Chapter 50

This had always been his old problem. If no one reminded him, once he got busy, he would always forget to eat on time. In his early years, he had even developed chronic gastritis because of it and suffered terribly. Later, he had consciously and carefully nursed himself back to health; it was during that period that he had leveled up his skills in making congee and medicinal meals. Having become so cautious, he had hardly relapsed since. Still, he was not as healthy as those who truly had strong constitutions. Many heavily flavored foods were best left untouched, which had left him with many regrets. After changing bodies, he had even resolved to cherish his stomach properly! Yet after such a short time, his old habit had flared up again!

Do not do evil simply because it seems small! It always felt like doing it once or twice did not matter, but small things accumulated. Once the damage was done, there would be no medicine for regret.

There was no rice here for making congee, so he used a nutritional powder instead. Before taking it off the heat, he added the marinated meat and dried vegetables, letting the residual heat cook them through. At this point, they were at their tenderest and smoothest. Paired with the leftover rose steamed buns and pickles, it was warm and satisfying going down his stomach. Simple as it was, it truly was a pleasure.

Now that the clothes were finished, it was time to make pastries. Once they came out of the oven, he would set off. The timing was just right.

To be honest, compared with Earth, Mi Star was no less diverse when it came to ingredients.

The only difference was that whether they were plants or animal products such as chicken, duck, fish, meat, eggs, and milk, almost none of the raw, natural ingredients were recommended for direct consumption—too many impurities, too little nutrition. Unless you were an F- or E-rank good-for-nothing who had given up on yourself, you dared to eat them directly? Heh heh. Face the consequences yourself.

Why was the Mi Star people's food culture so dismal, with nutritional supplements and nutritional powders dominating the market?

Even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice!

Natural ingredients all had to undergo secondary processing: impurities removed and nutrients integrated. No matter how good the ingredients were going in, what came out was all mush... Over time, everyone grew accustomed to nutritional supplements and powders. A thousand years later, they had instead become the norm. As for gourmet food? We have developed so many kinds of nutritional supplements, with every flavor imaginable, enriching your taste buds and constantly striving for excellence... So what else could you possibly be dissatisfied with? How dare you say these were not gourmet food?!

So although Jing Yi could still whip up delicious pastries here like some kind of god, it was truly far from easy for him. And setting aside the advantages he possessed, even if ordinary people had the desire, it would be difficult for them to pull it off!

Take the eggs, milk, jam, and so on mentioned earlier. Did you think the Mi Star people had prepared all of them for him from the start?

How naïve!

He had extracted all of it himself!

One item after another, tirelessly. There were occasional failures too. It could be said that every one of his successes had come hard-won!

Enough complaining. Jing Yi did not want to act spoiled after gaining an advantage. After all, in a world where fine food had declined, coming from the great nation of foodies was already an absurdly powerful cheat. If the Mi Star people were all gourmets, what room would he have to make a living? It was precisely because others lacked what he had that his business could grow bigger and stronger. He was still counting on this to accumulate his initial capital and support his conquest of the stars and seas!

Honestly, much of what the Mi Star people did with food made him feel as though they simply had not caught on.

For example, whipping milk could turn it into cream. Fermenting milk could turn it into yogurt. Whipping eggs completely transformed them into another substance and was an essential step in making cakes. Fermenting dough was likewise the core essence of Chinese pastries...

Do not underestimate the simple acts of "whipping" and "fermenting." Without these two key techniques, Chinese and Western pastries and desserts would almost cease to exist.

Yet the Mi Star people had overlooked these two crucial techniques.

Nutritional supplements and nutritional powders were all just various blends; no matter how they changed, the underlying principle remained the same. The difference between brands lay in their formulas. Premium brands meant richer, more balanced nutrition and better flavor, while ordinary brands naturally fell short in every respect. It was all very clear-cut.

How tragic. They probably had never imagined that merely changing their perspective a little would make the world completely different from then on...

Jing Yi carefully made several different pastries: Chinese-style glutinous rice cakes, osmanthus cakes, lotus pastries, and the centerpiece, Assorted Albizia Cup; as well as Western-style tiramisu, fruit crepes, and cream pudding—though of course, all were knockoff versions made with substitute ingredients. He placed them separately into little baskets of different styles that he had woven himself, delicate and adorable, then packed them into a refrigerated cabinet. After fitting wheels onto the cabinet, he dragged it to Admiral Mansion to deliver the gifts.

Yang Chun drove over to pick him up.

After getting into the car and greeting Yang Chun, Jing Yi began to ponder silently. Once he had earned some money, he should quickly buy a car too. He had heard that hovercars had an automatic driving mode, so one could use them without specifically learning how to drive. They were perfect for him right now. Otherwise, he had to ask someone to pick him up whenever he went out, which was far too inconvenient.

Back on Earth, because of his health, he had never driven a car. Whenever he saw others speeding about in their little vehicles, he had felt envious too. Unfortunately, he had had no opportunity back then and could only watch with longing.

But he had nearly forgotten that he was now fully capable of realizing the dream he had once sought in vain!

And were hovercars not far cooler than ordinary cars?