Twenty years of cold chain

"Brother Shutong, I know very well what's been going on in the village all these years. The reason it's been stuck here is actually the idea of ​​the truck driver. I've been trying to persuade my dad these past few days. I think that even if every household builds a cold storage facility, it won't affect the truck driver's business. Just like you said, the higher the price for large trucks, the higher the price for them. They'll still make money the same way they always have. It's just a matter of being a few days later. Everyone will still listen to the truck driver."

Liang Lu was mostly right, and Hu Shutong simply nodded without saying anything more.

"Brother Shengxi is a sensible man. Your method is the trend of the times. The one who caused the most trouble in this matter is Weng Huzi. That old guy has no children. In the village, people say he's a wicked person who deserves divine retribution. Years ago, he colluded with people from other villages to lower our prices. Now that he's old and can't move around much, he's trying to save some good karma by pretending to be considerate of everyone."

Upon hearing this, Hu Shutong rubbed his hands together under the table.

For a moment, he didn't know how to treat the person in front of him.

"Brother Shutong, you can do this without worry. My dad won't stop you; in fact, he'll support Brother Shengxi."

Hu Shutong was silent for a while, then said, "No matter what, you've been a great help in this matter. I've long heard about the Lianghu Village trio, and now that they've joined forces, everything will be much easier."

Liang Lu laughed. "Brother Shutong, what era are we living in? What Iron Triangle and Double Dragon Society? Things in the village are actually very simple. If someone takes the lead, others will follow. If you can lead the way to make money, whatever you say goes."

As midnight struck, a flurry of firecrackers went off, and Liang Lu got up to go home. New Year's Eve dinner was just around the corner, and Hu Shutong didn't try to stop him.

After Liang Lu left, Hu Shutong was filled with mixed emotions. Suddenly, a tabby cat squatted on the windowsill, its green eyes flashing, and kept meowing.

Hu Shutong opened the window a crack, and the fishy smell wafted out. The tabby cat, instead of making a sound, became docile. He picked up a few small fish and placed them on the windowsill outside. The tabby cat leaped and bounded, carrying the fish one after another to who-knows-where, and soon the cat and fish disappeared together.

……

The New Year's Eve gathering yielded results very quickly.

The appearance of Liang Lu changed everything, which made things very different between Hu Shutong and Shengxi Ge. Liang Lu was more confident in his ability to carry out the grand plan later.

Hu Shutong didn't think too much about some things. For him, building the database was the top priority. He had finally made a breakthrough, and the next step was to officially build the database.

Although the agricultural machinery department offers eight mini storage facilities with different capacities, they are divided into four low-temperature storage areas and four high-temperature storage areas. The low-temperature storage areas are designed to reach temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius, while the high-temperature storage areas range from 0 degrees Celsius to as low as -2 degrees Celsius and as high as 12 degrees Celsius. For storing fruit, the latter, the high-temperature storage area, is undoubtedly the better choice.

Shengxi compromised and chose a 120-ton capacity warehouse. Now it was time for Hu Shutong and his colleagues to show their skills. This was the first micro-warehouse for farmers in Mingjiang Province, which was of great significance, and of course they had to do a great job.

The process astonished the villagers, as it was completely different from what they had imagined. There was no digging or earthmoving, no building walls or houses. Instead, a large amount of materials and equipment were assembled, and to the people's eyes, it was like magic, and the warehouse was erected. This is the essence of the miniature warehouse.

Before assembly, Hu Shutong made some modifications to the construction plan based on the temperature environment of Lianghuzhuang, which will be reported as improvement suggestions in the future.

The refrigeration unit is constructed of double-sided sandwich color steel panels, with 150mm thick polystyrene foam insulation. The refrigeration equipment utilizes a fully enclosed compressor condenser unit, and the evaporator employs a standard type of air cooler. The expansion valve is an externally balanced type. The power consumption is 6 kilowatts, consuming 10-15 kilowatt-hours per day under normal operation.

Originally, Hu Shutong's involvement was unnecessary for the construction, but he spent every day with the workers, and gradually, people couldn't help but look at him with new respect. They initially thought he was just good at writing on paper, but when he got to practice, they were surprised to find that he was a "real expert."

In fact, the workers all had assembly experience, but this was their first time building a miniature warehouse, so some problems were inevitable. However, Hu Shutong resolved them one by one. It was as if this concept had been ingrained in his mind for a long time, and his implementation was "meticulous".

While things appeared to be going smoothly, Hu Shutong's practical report was actually more than ten pages long. It was to serve as a demonstration of the micro-repository and to summarize the detailed issues that arose during the construction of the first and first batch of repositories, which would affect the efficiency of future implementation.

Ten days later, the first mini warehouse was erected. It must be said that it looked amazing in the village. Its appearance was neat, clean and elegant. It was like a very modern thing that had entered the countryside, and it became a hot topic of discussion.

Hu Shutong also felt a great sense of accomplishment. He understood the significance of this warehouse and hoped to use it as a starting point to truly realize the value of cold storage.

What also impressed him was the experience he had gone through during this time. He hadn't broken his promise to his teacher, and he had finally gotten through to this task. Once there was a first family, there was a second; once there was a first village, there was a second. He believed that when the peak fruit season arrived, the miniature warehouse would impress everyone, and they wouldn't have to see that long, rotting journey from the field to their homes.

Everything will be clear by the end of April.

However, from late February to mid-March, Hu Shutong repeatedly heard a news report on the radio about an infectious disease. At first, it didn't attract much attention, but as the broadcasts became almost daily, it gradually made him uneasy.

Meanwhile, the news spread throughout the village, and people watched television every day, closely following the developments.

Around April, Luan Pingxin, Pang Shiyou, and his family called Hu Shutong one after another, not mentioning anything about work, but repeatedly giving him instructions—

Stay in Lianghuzhuang and don't go anywhere!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.