The Long Journey Back

A deadpan nonsense novel, written on a whim as a practice piece. Roughly, the male lead Lei is crippled by his father, breaking both legs, and is found and cared for by the female lead Hua. Lei is grateful and hopes to pass the imperial examinations to become a high official and give Hua a good life, but he repeatedly fails, growing melancholic. The story unfolds under these circumstances.