With regards to cashier work and daily chores at the shop, Jiang Feifei had a lot to learn. After completing some simple new employee paperwork, she sat right beside Lu Yiyun and listened to her teaching and training.
Jiang Feifei was a normal person, yet the people and things in the shop seemed a bit abnormal: the grey parrot that talked just like a human, the German Shepherd that won the Best Actor award at the Berlin Film Festival, the tabby cat that wore a long robe and a bamboo hat while watching television in high spirits… Everything was a surprise to her.
Except that she wasn’t that interested in cats and dogs. They were cute, but nothing more. She was more fascinated in the mysterious and colorful marine creatures, not to mention that her future workplace was next door. Therefore, she only skimmed through the pet shop randomly.
Lu Yiyun was not much of a talker, but she did her best to teach her everything she needed to know about the cashier work. She noted them down in heart seriously, and asked whenever she had a question.
Luckily, there were a few more days before the official opening of the aquarium. She had plenty of time to learn.
After seeing that there was nothing else to do, Zhang Zian drove to the beach and played Sihwa’s song. He took some marine creatures back on his way.
A few minutes after he returned, a courier car parked in front of his door.
Wang Qian and Li Kun could not wait to get the package from the courier man, then handed it into Zhang Zian’s hands respectfully and said with hints, “Master, your courier. Don’t worry. Without your permission, we’ll never open it on our own!”
Zhang Zian didn’t know what to say…
“What do you mean? It’s not lady’s clothing inside!” he emphasized.
Wang Qian and Li Kun smirked mysteriously.
Zhang Zian knew that it was Sihwa’s cellphone inside, which he had ordered online. But he could not open the package in front of them. Otherwise, they would wonder why he would continue to use his old phone after buying a new one…
“Whatever.” He shook his head reluctantly. “Go ahead and work. Go check out if Jiang Feifei needs help.”
As he spoke, he took the courier package upstairs.
After his footsteps could no longer be heard, Wang Qian and Li Kun glanced at each other and said, “The online merchants are very protective of customer privacy these days. I’m sure there’s woman’s clothing inside, but it’s written ‘Electronics’ on the package… Whom are they trying to fool?”
Zhang Zian didn’t hear their mumble. He entered the living room upstairs.
Pi sat in front of the computer and typed attentively. He didn’t want to disturb it, so he walked straight into the bathroom––more precisely, he was going into the bathroom.
However, with a flash of golden light, Fina dashed out of it swiftly, while Sihwa yelled in anger. “Bad orange cat! Stinky orange cat! Don’t ever let me see you again! Or else I’ll make you a drowned cat!”
Before Zhang Zian could figure out what was going on, a plastic, spinning basin flew out of the bathroom and came right towards him!
He cringed his neck quickly and barely dodged the weapon. His face was splashed with some water, though. He tasted it with his tongue. It was salty. He could also smell a strong odor.
Fina sat at a safe distance far away. Although it tried to pose a smile of victory, its face told him that it was having a hard time, too.
It seems that the two of them had just had another fight.
Richard flew downstairs, possibly to avoid being hit by friendly fire.
Thanks to Pi’s concentration while writing, it was not disturbed by them. Had it been Zhang Zian, he would have stopped writing a long time ago.
“Why are you fighting again?” He bent down to pick up the plastic basin.
“Humph, this salty fish said some nasty words. I’m punishing it a little bit,” Fina said with pride.
As he could not get an answer from Fina, Zhang Zian wanted to ask Sihwa in the bathroom. However, as soon as he stepped in, water splashed towards him and almost hit his head.
He had some the quick wits like a cornered dog. As he had the basin in his hands, he put it over his head while exiting his body from the bathroom quickly. He finally spared his head from a passive wash.
“Hum. You are a brave protector of your master. I’m very pleased. In addition, this green helmet suits you well. You should wear it all the time to protect yourself from the salty fish’s nasty attacks,” Fina encouraged him.
“Quack! A little green on the head makes your life easier! Young man, you are wise!” Richard had foreseen the disaster to come as soon as he went upstairs. That was why it didn’t remind him, but followed behind him to watch the drama. Now it finally gloated and shouted out.
Zhang Zian took the basin off his head without a word. He would never buy a green basin again in the future.
Fina yawned. “Since this salty fish has learned her lesson, I’m letting her go today. Oh, ––is breakfast ready? I’m hungry.”
“I’ll get it for you soon. Just go downstairs and wait. There’s a new staff member in the shop. You should meet her to avoid misunderstandings,” Zhang Zian said.
Jiang Feifei was a cashier and would certainly deal with money. If Fina had seen a stranger taking its money out of the drawer, it might scratch her with its claws…
“Oh? A new slave to serve me? You are doing a good job as a general manager!” Fina cheered up and didn’t feel sleepy anymore. It ran downstairs happily, ready to let Jiang Feifei call it majesty.
After it left, Zhang Zian shielded himself with the basin and showed up in the bathroom. “Captain, don’t shoot. It’s me!”
After making sure that Sihwa didn’t splash water, he walked into the bathroom carefully.
There was water all over the bathroom floor. One could imagine what kind of battle it had been. It seemed more fierce than the battle against the bobbit worm yesterday, as Wang Qian and Li Kun had described.
The bathtub was murky and there was sand floating in it. After a careful look, it was small particles. It couldn’t be anything else but the cat litter for the kittens in the shop. Moreover… it had been used.
No wonder there was a strong odor in the air.
Cat urine had a very strong scent, stronger than the urine of other animals. That was because the ancestors of domestic cats were wild desert cats that lived in the deserts of Africa and Middle East. Water was precious. To preserve the precious water in their bodies, they could not get rid of water easily. Therefore… the concentrated urine had a strong smell.
Besides, there was another unique ingredient in cat urine––felinine. After being exposed to the air, it was transformed into thiol, which emitted a unique stink.
Even cats could not tolerate their own urine’s smell. To avoid being spotted and tracked by predators, cats had the instinct to cover their urine using cat litter.
Luckily, kitten urine had a milder smell than adult cats. Even so, it was enough to put Sihwa to tears. She pinched her nose with one hand, and unplugged the tub with the other hand to drain the soiled water.