My Husband, a Marshal: Conquering the Stars with My Culinary Arts-Chapter 634 - 214: Prenatal Checkup, Physical Examination

Du Xixi only opened three chestnuts slightly, making tiny incisions without damaging the flesh much. However, amidst a pile of chestnuts with intact shells, these three stood out prominently, and Brother Zhang immediately noticed them, grabbing them to scrutinize closely.

Honestly, these chestnuts were recently harvested, and they hadn’t had much time to inspect them. Each chestnut grew within its green spiky shell, which they peeled and piled into several very large bags. After consulting Your Majesty’s wishes, they hastily sent them to Du Xixi.

New species are discovered daily on the Primitive Planet, with some being born and others ready to be planted. The Cultural Relics Bureau has collaborated with Du Xixi so frequently that they’ve gradually become accustomed to relying on her.

Unfortunately...

Brother Zhang looked at the handful of unopened chestnuts and the few that Du Xixi opened, letting out a deep sigh. This time, the Cultural Relics Bureau indeed made the wrong move: they only remembered to ask Du Xixi for help with food identification and recipes but failed to provide her with high-quality ingredients.

In the past, the Cultural Relics Bureau also used chemical agents for ripening food, but that was only after consulting Du Xixi for general information and thoroughly researching before proceeding with ripening. These chestnuts marked the first ingredient they ripened on their own initiative, and they forgot there are essential differences between ingredients; using the same chemical agents results in distinct outcomes.

As for the appearance of these chestnuts, without high-quality varieties for reference, Brother Zhang couldn’t make any judgments. However, casually opening a few chestnuts revealed shriveled flesh, akin to those they had collected from CD-0329 Star, which were nearly sun-dried and lifeless.

"No wonder she’s upset," Brother Zhang handed the chestnuts to those nearby to inspect and continued opening the remaining bags. Without exception, chestnuts at both the bag openings and depths, had slightly hard, unripe shells, with meat dry and lacking moisture.

All of them were of poor quality.

Several staff members passed the chestnuts among themselves to examine, and once everyone had assessed the quality, the atmosphere became awkward. Clearly, everyone understood why Du Xixi’s attitude had changed this time, and they realized they wouldn’t welcome such poor-quality materials themselves if asked for assistance.

They only speculated on one reason why Du Xixi returned the chestnuts, but assumed it was the sole reason. After exchanging glances, Brother Zhang, with the highest "rank," spoke up: "Let’s take these inside first; it’s too late tonight. I’ll write a report and present it to the Director tomorrow."

Whether for the sake of the Cultural Relics Bureau’s reputation or maintaining collaboration with Du Xixi, this issue needed proper handling. Everybody felt Brother Zhang’s decision was the most appropriate for now. However, one person pondered briefly before asking, "Should we pause the project in the cultivation room? Today’s new ingredients have been planted, and we’ve just applied the first batch of agents."

The cultivation room’s ingredient planting wasn’t under Brother Zhang’s jurisdiction; however, looking at these inferior chestnuts scattered on the ground, he gritted his teeth, considering it might mean being reprimanded by leaders and colleagues tomorrow, he sternly said, "Stop it! If anyone asks, just say it’s my decision to halt it, and whoever has concerns should come to me."

Brother Zhang had been with the Cultural Relics Bureau for at least fifty years, though without significant achievements. His qualification for interfacing and collaborating with Du Xixi stemmed from years of accumulated experience. He worried that his decision might affect his career.

But driven by conscience, he’d rather face everyone’s complaints than see more ingredients ruined in their "forced ripening" process.

With everyone’s efforts, the chestnuts were moved into the Cultural Relics Bureau; it was already post-work hours, but Brother Zhang stayed behind alone. He pondered deeply in his office for quite a while, waiting for the moon to rise higher and cross the borderline to the other side before picking up his pen and starting the report, each word, every sentence, was his carefully considered genuine thoughts.

***

After instructing 2569 to return the chestnuts to the Cultural Relics Bureau, Du Xixi didn’t interfere further, merely asking 2569 to keep a closer eye on the ingredients, ensuring those overdue for the season didn’t appear on the table.