Twenty years of cold chain

At the project initiation meeting for companies supplying Olympic equipment, Tongxing performed exceptionally well, focusing on the safety theme. Hu Shutong gave a targeted report on Tongxing's entire mechanism, ensuring the implementation of every key step. The methamidophos incident had already left a deep impression on many leaders present, and Tongxing also received a letter of recommendation from the expert group.

In contrast, Chunrong and its accompanying companies appeared inadequate. Their reports focused heavily on safety, but overall, while the surface appeared solid, the substance was underwhelming. Their responses to questions from the city's expert panel were also unsatisfactory.

A week later, after joint discussions between the health and supervisory departments, the results of the discussions and the relevant documents were submitted, recommending that Tongxing be designated as the sole vegetable supplier for Qingning Province for the Olympic Games.

What happened next was beyond what Chu Lihe could have imagined; the advantage of exclusive supply gradually became apparent.

At the beginning of the year, Qingyan City drafted the "Measures for the Recognition of Key Logistics Enterprises in the City". After Tongxing won the Olympic Games, the first key logistics enterprise in the city was born!

According to the regulations, Tongxing will receive a one-time reward of 50 yuan. More importantly, the government will provide interest subsidies for the interest generated by Tongxing's loans, with a three-year cap and a maximum subsidy of 200 million yuan!

During the site visit, the leaders clearly stated their support for Tongxing to expand its market reach, make good use of its location advantages, combine it with various transportation hubs, and develop a high-standard cold chain logistics industry development plan and functional layout. They also promised to provide a subsidy of 20% of the total investment for future park expansion.

This made Hu Shutong deeply aware of the changes in the overall environment; the treatment Tongxing received was significantly different from when it was first established. Against the backdrop of the Olympics, food safety received unprecedented attention, and it can be said that cold chain logistics truly entered a period of rapid development.

In June, Tongxing welcomed the Olympic food safety assurance team. The team explained the main supplies that Tongxing provides and began sample testing at that time. This was because a series of venue test events, such as the International Invitational Tournament and the China Open, would be held soon, and the supply work for the Olympics by various industries had reached a critical stage.

After several initial meetings, supplying the Olympics gradually became a routine task.

For the people of Tongxing, there is another matter that has attracted close attention from top to bottom.

Hu Yuntong has started his internship, which means he will officially join Tongxing.

Before this, the two brothers had a chat.

On the sofa in Hu Shutong's office, the two sat facing each other, with a small round coffee table in front of them.

For some time now, Hu Yuntong had felt a sense of distance whenever he saw Hu Shutong. They hadn't had a proper conversation for many years. Firstly, Hu Shutong was too busy, and secondly, even if they did talk, aside from childhood stories, he couldn't find any topics that Hu Shutong could relate to.

Hu Yuntong didn't have a clear preference for taking the postgraduate entrance exam, but one day he suddenly thought that if he spent another three years taking the exam, his brother would be even more out of reach, and the occasion would be even more solemn than it was now.

"Brother, Tongxing is recruiting at Qingdao University, Qingdao Agricultural University, and Qingdao University of Science and Technology this year. Just treat me as one of them."

"Yuntong, have you ever thought about doing your own thing?"

Hu Yuntong scratched his head. "What business could I possibly have of my own?"

"You can pursue further studies in energy engineering. Whatever you do after you graduate, your brother will fully support you."

In this vibrant era, people have many choices. As for Hu Yuntong, Hu Shutong also considered many ways out and many ways to help others.

"My parents hope I can come and help you. Besides, energy engineering is related to environmental protection, and the establishment of relevant departments is an inevitable trend. I can make a difference in Tongxing!"

"It's not time to make a decision yet. You can come to Tongxing as an intern for a year and use this time and experience to think about whether you want to take this path after graduation."

Hu Yuntong's face immediately lit up with joy. "Brother! Arrange a frontline position for me, either the cold storage or the processing workshop, so I can get familiar with the basics!"

Deep down, Hu Shutong was conflicted. Emotionally, he certainly hoped that Yuntong would be by his side so that the two brothers could create a career together.

But he wasn't sure if Hu Yuntong had that kind of passion, or if this choice carried too much weight for him. His experiences over the years had taught Hu Shutong that some things can dilute one's enthusiasm and easily lead one to follow the crowd. If he felt this way, what about Hu Yuntong, who lacked a foundation in cold chain logistics and had no real industry ambitions?

However, these are not the most worrying things.

What's most worrying is that once Hu Yuntong joins, he won't be able to work as a normal intern in this corner of the park. What that would mean, Hu Shutong couldn't figure out for a moment.

Everyone in Tongxing thought this was perfectly logical; it would have been strange if Hu Yuntong had gone to other companies to seek employment. Many people were secretly preparing for this moment.

Hu Shutong didn't make any special arrangements for Hu Yuntong, but instead handed him over to Tongxing's personnel department along with the other graduates. Tongxing's interns were basically all guided by senior staff, starting with tasks such as warehousing processes, workshop processes, testing processes, and market training.

Tongxing is dynamic; it's not like a factory where people sit in chairs in front of computers in an office building. It's an open-plan factory area.

Overnight, whether it was someone who started it or a tacit understanding among the people, seemingly to distinguish themselves from Hu Shutong, everyone started calling Hu Yuntong "Little General Manager Hu." Also overnight, managers of all levels in Tongxing sent Hu Yuntong text messages, seemingly full of welcome, but actually mostly self-introductions.

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When Hu Yuntong was interning in the processing workshop, he didn't get a chance to actually do the cutting and slicing processes. Instead, a manager was always by his side, verbally explaining the HACCP control points for each step. During training on market operations, if Hu Yuntong didn't nod, the page would remain stuck, as if he were the only intern present and everyone else was invisible.

Even when he was getting food in the cafeteria, someone would get his tray faster than him. When the cafeteria chef saw Hu Yuntong, two meatballs would turn into four, and he would only pick out chicken legs and wing tips.

Hu Yuntong hadn't expected this scene, and he dared not say much, fearing it would be over-interpreted. He couldn't discuss these matters with Hu Shutong either; given human relationships, could he simply issue a notice telling everyone to stay away?

While eating in a sullen mood, Hu Yuntong finally saw an old acquaintance, Chu Lihe, who came to sit down opposite him with his tray. Chu Lihe was responsible for most of Tongxing's external affairs, and his business trips would last from a week to half a month. This was the first time Hu Yuntong had seen him since he came to Tongxing.

"What's wrong? Mr. Hu looks very unhappy."

"Brother Lihe, why are you calling me that too? I'm so worried!"

Chu Lihe smiled slightly, "Yuntong, why put so much pressure on yourself? Things will be simple if you think things through."

"I want to, but how can I think of a solution?"

"You're not the main character in all of this. You see everyone tiptoeing around, but they're actually just putting on a show for President Hu. Nobody knows which wind will blow to him. So, you just need to be content with the status quo. No matter how exaggerated they are, just understand the underlying reasons."

Hu Yuntong nodded. He understood the situation. Tongxing didn't have any real shareholders; Hu Shutong was the only one who could make decisions and had absolute power over all aspects of Tongxing. In such an environment where they worked together day and night, people didn't tend to be so calculating or manipulative.

"Yuntong, you're treated like royalty at Tongxing. Sometimes, applying the respect shown to President Hu to you is a shortcut!"

"You're making me sound like a tool."

Chu Lihe quickly shook his head with a smile, "That's not what I meant at all. President Hu is a great man, and Little President Hu is not much different. Given time to make your own achievements, you will gain true respect."

It sounded like flattery, but something just didn't feel right.

The word "respect" can sometimes be the most hurtful thing.

When the topic of achievements came up, Hu Yuntong suddenly frowned, his mind racing.

And believe it or not, some things don't have to wait, there really are some good things happening at Tongxing right now!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.