Twenty years of cold chain

Chapter 47 Changes in the Southern Suburbs

The meeting was scheduled for 2 p.m., but Hu Shutong had already gone to the southern suburbs alone early in the morning.

When it comes to the specifics of the South Suburb Industrial Park, no one knows it better than Yu Dajun.

Upon arriving at the park, Hu Shutong was stunned by what he saw; the progress was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Yu Dajun sent someone out with a safety helmet to meet Hu Shutong. When they arrived at a row of makeshift prefabricated houses, Yu Dajun, in a fit of anger, shouted at the people in front of him. The men were all wearing work clothes from Chenxing Cold Storage, and several large bags of vegetables were laid out in front of them.

"The construction schedule keeps getting delayed, it's not our problem! We're stationed in this godforsaken place, we have to run two miles just to buy a pack of cigarettes, do you think we want to stay here? It seems the cold storage staff think we're just slacking off!"

"Boss Yu, Boss Yu, it's not what you think! Let me explain!"

"If you want an explanation, give us something! You're not even giving us regular meals? What kind of nonsense is this! Cabbage, potatoes, onions, and a piece of lard—that's like feeding a beggar! Our brothers have been stuck here all Chinese New Year for this lousy project, and you give us nothing but bland soup? No way!"

"Boss Yu, how about this, you can take these for now, and I'll get some meat from the cold storage later."

"You'd better turn around and take your things away now! Either bring the standard rations, or you'd better not send anything at all!"

The group exchanged glances, but dared not say another word. This person was far too impulsive; with that attitude, saying anything more might just get them throwing the vegetables into the pit. Before long, they left one by one, carrying their vegetables.

A fellow worker stepped forward, "Boss Yu, there's no need to make things so tense..."

"You're not allowed to eat the meat!"

"Well done, Boss Yu! Have a smoke!"

"Tell the guys to be thorough with their daily maintenance and repairs, and fill out the forms carefully. Anyone caught gambling or causing trouble while drunk will have their wages doubled!"

"I understand, I understand, Boss Yu. Actually, it's not the brothers' fault; these days are driving us crazy!"

"You're such a burden! The more free you are now, the busier you'll be later!"

"Being busy isn't a problem, I feel at ease following you!"

After calming down, Yu Dajun came to Hu Shutong's side. He was wearing a wrinkled suit and exuded anxiety from the inside out.

"Brother Dajun, so much time has passed, why haven't you gotten together yet?"

"It's a long story. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Let's chat while we eat."

Yu Dajun served two bowls of soy milk, two fried dough sticks, two steamed buns, and a plate of shredded mustard greens. He pushed the fried dough sticks to Hu Shutong, and the two sat down in front of the prefab house to eat.

"Shutong, this Minghe Group is too complicated. Look at me, all dressed up, just for these meetings. Since I came here, I've had to attend two meetings a week on average. Every time, after the meeting, it's always the same thing: 'Everyone go back and think it over.' You tell me, what grand plan am I supposed to come up with? Even if I did, those dapper guys could just cough and shut me down!"

Yu Dajun became more and more agitated as he spoke, displaying a fierce anger that Hu Shutong had never seen before.

"Minghe has too many superiors, and everyone's opinion has to be considered. One thinks four cluster libraries are more reasonable, while another thinks three are more centralized. As you know, Shutong, we engineers sometimes just build things according to a template. Now, forget about laying the foundation, we can't even find the outline. How are we supposed to get the job done?"

The four cluster libraries were not only Hu Shutong's original idea, but also the park planning scheme that Pang Shiyou put forward when bidding for land for Minghe. If he hadn't met Yu Dajun, Hu Shutong would have had no idea that there were actually disagreements.

"This matter was originally a joint effort between Minghe's engineering and technical departments, but later the purchasing department intervened. Based on the principle of saving costs for the company, they suggested changing it to three warehouses. The engineering and technical departments discussed it and deemed it feasible, but this conflicted with the original approved plan, adding many more steps to the approval process. Every department is headed by a manager, and some managers have good relationships while others don't get along. It's like a rat with a fox's tail—it'll be dragged down sooner or later!"

I had heard about Minghe's complicated situation from Pang Shiyou before, but hearing Yu Dajun's explanation today made it even more vivid. "So, even at this point, the number of warehouse units still hasn't been determined?"

"Judging from the energy they had at the last meeting, it seems like it's a done deal. If you ask me, they're not in a hurry at all. The so-called schedule is just to secure this project first." As he spoke, Yu Dajun sighed, "This has really messed me up. Chenxing thinks this bid is not worthwhile, Pengcheng thinks it's enough to have a team here first, and Chenxing doesn't dare to offend Pengcheng. I'm caught in the middle."

"Back when I was bidding, I even asked you for help. Turns out I'm the kind of person who likes to ask for trouble. Mr. Gu was right."

It's not hard to see from the previous scene that Yu Dajun and his group had been neglected. Even the Chenxing family treated them this way, which would make anyone feel cold.

"Brother Dajun, the meeting about materials and equipment is about to start; the project can't be delayed any longer."

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to think about it anymore. Just pay more attention to your meeting this afternoon. Those who want to hear everyone's opinions will most likely not take yours into consideration. I know you're working on something more profound, but don't expect to have any say in Minghe."

"Understood, I will be prepared."

At this point, Yu Dajun hesitated, "Shutong, I have a guess about the matter in the southern suburbs, but it's just a guess."

"Just say what's on your mind, why are you hesitating?"

"This matter is completely different from what we initially thought. The more we go on, the more complicated things seem. It looks like internal negotiations are stalled, but I have a feeling it's all just for show. Do you think something might have happened to Minghe?"

Hu Shutong frowned sharply. "No way."

……