I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 141 Russian Winter and Charity
Strictly speaking, although Mikhail is not yet highly educated, in the eyes of others, he is certainly one of the intellectuals of this era, and perhaps even more radical than other intellectuals.

The circle of radical intellectuals was even smaller. In this situation, it would only take two people to connect Mikhail with Marx, and even then, they would be able to directly enter Marx's circle.

In short, Mikhail knew Belinsky, who in turn knew Bakunin, who had been in Paris for the past two years, during which time he met Marx and Engels and frequently associated with exiles from Germany and Poland. More importantly, he later met Proudhon, and they quickly became friends.

Just two years prior, Bakunin had Panaev and Panaeva deliver a message to Belinsky, essentially hoping that Belinsky would emigrate and openly participate in the revolutionary struggle.

He often lamented that Belinsky confined his activities to the narrow realm of literature, thus wasting his energy and talent, and at the same time lamented that Belinsky could be content with his fondness for literature:
"He is terribly wrong. Many pressing questions concerning all of humanity are churning within him, and he will be prematurely burned to ashes by the fires within him."

As for Belinsky's reply: "Bakunin was a brilliant theorist, too engrossed in abstract fantasies. He thought everything happened like in fairy tales."

The general idea is that things are never that simple.

Indeed, this is true. Revolution is never a simple matter, and sometimes even if success is achieved in a short period of time, even more difficult tests are often to come.

In any case, given this relationship, it seems quite normal for Mikhail to receive Marx's "French-German Yearbook" from Belinsky. However, even so, Mikhail still had a rather peculiar feeling in his heart.

At the same time, Mikhail asked Belinsky for his opinion on the magazine. Belinsky was very generous with his praise, saying, "This magazine has greatly enlightened me. Many things that I didn't understand before have now reached a new level of clarity through this author's articles! This publication is simply the god of wisdom in Paris."

Mikhail, I brought this specifically for you. I hope you will read the article carefully; I believe you will find it helpful.

"it is good."

Although it felt a little hot to the touch, Mikhail still nodded.

In truth, Paris in 1844 was indeed a gathering of brilliant minds, and many significant events took place. For instance, Marx and Engels met again in a café in Paris in August 1844 and engaged in ten days of in-depth debate, which truly marked the beginning of their great friendship.

Marx's unfinished Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 was also started in Paris in that year, and he first put forward the concept of "alienated labor".

Of course, Mikhail only thought about what was happening in that faraway place for a moment; he was more focused on dealing with the things at hand.

As the year draws to a close, things inevitably get busier.

First, there's the issue of profit sharing for the magazine. Although Modern Man magazine hasn't been around for very long and even has some debts, one thing is certain: given the current prospects of Modern Man, almost no creditor would believe that Modern Man can't repay its debts.

Sometimes, in order to please this big client, some printing factory owners will even offer to let the client know that they don't need to rush to pay the money.

As a result, the magazine naturally had a considerable surplus.

Mikhail didn't manage the magazine's finances much, leaving them to Nekrasov. However, because the issue was somewhat sensitive, Nekrasov specifically sought out Mikhail about it when the magazine was first launched, and spoke to him quite cautiously about the matter.

Mikhail simply smiled and patted Nekrasov on the shoulder, saying, "Just do it. I trust you completely. To be honest, this magazine is practically kept going thanks to you, Nikolai."

This was actually the truth, but Nekrasov was still so moved that he almost kissed Mikhail on the cheek.

However, when it came to dividing the money, Nekrasov insisted on handing over the financial statements to Mikhail, who was then in charge of the matter.

So Mikhail had to start counting on his fingers over the bills, first paying out all the salaries, then giving out a little extra, then paying off some potentially urgent debts, and finally dividing the money among Mikhail and the other shareholders.

Since it was the first year, the profit wasn't actually that high, but Mikhail ended up with almost eight thousand rubles. With such an income, who would have thought that just a year ago he was still worrying about a few kopeks?

Mikhail received the most, but when Nekrasov saw his share, his mouth involuntarily stretched into an exaggerated grin. Now he no longer had to fantasize like before, or rather, he was already turning those things he had fantasized about into reality, such as standing tall in front of Panaev's wife.

As he laughed, Nekrasov unconsciously looked toward Mikhail, and Panayeva's words to him involuntarily came to mind: "In my opinion, many of you should learn from Mikhail. If you could be even half as good as Mikhail, you would all become respected gentlemen."

Nekrasov certainly agreed with Panayeva's words, but then again, even if her literary talent was only half that of Mikhail, it was enough for a young writer to have a considerable reputation in the literary circles of St. Petersburg!

Where can you learn that?
However, it is clear that Panaeva holds Mikhail in high regard and with great respect. Nekrasov, while not to the point of being jealous of Mikhail, will still unconsciously keep an eye on him.

He then saw that even after receiving such a large sum of money, Mikhail, who came from a humble background, did not show much change in expression. Seeing this, Nekrasov could not help but restrain the expression on his face as well.

Of course, in reality, Mikhail was only temporarily in a fantasy, so much so that he hadn't had time to react.
After receiving his share of the money, Mikhail considered his family's recent expenses. Realizing that he didn't actually spend too much, Mikhail first set aside a considerable sum for himself, and then went to Prince Odoevsky's house again.

Although the purpose was to discuss certain matters, Mikhail was still forced to have dinner at the Duke's house due to the Duke's warm hospitality, and also sampled the delicious dishes developed by the Duke.

Fortunately, at least for Mikhail, who has a good appetite, it was still manageable to swallow.
As for the reason for finding Prince Odoevsky, it was related to the Russian winter.

Winters in old Paris were always like that, and winters in St. Petersburg were even more so. In both Paris and Russia, there were always some noblemen who did charity work, though the purposes of their charity varied.

In Russia, for example, in the religious sphere, charity involved nobles donating silver basins filled with "holy water," which serfs would then line up to receive from priests as a blessing, symbolizing forgiveness for a year's sins. A more practical approach might have been for each serf household to receive black bread and salt marked with a cross. In other areas, some nobles would be generous, opening their granaries for lending during the winter, with interest rates rising to between 100% and 200% after the spring harvest.

Of course, the more common and practical way is to give out porridge. Since Mikhail has a little money, he doesn't mind doing some practical good deeds like this.

But these days, even doing good deeds must be reported to the higher-ups. Otherwise, in the heart of the Tsar's land, what are your true intentions in doing this?

Even if he isn't arrested, he'll probably be taken to the police station for questioning.

In this situation, Mikhail would naturally need to find some reliable bigwigs, and Prince Odoevsky was quite good at this, after all, he had been doing this kind of thing frequently in recent years.

Because the visitor was Mikhail, Duke Odoevsky readily agreed, saying that all the formalities would be completed soon. However, at the same time, he asked with some surprise, "Your Excellency Mikhail, as far as I know, your 'Modern Man' magazine has only just started this year, and you should still have a lot of debt. Under such circumstances, even if you make a profit, it shouldn't be too much."

Besides, you seem to have no demands. You don't ask others to know your name and pray for you, nor do you ask for this matter to be publicized to enhance your reputation. So what is your purpose?

Is it possible that the more famous I become, the more likely I am to go to Siberia?
“For my own sake, Duke.”

Mikhail, who couldn't really say for sure, could only reply in this way.

"Ok?"

Seemingly surprised by Mikhail's words, Prince Odoevsky was stunned for a while. After pondering for a moment, Prince Odoevsky seemed to have realized something. He simply looked at the excessively young man and sincerely praised him, "You will become a great man."

"The word 'great' is too far removed from my own experience."

Faced with the Duke's praise, Mikhail, who had simply discovered he had some spare cash, smiled and waved his hand.

After confirming the matter, Mikhail chatted with the duke for a while about the orphanage and school. After talking for a while, Mikhail realized that some things were indeed not so simple.

If you want to establish such an institution, you often have to follow the instructions of those above. Just like an orphanage, it takes in orphans, trains them to be servants, and then gradually sends them to the homes of nobles.

As for charitable schools, their curriculum is often centered on the "Critique of the Doctrine of the Serfs," and teaching reading and writing is prohibited.

However, if someone were to run an orphanage like Duchess Volkonskaya, the widow of the Decembrists, and teach literacy and vocational skills, they would certainly be monitored by secret agents.

All I can say is that Mikhail will have to wait for the wheels of time to turn further before he can do something like this.

In such times, it is certainly difficult to do great things, but it is not easy to do even small things either.

The arrival of a new era may still be a long time away. Until then, let's do whatever we can, however small.

After discussing these matters with Prince Odoevsky, Mikhail finally went home, rubbing his slightly shrunken belly.

To be honest, Mikhail rarely emerged from someone else's banquet with a bulging belly.
In addition, Mikhail had heard from Turgenev that his novel had been published in Paris. The only pity was that the distance was too great, and news could not be sent back in time.

Mikhail wasn't in a hurry, but Turgenev was extremely anxious. According to him:

“Mikhail, you have no idea how many more people have started questioning the veracity of my story, and even questioning you, lately. It’s utterly absurd! I’ve already asked someone to buy those magazines for me, but for some reason they haven’t arrived yet. Once they do, I’m going to shove them right into some people’s mouths!”

Mikhail had certainly heard of the voices Turgenev had mentioned in the St. Petersburg newspapers recently, but such rumors were utterly baseless and would vanish the moment the evidence arrived.

This can actually be seen from the rumors in the newspapers. Every article spreading rumors is usually published anonymously, so that even if there is a crackdown, they will not be held accountable.

But we'll probably have to wait until after the new year for news from Paris to come back.

Another thing worth mentioning is Nadya's letter.

To be honest, although Mikhail hadn't really thought too much about it when he wrote that poem from a female perspective, Nadya blushed and her heart raced for a while after seeing it. Then, she couldn't help but wonder if Mikhail had any intentions, such as hinting that she should be bolder.

Thinking of this possibility, she used more subtle language in her reply to Mikhail. Fortunately, after she came to her senses, she realized that Mikhail seemed to have just written down something that came to mind, and what he wrote became poetry.
While feeling a little embarrassed about the little blunder, Nadya couldn't help but think about her age.

Although she is only seventeen years old and there are still more than half a year until she turns eighteen, generally speaking, a noble lady like her would get engaged around this time. If it were delayed any longer, it would be very detrimental to her reputation.

So what will happen in the new year?

(End of this chapter)