Upon hearing Nanny Zhang's question, Old Master Gu became silent. A long time passed and, just when she thought that he was done talking, he sighed and said, "Yes... I've always thought that I knew Xiaokou very well. If it were possible, I truly wish that she was really the Xiaokou who I thought she was..."
"But Xiaozhang, we can never judge a book by its cover. We may know a person's exterior but not his heart. We may spend a lifetime trying but still failing to understand specific matters and individual people..." Old Master Gu interrupted himself with a deep sigh.
Although Nanny Zhang did not fully fathom the meaning behind Old Master Gu's musings, she did vaguely sense that Miss Liang must have done something that greatly upset him, thus she smiled and tried to comfort him.