The Chinese man managed to keep a straight face until he reached the kitchens of the restaurant. When he had crossed through the double doors he had to lean on the table for support as he burst out laughing.
“What on earth is the matter?” Ling looked up from his food preparation as Simba was wiping away the tears.
“English people just manage to crack me up.”
“In what way?”
“Oh, they just expect everything that we do to be the wonderful, mystical, China that they have read about. As you know, this is not always the case.” Simba pushed over a photograph on the counter. “Take a look at this, they expected there to be some kind of proverb written on their vase, so they just asked me what it said.”
Ling walked over to look at the picture, and then he started laughing himself. “What did you tell them?”
“I told them their vase said, ‘a bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers’.”
“You must be a great actor,” Ling announced as he looked once more at the photograph.
To anybody who could read Chinese the vase made for dummies clearly said, ‘Put flowers here.’
Written for Sunday photo fiction
AngieTrafford 
Hahaha….love it!
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Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.
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Hahaha! Cute story! “Put flowers here.” I really love the bit of wisdom you put in, “a bit of fragrance clings to the hand of the one who gives flowers.” Love it!
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That’s a proverb I know, LOL! Thanks for reading.
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Very good, Angie, neatly built and amusing.
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😉 glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.
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Terrific story, Angie. You and I had similar trains of thought today. Great minds and all that, I suppose. 😉
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That must be the case! Thanks for reading.
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I laughed out loud! It felt good. Well done!
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Haha, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.
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Haha brilliant 😀
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Chinese writing and a story I couldn’t resist! Thanks for reading
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You’re welcome 🙂 Hope you had a great New Year
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LOL’s ! Quick thinking on his part…he gave them something they expected and they were not disappointed . Great story.. 🙂
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Promotion for him maybe! Thanks for reading.
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LOL!:D You are absolutely right! “Put flowers here!” Thanks for the laugh! 😀
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😉 glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.
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Made me smile. 🙂 I wonder how many people who have exotic tattoos are conned in a similar way?
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Probably a fair few! Thanks for reading, glad it made you smile 😃
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what a lighthearted story! i like it — the simplicity has brought fragrance that has tickled my bones. thank you!
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Thanks for reading, your kind words are totally appreciated!
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Anyone who sells to tourists probably knows the soul of this story very well. Nice one!
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Hehe, I bet they do! Thanks for reading.
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That is very funny Angie. Honestly, there are people like those who think the mandarine alphabet on something is a wise saying. Great writing!
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There sure are, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.
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HahAhaha… Loved it. I am probably one of the mystical observers who would have be suckered by the man!
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Me too! Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it.
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