Twenty years of cold chain

Chapter 57 The Road to Self-Salvation

Mingyuan Beitang Park is a popular spot for young people to breakdance in the evenings, attracting large crowds of onlookers. During the day, it's much quieter, with weeping willows, melodious birdsong, and arched gates and short covered bridges—a place that easily brings peace of mind.

Moreover, Beitang Lake in the center is teeming with large fish; with a bit of luck, you can catch a whole bucketful in half an afternoon. A man in his fifties sat on a small elm stool, gripping a fishing rod, his shoulders slightly hunched, his eyes fixed intently on the lake.

This man had a severe receding hairline, with a central bald patch and a large "M" on his forehead, so bright it seemed to reflect in the lake. He was very robust, and the lines on the back of his neck resembled a thick spring. He wore a gray jacket with three rows of beige buttons, dressed very simply.

A long time passed, and not a single fish took the bait.

Some say that true anglers don't fish for fish, but for those who haven't yet mastered the skill, a lot of time passes and the fishing rod doesn't even tremble, which can be quite disconcerting.

Sometime later, a young man squatted down not far away, holding a paper tube more than a meter long instead of a fishing rod. He was a little annoyed and blamed the young man for the fish problem, saying, "Go further away! Use a paper tube to fish!"

"Are you Mr. Qian?"

The person they hadn't dared to disturb was Hu Shutong.

"Ha!" Boss Qian pulled up his fishing rod, rolled his eyes at Hu Shutong with disdain, and immediately moved to another spot.

Hu Shutong hurriedly stepped forward, "Mr. Qian, I've come to see you today because I want to show you something."

As Hu Shutong was about to unfold the paper tube, Boss Qian suddenly shouted, his temper flaring up, "Get out of the way!"

This kind of person has seen too much money. Look at his hair, which looks like it's been licked by an old ox, all clumps of it. He's so anxious because he hasn't sold anything for days, his eyes are red and his ears are burning.

Without a doubt, this is a seller of fake paintings.

But how could Hu Shutong let such an opportunity pass by? Right in front of him was Chambers, the big boss of Zhonglesi and the big boss of Mingyuanhai Container Car Market!

Hu Shutong ran forward a few steps, unfolding the paper tube to face Chambers while walking backwards.

Chambers was already furious, and when he glanced at the contents of the paper, he suddenly choked on his words.

On the paper, which stretched as wide as two arms, were blueprints of container trucks, complete with a wealth of data, including extremely detailed drawings of the frame and chassis structures.

Chambers frowned. Was he not a painter, but an expert?

"Mr. Qian, there's one thing I'm sure you understand: sooner or later, new national standards will be introduced, and then dimensions, weight, and engine displacement will all become mandatory standards!"

"So you're trying to trick me into spending money again?"

"Mr. Qian, this is a weight reduction and space increase solution that will greatly enhance Zhongles' competitiveness. To reduce weight, we first reduce the weight of the main beam. When producing the cargo box, we modify the bottom of the box to add threaded embedded parts, so that the box body and the frame can share the load."

Chambers suddenly realized that this was quite a strange thing, because for the first time in this beautiful and pleasant park, he felt like he was having a meeting in a conference room.

Hu Shutong didn't care about the occasion; this was the most important moment for him!

For someone in such a position of authority, he has neither the opportunity nor the ability to create a good communication atmosphere. All he can do is talk about his knowledge and then hope that the other party will take some of it to heart.

"The second weight-reduction plan, look here." Hu Shutong tucked a corner under his arm and pointed vigorously. "The frame will be changed from a double-layer beam to a single-layer beam, and the suspension will be lightweight. This is how European and American trailers are done, adding the load-bearing structure to the floor of the trailer. This way, the trailer's weight can be reduced to below nine tons. That alone is a ton less than other container trucks. Once the weight is reduced by a ton, it means that five more tons of cargo can be loaded!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind picked up, scattering the paper so fiercely that it was impossible to read. Chambers called Hu Shutong to stop, using the fishing rod to hold down one end. Hu Shutong picked up two stones, and with his hands free, he could fish more freely.

In this way, the scene becomes like two people playing chess.

"In terms of increasing space, the length is 14 meters and the width is 2.6 meters, which is the maximum. However, there is still room for height. If we use a 1.1-meter low saddle trailer, the height of the refrigerated box will be greatly increased, which will have no impact on intercity transportation."

Chambers' demeanor greatly encouraged Hu Shutong, who felt that things were promising!

"Besides refrigeration units, we offer a three-in-one solution encompassing semi-trailer structures, frame production, and refrigerated display case modification. Mr. Qian, this might just be an idea elsewhere, but at Zhongles, it's a complete solution!"

Founded in 1995, Zhonglesi has enjoyed impressive order volumes for many years. Without exaggeration, Zhonglesi's price-performance ratio is unmatched in the entire Mingjiang Province. Around 1998, they defeated manufacturers of fully-equipped refrigerated trucks, fueling the booming development of the used shipping container industry, eventually capturing over 90% of the market share. However, times are changing rapidly, and everyone in the industry understands that the extensive, traditional methods of using used shipping containers are bound to need improvement.

What was presented to Chambers at this moment was nothing short of a surprise, but he scratched his head.

Everything is right except the process.

Whether Zhongles would adopt such a document is one thing; the value it contains is another. Chambers may not be an expert or scholar, but he knows what's both insightful and actionable. This is precisely what perplexes him. Whether it's a university-industry collaboration or a corporate tender, it requires a considerable scale and a series of procedures; at the very least, it shouldn't appear so abruptly in front of him.

A moment later, Chambers took a closer look at Hu Shutong and realized that his previous assumptions had been wrong. The man in front of him must have been working for days and nights without rest to get this thing; the urgency in his body language, words, and expressions revealed a sense of panic that time was of the essence!

For a moment, Chambers was also unsure. He didn't know what was happening, whether this person wanted to prove something or get rid of something. This intense situation made Chambers wary. "Whenever you can't understand something, you should neither take nor give it; always be on thin ice"—this was his motto throughout his life.

"To be honest, I'm not used to these kinds of private meetings. If there's something going on, we should follow the proper procedures. All I can say is that the products are good."

Chambers picked up his fishing rod, but suddenly lost interest in fishing. After taking a few steps, he turned back.

"Tell me your background."

"Hu Shutong, a graduate student at the University of Ming Dynasty."

"So it was you."

……