Twenty years of cold chain

At the equipment introduction meeting for the industrial park, the agreement brought by Baileng's technical team included several new requirements, which they discussed with Hu Shutong on-site. For example, the maintenance and upkeep of the entire set of equipment, including compressors, condensers, and expansion valves, must be performed regularly by Baileng's technicians, and the resulting costs will naturally be borne by Tongxing. Furthermore, Baileng will be the sole equipment supplier for Tongxing Cold Chain's future Phase II and Phase III projects.

There's also the issue of signage. Large signs for the Bayer Group's equipment demonstration base must be placed at all the major intersections within the park, and numerous Bayer brand logos must be installed on the facades and interiors of the cold storage facilities.

At this point, Hu Shutong was willing to do anything that didn't cost him money, so he signed the agreement on the spot without hesitation.

Luan Pingxin didn't go back with the team. With New Year's Day approaching, he took a long leave and planned to return to the group after the Spring Festival. After finalizing the equipment deal, the two treated themselves to a meal of "wood-fired fish" in Qingyan City that evening.

"They did give you a lot of pointers, but don't take it to heart."

Not to mention Hu Shutong's perspective, even Luan Pingxin could tell that this group of people were quite bossy and lecturing, and Hu Shutong greeted them with a nod and a smile throughout. But in reality, Hu Shutong could give a lecture to the technical team who were always in the lab about how to use the equipment.

Hu Shutong smiled but didn't say anything, focusing instead on putting fish on Luan Pingxin's plate. Luan Pingxin noticed that although Hu Shutong was more reserved than usual, he seemed quite calm. She had already heard about the recent events surrounding Tongxing, and her temporary absence from the group was partly due to her concern for Hu Shutong.

However, Hu Shutong's taciturn nature made Luan Pingxin reluctant to speak. It was one thing for him to be silent with others, but even with her, there seemed to be nothing to talk about. When the topic of thanking the equipment came up, Luan Pingxin became even more displeased, feeling it was better not to say anything at all.

She knew Hu Shutong was under immense pressure, but shouldn't she try to appear a little more carefree? "Shutong, don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

Hu Shutong remained silent, prompting Luan Pingxin to put down her chopsticks. "Hu Shutong?"

"How about we talk on the way?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"I'll go anywhere."

I've heard of "anywhere is fine," but what does "going anywhere" mean? Luan Pingxin thought Hu Shutong was just making excuses for her. But the next day, she changed her mind.

Driving on the national highway, Luan Pingxin initially thought Hu Shutong wanted to relax, and he was prepared to talk to him along the way. But as they drove, Luan Pingxin's gaze towards Hu Shutong became more and more suspicious, and in the end, he was quite shocked. What was this person up to?

The national highways crisscrossing Qingyan City connect many counties, and Hu Shutong drove all the way, using gasoline at a leisurely pace. Later, Qingyan City was no longer enough for him, and he continued driving eastward to Qingmao City and westward to Qingyue City. Not only that, he always kept paper and pen at hand, not only recording how many toll stations he passed but also marking the mileage. Sometimes he would stop on the side of the road, as if measuring something everywhere.

When it came time to eat and rest, they would find the nearest county town. Throughout the journey, Hu Shutong acted exactly like someone from the transportation department. She knew that Hu Shutong must be involved in transportation planning, but she had never seen transportation handled like surveying.

Three days later, Hu Shutong's huge sheet of paper had many more key vegetable planting areas marked out, with ovals marked along the road network.

Seeing that some of the routes were marked with different colors, Luan Pingxin began to suspect that he was "plotting" something, but she couldn't see any connection between these and the cost. When she asked, Hu Shutong always said to work on the plan and see, so Luan Pingxin felt that things might not be so simple and stopped asking.

Along the way, he also saw other discoveries. When he left the national highway and arrived at the major vegetable-growing areas in the five counties north of the city, Hu Shutong found that vegetable collection points had been set up one after another, whereas at this time last year, all he could see were green trucks.

These collection points are not yet fully operational, but the signs are already erected, bearing different names but all indicating "Designated Vegetable Collection Point." This method resembles a collection warehouse but lacks its function. However, it's clear that the vegetable tycoons of the five counties have already prepared how to deal with Tongxing.

"Shutong, how are we supposed to compete with them? With this kind of situation, which vegetable farmer would dare sell their produce to Tongxing?"

I watched it after the New Year.

Hu Shutong changed direction and headed back to Qingyan.

Luan Pingxin wasn't sure if the confidence she saw in Hu Shutong was just a preconceived notion. She also dared not imagine where the ensuing conflict would lead people.

Regardless, this can be considered a battle for Tongxing. Since Hu Shutong has never compromised on this, there must be a new solution.

2005 was Tongxing's first year in the true sense. No matter how things developed, it was bound to be a year of "danger". Even two fists can't fight against four hands. How could a newly established park, under the pressure of Weixin Sheng, survive in a large and mature industry that had been around for many years?

The successes and failures, the triumphs and setbacks of the overall situation managed by Hu Shutong—

The truth will be revealed within this year!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.