At one point (for some reason) I mentioned pumpkins, which I consider a very New England type of vegetable and I said that she may not have eaten one -- "Oh no!" she said, "In China we grew many pumpkins! My district in China was famous for pumpkins! My grandfather grew more pumpkins than anyone else in our village!"
Then she started giggling and added "That's why they killed him."
Good anecdote. Brings three (3) things to mind:
1. Pumpkins and squash are very commonly used in the Chinese, and Taiwanese, food chain. Both for humans and livestock - pigs, goats, cows, etc. I have some growing in my small garden as I type this. Used in soups, baked, fried.
2. The laughter you mentioned is a typical sign of "more to come" nervous response.
3. For your above quote - "Nothing personal...its only business" is just as applicable to some periods of Chinese history as it is to the 'Good Fellas' that we Westerners know.
By the way...a lot of Sinophiles (Chinese apologistas) like to go on about the rich 3,000 yr. old tapestry of Chinese Culture as some kind of evidence of its 'higher evolutionary' status. B.S....a very good argument can be made that its just the same year repeated 3,000 times.
This is what my SO (who's Chinese) tells me is an apologetic laugh, as in, "I'm sorry to have to say this" or "I'm sorry to have to burden you with this knowledge".