Twenty years of cold chain

The two brothers found a dumpling restaurant and had dinner there.

It is said that Hu Yuntong grew more and more handsome. When he was a child, he had a very high forehead and a particularly prominent nose. As he grew up, he grew into a handsome young man with very distinct features, bright eyebrows, and piercing eyes.

"How were your mock exam results?"

"It hasn't started yet; the mock exam is this Friday," Hu Yuntong said calmly.

"The college entrance exam is in just over twenty days, and you haven't even started your first mock exam? Did you bomb it?!"

"You're making it sound so serious. At most, it's just not ideal. Honestly!"

"I'm deciding between Tsinghua University and National Ming University."

Hu Yuntong smiled wryly, "Brother, after thinking it over, I still plan to stay closer to you. You've already gone back to your hometown to start a business, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go far away."

"What score did you get on the mock exam?"

"Hey! You're still holding on! How can you put pressure on me at a time like this!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Shutong stopped asking questions. The two plates of dumplings had different fillings, and the two brothers swapped half of them. Hu Yuntong glanced at the time and quickly started eating.

"Brother, is something not going well?"

"No, we just have to wait."

In fact, from the moment they met, Hu Yuntong noticed that his brother was preoccupied. Although his expression and tone were normal, the worry hidden beneath his face did not escape his brother's notice. If they hadn't met, he would have been looking gloomy.

"Brother, just wait and see, don't overthink it. Like Dad said, a crow won't stay in a magpie's nest; what's yours will be yours."

As he spoke, he even imitated his father's expressions and gestures, tapping his knuckles on the table, which looked quite convincing. Hu Shutong couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

"Brother, no matter what my college entrance exam results are, I don't want to go to another city. I'll go wherever Qingning is within my reach. You've finally come back, so we can do everything together from now on."

"Don't think about those things for now, just do your best during the exam."

It was almost time for evening self-study. Hu Yuntong stood up, about to leave, but then added, "Brother, look at you, don't get stuck on something!"

Hu Shutong snorted, "Why are you being so long-winded!"

"I'm off then. Oh, by the way, you promised to take me to college!"

"Does this even need reminding? You'll get a big gift if you do well on the exam."

"What is it?!" Suddenly, this guy didn't want to leave anymore.

"Let me think about it."

Hu Yuntong immediately became very unhappy. "Let me give you a piece of advice from your father: 'Fanning yourself in the middle of the night is just pointless!'"

Hu Shutong watched his younger brother leave with a smile. He had to admit, eating and chatting with the kid made things much easier to understand.

Not knowing when a reply would arrive, Hu Shutong returned to the University of Minnesota, where his immediate priority was to submit his master's thesis. However, the difficulty of this thesis was incomparable to that of his undergraduate thesis. Over three years of practical experience had given Hu Shutong ample opportunity to write based on his experience, which was far simpler than constantly learning and reflecting.

He never expected that the wait for this matter in the park would be so long.

……

In July, Lei Xiaoxi visited the director's office at the Qingyan City Planning Bureau.

"Director Zhao, the location of this land offers better options than for manufacturing. Pig farms are mainly for selling pigs and transporting feed, but if we use it for logistics..."

Director Zhao raised his hand to stop Lei Xiaoxi, his expression somewhat grave. "Director Lei, I've heard these words more than once or twice, and I'm well aware of the location's value. But the leaders of the Municipal Construction Commission and the Development and Reform Commission have all reviewed these three proposals. The land utilization rate for logistics is insufficient, and this logistics park proposal lacks a revenue calculation, making it difficult to compete with the other two."

"Director Zhao, whether it's the meat industry or the dairy industry, no matter how big or strong they are, they're still just individual points. But logistics is the legs; it's not just about the food basket, it's about connecting everything and getting things running!"

"I know you value Hu Shutong's talent, and I admire his achievements in this industry. But you must understand that this matter concerns the future, and more than just the future. Besides, such talent is needed everywhere in the industry. The dairy and meat industries both rely on cold chain logistics. Helping someone rise through the ranks to a senior management position in such a company is a good way to retain talent!"

Lei Xiaoxi fell silent. The matter was initially decided by exceptional selection, and sometimes such exceptional selection seems to be like giving face.

"Xiaoxi, I know you're fighting for some things, but that's ultimately a fixed number. Hu Shutong's basic conditions are hard to compete with the other two companies, and these are things that neither you nor I can change."

After a long silence, Lei Xiaoxi finally spoke, "Director Zhao, do you agree with any aspects of Hu Shutong's proposal?"

After a long while, Director Zhao spoke up, "To be honest, I admire your point of view, but we have nothing to say in response. I also think your so-called trends and situation are insightful, but we don't have anything to grasp, no one to provide support for this matter. How could you not understand that?"

One night in late July, Hu Shutong received a call from Lei Xiaoxi.

After hanging up the phone, Hu Shutong sat blankly on the balcony, unable to suppress the regret in his heart, not only because of his long-term investment, but also because of that piece of land that he could not let go of.

On second thought, it may have been skewed from reality from the very beginning; qualifications and competence are not the same concept.

What path should I take next?

The idea flashed through his mind, but Hu Shutong was unwilling to give up. If he had never had this thought, he would have easily joined a company; if he had never had this thought, he would have been a pure technologist.

But ever since he had this idea, and developed a feasible plan from it, Hu Shutong found himself more stubborn than ever before. It seemed that only things like this made him truly recognize his own worth.

In any case, this is not the end of the story.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.