In chapter 6 of Dream of the Red Chamber, the poor country woman Liu Laolao comes to the Jia mansion to ask for help. Wang Xifeng first explains that the household is busy. “From outside it looks splendid,” she says, “but no one knows that a great house has great difficulties.”
“Liu Laolao heard the talk of difficulties and took it to mean there was nothing,” and her heart pounded. Then Xifeng gives her twenty taels of silver. Liu Laolao answers with a coarse saying, and the servant who brought her keeps signaling with her eyes for her to stop.