socalfunplaces Chapter 1 Hu Shutong
Chapter 1 Hu Shutong
In the late summer of 2000, Hu Shutong graduated from his junior year of college.
When September comes and the new school year begins, it will be a full year of senior year internships. He hasn't made a decision yet among the three internship companies, and plans to use this summer vacation of more than a month to think it over.
Hu Shutong's hometown, Mozi County, is a bustling and prosperous county where most people make a living by growing vegetables. Under the scorching August sun, people are full of enthusiasm. This is the tail end of the peak season for vegetables, when vegetable prices are very high. As the saying goes, "The first and last harvests are better than a whole harvest in the middle."
After getting off the bus and walking out of the station, I took a bus to the terminal, and then walked a little over a kilometer to get home.
On the road, Hu Shutong saw many tractors with empty cargo beds, women wearing green headscarves sitting in the metal passenger seats, and men smoking and chatting. It was obvious they had just returned from Qujiaying, having sold all their vegetables at satisfactory prices.
Qujiaying Wholesale Market is located at the intersection of three counties, more than 20 kilometers away from Mozi County. It is both a wholesale market and a distribution center. If you want to sell your goods at a good price, you have to go there.
Hu Shutong's home was in the suburbs of the county, a row of densely packed bungalows with a narrow path more than five meters wide in the middle. Walking seven or eight miles outwards, you would reach the irrigated fields of every household.
Walking along the path, neighbors greeted Hu Shutong. Some called him "Shutong" affectionately, while the older ones called him "Hu the boy." That year, Hu Shutong was the only student in the entire county to be admitted to a top-tier university, so he was quite the star.
The Hu family mainly grows vegetables. In their small courtyard, old melons and green beans for breeding are drying in the sun. The father, Hu Wankui, wearing a red vest, is sitting on a long wooden bench, rubbing dried chili peppers and putting the seeds into a cloth bag.
Hu Wankui appeared to be a particularly tough man, standing over 1.8 meters tall, and was known in the area for his competence. The Hu family didn't have much of a foundation, and the fact that this generation had lived a relatively comfortable life was all thanks to Hu Wankui's hard work.
"You're back," Hu Wankui said casually, standing up and walking to the table.
It's called a table, but it was actually a millstone used for grinding grains in the old days. Later, when it was no longer needed, a stone block was built up underneath it and placed on top of it. During the hot season, it became the family's dining table for dinner.
As soon as Hu Shutong sat down, he saw his father slam a piece of paper on the table, his expression somewhat grave. At a glance, it was the list of three internship locations mentioned on the phone.
As Hu Wankui pointed, he said, "These two are both food companies. In rural terms, they're like two rows of identical plants. This one is a logistics company. Kid, you've decided?"
The three seemingly equal options couldn't escape the father's notice. "Dad, we still need to discuss this with you. They're just backup options."
"Then why is driving a large truck a backup option?"
"Running a large truck?"
"Isn't logistics just about driving big trucks? You're a top student!"
"Dad, what are you thinking? Even if you choose me, I won't be driving. Logistics and warehousing also need someone to manage them."
Hu Wankui's brows furrowed. "So, you mean Brother Qingfeng needs to hire another college graduate?"
Hu Shutong scratched his head. Just then, his mother came out with the dishes. She first glared at Hu Wankui, then stared intently at her son. "Ignore him. Come back and eat first."
Scrambled eggs, stir-fried cauliflower, and mixed lettuce, eaten with steaming white rice, made for an exceptionally good appetite. The summer heat had just subsided, a slight cool breeze was blowing, and the tractor, its engine clattering, came to a halt. Neighbors chatted loudly about today's vegetable prices. Hearing that someone had overpaid by a penny, he was slightly displeased but still sent his son to the shop in front to buy some liquor. After a long day, a few ounces of wine were enough; he didn't want to drink too much more.
"Mom, is Yuntong coming back tomorrow?" Hu Yuntong, who is eight years younger than her, will be starting junior high school in the fall, and his summer vacation will start two weeks later than other grades.
Mrs. Hu nodded. "He'll be back tomorrow. He got an upset stomach at school a few days ago, so I'll make him something nice to eat when he gets back."
"Food poisoning? What happened?"
Hu Wankui chimed in, "It's nothing serious, the vegetables aren't fresh. It's all because Director Xiao's son also got diarrhea, and it's causing quite a commotion."
Factory Director Xiao owns a juice factory in the county and is known as the richest man in the county.
Then Hu's mother sighed, "But with this incident, your brother Qingfeng is really in trouble. What could possibly go wrong with a deliveryman like him? It must be that the wholesale market didn't give him good quality goods. Those guys are so malicious; they gave all the good stuff to the trucks from out of town, while the kids are eating the vegetables they grew themselves. It's truly outrageous!"
"So, is this matter resolved?"
"It's dragging on, with Qingfeng and the wholesale market both passing the buck. The health department is investigating. In my opinion, it's just a matter of how to appease Director Xiao."
Hu Shutong remained silent. He understood the entire process perfectly; without bias, he knew problems could arise at any stage. The school purchased vegetables centrally from the wholesale market, but the market lacked transportation capacity. Therefore, they reached an agreement with Qingfeng Cold Storage. However, the school's orders were not always consistent. To avoid complications, the wholesale market simply stocked up on vegetables at Qingfeng Cold Storage, delivering whatever the school needed and replenishing as needed.
Therefore, if a problem arises, the first thing to check is whether the pre-cooling at the wholesale market is sufficient, the second is the refrigerated trucks at Qingfeng Cold Storage, the next is whether there are any problems with the storage at Qingfeng Cold Storage, and finally, the transportation from Qingfeng Cold Storage to the school.
This process is what a new term called "cold chain" came up in an academic journal two years ago.
As night fell, Hu Shutong rode his bicycle to find Shi Qingfeng.
Shi Qingfeng is Hu Shutong's cousin, ten years older than Hu Shutong.
Under the 15-watt tungsten filament lamp, the food on the table looked like it had been cold for a long time, and the television was playing a muted variety show. Shi Qingfeng was drinking bulk liquor from a canned jar; he was a heavy smoker, his fingers stained yellow. He was dark-skinned, his hair tangled, his head drooping, looking utterly dejected.
"Shutong, I knew you were back and I wanted to come see you, but I had so much trouble that I couldn't get away."
The sister-in-law brought over the bowls and chopsticks, her eyes brimming with tears. She forced a smile and greeted Hu Shutong, clearly indicating that they had just had a fight.
"Brother Qingfeng, I've heard about what happened."
"Sigh! Bad luck this year, nowhere to complain." Shi Qingfeng wanted to pour Hu Shutong a glass of wine, but when he picked it up, he realized something was wrong. He then pushed the peanuts towards Hu Shutong. Hu Shutong saw this and realized that Shi Qingfeng was in a very bad mental state.
"Shutong, a few years ago, wrapping ice in cotton quilts didn't cause any problems, and now we have refrigeration machines running, so how could the vegetables spoil here? Besides, we've done this order a hundred times, and the warehouse operations have never changed. How come only this batch has diarrhea!"
"What did the health department say?"
Shi Qingfeng immediately lost his temper, tapping his fingers on the table. "Those old foxes in Qujiaying are bullying and tyrannical, ganging up on me and making me take the blame. The medic who came down here is also clueless; he was dragged off to drink as soon as he arrived. Who knows what they're up to!"
At this point, Shi Qingfeng suddenly shifted his position and leaned closer. "Shutong, didn't you study that food hygiene engineering project? Do you have any ideas? Actually, it's not a big deal. I think those guys are just giving an explanation."
"Brother Qingfeng, are there any vegetables left in the warehouse from that batch?"
Shi Qingfeng nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes."
"Take me to see it."
Shi Qingfeng downed the 1.5-ounce glass of wine in one gulp, and without saying a word, he rode his motorcycle to take Hu Shutong to the cold storage.
……