I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 148 Going Abroad and the Concept of Happiness

What is true happiness? Is seeking happiness the right thing to do? Does happiness even exist?

The issues mentioned above are what Mikhail will explore in his short story, which will be published in the first issue of the new year's "Contemporary Man".

Undoubtedly, this is a very complex issue, so complex that one might doubt whether a single short story can truly convey something.

Many of Mikhail's friends were caught in this suspicion.

The reason for this was, of course, that at a party, when Mikhail's friend asked him what theme he wanted to write about in his latest short story, Mikhail casually gave his answer.

After hearing Mikhail's answer, many of his friends were indeed surprised by the topic.

Today, few people question Mikhail's ability to profoundly observe and analyze the ugly phenomena in reality, nor do they question his ability to write such pitiful, tragic, and even ridiculous realities into wonderful stories that are enough to move people's hearts.

However, even a seasoned old man might not be able to clearly explain the question of what happiness is or whether happiness even exists, let alone a young man in his early twenties.

Could it be that Mikhail feels he is living a very smooth life and is deeply moved by happiness, which is why he wanted to write about it?

But life is a long journey, so how could Mikhail be sure that his current happiness is true happiness?

Thinking of this, even Belinsky, who now seems to have become a fan of Mikhail, couldn't help but joke: "Mikhail, I think I should be the one to write about this topic. Thinking back on those days, I feel extremely happy now. Of course, even so, there are still a lot of worries."

Mikhail simply smiled and remained silent in response to such doubts.

When Mikhail's friends saw this, they simply thought that Mikhail wanted to challenge himself. After all, there are so many areas that literature can cover. If it's just about examining and analyzing reality, Mikhail has already reached a very high level in that regard. Under such circumstances, it seems normal for him to want to write something new.

The day the latest issue of "The Contemporary" was released was roughly the same day Belinsky and Turgenev left St. Petersburg.

Belinsky naturally went to Europe for recuperation, while Turgenev voluntarily took on the role of agent for Mikhail's science fiction novel.

Turgenev offered to help again not only because of his friendship with Mikhail, but also because he had also benefited greatly from the experience.

To be fair, in terms of publishing novels in French magazines, Mikhail doesn't seem to have gained as much attention as Turgenev.

After all, Mikhail didn't show his face in public much due to his personality, while our Tu Ge was the real Frenchman who bragged about everything and then went back to Russia to bragged about it, and the key point is that he always bragged about it in front of important people.

After boasting about this, Turgenev quickly wrote to his mother, explaining that this experience had introduced him to many important figures, which would undoubtedly be beneficial to his future development and might even elevate the Turgenev family's status. He added that he had gone through great lengths to secure this opportunity from that respectable writer, but completing it would require a considerable sum of money.
In short, he wrote letters to scam people out of their living expenses.

Since the first part of what Turgenev said was indeed true, Turgenev's mother was both surprised and delighted after finding out the exact information. After thinking for a moment, she agreed to give Turgenev the money for his trip abroad.

So, Turgenev certainly wouldn't miss out on such a wonderful opportunity: to brag, travel to Paris, and maybe even catch a glimpse of some celebrities.

Then there's Mikhail's "Around the World in Eighty Days," written in French, even though Turgenev only received the first part, not the entire book.

But based on this part alone, Turgenev was absolutely certain that this so-called science fiction novel would soon become a hit throughout France!
The same might be true in other countries!

The story is incredibly exciting, with a rich and exaggerated imagination. Upon closer examination, however, it makes one realize that those fantasies are not impossible. Based on the continuous progress of industrial technology, it makes accurate predictions about the future to a certain extent. Is this what Mikhail meant by science fiction?
If one day in the future, the things described in this novel actually come true, then Mikhail will be a true prophet in a sense!

Although such a prophecy is based on science and technology, if it actually comes true, who knows how it will be spread in Russia, where the religious atmosphere is very strong.

Even if we put that aside for now, isn't it exciting that a Russian's serialized novel written in French became a hit throughout Paris?

It's possible that even the Tsar himself will be alarmed and personally intervene in this matter!

Just thinking about it made Turgenev feel a surge of excitement. Although he was only playing the role of an agent in this matter, on the day he was to leave, Turgenev, holding Mikhail's manuscript, couldn't help but grasp Mikhail's hand and say, "Dear Mikhail, wait for my good news. Let me set all of Paris ablaze with your manuscript!"

It's just submitting a piece, why are you making it sound so inspiring?
Although he didn't know what Turgenev was thinking, Mikhail still smiled and nodded.

The reason Belinsky chose to leave on the day the latest issue of "The Contemporary" was released was that he still couldn't let go of his work with "The Contemporary." Although the pre-orders at the beginning of this year went very smoothly, almost doubling compared to last year, Belinsky still wanted to see for himself how "The Contemporary" was selling in bookstores and other places.

So, in this still snowy weather, Mikhail had to muster a lot of willpower to get out of his warm bed, and then he accompanied Belinsky on a couple of trips around some places, just like when "The Contemporary" was first released.

This journey did not disappoint Belinsky. Even in such cold weather, many people were willing to queue for a long time to buy a copy of "The Contemporary". Once they got the magazine, the weather seemed to be nothing to them.

During this process, Mikhail also ran into several gentlemen he had met a few days earlier in the Petrashevsky group, who greeted him warmly upon seeing him:
“Sir, what you said the other day really left a deep impression on us. We’ve been discussing these past few days what profound thoughts were contained in your words. We were also thinking about the latest short story you mentioned. Look, we’ve come here very early this morning.”

Actually, I was just saying some things casually, so you don't have to take them so seriously.
Although the young men wanted to talk to Mikhail a little longer, their voices were quite loud, and the others present vaguely recognized a very familiar name. To avoid being caught red-handed by the restless readers of "The Modern Man" and subjected to a fierce interrogation, Mikhail quickly made an excuse and slipped away.

After this tour, Mikhail and his two companions gathered at a restaurant they had visited many times before. After a quick bite, Belinsky and Turgenev were ready to set off.

All the friends who needed to say goodbye had already said goodbye; Mikhail was sending them off on their final journey.

Finally, Mikhail reiterated the doctor's situation to Belinsky, who nodded in agreement and once again asked Mikhail to pay close attention to his family.

Because he was recuperating while ill and the expenses were enormous, Belinsky naturally did not bring his wife and newborn daughter. In this situation, in addition to hiring two more people, he still needed to ask his friends to take good care of them.

And so, after saying a few more things, despite his many worries and reluctance, Belinsky finally left with Turgenev, taking with him the latest issue of "The Contemporary".

Regarding Mikhail's latest novel, in order to keep himself occupied on the road, Belinsky naturally chose to wait until now. After they embarked on a relatively stable journey, Belinsky unhesitatingly took out the magazine and immediately found Mikhail's latest short story, ready to see how Mikhail would depict the complex issue of happiness.

Seeing this, Turgenev, who was equally interested in the matter, also opened the magazine, and thus the short story was presented to the two of them:
"From early morning, the entire sky was filled with rain clouds. Veterinarian Ivan Ivanich and high school teacher Burkin were already tired from walking, and to them the fields seemed to have no end."
“Last time we were in the village chief Prokofi’s barn,” Burkin said, “you were going to tell a story.”

"By the way, I originally wanted to talk about my younger brother back then."

Ivan Ivanich sighed deeply, lit his pipe, and prepared to tell a story, but just then it started to rain.

Just as the story within the story was about to begin, a rainstorm forced the two to seek shelter at the homes of their landowner friends. What followed was a series of seemingly superfluous but ultimately more engaging events that heightened the reader's anticipation for the veterinarian's tale.

Finally, after a series of trivial matters, everyone was in place: Ivan and Burkin, along with the men, women, and children of their landowner friend's family.

And so the story within the story begins:

“There are two brothers in total,” he began. “I am Ivan Ivanich, and my brother Nikolai Ivanich is about two years younger than me. I studied a technical field and became a veterinarian. Nikolai has been working in the tax office since he was nineteen.”
My younger brother works at the tax bureau, but he always thinks about the countryside. Year after year has passed, but he remains in his old seat, constantly copying documents, always thinking about one thing: how can he go back to the countryside?

“Country life has its own comforts,” he often said. “Sitting on the balcony, sipping tea, watching your little ducks swim in the pond, the air filled with the fragrance of flowers, and…and the gooseberries are ripe.”

Is this the happiness he sought? And how did he achieve it?

He lived frugally, saving every penny. Only God knows what clothes he wore—he looked like a beggar—yet he constantly saved money and deposited it in the bank. He became extremely greedy.
Many years passed, and he was transferred to another province. He was over forty years old, yet he still looked at newspaper advertisements and saved money. Later, I heard he got married. He still wanted to buy a plantation with gooseberries, so he married an old and ugly widow, whom he had no feelings for at all, only because she had some money.

After paying a heavy price for his happiness, the younger brother seemed to have finally achieved his wish, so the veterinarian decided to visit him, as he appeared to have found happiness.

"As I walked toward the house, I encountered a fat, red-haired dog that looked just like a pig. It seemed about to bark, but was too lazy to do so. The cook came out of the kitchen; she was a barefoot, plump woman who also looked like a pig. She said the master was resting after dinner."

I went to see my brother. He was sitting on the bed, a blanket over his knees. He was old, fat, and his skin was loose; his cheeks, nose, and lips all jutted forward, and he looked like he was about to squeal and burrow under the covers like a pig.

This simple description seems to have fully expressed the character's tragic situation and his brother's feelings of happiness towards him.

Now, this younger brother completely acts like a master and a nobleman, constantly emphasizing his current status. He even had a plate full of gooseberries brought over, despite their hardness and sourness, he still...

“‘How delicious!’ He wolfed down the food, repeatedly saying, ‘Ah, so delicious! You should try some!’”

At this point, the veterinarian seemed to have reached his limit:
"I thought to myself: How many people are actually content and happy! Look at this life: the strong are arrogant and lazy, the weak are ignorant and live like animals, everywhere is unbelievable poverty, overcrowding, degeneration, alcoholism, hypocrisy, and lies... Yet, in every house and on every street, there is a constant peace and quiet."
Everywhere is quiet and peaceful, with only silent statistics raising protests. Such a world is clearly necessary. The reason why happy people feel carefree is obviously only because those who are unhappy silently bear their burdens. Without this silence, happiness is impossible.

This is widespread apathy. Behind the door of every happy and content person should stand someone with a small hammer, constantly knocking on the door to remind them: there are still unfortunate people in the world. No matter how happy he is, life will eventually show its claws to him, and disaster will eventually strike: illness, poverty, loss. At that time, no one will see anyone else, and no one will hear him, just as he cannot see or hear others now.

But the person with the little hammer didn't; the happy person lived carefree, only slightly agitated by everyday troubles, like a gentle breeze rustling through a poplar tree—truly, all was at peace.

Upon reaching this point, Belinsky could no longer control his emotions. This was undoubtedly a stirring and astonishing speech, even more precious in this day and age. The veterinarian who delivered this speech was also unable to control his emotions, repeatedly saying:

"I'm too old to fight anymore. I can't even hate anyone anymore. All I can feel is sadness, anger, and worry. At night, all sorts of thoughts flood my mind, making me very agitated and unable to sleep... Ah, if only I were younger!"

At the same time, he also hoped that the people listening to the story would do more good deeds, but the people present did not react much. The story was even a bit boring to them and could not satisfy everyone.

So, after finding an excuse, everyone dispersed, and the novel officially came to an end.

Faced with the complex topic of happiness, this short story, though short, still reveals a variety of meanings through its intricate details. However, after reading it, Belinsky felt his head was in a mess and he couldn't come up with any reasonable analysis.

In the end, he could only look excitedly at Turgenev, who was equally agitated, and then say in a slightly trembling voice:
"How many more surprises does Mikhail hold that we don't know about?"

(End of this chapter)