Some customers frequently visit our garden centre. As a Chinese saying goes, "First meeting as strangers, second as acquaintances, third as friends." Over time, many of these customers have become my friends, some even close ones.
One day, a couple came to buy fish. The gentleman was a knowledgeable fish keeper, and we discussed fish behavior, color, size, feeding, and more.
After selecting his chosen fish from the pond and placing them in a bag, I showed them to the customers as I usually do.
"Nice!" the gentleman said.
"Show your wife," I suggested.
"She's not my wife; she's my mother," he replied.
"Ah... You've been here so often, I thought she was your wife," I said, looking at them in surprise.
"Shut up!" the lady said to the gentleman.
The gentleman laughed.
"Oh... I see! He was joking," I realized.
This gentleman was truly humorous. On another occasion, he bought some indoor fish from another staff member.
"How many male and female fish can be kept together?" he asked.
"Typically, one male with two females is fine," the staff answered.
"Does the same rule apply to humans? I hope so," he quipped, answering his own question. I knew he was joking again.
Fortunately, his wife wasn't with him that time, or he might have faced her wrath!