Twenty years of cold chain

Qingning's fruit industry is basically monopolized by a few major local fruit-producing counties. Although the output is huge, the varieties are limited, with apples, pears, and citrus fruits accounting for 60-70%. However, grapes and cherries from Lianghuzhuang would be very popular here. Moreover, fruits from other places are very expensive here, and currently you can only buy them in fancy fruit shops; you can't find them in ordinary vegetable markets.

This is the source of Liang Lu's confidence in becoming Tongxing's customer. In his mind, things are linear: Tongxing's trucks will drive directly to Liangzhuang's fields or cold storage. By buying fruit at the field price and reselling it in Qingyan, the price difference can be as much as five times. Transportation costs and labor costs are all irrelevant in the face of such a price difference.

Moreover, he's so close to Tongxing now, they can communicate anytime. He'll bring Tongxing substantial profits, making him a valuable patron that Hu Shutong needs to curry favor with. Furthermore, with such high selling prices, field prices are likely to adjust, bringing tangible income to the villagers – that's the real success!

Liang Lu thought about it again and again and didn't think there was anything wrong with the logic. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more natural it seemed, as if this was the meaning of his trip to Tongxing.

A brand new and exciting plan took root in Liang Lu's heart. He was not in a hurry to talk about it with Hu Shutong. Instead, he spent more time observing Hu Shutong on this trip.

This Mr. Hu is indeed different from before; he exudes a strong business aura, has countless receptions every day, and hardly notices anyone. But he believes that soon he will be able to sit alone in his office, just like those people, and chat about business.

So on the way back, Liang Lu became cheerful again, and even thought about the industry. The fields and farmland were the primary industry, while Tongxing, no matter how powerful and large, was still a service industry. Surprisingly, he had even distinguished between them here, and he felt a sense of weight in it, much more reassuring than a calligraphy award certificate.

……

One evening after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the entire Tongxing was on high alert!

Without any prior notice, vehicles from the Municipal Health Bureau's Supervision and Enforcement Team suddenly drove into the park! After quickly showing their credentials, they split into three groups and simultaneously entered Tongxing's cold storage!

Hu Shutong was confused, but cooperated fully throughout the process. The law enforcement officers first took many photos, and then scanned the cold storage with equipment. Finally, they took away samples of ribbonfish, prawns, and six types of vegetables before leaving Tongxing.

Have you ever done business with Pingchengshan Cold Storage?

Hu Shutong immediately denied it, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

In Qingyan, everyone in the cold chain industry knows Pingchengshan Cold Storage. Built in the early 1990s, this large-scale cold storage facility is named after the famous Pingchengshan Mountain in the area. Pingchengshan Cold Storage primarily deals in pork, beef, and mutton, and for many years it has been a major distribution center for bulk meat products in Qingyan City. It enjoys an excellent reputation within the industry; goods that can't be moved elsewhere are often sourced from Pingchengshan – this kind of patronage is considered a matter of brotherhood and loyalty, earning it the title of "Big Brother" among many in the meat industry.

Law enforcement officers did not pursue the matter further because Tongxing only had fish, shrimp, and vegetables, making it easier to "clear one's name."

Even so, Hu Shutong was still uneasy. With such a large-scale inspection, something big must have happened in Pingcheng Mountain!

He called Lei Xiaoxi, who only told him to wait for the news report. He then inquired around, but still couldn't find out what had happened. He only knew that the Pingchengshan Cold Storage had been sealed off, the person in charge had been taken away, and there were other rumors that the boss behind it had fled.

Undercurrents were swirling, and everyone was on edge. Tongxing was too young, yet its momentum was rapid, and Hu Shutong was afraid of rumors circulating in the industrial park. He convened an all-staff meeting, assuring everyone that Tongxing was fully compliant. He explained that if there were any violations such as spoilage or deterioration, he wouldn't be sitting there unperturbed. Everyone knew that any incident in the food industry was a major event, and calming everyone down was paramount.

Hu Shutong didn't sleep all night, sitting in his office, anxious but helpless. He knew the matter wouldn't involve Tongxing, but from the perspective of the industry as a whole, food safety issues meant Tongxing couldn't remain uninvolved.

Strangely, the industry has remained silent about this matter. He doesn't believe that no one knows the inside story, but the fact that no one wants to mention it makes people even more uneasy.

The scene Hu Shutong witnessed on the evening news the following day almost turned his life upside down!

The undercover footage was eerie and unsettling; if it weren't for the caption "Pyeongseongsan Cold Storage" at the bottom, one might have mistaken it for a coal mine. The process was extremely noisy, with the filming equipment constantly shaking. Many people approached to question what the reporters were doing and repeatedly tried to drive them away; shouting and cursing could even be heard.

News reports detailed the appalling practices at the Pingchengshan Cold Storage. Firstly, it sold sow meat as beef, with a price difference of more than ten times. Sows are used for breeding and are often over ten years old. Although there's no ban on selling sow meat in the market, anyone selling this type of meat must clearly label it as sow meat, and once this label is in place, no one will buy it.

Not only is sow meat low in nutritional value and lacking in flavor, it also contains an immunoglobulin that poses risks such as anemia and jaundice to humans. Therefore, selling sow meat on the market is practically equivalent to banning it altogether.

However, in appearance, sow meat is very similar to beef. The meat fibers are coarse, lack elasticity, and appear tough. There is also a layer of red fat that is very deceptive. If consumers do not carefully distinguish, it is difficult to find that this is sow meat.

If it were just this incident, the backer of Pingchengshan Cold Storage wouldn't have run away. What's truly outrageous is yet to come!

This is something that brings shame to everyone in the industry!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.