dmims Chapter 37 The Zhang Family
Chapter 37 The Zhang Family
In Qingyan, temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius are common in winter.
Hu Shutong had a short wool coat, and Luan Pingxin bought him a gray scarf and leather gloves. When paired together, he immediately looked much more mature.
Hu Shutong's birthday is in the twelfth lunar month, which is considered two years older according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning. So, after the New Year, Hu Shutong would be twenty-six. As the older generation says, "At twenty-one, one establishes oneself with land; at twenty-three, one enjoys the joys of children; past twenty-five, one experiences neither winter nor summer." At this age, one is expected to shoulder heavy responsibilities and understand the hardships of life. Indeed, seven or eight out of ten of Hu Shutong's junior and senior high school classmates are now married and have children.
Since train tickets were sold out, the two opted to take a bus back, which involved changing buses at multiple stops along the way.
Before the car started moving, Luan Pingxin was practically in a state of excitement, repeatedly counting the food and supplies she could find along the way. But as the wheels began to turn towards home, she fell into a deep silence.
Luan Pingxin rested her arm on the narrow car window, gazing out for a long time. Although Hu Shutong couldn't see her face, he could easily understand the depth of her emotions. Even he, who hadn't been home for only a year, felt a constant surge of emotion; one could only imagine how much more intense it must have been for someone who hadn't been home for almost four years.
In terms of personality, Luan Pingxin is active, while Hu Shutong is quiet. But when it comes to habits, the two are exactly opposite. When Hu Shutong has something on her mind and doesn't know how to deal with it, she likes to wander around. Luan Pingxin, on the other hand, will stare blankly for a long time. In her words, this is called "emptiness therapy".
When Luan Pingxin calms down, she exudes a captivating charm and reveals a more authentic side of herself, like a bird that has always been soaring landing on a branch among willow catkins, looking around to find a place of tenderness.
"How much did this scarf and gloves cost in total?"
Luan Pingxin turned her head, her eyes indeed a little moist, and said jokingly, "If it weren't for the money, I wouldn't bother with you."
Hu Shutong laughed and said, "You know, you can let your emotions build up a bit. You don't need to let them out on the way. Otherwise, if you don't express them fully when you meet your family, they'll definitely think this girl is wild."
Luan Pingxin couldn't help but laugh at the kind of comforting words given to her. "Alright, I'm fine."
"Speaking of which, judging from your expression, has Bai Leng achieved some great results?"
"You guessed right. We plan to test the Dawn series after the New Year, and if everything goes smoothly, we can start production by the end of the year."
"Dawn, that's a good codename."
Looking at Luan Pingxin, Hu Shutong was genuinely happy. Luan Pingxin's field was different from his own; only the results were recorded, while the process remained unknown.
The two rarely had time to spend together like this. Since starting university, seeing each other once a year was considered a good thing. So whenever they reminisced about the past, it was always filled with memories of junior high and high school. Back then, Luan Pingxin's temper was much more fiery than it is now, and she also liked to stand up for herself. Once, she saw Hu Shutong scolding her younger brother, which she found gentler than warm water and soap. After a thorough scolding, Hu Yuntong cried his eyes out.
So the two of them didn't find the journey long at all; on the contrary, time passed quickly as they talked about many past events, some of which were from ten years ago.
The Luan family has changed even more in recent years. Now, many people who curry favor with Luanqi Town call him the "King of Fruits in Northern Qing." They use both new and old storage facilities simultaneously, further expanding their industry through high-quality, large-scale storage of off-season fresh fruit. Not only in Mozi County, but the Luan family is well-known throughout Qingyan City.
"To be honest, I've been really looking forward to the cold storage you planned. I'll definitely go check it out when I get back. I also want to know what my dad's basis is for praising you so much."
"As long as you're satisfied, as long as you're satisfied."
"Satisfied with what?"
"Full, satisfactory cold storage."
"Hu Shutong, you're blushing!"
"It's too hot in the car."
The train journey was broken into segments by the bus. It took them two days to reach Qingyan City. The next morning, they took a three-hour bus ride and finally returned to Mozi County.
Surprisingly, it was Lei Xiaoxi who came to pick up Luan Pingxin at the station, and he didn't sit in the back seat, but in the front passenger seat. Luan Pingxin and Lei Xiaoxi are related by marriage, and Lei Xiaoxi is the second oldest child.
Turning back to look at the two, Lei Xiaoxi's eyes lit up. She nodded to Hu Shutong, then looked Luan Pingxin up and down, "Little girl, you've gotten even more beautiful in the years I haven't seen you!"
"Second Brother, what brings you here?"
"My main task is to receive you. I was ordered by my aunt to bring Miss Luan home, and I also have some other matters to discuss with you both."
Luan Pingxin immediately glanced sideways and said, "No wonder he's the head of the county party committee, that's quite the mannerisms."
"Pingxin, I have to go to the city this afternoon and I don't know when I'll be back. I really can't find the time, so I just had a quick chat while I was picking you up."
"What's the matter that's so urgent? Or do you want to discuss it with us?" Luan Pingxin frowned. Despite Lei Xiaoxi's composed demeanor, she couldn't hide the anxiety between her brows.
This question led to the appearance of two thick documents in front of them, the covers of which read "Qiangrui Building Materials Prefabricated Cold Storage Solution".
"Next August, there will be a Qingbei Flower and Art Festival. All seven major counties and cities in Qingbei are vying to host it, and the municipal party committee also attaches great importance to this matter."
"What does this have to do with Qiangrui Building Materials?"
"Qiangrui Building Materials has ventured into the prefabricated warehouse business in the past two years, but the performance has been unsatisfactory. The products they provide to customers are expensive and energy-intensive, and they have been seeking support from a technical team. For this reason, they have submitted bids throughout the city, and the deadline is set after the Lantern Festival. If we can win the bid, it means that we can reach a cooperation agreement with Qiangrui."
Hu Shutong and Luan Pingxin exchanged a glance, and they probably already understood what was going on.
Lei Xiaoxi continued, "The Flower Art Festival requires a large number of cold storage facilities to store fresh flowers, and the assembly warehouse has a great advantage in terms of flexibility. In this way, cooperating with Qiangrui is equivalent to giving our Mozi County a better qualification, which adds another weight to our competition with other counties and cities. To put it another way, even if we fail to win the right to host the art festival, it would still be a great thing to introduce the assembly warehouse into the county's factory canteens and small turnover warehouses through cooperation, tax reduction, and subsidies from the county government."
When Luan Pingxin first saw these things, she was particularly unhappy. She had planned to relax with her family during the holiday, which was a rare treat, but before she even stepped into the house, work, work, work was already in front of her. But after hearing what Lei Xiaoxi said, her anger subsided. It has to be said that prefabricated cold storage is a big deal.
Hu Shutong, standing to the side, remained silent, but his eyes were fixed on the materials in his hands. Prefabricated cold storage was a promising field. The reason was simple: it was more flexible. Unlike traditional civil engineering cold storage, which involves digging and excavating a foundation and remains in that location for its entire lifespan, prefabricated cold storage is assembled. For some small and medium-sized cold storage facilities, prefabricated cold storage has a shorter construction period and higher efficiency, giving it a clear advantage.
Qiangrui Building Materials is essentially a supplier of prefabricated cold storage. All the materials and equipment that need to be assembled are manufactured in the factory, with all materials provided from bottom to top and inside to outside.
"After the New Year, we'll hold a bidding meeting. You two will be the technical consultants for the county design institute, and you both have master's degrees from prestigious universities, so your qualifications are definitely not a problem. The rest depends on how the two of you cooperate and divide the work."
……