Ruoxi: I loved to eat sugar-coated haws when I was young, finding them crisp, sweet and tangy. It was a refreshing experience to taste them once in a while. Later on, my father thought them unhygienic and refused to buy them for me, but that only made their taste even more unforgettable in my mind. I always thought that they were the most delectable food under the sun. Although I also liked the hibiscus cake I usually had, I felt that sugar-coated haws were superior. One day, I finally got to eat sugar-coated haws again. What do you think I felt, Your Highness?
Yin’e (a prince forced to marry another woman instead of Ruoxi years ago): You must be over the moon.
Ruoxi: Wrong, I felt disappointed, greatly disappointed. At that instant, I wondered, this snack is not unpalatable, but it definitely cannot hold a candle to hibiscus cakes, so why did I think that it is more delicious than hibiscus cakes? I then tried not eating hibiscus cakes for three months and found myself missing them terribly. Only then did I realize that what I loved most was the hibiscus cake. Your Highness, I am the sugar-coated haws, and Her Highness is the hibiscus cake. The hibiscus cake is always within reach, so you do not find it special as time passes. Sugar-coated haws, in contrast, have become tastier in your memory because you cannot have them. If, however, you were to lose your hibiscus cake one day, you would discover that it is what you love most dearly.
The A-Philosopher's Chair 
Special thanks to CapriquariusMei
, Cindy Knoke 
and abyssbrain 
for their expression of support in the prelude to this post.
Ruoxi certainly makes a good point…however, sometimes I can’t help but feel that if it’s the “sugar-coated haws” who’s telling the foodie (Yin’e in this case) the truth about the memory of taste at a distance, it might have the effect of defeating the purpose (aka making the foodie realize that “hibiscus cake” is better). It is always tempting at a distance. 🙂
🙂 Thanks for your comment! Pardon my late response but do you think Ruoxi should have let nature take its course then?
On a related note, Ruoxi supposedly liked furonggao but not the only prince who remembered this and brought her the pastry when she was forced to kneel in the rain. It’s indeed the one at a distance who’s more tempting. 😛 ☆彡
Hm….that’s actually a good question. If she had let nature take its course, then it might still prolong the fruitless hope and pain for Yin’e. The overall effect might still be more or less the same as if she did tell him to give up on her. But I supposed, when she did tell him the story of sugar-coated haws and hibiscus cake, she probably had somehow reminded Yin’e to pay more attention to those close to him (aka his hibiscus cake). Though, I think it would have been better if an outsider had told Yin’e this observation (sugar-coated haws and hibiscus cake) instead with his/her third-person (aka “impartial”) perspective. 😛
Such a wonderful quote.
Thanks for the comment. Considering that today is Father’s Day, it should perhaps be noted that Ruoxi’s advice may apply to relationships between dads and children as well. 😐
In any case, good luck for your exams!
Woah. I never thought of that application and I think it hits close to home for me. I will definitely be mulling more over this. And thank you 🙂