Twenty years of cold chain

Outside the Lantern Festival venue, Hu Shutong bought two bright red scarves at a textile shop and personally put them on his teacher. They were not only festive and appropriate, but also made him look much more energetic. Pang Shiyou smiled, stroked the scarves, and then showed them to Hu Shutong, examining them for a while before nodding with great satisfaction.

Stepping into the lantern festival, one is greeted by a dazzling array of colors, sometimes resembling the full moon, sometimes like crystal. There are colorful dragon boats flying and dancing, golden gods of wealth shimmering and swaying, brilliant lotus flowers hanging from the ceiling, and the Monkey King pointing to the heavens in the Year of the Monkey.

The children chased after the rolling lanterns on the ground, as if playing a larger version of marbles, their laughter echoing everywhere. The lanterns were embroidered with koi fish, mandarin ducks, and auspicious clouds, all representing beautiful hopes and dreams.

It is said that a person's complexion is good, and every ray of light and shadow signifies a year of prosperity.

As they walked, Hu Shutong took his teacher's arm. This year marked his teacher's sixtieth birthday. He was clearly in high spirits, his eyes sparkling as he looked around, his steps light, and he would occasionally smile knowingly at the various sights he saw.

Of course, he also passed by many sugar-blowing carts, and Pang Shiyou would always take a second look at them.

"Teacher, may I give you a sugar figurine?"

"Are you going to buy a gift box so I can keep it as a souvenir and not eat it?"

Hu Shutong couldn't help but laugh out loud, "If you're going to eat it, you'll have to sneak it over with the milk candy. It's better to just watch the sugar figurine."

Then he couldn't wait to go to the sugar figurine cart and asked the sugar figurine master to blow a horse. But when he held it in his hand, Pang Shiyou looked at it from left to right and was not satisfied. So he asked the master to blow a pair of wings and stick them on.

Around 9 PM, having explored most of the lantern festival, the two arrived at a small restaurant at the other end of the venue. Of course, they had to have a bowl of glutinous rice balls. Opposite the restaurant was a lantern bridge, and sitting by the window was a perfect spot, with the lanterns flickering and changing the scene on the table.

His gaze shifted from the dazzling lights not far away, and Pang Shiyou's expression became more composed. Hu Shutong knew that his teacher had come to give him something important.

"Shutong, in this competition, let's talk less about technology and more about practical matters. Your approach should have two dimensions: first, solving real-world problems, and second, articulating strategic issues. The real-world problem is about food supply, and the strategic issue is also about food supply."

Hu Shutong nodded, understanding the meaning behind the instruction. Just when he thought his teacher was going to continue explaining, the teacher's guidance stopped there.

"The rest is up to you. Don't ask me what I think, and don't try to combine any opinions. Just take out everything you've learned, seen, and thought, and make a plan that satisfies you."

"I understand, teacher."

Two bowls of glutinous rice balls with black sesame filling were served, along with two side dishes: stir-fried lettuce and onion-mixed wood ear mushrooms.

"Shutong, have you thought about what will happen if we fail this time?"

Hu Shutong was silent for a moment, then his teacher said something that struck a chord with him: "I've thought about it. The reason I didn't tell you before was because I was worried about this. Besides, this opportunity is very rare, and I was afraid of letting Director Lei down."

But then, Pang Shiyou put down his spoon.

"Worried? What do you have to worry about? The phone numbers of people trying to poach you through me could stretch from here all the way to the sugar cart. You'd not only get tens of thousands a year, but you'd also be doing the work for the industry—working in companies as a technician, in industrial parks as a manager, or on the front lines as a promoter. Whether the Qingyan deal succeeds or not, you're in the cold chain. What's there to worry about?"

These words brought tears to Hu Shutong's eyes.

"Although this opportunity is rare, compared to others, it can only be considered an experience. On the contrary, the more you worry about gains and losses, the worse you will do. Think about when you were building the fruit and vegetable warehouse, the assembly warehouse, and investing in the southern suburbs. Why did you do everything perfectly? It wasn't some vague and intangible favorable timing or location, but because you, as the person in charge, had a light workload."

Yes, it's been two months since I learned about this news before New Year's Day last year. Hu Shutong has been traveling and inspecting the site, constantly reminding himself that this opportunity is precious and he can't afford to lose. He has to work harder and harder to not let anyone down. Unconsciously, he has taken on a heavy burden. Sometimes, just thinking about the two powerful competitors in the real economy makes him break out in a cold sweat.

But Pang Shiyou's words were like an invisible brush that untangled his knots. Only then did he understand the true purpose of his teacher's visit to Qingyan, and only this old man could speak so clearly.

Having witnessed Hu Shutong's growth all the way, Pang Shiyou never worried about his technical skills. However, Hu Shutong had never created a solution of his own. Because of this, he would subconsciously regard this as his "proof".

Moreover, given that it was such a project, such an opportunity, and the first attempt at an entrepreneurial idea, Pang Shiyou knew that it could easily lead Hu Shutong into an obsession, making him take it too seriously, as if losing would mean certain death.

Technical skills are important, but mindset is even more crucial; it concerns not only the present but also the future. Everyone talks about maintaining a calm and balanced mindset, but this is not easy, especially for a college graduate who has never entered the workforce.

"Teacher, I will stay focused and not think about things that are beyond my control."

"That's right. Just like a great writer once said, ninety percent of the world's troubles can be attributed to being too concerned about gains and losses. You shouldn't be thinking about how to please others, but rather you should focus on how to make yourself agree. For someone like you, getting approval isn't an easy task."

Hu Shutong laughed, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. He picked up a piece of food and then looked out the window at the lamp bridge, where he saw his teacher's face.

What Hu Shutong didn't know was that the old man before him had already thought things through very far, but he wouldn't say a word until he had made a decision. If this matter succeeded, there would be countless ways to follow up; if it failed, Hu Shutong didn't need to know.

But no matter what, Pang Shiyou was full of expectations, because this time was different from the past. Before, he was always an advisor, but this time he was the one in charge.

He was eager to see how Hu Shutong would perform when he had control over everything!

A moment later, Pang Shiyou also looked out the window, his face turned to the side, both gazing at the illuminated bridge. Suddenly, Pang Shiyou became serious, straightened his back, and forcefully adjusted his glasses.

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

"You know what, this scarf is really nice."

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.