Twenty years of cold chain

When Hu Shutong was a child, the county's vegetable market was his least favorite place. His entire childhood felt like it was enveloped in vegetables. After working hard to sell the lettuce, celery, and green beans from home, he would frequently have to go to the county to buy onions, tofu, and some seasonings. He was always busy with these things, and there was no fun in it for a child.

Moreover, the vegetable market is full of rotten vegetable leaves, which are sticky and slippery like watermelon rinds. Children are active and playful, and they will fall on their bottoms if you are not careful. When they look up, they will find that they have grabbed a mushy mess that looks like poop. It can be said that there is no place more disgusting than this.

So every time he went grocery shopping with his mother, Hu Shutong would ask for a "delivery fee." After leaving the market, he would slip into that corner and buy a bag of melon seeds and a few rolls of hawthorn candy—that was the real purpose of his trip to the market.

For Hu Shutong, the vegetable market back then was like a series of cellars, with potatoes stored here and cabbages stored there, tons and tons of them stuck in one place. After browsing through them, he could only find about a dozen kinds of vegetables.

Today's vegetable market bears no trace of what it used to be. It is not only clean and refreshing with a wide variety of products, but even the way the vegetables are arranged has been carefully considered. Some vendors even use scallions, green peppers, and red peppers to create the appearance of a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

Going to the supermarket is often about searching, while going to the farmers' market is about encountering something new. Now there are even more surprising and delightful categories of food available. Instead of planning what to eat, people are now thinking, "Oh, we have this, so what can we make with it?"

When someone comes to such a place, even if they don't buy a single vegetable, they can still feel the warmth of everyday life and the deepest human touch from the friendly greetings in the local accents. The bustling atmosphere, the haggling, the jostling, the everyday life of the marketplace, the smoke rising from the chimneys before meals—all these are the joys of life.

His mother carefully selected vegetables, fruits, fish, shrimp, and beef. Before long, Hu Shutong's hands were heavy with food. "Mom, I think that's enough..."

"The market was almost out of stock during the Lunar New Year holidays, and you're already getting impatient after such a short time?"

No, no.

"You weren't supposed to do this work. When your dad was your age, you could carry over ten kilograms of potatoes all the way back from the county."

Hu Shutong frowned but chuckled, "The errand fee is high, so of course I'll be diligent."

"Boss, weigh out two pounds of these bok choy for me."

"Mom, this is called baby bok choy."

"Wow, you know a lot more than I do."

While the mother and son were buying groceries, Lao Hu and Lao Luan sat facing each other on the balcony, neither of them looking relaxed.

"Old Hu, we can't wait any longer. If they wait until they're over forty to start making plans, you'll be almost seventy, and by the time your grandson takes the college entrance exam, you'll be almost ninety!"

Although they were all trying to appear older than their actual age, Hu Wan-kui was still so anxious that he kept smoking. Ninety was just too exaggerated. "Old Luan, you think of a solution. I'm just a roughneck. If they find an excuse, I won't even be able to say a word."

Luan Qizhen also sighed, "If there were a good way, things wouldn't have come to this. In any case, we have to teach them a lesson. From now on, don't pay attention to them when you talk to them. Always follow my lead and cooperate well."

"I wouldn't dare to mess with Pingxin's temper."

"I dare not do this, I dare not do that, when will I be able to see my grandson! It's settled then, we must make sure they see clearly what's going on, otherwise this year will have been wasted!"

Hu Shutong returned from grocery shopping, just as Luan Pingxin, who had accompanied her mother to buy clothes, also returned. An animated film was playing on the television. The two mothers busied themselves in the kitchen, while the two old men were not in high spirits. Hu Shutong and Luan Pingxin realized they had made a mistake; they had orchestrated a "baby-inducing scheme" where both sides would work together without any interference.

However, Hu Shutong and Luan Pingxin understood that in a normal family, this would be a natural occurrence, far from warranting such a strong emotional reaction or being treated as a major issue. But in this family, it was a truly difficult problem. At their pace, the next year would be another year focused entirely on business and industry, a prospect that seemed far off. No wonder their parents were constantly giving them subtle hints.

They also realized that this wasn't just Lao Hu and Lao Luan throwing a tantrum; if things dragged on any longer, the current situation would become much milder.

The couple helped their mother cook. Later that evening, Hu Shutong brought out some good wine and filled three cups. After calling them several times, Hu Wankui and Luan Qizhen reluctantly came over from their respective rooms.

Seeing this, Hu Shutong realized that without a concrete explanation, the New Year might be a very stressful one.

Luan Pingxin smiled and said, "Dad, New Year's Eve is just around the corner. You can't always look so listless."

"Sigh! This house is so quiet and empty, there's no warmth or life in it at all."

Hu Shutong took the message and said, "Dad, this is such a joyous occasion for me and Pingxin. These past few years, our New Year celebrations have been so quiet. This year, we're all together, it's so lively!"

"Go away! What kind of 'human touch' is that? A childish, innocent voice is the real human touch!"

You have to admit it, the old man's words are powerful, and just that one sentence was enough to make Hu Shutong and Luan Pingxin lose their ground.

"Dad... um..."

Before he could say anything more, Luan Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Because we're always busy, in a hurry, and running around, we often don't see each other. We'll try our best to see each other this year, and we'll repeat the same thing next year."

They were so anxious that they even came up with a catchy rhyme about it.

"Shutong, think about it carefully. No matter how energetic you are, this business still needs someone to carry it on. If you don't start now, your child will be in college when you're sixty, and by the time you're seventy, he won't have gained any experience."

Goodness, these days things are so complicated that no matter how you try to push them away, they always seem so urgent.

"I won't say any more. You two know everything. You need to balance career and family. What's the point of me saying this until my lips are practically blistered?"

Hu Wankui chimed in, "You can still talk, but we dare not say too much. Every word you utter is so high-class, from getting money from the province to building factories outside. If we talk too much, we might delay them. The phoenix's nest is so high, and our stick can only reach the stinky rooster."

"Old Hu, stop talking and let's drink."

"Sigh! What else can we do besides drinking!"

Seeing this, both Mrs. Hu and Mrs. Luan smiled. They had just raised their glasses when they saw this cooperative behavior, and immediately put them down on the table with a disdainful look.

Luan Pingxin suddenly said, "Drink less and think more about giving your child a nice name."

Suddenly, two wine glasses, one on each side, were placed in front of Hu Shutong.

"Shutong, come on! Cheers! Let's have a good drink!"

The dishes are delicious, the fish is fragrant, and the things I've been longing for have never been described like this before. I've even had to consult a dictionary. My mind is at ease, and the year feels more meaningful.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.