397 Airport Pickup (1/2)

Chapter 397: Airport Pickup

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jinmen International Airport.

It was the first time Zhang Zian had ever been in Jinmen. He had heard of the long history of this ancient and famous municipality before, and had always wanted to visit, but unfortunately, he had no time to go sightseeing or taste the local snacks today — he was here for airport pickup.

Assuming the flight encountered no delays, the seven Abyssinian cats were expected to arrive here today.

Because there were no direct flights between the United States and Binhai City, the flight had to be transferred at an airport somewhere.

Due to the frigid weather, Zhang Zian couldn’t afford to let the seven cats wait a few hours on the tarmac. If bad weather caused any flight delays, the cats might even have to wait a day or two. After consulting with Adams, Zhang Zian decided to transport them to Jinmen Airport, where the quarantine inspection was the most loose, and then he would pick them up himself.

Today was not good for sightseeing. The frost, which occurred exclusively in the northern regions of China in autumn and winter, had enveloped the city. Although there was not much fog in the airport, Zhang Zian learned from the rolling electronic signs that several flights had been delayed. He was very worried about whether the flight containing the seven Abyssinian cats had successfully landed.

A uniformed employee of a shipping company approached him with a loaded cart, upon which was placed a large wooden box. The wooden box was so large it could almost contain a hippopotamus. Zhang Zian did not pay attention to this person at first, because he thought it was unnecessary to place seven cats into such a huge wooden box.

”Mr. Zhang Zian?” the shipping company employee pushed his cap up and asked.

Zhang Zian was surprised, ”Yes.”

”Please show me the bill of lading,” said the staff member.

Zhang Zian took out the bill of lading and handed it to the staff member, his eyes looking at the big wooden box. He whispered to himself. What’s wrong with Adams? Why did he use such a big box?

While the employee was checking the bill of lading, Zhang Zian circled around the big wooden box a few times, and then found on side of the box the eye-catching sign of the United States Department of Agriculture, the label ”living animals” in English, as well as vertical arrows indicating the box should be placed upright. Obviously, this was a USDA-approved air transport wooden box, which was available in many pet stores and pet carrier companies in the United States, but Zhang Zian had never seen such a huge one.

At the top of the flight box was a sheet bearing the telephone number and address of the pet consignment company entrusted by Adams and the name and telephone number of the consignee, Zhang Zian. Photos of the seven Abyssinian cats were also attached to the sheet in a row.

After the staff from the shipping company verified Zhang Zian's bill of lading, he opened the large wooden box from a side.

The large wooden box's safety door was snapped and not locked, presumably to let the airline employees help the animals get out easily in case of an emergency—of course, objectively speaking, this method also increased the risk of pets escaping or going missing.

To be honest, Zhang Zian had received empty parcels shipped by domestic transportation companies before, so he was really nervous that when the big wooden box was opened, it would be empty inside. Even if he refused to sign and immediately contacted Adams, he was afraid that he would never find the seven Abyssinian cats again...

As the safety door opened, Zhang Zian kept staring firmly inside, holding his breath.

”Meow…?”

Seven chocolate-colored kittens were nestled together, their fourteen eyes turning to look at the source of light at the same time.

Zhang Zian was relieved!

Now he understood the benefits of a large wooden box. There was plenty of space inside, especially for the lively and active Abyssinian cats, and enough space had been provided for them to move about. In addition, the wooden box also had a fixed wooden basin filled with water and food, as well as a cat litter box—of course, there was only one wooden basin and one cat litter box, since it was impossible to prepare a set for each cat.

Perhaps due to the bumpy journey or that a few of them were naughty, the floor of the wooden box was covered with water stains, cat litter and food debris, in addition to the inevitable smell of feces and urine. Given that they had crossed half a world, the situation right now was actually impeccable.

To prevent them from accidentally escaping, the shipping company employee did not fully open the safety door. He was standing together with Zhang Zian at the door, carefully examining the seven cats.

”One, two, three... all seven cats have survived,” he counted. ”Sir, are you satisfied with our service?”

Zhang Zian put his arm into the wooden box and dipped his finger in the water. It was cold.

This was what he was worrying about – that the drinking water might freeze if the outdoor temperature at night at the Jinmen Airport was lower than in Binhai City. But this had nothing to do with the quality of service of the pet carrier company.

”Very satisfied,” said Zhang Zian honestly.

”Please sign here.”