Twenty years of cold chain

Mozi County, Luanjia.

Aside from visiting Luanqi Town every year for New Year's gifts, Boss Bao keeps his distance from the town at other times. He keeps his people and goods separate, avoiding it whenever possible throughout the year. As some people in the wholesale market say, Luanqi Town not only lacks the demeanor of a township entrepreneur, but is also often "slick and roguish."

Bao Lao's real name was Bao Shulai. Years ago, he had a falling out with Luan Qizhen over a messy debt, but it would be unwise for him to follow the crowd and not try to climb the social ladder. Luan Qizhen's orchards and fruit warehouses were unparalleled among the counties in northern Qinghai, supplying not only Qinghai and Ningxia provinces but also attracting long lines of trucks from other provinces during harvest season. Luan Qizhen didn't care about the small amount of fruit going to Qujiaying; on the contrary, without the supply from Luan's orchards, the wholesale market and many customers would be in trouble.

In the tea room, Luan Qizhen brewed a pot of Longjing tea for Bao Shulai. The tea soup was pale yellow and had a chestnut-like fragrance. Upon seeing this, Bao Shulai's eyebrows drooped slightly. This cup of tea from Luan Qizhen was not very good. From the rumors he had heard recently, he had a rough idea of ​​Luan Qizhen's intentions.

This is a case of "giving dates first and then standing still," and we don't know exactly what we're going to talk about yet, but that doesn't stop us from getting a feel for Luan Qizhen's sincerity. So we said, "Boss Luan, how could the market situation escape your discerning eye? Not to mention Big Yellow Delicious apples, we don't have to worry about selling any kind of apple."

"That's good. Yesterday, the subordinates checked the inventory and came back saying there are still 30 tons of Yellow Delicious oxtails available for sale before the New Year. I think we should just leave them with Boss Bao?"

Upon hearing the amount, Bao Shulai was greatly surprised. He squeezed his cup in gratitude, then asked in a leisurely voice, "Boss Luan, you came to see me today...?"

"Master Long of Pingqiu County is a well-known figure in the industry. Does Mr. Bao have any connection with him?"

"We've met twice, but we're not really friends. You know how domineering the people who sell vegetables in those southern counties are; they look down on us from Mozi, who come from all walks of life."

Luan Qizhen smiled and said, "If President Bao only says these polite words, I, Old Luan, don't know how to continue the conversation."

Baoshulai also gave a fake smile, "If it's to pass on a message, I can give it a try."

Not only the major vegetable vendors from the five surrounding counties of Tongxing, but Baoshulai was also someone who wanted to see Hu Shutong make a fool of himself. However, due to his relationship with Luanqi Town, he could neither do nothing nor do everything.

Although Luan Qizhen's words were superficial, his knowledge was profound. The major vegetable vendors in various counties of Qingbei had close ties, exchanging goods in addition to personal relationships. This Bao Shulai was far more than just a nodding acquaintance with them; he was a fellow schemer belonging to the same circle.

"Mr. Bao, if you ask me, there should be rules in everything. It's not very respectable to bully a young man from our own hometown like this."

Luan Qizhen's words subtly stirred a nerve in Bao Shulai. Seeing his slightly narrowed eyes, he realized that if the speaker were not Luan Qizhen, he probably would have already lost control of his emotions.

"Rules? Boss Luan, you seem to have some misunderstanding about rules. Back in '83, with the household responsibility system in place, everyone started growing vegetables like crazy. After paying the state's share and keeping enough for the collective, how many people couldn't sell their produce? How many people threw piles and piles of vegetables into the stinking ditch! What saved them were these big vegetable merchants! No matter what, you need legs to make this job!"

"What are you trying to say?"

"There's room for everything, but don't even think about breaking the rules. This concerns the livelihoods of countless people, Boss Luan, you should understand this better than anyone!"

Luan Qizhen shook his head. "Speaking of livelihoods, when a large number of individual vegetable vendors emerged in the 90s, we suddenly had so many options. Why have we become increasingly lame? How much did the big vegetable vendors do behind the scenes? Some individual vendors had no room to survive, and others became small businesses themselves. When did we start caring so much about the livelihoods of countless people?"

Bao Shulai frowned slightly, and when his brows furrowed into a large knot, he burst out laughing. "Boss Luan, look at you, talking about these old, outdated things! Why are you getting so worked up? Times have changed. The household responsibility system and the unified purchase and sales system are over. We're now in an open and competitive market!"

"You've hit the nail on the head. Times have changed, but the rules are still the rules."

Bao Shulai's smile remained unchanged, but a slight glint in his eyes made him realize that he was about to be outmaneuvered.

"All rules must be followed openly and fairly. Since Mr. Bao can pass on a message, let me say a few words on behalf of Mr. Luan. It's not shameful to be afraid of a newborn calf, nor is it shameful to be wary of him growing into a towering giant. Therefore, it's not shameful to bully the weak or the few with the many."

"But! Disturbing people's rest in the middle of the night and stealing timber from the fields—such tricks are shameful! Master Long, Du Ke, Brother Wanzi, plus Flathead and Niu Si, aren't they all famous figures? What? Having reached such heights, are they still comfortable using such methods? Since it's open and free competition, let's see who's the best in the competition!"

These words nearly stunned Bao Shu; he needed to "translate" them carefully before he could put them on the table.

However, it must be said that Luan Qizhen's words were quite bold, and they also showed his understanding of those people. If they really continued to do these dirty things, no one would dare to underestimate his power once he put on his sunglasses!

After seeing Bao Shu off, Luan Qizhen immediately called Hu Shutong.

Judging from Bao Shulai's reaction, Hu Shutong's request for his work was going relatively smoothly. However, just as everyone feared, even if Tongxing Cold Chain could be completed successfully and the field assembly warehouse could be successfully built, it would only further intensify the emotions of those powerful competitors.

Ultimately, what does Tongxing have to fight with?

Times have changed; perhaps that's the only consolation.

From the makeshift street markets of the 80s to the first individually owned vegetable wholesale store in the 90s, and then to the clustered agricultural wholesale markets of the new century, the vegetable market, like many industries, reflects the changes of the times.

The changes of the times can sometimes be sudden and unexpected. Just as people could not have imagined that, several years later, farmers' markets, an indispensable part of daily life, would disappear from people's sight and almost truly vanish.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.