Xu Lan suddenly recalled a line written by Cao Xueqin to portray Jia Baoyu, 'His face was as bright as the mid-autumn moon; his complexion fresh, like spring flowers in the morning dew; the hair above his temples was distinctly outlined, as if it had been cut with a sharp knife; his eyebrows, as if penciled with ink; the fine outline of his nose betokened boldness of character, his eyes glistened with the wet shine of autumn waves. His mouth seemed to smile even in ill-humor; his glance radiated warmth and feeling even in anger.'
Back in the day, he felt repulsed just by reading that passage, for he did not think that there were men who would have looked like that. At that moment though, Xu Lan realized how little of the world he actually saw.
