Twenty years of cold chain

While on campus, Hu Yuntong and Liang Lu often played ball and went online together on weekends. Gradually, Hu Yuntong learned more about Liang Lu's background. At first, he thought he was a fruit farmer, but after learning more about him, he realized that he was quite remarkable. It turned out that Liang Lu's family was not only a large household, but also had a say in the dozens of large households in the Liang family.

Liang Lu often expressed his helplessness at having to sell good goods at low prices, and gave Hu Yuntong many examples. In his words, as long as the fruit was resold to Qingyan, the price could be quadrupled! Liang Lu also patted his chest and guaranteed that as long as he raised his arm, there would be as much fruit as needed from Lianghuzhuang and even the surrounding villages!

Hu Yuntong hadn't taken these words seriously before, even when Liang Lu solemnly said that he would do business with Tongxing sooner or later.

But after joining Tongxing, Hu Yuntong suddenly felt that this was something worth trying and pushing forward. At present, Tongxing wouldn't even dare to dream of four times the exorbitant prices in any of its businesses. If Liang Lu could control the supply, and Tongxing had trucks, warehouses, and a market, this matter would be a sure thing!

In his view, having a high-quality source of goods is the most important thing, just like pig farms that raise hybrid pigs, which have a high lean meat ratio, and getting them is a sure way to make money.

Without consulting Hu Shutong beforehand, Hu Yuntong began to investigate the situation on the other side. In his view, if the quantity of goods was sufficient, it would be a pleasant surprise, and such a price difference was insurmountable.

It was summer vacation, and as soon as Liang Lu returned to Lianghu Village, he began to plan his future. A phone call from Hu Yuntong made Liang Lu overjoyed. He never expected that Hu Yuntong would become the business contact person, demonstrating Tongxing's emphasis on this cooperation, which immediately relieved him of any worries.

However, this year, the fruit farmers in Lianghuzhuang demanded exorbitant prices from merchants in the county, driving up the price of plums to more than double that of previous years. Naturally, negotiations failed, but the fruit farmers, emboldened by their position, simply sealed off their warehouses and refused to sell.

In less than half a month, the news spread throughout the surrounding villages. After making inquiries in private, people learned that the fruit from Lianghu Village was going to be sold to the north, and that large fruit merchants from the north would come to pick up the goods without having to wait too long.

Although the plums from Tongze County are a special variety, their price in Mingjiang, where they originate, is only three or four cents higher than ordinary sour plums. But it's a different story in the north. Most people in the north have never even seen these thin-skinned, fine-fleshed, and flavorful plums. Some even claim to have obtained accurate prices and are buying them for 1.3 yuan per jin (0.5 kg).

As the rumors spread, the situation gradually spiraled out of control. The plum harvest in over a dozen surrounding villages around Lianghuzhuang stalled, and every household's storage facilities were overflowing. Every day, large numbers of people came to Lianghuzhuang to inquire about the latest news; the intricate web of relationships between people created an irreversible situation.

Liang Lu appeared confident, but inside he was starting to panic. His initial estimate was that he had already stockpiled more than a thousand tons of plums! More importantly, some of the plums had been stored for almost a month. If these goods ended up unsold, the public's criticism would be overwhelming.

He realized that Hu Yuntong was just a messenger, always asking about the quantity but never saying when it would arrive. To close this big deal, he needed to get a word out of Hu Yuntong as soon as possible.

"Mr. Hu, I've prepared all the goods. When will the truck arrive?"

"What goods? What vehicle?" Hu Shutong was completely bewildered.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

"You must be joking. Yun Tong said the day before yesterday that he was ready to report to you on the arrangements for the first batch of vehicles."

Hu Shutong frowned instantly, a sense of unease rising within him. "What are you two up to?"

"Mr. Hu, it's like this, one thousand tons of plums have been prepared, and the price will be as Tongxing previously agreed."

"How much?"

"A thousand tons!"

Hu Shutong hung up the phone quickly without saying anything more. Just then, Hu Yuntong strode in with a folder in his hand. "Brother, I have good news for you! A huge order for a thousand tons!"

"Brother, look, this is the price I found at the supermarket in the city. Dahuang plums are 4.5 yuan a jin in Qingyan! I already discussed it with Liang Lu, and we can get them from Lianghuzhuang for about 1 yuan a jin! Brother, that's a whole thousand tons! Just think how much we can earn!"

Hu Shutong's eyes widened in disbelief, and it took him a long time to catch his breath. "Yuntong, do you think cold chain logistics is just about making money off the price difference?"

"No, what else?"

Without warning, Hu Shutong suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, startling Hu Yuntong so much that his hand trembled and the papers scattered all over the floor.

"A thousand tons would require a hundred trucks! Tongxing can't even spare ten empty trucks right now! Even if they could, given the speed of refrigerated trucks, it would take two drivers taking turns to drive from Qingbei to Mingnan, and a round trip would take four and a half days. Have you even calculated how much money that would cost?"

"At this time of year, the plum season in Tongze County is already over. At least 800 tons out of a thousand tons won't survive ten days! That's a thousand tons! Tongxing does nothing but produce this batch of plums. Do you think ten days is enough?"

Hu Yuntong stared wide-eyed, having never seen Hu Shutong with such a temper before.

"You two are really something, hoarding so much stuff. It must be enough to supply every village for miles around. Have you even thought about what the consequences would be if you couldn't get out?"

"Brother, how come you can't do it?"

"I have a way? Then let me ask you, where are you going to get the two million for this shipment!"

Hu Yuntong was completely stunned.

Hu Shutong was furious. "You know nothing, you think nothing, all you see is the price difference! What does Tongxing have? What can Tongxing shoulder? If you knew even a little bit, would you have done such an absurd thing!"

Hu Yuntong gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand ramrod straight.

He swore that this would be the only time he would ever be subjected to such a harsh criticism!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.