I'll mainly eat noodles. This is noodles—first fry an egg, then add water and salt to make soup, and once the egg soup boils, add the noodles."

He spoke and gestured, like a host of a cooking show, except his apron was covered in flour, making him look more like a flustered apprentice.

Head Chef Isabella watched intently, her antlers slightly tilted forward, as if afraid of missing a single detail. She nodded and said, "I think I understand, sir. Don't worry, it's not difficult."

Ming Luochen nodded slightly in response. Isabella was the most loyal servant of Earl Raven Crest's household. She was a stag-woman with a pair of furry antlers and two deer legs, and she was thirty-two years old this year, two years younger than him. Her father was Addison, the head butler of Earl Raven Crest's household. The father and daughter had worked for the Earl's family for half their lives, and were extremely loyal.

In Aura's memory, Isabella once had a husband. Ten years ago, while transporting supplies, they encountered a pack of wolves, and both her husband and Aura's only older brother perished in the accident.

Since her husband's death, Isabella has been working for Earl Raven Crest's household with her daughter, Dora. Dora is Aura's personal maid. The adorable antlered girl is Isabella's daughter, who grew up with Aura. She even bathed Ming Luochen. The little girl has two braids, dimples when she smiles, and runs like a joyful little deer.

Valerius sniffed—a wonderful aroma wafted from the pot, the rich, warm scent of eggs frying in hot oil, like the morning sun. He swallowed hard, his eyes glued to Ming Luochen making the egg drop soup. He'd eaten egg drop soup before on the battlefield, but it tasted awful and fishy; he'd forced it down his throat just to replenish his strength, and it always felt like taking medicine.

But the egg noodle soup made by Ming Luochen didn't seem fishy at all; the aroma of eggs was rich and enticing. Valerius's stomach growled involuntarily.

Once the noodles were cooked, Ming Luochen picked up two twigs to use as chopsticks, picked up a noodle, and tasted it. The moment the noodle entered his mouth, his brows furrowed, and his chewing speed slowed down.

"That shouldn't be the case," he muttered, taking two more bites, his brows furrowing even more.

There was a bitter taste in the noodles, not strong, but it affected the texture. It was like a drop of ink being spilled on a painting; you wouldn't notice it unless you looked closely, but if you painted it yourself, you'd always know the ink was there, which was unpleasant.

He had been wondering how his son-in-law had used a twig to hold the noodles, but Valerius noticed his expression and immediately realized something was wrong. After waiting expectantly for a while, he asked nervously, "Is it not tasty?" His voice carried a hint of disappointment, like a child waiting to unwrap a present only to find the wrapping paper torn and a corner of a workbook peeking out.

"No." Ming Luochen shook his head, placing the twig chopsticks on the rim of the bowl. Egg noodles are simple, with only four ingredients—eggs, oil, noodles, and water. But where does this bitterness come from? Is it the ginger? The twig? Or the salt?

He looked at the seasonings on the stove, picked up a little minced ginger and tasted it—he had tried the flavor yesterday, and it was fine, slightly spicy with a hint of fragrance. He then picked up a little salt from the jar, put it on his tongue and licked it, and his expression immediately changed.

"It really is the salt." He frowned and spat out the salt. The salt was bitter and astringent, like chewing a handful of sand that hadn't been washed clean.

"The salt is fine," Isabella explained anxiously, her deer ears perking up nervously. "This is the best salt block; I went to the storeroom myself to get it. There won't be any problems." Her voice carried a hint of panic, afraid that the count would misunderstand and think she had taken the wrong thing.

Addison stepped forward with a serious expression and tasted a little salt. He sipped it carefully and then said confidently, "Sir, I checked this salt before it entered the warehouse. There's no problem. It's the best mineral salt on the market. It's white with a hint of yellow, the grains are uniform, and there's no off-odor. It's already the best you can buy on the market."

"It's not that the salt is poisonous, it's that there are too many impurities, and I'm not used to eating it." Ming Luochen didn't know how to explain further; he couldn't very well say, "The salt here isn't even as good as industrial salt."

Aura looked at Valerius, who was frowning, and comforted him, "Ming Luochen used to only eat refined salt. This kind of salt is too coarse, and he can't get used to it." She gently placed her hand on her father's arm to soothe his emotions.

"This is rough?" Valerius's eyelids twitched, and the corner of his mouth twisted. What kind of luxurious life did Ming Luochen live before? Didn't he tell Fitz that his family was very poor? He even said in a trembling voice that poor children learn to be independent early—and this is it? His gaze towards Ming Luochen became complicated, as if he was re-examining this son-in-law.

"Miss, sir, this is the best salt in town, two silver coins a pound. It's specially for you; we rarely eat salt ourselves," Addison explained sincerely, a hint of helplessness in his voice. Two silver coins a pound of salt was a luxury for ordinary people; even he, a butler, couldn't bear to eat it.

"It's alright, I just don't like coarse salt," Ming Luochen comforted him, already thinking about how to make refined salt. He had edited videos on salt making for the streamer before, explaining how ancient people purified refined salt. Detailed production methods were found in books such as "Kaigong Kaiwu - Zuoxian," "Yongle Encyclopedia," and "Aobo Tu."

Valerius smelled the egg drop soup noodles and thought it smelled delicious. How could it taste bad? He couldn't resist any longer, so he grabbed a fork, scooped some noodles out of the pot, and tentatively took a bite.

The moment the noodles touched his tongue, his eyes lit up, his pupils dilating. The noodles were smooth and tender, with a rich egg flavor and a delicious broth that had no fishy taste whatsoever, but rather an indescribable sweetness. He looked at Marina eagerly, his voice trembling with excitement: "This is so delicious! It's really so delicious!"

"Really?" Marina hesitated—her son-in-law clearly disliked her, so why did her husband have a different attitude? She suspected that Valerius was playing a trick on her, after all, Valerius had a history of tricking her into eating sour fruit, being killed in the Thousand Years' Death before him, and acting like a child in private, very wary.

"It's absolutely delicious! Not fishy at all, and it has a unique sweetness!" Valerius exclaimed excitedly, forking a large mouthful of noodles and stuffing it into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. He had never eaten such delicious egg drop soup noodles before, and he felt that what he had eaten on the battlefield before was simply swill, something even pigs might not be willing to eat.

Marina picked up the fork and, with a hint of skepticism, tried a noodle. The moment the noodles melted in her mouth, her eyes lit up.

"It's really delicious!" she exclaimed in surprise, taking another bite. "This could be served at a wedding; it would definitely amaze the other nobles." Her tone was filled with the excitement of discovering a treasure, and she had already begun to reimagine the wedding banquet menu in her mind.

Serving egg noodles at a wedding banquet? Ming Luochen's eyelids twitched—could it be that exaggerated? Aren't there many delicious foods in this world? He scratched his head, truly unable to understand this family's standards for evaluating food.

Aura laughed awkwardly and explained to him, "It's mainly because what you eat is already the whole world. Besides, regular egg noodles are very fishy and sticky, yours are completely different." There was a hint of pride in her voice, as if she were saying, "Look how amazing my husband is."

"Yes, this dish will absolutely amaze the entire noble circle!" Valerius exclaimed excitedly, grabbing a second bowl. Being able to present a delicious new dish as the main course at a wedding banquet was a source of immense prestige among the nobility. He was already imagining the bewildered looks on the other nobles' faces when they tasted this dish.

Ming Luochen watched Valerius wolf down his food, then glanced at the rapidly diminishing noodles in the pot, and his lips twitched.