Chapter 218: Defective Pigs Missing Limbs
The Pig Farm on the Fourth Production Escort Ship was cleaner than imagined.
This was Xiang Chuan’s first impression of a modern Pig Farm.
Just five minutes ago, Chief Steward An Jing had tearfully recounted how difficult it had been for the Pig Farm over the past ten thousand years. Pork’s market share had shrunk to the bottom as early as ten thousand years ago, to the point that nearly ninety percent of the shipped pork was sent to carnivorous or omnivorous animals in the Nature Reserve, and the ten percent circulating in the market would rot and stink away unless some thrill-seeker took it home for excitement.
Over these fifteen thousand years, countless Department Managers of the Animal Husbandry Production Department had tried to find a way out for pork, but constrained by modern ingredient processing methods, they were at a loss with pork and could only ignore it in the end, focusing on improving beef and chicken, leaving pork improvements in a stagnant state.
And as the Head of Animal Husbandry for the Third Fleet’s Fourth Production Escort Ship, Manager An Jing Song was also “unfortunately” one of the successive managers hoping to improve pork.
She was now staring intently at Xiang Chuan, seemingly hoping to discern something from her face.
Xiang Chuan was very unadapted to the overly enthusiastic attitudes of Manager Wu and Manager Hill, but she could face this tense and expectant gaze calmly. Mainly because when she fiddled with new recipes in the kitchen at home, family members or uncles and aunts coming over for free meals would look at her with such eyes, and over time, she became immune.
The pig pens were distributed along both sides of the spacious aisle, and through the transparent glass-textured partition walls, the scenes inside could be clearly seen. Because of this, Xiang Chuan noticed something off.
In Xiang Chuan’s impression, pigs in pig pens were basically very docile, eating then sleeping, sleeping then eating. But the pigs in these pens seemed very restless, occasionally using their snouts to nudge other kin, or pacing back and forth in the spacious pens, rarely seen quietly eating feed from the food basins.
What was going on here? Xiang Chuan doubtfully touched her chin. Could it be that after thirty thousand years, pigs’ habits had changed? So that’s why pork became unpalatable?
That really wouldn’t be solvable by improving recipes, then?
Xiang Chuan sighed heavily.
Seeing her like this, the excitement on Chief Steward An Jing’s face gradually faded. His heart was gradually shrouded in clouds of disappointment.
Of course, fifteen thousand years had passed since the Dark Virus Crisis, and pork’s problems still couldn’t be solved. Could outdated ancient technology really solve it?
Maybe… he should align with his predecessors and focus on researching cattle and chickens instead? Chief Steward An Jing stared blankly at the farm ceiling.
——
After touring the pig pens, Xiang Chuan still couldn’t figure out the root problem. Honestly, she was nearly desperate, thinking she’d mess with pork later after mass-producing those heavy-flavored spices, since marinating with various strong seasonings for a while could overpower any gamey smell anyway.
At that moment, an employee walked over.
“Chief Steward An Jing, those defective products have been inspected. We hope you can come sign off.”
Seeing someone come for him, An Jing finally regained some composure as a manager. He nodded and said:
“Okay, I’ll go now. These children are in your hands.”
Xiang Chuan curiously looked at Chief Steward An Jing and asked:
“What are defective products? Normally, sick pigs with health issues should be culled right after birth, right?”
“Not that kind of defective products.” Chief Steward An Jing smiled and explained: “Those culled at birth have genetic deficiencies. Pigs like these we raise a bit larger and send directly to the Nature Reserve. What we’re preparing to process now are defective products caused by various external factors after maturity.”
External factors, meaning injuries, huh. Xiang Chuan thought understandingly.
Such things weren’t rare. Back in her hometown, she often heard nearby elders chatting about how city folk didn’t want cattle or pigs with broken legs, so they ended up cheaply filling family and neighbors’ bellies. Though the chatting elders showed no hint of regret on their faces.
——
In front of the Pig Farm’s defective products processing area.
Xiang Chuan looked expressionlessly at the herd of pigs before her, while Ouyang Yating and the other two beside her were full of curiosity.
No wonder the three had actively requested to come see. During the earlier visits to the Cattle Farm and Chicken Farm, Aksim General Manager hadn’t mentioned at all how defective cattle and chickens were handled, so the students naturally had no chance to visit. This chance visit to the Pig Farm to see such a scene was worth it.
The defective pigs, unsurprisingly, were almost all with broken legs or feet, yelping in pain, and some even continued vigorously nudging companions with their snouts despite limping, causing chaos. So this area was much noisier than the pens. Employees in exoskeletons and AI robots together maintained order, loading pig after pig into cargo holds for shipment to the Fourth Production Escort Ship’s Meat Processing Plant for feed processing.
Ouyang Yating and the others were following behind Chief Steward An Jing, inquiring about the feed processing procedures and principles, while Xiang Chuan stood alone nearby, bored watching the pigs being herded onto trucks.
At that moment, one pig caught Xiang Chuan’s attention.
At the back of the line, a pig noticeably larger than the others was walking slowly. Unlike the others that excitedly nudged companions with their snouts, it obediently followed at the rear, neither causing trouble nor fiddling. Even more surprising, this pig had all four limbs intact.
Could it be a sick pig? The thought flashed in Xiang Chuan’s mind, then she dismissed it herself.
Joking aside, modern anti-pathogen tech had even wiped out field insects completely. The other rowdy pigs were healthy as could be aside from leg issues; no reason for a sick one to suddenly appear among mature pigs.
Xiang Chuan was baffled and finally couldn’t resist stepping forward to ask:
“Chief Steward An Jing, I’d like to ask about that big pig at the end of the line. Its limbs look fine, no wounds on its neck either. Why is it being processed too? Could it be sent to the slaughterhouse… ah spit, I mean sent to the Meat Processing Plant?”
Close call, almost said it out of habit.
Chief Steward An Jing glanced in the direction Xiang Chuan pointed and immediately locked onto the largest pig. His expression became extremely subtle. Clearly, he knew this pig.
“That one? That pig does have some issue, but well… this…”
Facing the curious gazes of Xiang Chuan and Ouyang Yating’s trio, four pairs of eyes blinking at him, Chief Steward An Jing couldn’t easily change the subject. Finally, thinking they were at least high school students with basic knowledge, he gritted his teeth and said:
“That pig actually injured its reproductive organs. We only discovered it during last week’s breeding pig selection. Its reproductive organs had broken off somehow, and recloning for transplant wouldn’t match the cost, so we decided to process it.”
Hearing “reproductive organs broken off,” Ainuo and Liang Gong’s faces turned complex, and they subconsciously clamped their legs, a small motion that naturally didn’t escape Xiang Chuan’s eyes. She glanced at them and said:
“You guys better be careful from now on. If yours breaks, you might get sent straight to the processing plant to be made into feed.”
Ainuo & Liang Gong & Ouyang Yating, who was standing nearby and forced to hear this: …Is this even human speech?
The wicked A Bite of China Club President chuckled, shifting her gaze back to the big pig, thinking: In ancient times, they castrated below to make eunuchs sent behind walls to serve, and you, with your bottom damaged, made into feed sent behind walls to feed beasts—same level of misery as a eunuch.
After all, the chaotic palace in novels and dramas was no different from a pack of jackals and beasts.
They were eunuchs, you’re a castrated pig, heh heh.
…Wait, castrated pig?
Xiang Chuan’s eyes widened.
