Postal "Express" That Wasn't

A few days ago, I popped open the engine bay and noticed the coolant level in the overflow tank had dropped quite a bit. On the 2nd, I ordered a bottle of radiator coolant additive online, planning to top it up myself. I assumed it would arrive in two or three days at most, but this so-called postal express completely changed my understanding of the word express.

I really can't figure out how something that moves at a snail's pace still manages to survive in a market full of competitors.

The order was placed on the 2nd. It was collected and marked as in transit on the 3rd. As of today, it still hasn't arrived. Honestly, I'm speechless. Luckily I didn't need it urgently. If this had been something time-sensitive, or if I were the impatient type, I probably would have been on the phone filing a complaint already.

What makes it even more frustrating is that the tracking showed it leaving Zhongshan for Huizhou on the 7th, and then it just stalled there for more than three days. The system says it should be delivered tomorrow, but I have serious doubts.

PS: On the 12th, I contacted the seller's customer service. Their reply was basically that if there had been no logistics update for that long, the package was most likely lost, and I should apply for a refund. What a joke — bought it for nothing. The refund came through instantly after I submitted the request. Tomorrow I'll probably just go to a repair shop and have them add the coolant instead.

The Neighbor's Cat

This is a cat with eight lives left.

People always say cats have nine lives, and this one has already "died" once. Last year it fell from the seventh floor all the way down to the first. A neighbor went downstairs, brought it back up, and somehow it kept on living. Over the past seven or eight months, it has basically stood guard on the rooftop, and ever since then I haven't seen a single rat — not even one dropping.

It isn't our cat, but the two kids at home play with it every time they go up to the roof. They even feed it turtle pellets, so it's basically a cat that lives off food from every household. Once, I brought back a live fish from a fishing trip and put it right in front of it. It only sniffed it and refused to touch it. Cook the fish, though, and it'll eat with great enthusiasm.

The cat's bathroom habits have been a constant problem. My mother has vegetables growing in her little rooftop plot, so to keep the cat from making a mess there, she covered the surface with a layer of netting. The cat simply switched locations and started using the sandy area under my turtle pond — the spot where turtles lay eggs — turning it into a litter box full of poop.

That clearly wasn't going to work long term, so some kind of cat litter setup became necessary. One time while fishing by the river, I brought along a basket and a shovel and hauled back a whole basket of sand. As soon as I got it home and guided the cat over to it, it actually peed there right away.

No matter what we do with it, the cat never resists. It actually seems to enjoy being petted. After a short while, it'll even roll over on its own and wait for more, like it knows exactly what's going on. A very well-behaved cat.