A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

At 6:30 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, Ding Xuemin carried a thermos cup and went straight into the warehouse.

Batur was leading Xiao Chen and the others to count the newly arrived ice packs when he saw Ding Xuemin and quickly put down what he was doing.

"Director Ding, so early?"

"It's not early."

Ding Xuemin unscrewed the lid of his cup and took a sip of tea. "It's time to open and inspect the boxes used for the simulated transport."

That's right, exactly 24 hours.

Three packed test cases were moved out from the corner.

Ding Xuemin stopped anyone from doing anything and instead took a small notebook and looked at it closely.

The first box was sealed with intact tape.

Ding Xuemin carefully cut it open with a paper cutter, reached inside and touched the ice pack; it was still a little cool.

他掏出温度记录仪，翻看数据：「0点到4点，箱内温度从2.1度升到3.8度；4点到8点，从3.8度降到2.5度……冰袋保温效果达标。」

Then he started catching crabs.

Ten crabs were taken out one by one and placed on the table.

Ding Xuemin examined it carefully, turning it over and over to look at it, and even gently touched the crab's eyes with her finger. The crab's eyes moved, indicating that it was alive.

"Seven are in good condition, two are in average condition, and one is dying."

He wrote in his notebook, "Survival rate 90%. What caused the one that was near death?"

Aihemaiti quickly came over to take a look, picked up the crab that wasn't moving much and held it up to the light: "This one... its left gill is a bit dark, it probably wasn't very lively before it was packed."

"Therefore, grading should not only consider weight and appearance, but also vitality."

Ding Xuemin turned to look at Batur, "When screening crabs, add a vitality test. Observe each crab individually for thirty seconds before putting it into the box. Those that move slowly will be downgraded."

"Understood, I'll add this to the process today."

The second box was opened, and the situation was similar.

As soon as Ding Xuemin touched the third box, her expression changed.

"The temperature in this box is wrong."

The temperature recorder showed that the temperature inside the box soared to 6.2 degrees Celsius between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Upon opening the box, I found that most of the ice pack had melted.

"What happened?"

Xiao Chen's face turned pale: "This box... I sealed this box, but the ice packs probably weren't secured tightly and are sticking to the box side..."

"possible?"

Ding Xuemin's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck a chord: "Online sales—maybe two words are unacceptable."

Three out of six crabs in a box died. How did the customer feel upon receiving it?

Ding Xuemin closed her notebook: "This morning, we went through the packaging process again."

Each person seals ten boxes, and I check them after they're sealed.

Those that fail to meet the standards will be removed and resealed until they do.

Batur gritted his teeth: "Yes, we'll practice this morning."

Ding Xuemin glanced at the time. "Also, it's 7:10 now."

"Aihemaiti, you should go to Tangkou."

Aihmaiti was taken aback: "We can pack it up for practice..."

"Pond management is fundamental."

Ding Xuemin's tone left no room for negotiation: "No matter how important rectification is, the root cause cannot be touched."

Go and take water samples to monitor the water quality, and finish feeding before 8:30.

Come back for practice at nine o'clock.

Aihemaiti quickly took off his gloves and went outside.

Ding Xuemin added, "Bring the monitoring data back; I want to see it."

All morning, Ding Xuemin sat in the warehouse, watching Xiao Chen and Xiao Li pack boxes again and again, checking each box as it was sealed.

The angle of tape wrapping, the position of the ice pack, the flatness of the label... no flaws are overlooked.

By the eleventh box, Xiao Chen's hands were shaking.

After inspecting the box, Ding Xuemin finally nodded: "This box is qualified."

Remember this feel, and use this standard from now on.

During the midday test broadcast, Ding Xuemin's criticisms were even more direct.

When Batur talked about the crab farming environment, his speech quickened unconsciously: "Our crabs are raised in lakes fed by the Tianshan Mountains. The water is pure and unpolluted, and the water temperature is below 15 degrees Celsius all year round. Therefore, their growth cycle is a month longer than that of ordinary crabs, and their meat is firmer and sweeter..."

"stop."

Ding Xuemin raised her hand, "If you say it all in one breath, the client won't remember it. Break it down into points."

He got up and walked to the side of the camera, not afraid of being in the shot: "First, let's talk about the water source - Tianshan meltwater, which comes down from snow and is rich in minerals."

Secondly, regarding water temperature—below 15 degrees Celsius, crabs grow slowly, but their meat is firm.

Third, regarding bait—natural aquatic plants and small fish and shrimp, not commercial feed.

Let me clarify one point at a time before moving on to the next.

Batur took a deep breath and started again: "Family, our crabs are good primarily because the water is good."

The snowmelt from the Tianshan Mountains tastes sweet...

This time it's much safer.

Forty minutes into the broadcast, Batur began to introduce the packaging upgrade.

Ding Xuemin suddenly handed over a slip of paper, which read: "Give me the specific data: How many kilograms can the waterproof box withstand? How many hours can it be kept at low temperatures?"

Batur was startled; he hadn't really memorized these figures. He could only mumble, "Our new packaging is very sturdy, and the insulation is excellent..."

After the broadcast ended, Ding Xuemin did not criticize, but only said: "Memorize all the product parameters this afternoon."

When customers ask, don't just say "very good" or "not bad." Instead, say it can withstand 20 kilograms and keeps the temperature warm for 18 hours. Numbers are more effective than adjectives.

Batur nodded repeatedly.

Just then, Abujiang strolled in again.

He's been coming every day for the past few days, ostensibly to "supervise," but actually his eyes are constantly glancing at the new procedures.

Today he went straight to the sorting table to watch Aihemaiti sift crabs. After watching for a while, he suddenly reached into the "premium" basket and picked one out: "This one has a lighter color on the second joint of its right claw. It molted less than a week ago, and the meat hasn't fully grown. Put it in the first-grade basket."

Aihmaiti took it and examined it closely; it really was true.

Abujiang turned to Batur and said, "You can't just look at the weight; you have to look at the shell color. Green-shelled crabs are the fattest, followed by yellow-shelled ones, and white-shelled ones have just molted. Even if they're heavy, they can't be considered top grade."

Batur quickly wrote it down.

Ding Xuemin, who was watching from the side, suddenly spoke up: "Abu Jiang, since you know all this, why don't you give a lecture on quality control this afternoon?"

Abujiang was taken aback and instinctively wanted to decline, but seeing Batur's expectant eyes and the fact that the new procedures did look quite professional, he mumbled, "...Alright, just one section."

At 2 PM, a whiteboard was temporarily set up in the warehouse. Abujiang stood in front of it, holding a crab in his hand, and he actually looked a bit like a seasoned craftsman.

"For online crab sales, quality control is paramount."

He spoke up, "In offline wholesale, if a basket of crabs has a minor flaw, you can't tell it's mixed in."

Online, it's a one-on-one interaction. Customers compare the crabs they see in the live stream, and if they're even slightly different, they'll give you a bad review.

He held up the crab in his hand: "Let's talk about completeness first."

It has eight legs and two pincers, and there can be no defects—not even a tiny gap the size of a grain of rice.

Next, look at the symmetry. The pliers on the left are slightly larger than those on the right, so that won't work.

Finally, check the color; the color should be even all over the body…”

Xiao Chen and Xiao Li listened attentively, while Batur quickly took notes.

After discussing quality control, Abujiang then talked about logistics: "You're now using a dedicated cold chain line, good."

However, there are some precautions before packing. Crabs cannot be shipped on an empty stomach, nor can they be shipped after eating too much. They should be stopped eating four hours before shipment to ensure their digestive system is clean and they are less likely to die during transport.

Even Ding Xuemin nodded in agreement with this detail.

After the training ended, Abujiang packed his things to leave.

Batur quickly stopped him: "Brother Abujiang, the official live broadcast is next week. Why don't you be the quality control commentator? Just talk about these details; customers love to hear that."

Abujiang waved his hand: "My old face..."

"You explained it more clearly than any of us."

Xiao Chen chimed in, "Really, Brother Abujiang, I understood as soon as you explained it."

Abujiang glanced at the group of young people, paused for a few seconds, and said, "...We'll see when the time comes."

After he left, Ding Xuemin closed his notebook and said to Batur, "Old employees have their own value."

They may be tough on the surface, but they know exactly what's going on.

The fact that you were able to persuade him to come shows that the rectification efforts have been effective.

As Batur watched Abujiang's figure disappear through the door, a surge of energy welled up within him.