Twenty years of cold chain

"Dad, how did your talk with my second brother go?"

"It seems he agreed. We don't know what method he'll use next, but it feels like he'll get something out of it."

"If that doesn't work, then don't even mention support. It would be fine if Shutong could get some loans from the county."

Sitting in the car, Luan Qizhen felt even more uneasy upon hearing this. For some time now, what had been troublesome for him was not Hu Shutong, but this girl of his.

Hu Shutong's park was still a wasteland, but his own daughter saw it as a city wall and a fortress. For a moment, he felt as if he saw two madmen advancing side by side. No matter how desolate the wasteland was, they only said that the sky was full of stars.

"Pingxin, take it easy. This matter with Shutong is no small thing."

"Since this isn't a small matter, take it easy and see how long you can keep it up. Don't worry, we know what we're doing. When you're free, think carefully about how much you want to take. No matter how much it is, we'll definitely pay it back in full later."

These words left Luan Qizhen both bewildered and uneasy. He wanted to ask more questions, but judging from Luan Pingxin's tone, everything was clear and straightforward, as if she could already see the golden harvest before even planting the seeds in her heart. Was this the foresight of an expert, or the arrogance of a young person?

After hanging up the phone, Luan Pingxin went to Zhao Xugang's office.

The reason for the sluggish sales of Dawn Refrigeration Equipment is not a technical issue, but rather that the domestic market for refrigeration equipment has been shrinking rapidly. More than a dozen top manufacturers from Europe and the United States are competing in China, drastically squeezing the survival space of local brands. In this era, the term "foreign goods" is like a piece of instant noodles with a large chunk of beef that may not even be there; just seeing it makes you feel that it's a higher-end product, representing advanced and avant-garde.

Matches are called "foreign matches," and cars are called "foreign cars." Related to "foreign" are those who have studied abroad and returned to China, learning Western etiquette. They wear tailcoats and bow ties, mixing Chinese and English in a jumbled mess of words. They raise their necks, stick out their buttocks, and twist in a strange arc, as if the whole of China can no longer contain them.

Zhao Xu had just reviewed Luan Pingxin's proposal and pondered for a long time before speaking, "Pingxin, I know Shutong, and I understand what he wants to do. Tell me the truth, is it really possible to balance these two things?"

"Mr. Zhao, Shutong doesn't have the capacity to import the equipment outright, but his park itself serves as a demonstration site. We've been slow to make a breakthrough not only because of the encirclement and suppression from all sides, but also because we've done too much theoretical work and very little practical content. We can only tell others how good the Dawn series looks, but we don't have a platform to widely publicize how good it is in practice. Without real-world applications, what's the difference between us and the displays at the Refrigeration Exhibition?"

Luan Pingxin's words made Zhao Xugang think about things from another angle, and because of this, the matter became even more difficult to argue.

"Mr. Zhao, I've clearly written out all the terms. The Shutong Industrial Park only grants the right to use the equipment; it will be unconditionally open to the group in the future. For any demonstration or inspection activities, the park will become the group's showcase base. Furthermore, we will receive a series of usage process reports. The larger the industrial park, the more it reflects the value of the Foxiao series. In other words, we only need to provide the equipment to establish a prestigious brand!"

There was no need to take this scheme, which involved getting something for nothing, any further, but no one understood Dawn's predicament better than Zhao Xugang. Luan Pingxin was right in some ways: it's not that we're not good enough, but rather that people have become accustomed to the kindness of others.

She grasped this point, which made the act of paying out of pocket seem so natural.

"Mr. Zhao, after dawn, we still have Zhengyang."

A thunderclap appeared in the silence—what a formidable figure! This was precisely the moment the Zhengyang project was about to launch. Zhao Xugang suddenly realized that Luan Pingxin was no longer the same person who had stood guard at the door for Hu Shutong, seeking a powerful aura of authority.

……

It was the same hotel where they sat together during the bidding for the assembly warehouse years ago, with the same people from both sides, the same screen, and the same koi and parrotfish.

"Mr. Jiang, isn't a field assembly warehouse still an assembly warehouse? Don't worry, just give me the location, and I'll have it up and running within a week, no matter how big!"

The speaker was Yue Xiu, the marketing manager of Qiangrui Building Materials. Back then, she "strongly recommended" Hu Shutong's assembly warehouse plan, which not only brought Qiangrui a large order but also made her own career path very smooth.

Many people hoped that Hu Shu would return to Qingyan, but Jiang Zhipeng was definitely at the top of the list. This matter can even be traced back to when he first met Hu seven years ago. He was rigid yet flexible, stubborn yet considerate. As a young master, he had long wanted to do something with this fellow villager.

Jiang Zhipeng had just spoken with Hu Shutong on the phone. If it were really just a matter of a few assembly warehouses, there wouldn't be a need for such a meeting.

"Mr. Yue, do you know of any connections regarding the construction materials warehouse?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Xiu immediately became confident and nodded gracefully. "President Jiang, there's no fundamental difference between civil engineering materials and prefabricated materials. Wanma went bankrupt last year due to its other businesses, but Qiangrui bought the entire set of technologies. It's so easy for President Jiang to get materials; there's no need to ask around, and we guarantee they'll be absolutely top-tier domestic standards!"

"That puts my mind at ease. Now let's talk about the down payment."

Yue Xiu laughed, raised a glass, and felt that Jiang Zhipeng was making a mountain out of a molehill. "From President Jiang to now, we've been cooperating for over ten years. When has Qiang Rui ever worried about Qingyuan's finances? Whatever the young master wants, just make a list!"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.