Twenty years of cold chain

Lately, many of Hu Shutong's plans revolve around Panhu Fishing Port, as this is the first time in many years he has set foot on this land. However, his connection with the fishing port is far deeper than that of the expert team that has been stationed here for a long time.

Yu Dajun drove a high-end joint venture sedan to the airport to pick up Hu Shutong. As soon as he got in the car, before he could say more than a few words, Yu Dajun's phone rang.

As she listened, she grew increasingly annoyed. "Don't bother me with these uncertain matters next time. Do you think I can mediate their wrangling? If the plans and drawings aren't finalized, the construction team can just sit there eating and drinking!"

Yu Dajun threw his phone onto the watch face and angrily grabbed a handful of his hair.

"Brother Dajun, what's wrong?"

"Just like back in the southern suburbs, you've created another mess for yourself. I should have known better than to ask you for a solution last year."

"What happened?"

"When I submitted your cold chain logistics zone planning proposal, given the circumstances, I didn't expect it to be adopted. After all, there was a planning committee expert group above us. At the time, I wanted Pengcheng to appear as if it had considered everything thoroughly, so I felt reassured having you handle it, and it would also be satisfactory to the group. Sure enough, not long after, the expert group also came up with a plan, but strangely enough, their plan conflicted with yours!"

"Shutong, I must say you're something else. Both of you are building things on the ground, both serving outsourcing companies, and you're both experts on both sides. I just don't understand, how can your creations still clash?!"

Yu Dajun was unaware of the details, but Hu Shutong was not surprised at all. Once the new plan was introduced and comparisons were made, there would definitely be some clashes between his own plan and the normal cold chain logistics zone.

"Since the planning commission has stepped in, shouldn't your engineering team just do as they say? What's there to be hesitant about?"

"Hey! If only we were here. The water in this fishing port is even deeper than in the southern suburbs. The project was about to start at the end of last year, and suddenly a group of people came out and desperately supported your plan! In the end, I was the one who started this, which is why I said you're just asking for trouble!"

This shocked Hu Shutong. "Brother Dajun, who are these people?"

"The people inside the Planning Commission must be quite capable, otherwise one side would have compromised long ago. I sent people to attend the meetings, and every time it was a debate. I'm just saying this to you, but in my opinion, the Planning Commission's expert group still harbors old grudges. Their three-district planning proposal was rejected back then, and in the end, they used yours. If they can't win this time, it'll be 0:2. I don't think it's all the plan's fault."

Hu Shutong pondered this, and realized that Yu Dajun had been immersed in fishing ports for a long time, so his judgment must have some merit.

"I'm too lazy to talk about this nonsense. Let's go eat first, then we'll go to the fishing port. This time I'm the host, what do you want to eat?"

"Dumplings, braised pork ribs, and mixed shredded vegetables."

Yu Dajun laughed heartily, as if he could see himself riding a motorcycle, wearing a helmet, and driving back in the old days of Chenxing Cold Storage.

The two sat down at the restaurant and ordered the dishes as Hu Shutong had instructed.

"Brother Dajun, do you have the expert group's planning proposal?"

"Yes, if someone hadn't suddenly stopped us, the project would have started long ago." As he spoke, Yu Dajun rummaged through his briefcase and handed the proposal to Hu Shutong.

When Hu Shutong took a look, it was indeed much as he had expected. The drawings had a lot of outlines, delineating the "territory" of each company that would move in. The supporting facilities for each company were very comprehensive, far more so than he had thought of.

Essentially, the expert group's plan and Hu Shutong's approach were two different, which led to the conflict between the factories with the same functions.

Upon closer inspection, there are nineteen long squares arranged on top. "Nineteen companies?"

"That's right, these companies have all submitted their applications in advance and have been screened. Don't worry, I've already finalized the details of Tongxing's move-in; you're definitely one of them!"

Hu Shutong gripped the blueprints, his brow furrowing even more. "Turning the cold chain logistics zone into a fill-in-the-blank exercise—this kind of planning is too rigid. Where does the confidence come from that we can meet future demand?"

"Shutong, think about it the other way around. Who wouldn't want to get a piece of the pie in the fishing port? Every family has factories and office buildings, with a total cost of at least 20 million. Once the companies that move in are selected, it's equivalent to attracting investment. So, do we need to say more about the construction costs of the cold chain logistics zone? From this perspective, the expert group's plan can get the support of both the planning commission and the companies."

Hu Shutong nodded; Yu Dajun's words had struck a chord.

According to this plan, the southern suburbs will definitely have no chance. Hu Shutong's promise to Qi Zhendong will be useless. Building the Yuncheng transfer station will either cost several million or tens of millions of yuan, or it will be stillborn.

"I'm curious, who exactly is supporting my proposal?"

Yu Dajun, with a meaningful look in his eyes, answered irrelevantly, "Shutong, do you remember that this Panhu Fishing Port Economic Zone was originally called Panhu Demonstration Port?"

"Of course I remember."

"Do you know how I first learned about this place?"

"Brother Dajun, what are you trying to say?"

Yu Dajun said no more, and handed Hu Shutong a business card with a smile. "This person is said to be the main person. Anyway, I can't get in touch with him. I think he's even more aloof than Dr. Li."

After dinner, we arrived at Panhu Fishing Port Economic Zone, where a grand vision of cold chain logistics unfolded before Hu Shutong. Years ago, he had heard many people in the industry say that anyone who wanted to work in the cold chain industry or do it well would have to go through Panhu Fishing Port, a landmark industry hub!

Hundreds of machines are operating simultaneously, and the tower cranes in the distance look like a jungle. With steel bars poured, cement walls erected, and layers stacked up, they demonstrate the vitality of Panhu Fishing Port and showcase the vigorous development of infrastructure construction in this major country in recent years.

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This massive economic zone is based on cold chain logistics but extends far beyond it. In addition to industrial and business areas, there is a residential area with over two thousand households. Also under construction are a leisure harbor for relaxation, a fishing port with a strong emphasis on shopping and entertainment, and a yacht club. In terms of industrial agglomeration, it is unparalleled.

This nearly 20-square-kilometer area was designed from the outset to create a cultural brand, integrating industrial parks, port logistics, commercial exhibitions, and catering and leisure. Its foresight is admirable.

As night fell, Hu Shutong stayed at the Pengcheng Construction project site. Lost in thought, he took out the business card. It had no job title written on it, only a name and a phone number.

This man's name is Guo Xiangxu.

But just as Hu Shutong dialed the number, a name suddenly appeared on his phone. It turned out he had already saved this number, but it was marked as—

Suddenly he understood what Yu Dajun meant by Panhu Demonstration Port; the matter actually dates back to 01.

They were old acquaintances, just never met in person. In an instant, countless connections were made, and everything before and after became clear. Hu Shutong was surprised because he never expected that every single thing involved him.

However, what Hu Shutong remembers most vividly are the startling yet chilling titles of the posts from their first meeting—

"There are plenty of fish, but why can't you afford them? Because there are even more rotting at the docks!"

"Don't just look at the waste along the way; many fish don't even have a chance to move!"

A few words sketch out an era, an era that we don't know how to approach yet are driven crazy by.

Listening to it now, it seems to be filled with the restlessness of that time, but thinking about it carefully, it still makes people restless today.

"Feed?"

Contrary to what Yu Dajun had said, Hu Shutong was taken aback; the call had actually gone through!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.