Twenty years of cold chain

On a sunny afternoon, a gentle breeze blew from the balcony into the living room, where Liu Zhiying was playing with her three-year-old daughter. A small playground had been set up on the floor, and the father and daughter were playing with building blocks. The little girl had rosy cheeks and two small buns sticking up in her hair, making her exceptionally cute.

Liu Zhiying is a short and thin person.

He wore a clean white shirt with wash marks, and he was severely nearsighted with thick lenses, making his eyes appear somewhat bulging. His hair was styled in a side part, and he had kind eyes and gentle features; there were no sharp angles to be seen on his face.

Liu Zhiying occasionally glanced at the clock on the wall; not long after,

Ding Na, the wife, returned from grocery shopping.

"Mom will play with you, Dad will go cook first."

After gently touching foreheads with her daughter, Liu Zhiying walked towards the kitchen.

The meal was very lavish. His wife bought prawns, cod, ribs, and five or six kinds of fresh vegetables. Liu Zhiying was busy cooking by herself, but she was clearly a seasoned cook, arranging each dish in an orderly manner.

"Zhiying, are you still planning to go back to Changyun?" Dingna suddenly asked, leaning against the kitchen door.

"Why are you asking this again? I'm going back to the company on the 10th of next month; it's already decided."

"Then why is it that Mr. Hu is making this visit at this particular juncture?"

"I know there are some things you still can't get over, but these are things you really have to go through. In a multinational company like Changyun, every step up is difficult, but once you get to the top, you'll be in charge at that level. My dad said that when he arranged for you to get in."

In such a group, it takes five years to pass the initial screening and eight years to establish a strong leadership; everyone goes through this process.

Liu Zhiying smiled. "What's wrong with you today? You're just repeating the same old things."

"You must say what needs to be said. No matter what, you have to persevere. The light is just around the corner. Otherwise, how can you face the path you've walked before? How can you face all the sacrifices you've made over the years?"

"Okay, I got it. Let me focus on cooking for a bit."

At this moment, Ding Na frowned, her expression turning sharper. "Tell me honestly, have you ever thought about changing jobs?"

Liu Zhiying paused for a moment, then gently placed the knife on the cutting board before turning around. "What are you saying?"

"Don't think I don't know your classmate. He's incredibly powerful; even Chunrong can't suppress his influence at Tongxing."

Why didn't Longwan contact you before? He must know about Changyun's situation.

That's why we're in this situation today.

"Xiao Na, Tongxing has no shortage of people. They can recruit people from Mingda and Qingda through special programs. He has no reason to compete with Changyun for people. Tongxing always does things with integrity. In just a few years, they have been able to compete with Chunrong. They can't succeed through underhanded means."

However, the more Liu Zhiying praised Tongxing, the more arrogant Ding Na became. "What is Tongxing? It's just a private company that tries to ride on others' coattails! I understand the idea of ​​changing jobs to increase your value, but even if you want to, you can't end up in a place like Tongxing. No matter how popular a company is, it's still just a piece of meat! If you feel stifled at Changyun, I can have my dad arrange a job for you in a large state-owned enterprise, and we also have connections in foreign shipping companies, but you can't just make decisions on your own without saying a word!"

"You've talked too much; the fish is all burnt."

Liu Zhiying picked up a piece of black cod fillet and threw it into the trash can.

Ding Na gritted her teeth. This listless, unwilling-to-talk Liu Zhiying was the most infuriating. "Fine, do you dare make a bet with me!"

"you say."

"If Hu Shutong doesn't show any intention of winning you over, then you should return to the group on the 10th."

"What if we did?"

"Stop throwing a tantrum, you're going back on the 1st!"

Liu Zhiying gave a bitter smile. That's just how unreasonable he was. He stopped talking and thinking about it. The small kitchen became his only source of joy.

At dusk, the doorbell rang, and Hu Shutong came to visit, bringing two bottles of fine wine.

Upon meeting, Liu Zhiying greeted him with a broad smile, "Senior, please come in, please come in!"

It has to be said that addressing him as "senior" shortened the distance considerably. If he had been addressed as "general" all the time, it would have felt like he was being overly flattering, and it would have made the private meeting seem even more awkward and reserved.

Hu Shutong and Liu Zhiying had never met before. He originally intended to meet outside, but Liu Zhiying suggested that the child was too young and that they come to her home instead. So, he respectfully accepted her invitation.

The Liu family's house wasn't large, just a small three-bedroom apartment. The decor had a strong industrial feel, with lots of wrought iron and metalwork, giving it a nostalgic and rough look. Some of the photos and decorations hinted at Liu Zhiying's life, with backgrounds mostly of ships and warehouses, and some of them of award ceremonies, the backdrops of which were suggestive—all from the academic halls of the University of Minnesota.

Yoo Ji-young's culinary skills are amazing; the presentation is impeccable, and the taste is top-notch.

The two drank slowly, taking small sips. Ding Na noticed that after meeting Hu Shutong, Liu Zhiying, who used to be either listless or cold, had become lively and talkative.

"After hearing so many stories from senior students, I'm finally meeting you in person today. Back then, we all had a copy of your graduation thesis. We really didn't know anything back then. Whenever the current state of the cold chain was mentioned, our first reaction was that it was all fake and empty. As for industry standards, we just left it to fate. But after reading yours, it felt like there were many clues, and the further we went, the more we felt that there was a bright future ahead."

Hu Shutong laughed and said, "That's all in the past. In fact, compared to the current situation, that paper was still written conservatively."

The meal was filled with reminiscing about the past, like a journey back to the time at Mingda University, filled with many connections, and every word carried a piece of thought. This made Hu Shutong particularly emotional. After so many years, to be honest, if Liu Zhiying hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten the name of that paper from back then.

However, Ding Na's gaze always caught Hu Shutong's attention, revealing a different kind of sharpness and piercing intensity, and her nonchalance was written all over her face.

Hu Shutong sensed a strong sense of defensiveness, making it difficult to speak about anything outside of the past, and suddenly many things became clear to him.

But to his utter surprise, Yoo Ji-young opened up first.

"Senior, is there anything I can help you with, Tongxing?"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.