A mainland Chinese woman in the 80s told me this story. Let's call her Wang Meiling.
Wang Meiling was going back to China on a visit. A mainland friend over here asked her to take a wooden horse (don't know what size) for him, to be handed over to a friend. Wang Meiling had not been given any details, just that the Chinese party would get in touch with her at some point. (This smacks a bit of a spy story, no?)
One day, a Chinese chap turned up at her hotel room and, being Chinese, Wang Meiling couldn't ask him outright what he was there for. They sat down and conducted some small talk, e.g., when had she arrived, how long had she been living in the UK, was she visiting family in China, etc.
Wang Meiling didn't know where this was leading, but couldn't come out straight and ask. So the small talk continued for quite a while.
When they ran out of things to say and it was obvious that it was time for him to take his leave, the man then said, pointing at the wooden horse, "这马是我的 / zhè mǎ shì wǒ de / this horse is mine."
Even Wang Meiling, a mainlander, said, "Why couldn't he have come out straight right from the start, and saved me all that time sitting there, wondering what he was doing visiting me at the hotel, wracking my brain for something to say?"
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