I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 108 Misha and Nadya

In Chapter 17 of Book III of War and Peace, at a grand ball attended by the Tsar, the young noblewoman Natasha, after dancing with Prince Andrei, is soon approached by other young men who ask her to dance. Like many novices attending a ball for the first time, she dances happily for a long time, not even noticing when the Tsar leaves.

After dancing for a long time, she finally spoke to Prince Andrei again, but soon after, after being put down by another dance partner, she quickly crossed the room to ask the two ladies to dance the next round.

It was at this moment that Prince Andrei looked at her and muttered to himself, "If she goes to see her cousin first, and then to see other ladies, she will become my wife."

In this context, the Soviet version of the film *War and Peace* seems to be adapted in a more aesthetically pleasing way. After Prince Andrei and Natasha finish their dance, Prince Andrei's gaze involuntarily drifts through the lights and crowd of the ball, looking at the girl who had been tearful before the dance but is now radiant with happiness. He thinks to himself:
“If she goes to her cousin’s place first and then goes to find another man, then I will marry her.”

This prophetic thought brought him a happy beginning, a bitter process, and an ending full of regret and beauty.

Mikhail had certainly seen this scene, and some of it was even appearing before his eyes.

But to put it simply, the general's family wasn't powerful enough, and the ball wasn't held in such a grand manner.

It's no wonder that the general was preoccupied with advancement, and didn't even bother with polite remarks like, "Sometimes I think, how high does one's official rank really have to be?" But that's normal; in Russia at that time, what did advancement matter? It all came down to unwavering loyalty to His Majesty the Tsar.

The scene overlapped somewhat with Mikhail's memory, but before Mikhail could jokingly recreate the classic moment, the girl took the initiative to say after the dance, "Let's go to the snack bar (буфет)."

According to the rules of the dance, after the dance, the male partner should ask the female partner where he/she should be taken: the snack bar or the place where he/she was originally invited. After exchanging greetings, the male partner should either leave or stay with the female partner to continue the conversation.

As the name suggests, a snack bar is a place where you can eat to your heart's content, and this girl's suggestion undoubtedly struck a chord with Mikhail.

However, it was clear that the ball had only just begun. For nobles, balls were a place that combined socializing and entertainment. Even if they didn't intend to socialize, dancing and relaxing was a great option.

If you had to compare it to something else, it was similar to clubbing and other dances in later times. But to be fair, the Russian nobles were indeed much more refined in this regard.

In response to Mikhail's question, the girl with slightly pink skin simply shook her head and said, "That's enough."

She then seemed to give Mikhail some time to daydream before adding rather graciously, "I have to accompany my mother tonight to entertain many guests, and it won't be easy to raise enough money for this ball. My father is planning to make a big splash at this ball."

Oh right, dances also have the function of making people progress.

Having said that, Mikhail didn't bother asking if it would take up too much of her time. Instead, she followed Nadya toward a certain place, and before they got there, she had to say goodbye to Nadya's mother.

Unlike the general, who went straight to the point asking about his family background, this woman also subtly tested Mikhail's manners and competence.

To be honest, although Mikhail performed well, in this period, family background often came into play in the end, and his cautious behavior was certainly related to this.

Regardless, Nadya's mother seemed quite kind. In the end, she smiled and nodded, then watched the couple walk away.

The ball had begun, and those who wanted to dance had already gone off, while those who didn't dance found other forms of entertainment during the ball. Middle-aged ladies sat in the living room playing Wheatstone, while some younger ladies would browse through picture books they already knew well, providing unmarried young men with opportunities to approach and get to know them.

Women in their thirties and forties bring their handicrafts to the dance, while women about to give birth sew clothes for their newborns. Women who don't usually dance form their own groups, and men are forbidden from staying near these groups.

Due to time constraints, there weren't many people at the snack bar. Before Mikhail could even scan the area to assess the situation, Nadya, recalling Mikhail's earlier dance performance, praised him again, saying, "You danced so well! Have you had someone practice with you these past few days?"

In aristocratic circles, it's impossible for everyone to dance well, and those who dance well undoubtedly become the darlings of the circle. As for Mikhail, apart from being a little awkward at the beginning, he practically glided lightly across the floor afterward, making it hard to believe that he had only recently started practicing.

"I asked some of my friends for help."

Mikhail, recalling certain images, became somewhat flustered, but still added, "My male friends, they all dance quite well, it's just that their teaching methods differ."

Mikhail gave a general account of the process, and although the young woman was very interested in the specific details, she was too embarrassed to ask further. Instead, she asked Mikhail about his impressions of attending the ball.

"It was a rare experience, and I found it quite interesting."

Mikhail thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Thank you for your invitation. Your dance was also very good. If it weren't for you, I might have made a huge embarrassment today, and who knows, no one would have accepted my invitation."

“How could that be?” Nadya had already noticed some people’s gazes when her father introduced Mikhail to others, so she thought for a moment and said, “I reckon many young ladies would be happy to dance with you. Would you like to invite them? After all, the ball has only just begun, and the most interesting dances haven’t even started yet.”

"That's enough."

Although it was Xiao Chunan, Mikhail wasn't stupid. No matter what, he wouldn't agree at this moment. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "I'm not very good at other dances either. Maybe I'll dance them again if I have the chance in the future."

To be honest, Mikhail actually had a pretty good opinion of dancing as a form of entertainment. After all, in an era where entertainment is scarce, it's not easy to find something that's even remotely interesting. It's no wonder that Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Thomas were all once so engrossed in social activities that they couldn't extricate themselves until they felt empty and started looking for something to do.

Some people feel empty and try to cover it up with more entertainment, while others think about doing something productive, but the former seems to be more common.

Furthermore, if given the chance, Mikhail would actually like to learn how to shoot from Old Tu or someone else. Of course, it wouldn't be for duels. Given the past incidents of Pushkin and Lermontov cosplaying as Pushkin, Mikhail would only think about this if he had nothing better to do.

However, sometimes, when someone is truly desperate, they need to grasp some basic physical truths—enough to protect themselves and perhaps even rob a bank. After discussing this for a while, Nadya noticed that while Mikhail was indeed interested in the ball, it seemed more like a curious observation than something else. Unlike many young people in high society who immediately became overwhelmed by the scene and lost their bearings, Nadya didn't seem to care where she was.

Even Nadya herself gradually shed her somewhat frivolous state after seeing more of her family. After talking with Mikhail for so long, Nadya didn't really understand what Mikhail was truly pursuing, and she felt that perhaps Mikhail himself didn't know either.

But vaguely, Nadya could sense that Mikhail might want to do something truly beneficial, but she might not be sure what exactly constituted something beneficial for the time being.

In short, he's a truly peculiar person.

As Nadya pondered these things, her gaze toward Mikhail unconsciously shifted slightly.

Mikhail wasn't usually very sensitive to such gazes, but for some reason, it seemed like many people were looking at him like that, to the point that he could now roughly tell the difference.

Mikhail, feeling that gaze again, was speechless.

To be honest, every morning when Mikhail wakes up, the first thing he thinks is often: "It's okay, I've survived another day, that's already amazing."

They chatted about many topics related to the ball. While Nadya was enjoying herself, she didn't forget about one of Mikhail's little hobbies, and instead introduced him to some snacks: "Try this, I rarely eat this, but it tastes really good, you might like it. And this, I can make this, but I'm not very good at it yet."

At this very moment, the grand ball was still in progress. Couples were dancing gracefully on the dance floor, while those who weren't dancing formed circles. Some were busy playing cards, some were discussing news from high society, some were talking about the current situation in Europe, and some were listening intently to the music.

And inevitably, some people would turn their attention to the couple who seemed quite well-matched at first glance, and then whisper about their identities. In this short period of time, Nadya's mother had already heard some news from others, so she looked at the couple with a bit of worry.

The general, however, did not notice this; he was still busy making progress.

However, Mikhail and the girl didn't do anything improper; they just ate and chatted. During this time, Nadya even read aloud a poem she had read to Mikhail: "Have you read Lermontov's poems? I really like his 'Dark Eyes': Southern bright eyes, dark eyes. I read love in your gaze; since the moment we met, you have been my star that never sets, day or night."

Of course, the reason for reading this poem was simply because we happened to be discussing the latest chapter of Mikhail's novel. In this part, the seventeen-year-old girl quite seriously points out to Mikhail the heroine's gains and losses in love, and at the end, she even asks Mikhail about the future plot developments.

Spoilers are absolutely out of the question, but she had another question: "When will you publish another short story? It feels like it's been a while since we've seen one, and many of my friends and I are waiting for it."

Mikhail nodded and replied, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be in the next issue."

"That would be great!"

The conversation continued in this relaxed atmosphere, but it was interrupted by the arrival of Nadya's mother. Just as Nadya had said, as the organizers of the ball, they still had a lot to do to entertain the guests.

At this point, Mikhail's ball trip could be considered over, but it would not be good to leave just like that. Moreover, after the general made a round, he returned to Mikhail's side and talked to him with great interest about his views on literature and art.

It was clear that the general had unique and nonsensical insights on this matter, but he did want to show that he was very knowledgeable in this area. Fortunately, as the conversation went on, the general saw that Mikhail didn't seem to have any other plans, so he simply brought Mikhail to the card table. The general himself didn't play much; he spent most of his time chatting about politics and bragging with the men in the group, and occasionally talking about some high-level topics.

However, once Mikhail sat down at the card table, he immediately became more energetic, especially after hearing that one of the young men was playing very well. He became interested and soon joined the young man at the same table.

However, for some reason, some young people seemed to be looking at him a little strangely, but Mikhail didn't pay much attention to it. It's like having too many lice and not being afraid of being bitten. So Mikhail remained silent and gradually immersed himself in his card-playing art.

When the general snapped out of his boastful reverie and looked back at Mikhail and his men, he was slightly taken aback and asked, puzzled, "My dear Mikhail, where are they? Why are several of them missing all of a sudden?"

"They all went dancing."

"That's it"

In this way, time actually passed quickly. After dinner, although some people might want to dance for a while longer, Mikhail felt that he could leave. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly dance with that girl one more time, could he?

That would truly put us on the duel line.

Mikhail said he didn't really want to be shot by the general.

After greeting the host, Mikhail intended to leave quietly, but Nadya, who was busy and dizzy, still kept a certain amount of attention on Mikhail. So when Mikhail walked out of the general's house, the girl saw him off for a while, just like last time.

There was no conversation this time, as the young woman still had many things to do.

But as it was time to part, the girl took a deep breath and said in a clear voice, "Then see you later, Misha."

Ok?
Although he hadn't quite processed it yet, Mikhail blurted out, "Okay, see you next time, Nadya."

When the moon reappeared from behind the clouds, the young couple had already gone in their respective directions, their steps neither hurried nor light.

(End of this chapter)