Twenty years of cold chain

Hu Shutong received a call from Luan Pingxin, and after saying only one sentence, he hurriedly went to the balcony.

Under the shade of the tree stood a beautiful woman.

When Luan Pingxin saw Hu Shutong, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. In just a few days, she noticed that Hu Shutong had lost a lot of weight. His eyes were still bloodshot, his face was still sallow, and large blisters had formed on the corners of his mouth, which had broken and formed hard, dark red scabs.

"Pingxin, I'm sorry."

"Who will listen to your apology!"

Hu Shutong's voice was so hoarse it seemed to be just a slit. Looking at his neck, three dark purple welts appeared, covered with red welts.

Luan Pingxin couldn't hold back her tears, "How could you be so careless!"

When Luan Pingxin started crying, Hu Shutong couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and pulled Luan Pingxin into his arms. The two hugged each other tightly. "I promise I won't be so careless again, and I won't make you worry so much."

"I'm terrified!" Tears soaked Hu Shutong's shoulder. "This is a lifelong matter!"

"Alright, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Pah! If you dare mention 'difficult' or 'death' again, I'll stretch your ears into a donkey's ears!"

Hu Shutong smiled and pointed into the distance, saying, "May everything go smoothly and as you wish!"

"That's more like it!"

Just as they were leaving hand in hand, the sound of an ocarina suddenly rang out from the balcony on the third floor. Li Zhou leaned out with a big smile and began to play "Forever Together".

It was as if after three dark winters, they had finally welcomed a profusion of flowers. Hu Shutong's mood had changed a lot. With Luan Pingxin by his side, there was nothing he couldn't get through.

Walking past the gymnasium, the library, the laboratory building, and the activity center, Hu Shutong, who was on campus, felt for the first time that the campus was very far away from her.

The campus is still the same campus; it's he himself who has changed.

Back then, he was thinking about tomorrow's lessons and his future aspirations; now, he's filled with thoughts of relationships and the rules of survival in society. It's all very clear, like an invisible hand is pulling him away from his cradle and dreams, to confront the realities of life.

"Shutong, when are you going to do something that you can decide for yourself?"

Luan Pingxin's words always resonated with him. Through this experience, what Hu Shutong truly understood was not the unpredictability of human nature or the inherent self-interest of people, but rather the profound fear of "having one's fate in the hands of others." To achieve one's goals, one must always first take control of one's own destiny.

Looking back on this journey, it was both learning and application, yet in the end, he almost died because of his studies. Hu Shutong didn't speak, but simply tightened his grip on her warm hand. Luan Pingxin pursed her lips; she knew Hu Shutong was beginning to ponder.

As dusk fell, the alleys outside Mingda University came alive.

The alleyway was lined with restaurants and street stalls, where a dazzling array of clothes, accessories, and household items were on display. Just then, an old man carrying two large baskets of baby's breath walked straight toward Hu Shutong.

"Young man, how about a bouquet of these romantic baby's breath flowers?"

This time, Luan Pingxin was also very worried. Hu Shutong couldn't afford the expensive things, so he thought of buying Luan Pingxin a bouquet as a token of his feelings.

But Luan Pingxin shook her head first, "Thank you, but flowers don't last, we don't need them."

"Young lady, other things may not keep for long, but these baby's breath flowers can withstand the test of time."

"Even after a long time, it will still be a flower." Just then, Luan Pingxin glanced down and bent down, then took a heart-shaped music box in her hand.

The outside is glossy black, and when you open it, you can see a small red carpet with a few tiny gold footprints on it, which looks very exquisite. When you close it and open it again, you can hear "The Blue Danube" playing over and over again.

Luan Pingxin squatted down, looked up at Hu Shutong, and shook the music box to her ear. "If you're going to give something as a gift, how about this?"

Hu Shutong nodded repeatedly, "I'm glad you like it."

The stall owner glanced at it and said, "Fifty yuan, no bargaining. The wooden box packaging is expensive too, but I can give you a few for free..."

"No packaging, no freebies." Luan Pingxin put the music box into her bag, then pulled Hu Shutong away.

Dinner was at a ramen restaurant.

Luan Pingxin added chili to the noodles, and Hu Shutong added vinegar. With their moods improved, their appetites naturally improved, and the two of them looked very hungry as they ate.

Whether things in the southern suburbs are satisfactory or not is another matter, but we probably won't be coming back. However, you'll still have to deal with those people, you know what I mean.

"Don't worry, this will never happen again. I'm not stupid. This time, I, as the person directly involved, have learned a lot."

"She's not stupid, but she's straightforward and honest."

"You mean this bowl of noodles, right?"

Luan Pingxin chuckled, "I've noticed there's something you weren't bragging about."

"What is it?"

"You said you knew many important people on the bus during the Chinese New Year. After this incident, I believe you."

Hu Shutong fell silent, thinking to himself that there were no important figures involved; everyone was just taking a gamble for themselves, and these relationships couldn't be explained in words. But at the same time, he realized that everyone was different from before.

"By the way, we owe this all to Qi Zhendong. He gave us time, so I think you should thank him in person."

Hu Shutong nodded; he had the same idea and planned to prepare some gifts to express his gratitude.

"Some things are still with him. Now that it's all over, let's not leave them with someone else."

"I see."

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.