I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 122 Love and Not Knowing How to Play Without Taking an Inheritance
Since they called each other by nicknames in person last time, Mikhail and Nadya have become a bit more casual in their letters to each other. For example, they no longer use formal terms of address as they used to, but instead mix nicknames and formal names.

Generally, after the latest issue of "Contemporary Man" is published, the girl will usually write to Mikhail to express her thoughts and exchange views and opinions on certain things, but this time the letter seems to be a little later than before.

However, after receiving the letter and reading a few paragraphs, Mikhail learned the reason. But even knowing this, after confirming that he hadn't misread it, a subtle expression still appeared on Mikhail's face.

Honestly, who would have thought that a general who only wanted to improve himself would suddenly have a literary dream?

The reason the letter arrived so slowly was that after reading the latest issue, the general even canceled other people's banquets and spent two or three nights finally managing to write a rough outline of the story. Although it was only two or three hundred words long, the general's performance was:

"He looked like someone recovering from a serious illness, pale and unsteady on his feet. These two or three hundred words seemed rather difficult for him, to the point that he had to admit that things weren't as simple as he had thought. But even so, he hoped you could help him take a look at his outline. If he could write it, he would start immediately."

Mikhail: “.”

Writing two or three hundred words almost killed him; would I dare agree to let him write more?

But wouldn't disagreeing be too hurtful to him?
As for the general's outline, Mikhail could only say that his eyes started to sting after just a quick glance, and if he had looked closely, he probably would have lost his eyes.

Nadya also has her own opinion on this outline:

“Misha, I’ve read the outline. I think it’s best if you don’t give my father any hope, but it doesn’t seem right for you to reject him directly. You can reply later, and you can be a little vague then. Before you reply, it seems Mr. Krajevsky from ‘Chronicles of the Fatherland’ is coming to visit us. Knowing my father’s personality, he will definitely ask Mr. Krajevsky, this authoritative figure, for his opinion.”

I will convey it to you when I hear it.

Upon seeing this, Mikhail couldn't help but nod.

Then we'll see what opinions Krajewsky dares to offer regarding such an outline.

Regarding the current relationship between Mikhail and Krajewsky, although Mikhail basically has no resentment towards this gentleman, after all, he rose to prominence so quickly that Krajewsky hadn't even had a chance to exploit him before Mikhail had already published his work in his own magazine.

Therefore, even if Mikhail wasn't particularly fond of Krajevsky, he could still greet him if they happened to meet.

Kokraevsky probably already considered Mikhail a mortal enemy and often felt resentful for not being able to exploit him in time. Therefore, when the two happened to meet, he was the first to snort coldly and then turn his head to the side.

It's fair to say that when it comes to magazine sales and money, even people who have no prior grudges might become enemies.

After reading the letter with a pleasant feeling, Mikhail prepared to go out.

As soon as he stood up, the observant little girl from Mikhail's family quickly brought Mikhail clothes and shoes. After staying at Mikhail's house for a while, Mira had gradually adapted to life there. But sometimes, when she thought about it seriously, she still found it incredible. After all, where could there be such an easy job and such a amiable master?
Even so, she still refused to slack off on what she was supposed to do. As long as it was something Mikhail assigned, even if it was a dizzying task of reading and writing, she would still try her best to complete it.

However, she did not passively accept the task of learning to read and write. Although she did not have a clear concept of many things, she now naturally knew what Mikhail did.

A writer, and a writer who is highly respected.

Whether out of respect for Mikhail, curiosity, or some other reason, she genuinely wanted to read it.

Mikhail has now somewhat adapted to having a helper at home. Putting everything else aside, at least Mikhail won't accidentally oversleep and end up not being able to get anything done for the rest of the time.

After saying goodbye to the little girl before leaving, Mikhail walked along a road he knew all too well toward a certain place.

Meanwhile, at Panayev's house, many people knew in advance that Mikhail was coming, making this week's gathering particularly lively. Even those who are usually very busy made time to come. The young Dostoevsky was no exception. After listening to Mikhail's inspirational speech last time, he had indeed settled down and focused on writing for a while, and now a new novel was successfully completed. So, naturally, the old Dostoevsky wanted to go out and talk to Mikhail, whom he hadn't seen for a while.

However, there were indeed many people who shared his thoughts. Belinsky wanted to talk to Mikhail again about his commentary, which had been the subject of much discussion recently. Even his friends in Moscow had recently written to him to ask about the article and its author.

Nekrasov, who was in high spirits lately, wanted to talk to Mikhail about his failed love and ask him some questions. After all, Mikhail was now living off the general's daughter, so how could he not have his own set of experiences?
Mikhail might just want to say something like, "Damn it, you're chasing after someone else's wife, if you don't get frustrated, who will?"

Even Panayev, who has been preoccupied lately, actually wanted the wise Mikhail to point him in the right direction, since he wasn't blind and could still perceive some things.

But then again, with his wife on one side and his brother on the other, Panaev sometimes felt quite helpless.

Thus, even though the Panayev family seemed bustling with activity, there were always a few people who were restless, while other friends who might not have been so close to Mikhail had recently been captivated by his new novel and reviews, and couldn't help but have some expectations.

He debuted at the peak of his career and has never experienced a downturn since!
If you didn't see it with your own eyes, who could believe such a thing?

Therefore, later on, whenever someone came in, several people would look towards the door together. When they saw that it wasn't the right person after looking at several people, everyone's excitement grew, since almost all the people who were going to come had already arrived.
When the door opened again, several people stood up. When the familiar figure of the young man appeared in everyone's sight, someone took his coat and hat. After a slight pause, he smiled and greeted everyone.

Although he may not have seen some of them for a while, he acted the same as before and chatted about things they had discussed before.

He walked to a familiar spot, and as everyone's attention gradually shifted away from him, Mikhail reached out his large hand towards the Panaev family's snacks.

After eating for a while, those friends who wanted to have a detailed chat with Mikhail gradually came over.

Mikhail said he couldn't offer any advice on Nekrasov's situation, since he was probably into pure romance, how could he give Nekrasov any advice? In the end, it was Nekrasov's own decision.

Strictly speaking, although Nekrasov later succeeded, the process was rather abstract. Basically, one day Nekrasov asked Panaeva to go boating in a park. While boating, Nekrasov began to confess his love and said that if she didn't agree, he would jump in.

Panaeva wasn't going to tolerate Nekrasov's bad habits and immediately shook her head. Nekrasov, who couldn't swim, actually jumped into the lake and gulped down water for a long time before being pulled out. After a month of relentless pleading and threats of suicide, Panaeva finally agreed.

It can only be said that this is probably how love is for Russians today; the novel wasn't just made up.
As for Panayev, Mikhail really didn't know what to say, so he could only pat Panayev on the shoulder to show that he couldn't help him and that they would have to overcome this on their own.

Having covered these two abstract points, Belinsky became much more serious. He explained that a friend of his in Moscow named Herzen greatly admired Mikhail's novels and commentaries, and that he might be visiting St. Petersburg on business soon, hoping to meet with Mikhail then.

As for Herzen, the father of Russian socialism, a turning point in his life was about to arrive. Around next year, Herzen's father died, and after inheriting a large fortune, he immediately took his whole family abroad and began to fiercely engage in political commentary and fight against the autocratic system.

Ironically, Turgenev's turning point in life was remarkably similar to his. After his mother's death, he inherited her estate and then embarked on his path to becoming the leading figure in the Russian literary world.

You can't start without an inheritance, right?

When he finally arrived at Dostoevsky's place, Mikhail was quite pleased to learn that Dostoevsky had written a new novel. He was genuinely excited to discover that the new novel Dostoevsky had written was one that was not in his mind.

This is a completely new version I've never seen before; I have to really check it out!

Seeing Mikhail so excited, Old Dostoevsky was also deeply moved.

Everyone started to doubt me, but Mikhail thought I was the most promising.
(End of this chapter)