I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 167 School Opening and Planning
Regarding whether St. Petersburg University had school uniforms in those days, the answer was yes. This was initiated by Nicholas I in 1834, who first incorporated school uniforms into the national uniform system, stipulating that all public schools must wear uniforms.

As Russia's top university, St. Petersburg University's uniform design must reflect "loyalty, discipline, and academic dignity." Therefore, the so-called school uniform simply combines elements of military officer uniforms and civil servant attire. In winter, it is roughly a dark blue double-breasted military-style overcoat, black wool straight-leg trousers, a black tricorn hat, and black boots.

The most troublesome thing about this uniform is that the school supervisory committee checks its cleanliness every day. If buttons are missing, or there are stains or wrinkles, a fine of 1 to 5 rubles will be imposed. As one of the school supervisors' key targets, Mikhail really finds this uniform quite troublesome.

Fortunately, he should graduate around June this year. After graduation, he should first go with Turgenev to live on his family's estate for a while to learn how to shoot and ride horses, just in case. Then, he will officially start his European tour. The first stop will of course be France, and then it would be best to go to England to make some arrangements and preparations in advance.

By the time this whole process was completed, it would probably be 1847.

Before that, since St. Petersburg University had already started the semester, Mikhail could only laboriously change into this outfit that morning, and then try his best to suppress his urge to yawn under the inexplicably excited gazes of his mother, sister, and the little maid, and try to appear as energetic as possible.

It's true that different people react differently when they see Mikhail in this uniform. For example, Belinsky was clearly taken aback when he first saw him and blurted out:

“Mikhail, why are you wearing a school uniform that was personally approved by Nicholas I? Oh right, you’re a university student. Look at my memory. But I still think this outfit doesn’t suit you. It looks a bit strange.”

The reason Belinsky thought so was, of course, because the dark blue of the clothes symbolized loyalty, the gold ornaments demonstrated imperial power, and the tailoring reflected discipline. In Belinsky's eyes, Mikhail probably didn't fit any of these three things.

To be honest, although Mikhail at the time really wanted to jokingly, or perhaps in a deconstructive manner, say something like "Loyalty! Sincerity!" to Belinsky.

However, considering Belinsky's poor health, Mikhail ultimately decided against it; if Belinsky didn't catch his breath, the joke would truly become an accident.
Belinsky had this reaction, but on one occasion, the general happened to meet Mikhail wearing this uniform and praised him highly: "Look, look, look! How well you look in this uniform! His Majesty the Tsar would be overjoyed to see a student like you! Mikhail, I can see your loyalty to His Majesty the Tsar just from your spirit."

Mikhail: “?”

Is it possible that it's because I had just come out of a restaurant when I met you?
Putting all that aside, after Mikhail walked out of his house with his family watching him go, he was finally able to yawn listlessly. Not long after, he met up with his classmate Dmitry at an intersection.

Even the cold weather couldn't dampen Dmitry's enthusiasm. He immediately gave Mikhail, whom he hadn't seen for several days, a bear hug. As Mikhail's vision blurred slightly, he heard Dmitry say, "Mikhail, why didn't you go out more this winter? Although I haven't seen you in person, I always hear your name in the many underground groups I've visited. It feels as if you're involved too!"

Mikhail: “???”

What the heck is "many"? Demi, you're getting more and more violent.
"That's really chilling."

Mikhail's lips twitched slightly. Although that was how he replied, he was pretty used to it by now. He even asked a few simple questions about the underground group. While chatting about these things, the two continued on their way to the school.

While the two of them were on their way, Alexei, the academic supervisor of St. Petersburg University, had also begun his day's work. For someone in his position, it was natural to stroll around the school gate or other places, checking whether there were any problems with the students' attire, and also to see if there were any students huddled together, saying anything inappropriate.

If a student comes to the school without a sword, without buttoning up their uniform coat, or for any other reason, they will be detained and taken to a wooden hut to reflect on their actions for a while.

Perhaps it was because the students were more disciplined on the first day of school, but after the school supervisor Alexei walked around the campus, he saw one student after another who seemed to pay great attention to discipline enter the campus. They dared not gather in groups to discuss anything loudly, nor did they dare to be different or out of line. They greeted him when they saw him, and seemed to want to continue learning the knowledge that served loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.

Thinking of this, the school supervisor Alexei couldn't help but let out a soft hum, then revealed a satisfied smile.

What a vibrant and thriving scene!
This is how college students should be now!

Just as Alexei was lost in the scene, for some reason, he suddenly heard a commotion at the school gate. Although he didn't know what had happened, Alexei hurried towards the gate. During this process, he overheard conversations like: "You've all read 'Gooseberries' too?"

"Of course! This is my favorite novel right now, it's just so well written!"

"No speech about happiness has ever been more inspiring in literature. Do good deeds while you're young, and never stop!"

"That seems to be what he did; I heard he secretly funded it."

"Shh!"

"What secret funding? This was all reported openly and aboveboard to the school!"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it!"

Upon hearing these words, Alexei was left speechless.

It's not hard to understand why he wrote another good article. After all, even someone like Alexei, who hardly pays attention to news in the Russian literary world, had heard that this young writer had brought his works to France. Therefore, it's not hard to understand why he would write something remarkable.

But what exactly is this secret funding?!

What does he want to do? !

Just as the alarm bells were ringing in the mind of the school supervisor Alexei, he finally arrived at the school gate. When the students saw that he had arrived, their boiling emotions cooled down a bit. Instead of rushing over in a swarm, they stood there unconsciously, waiting for someone to arrive.

It must be said that articles like "Gooseberries," which are simple yet powerful, have the greatest impact on young people. The recent underground group discussions that Dmitry just mentioned to Mikhail almost always touched on this latest article, "Gooseberries."

As for what happiness and doing good deeds mean in this article, different people seem to have different opinions, some are relatively peaceful, while others are more radical.

It would be one thing if there were such an exciting article, but according to rumors, the writer seems to have actually put it into practice, and not just in schools, but in some other places as well.
The academic supervisor, Alexei, was of course unaware of such a mental journey. He only saw a particularly conspicuous college student walk into the school gate, and then people kept greeting him along the way, who seemed a little more sincere than the people greeting him.

Meanwhile, the slick student seemed to have noticed him, so instead of engaging in any conversation with the others as Alexei had expected, he simply smiled at them, shook their hands, and continued walking forward.

When the student walked up to him, the supervisor Alexei began to scrutinize the student with the most critical eye, but after looking at him again and again, he still could not find any flaws.

For some reason, the school supervisor, Alexei, always sensed a kind of middle-aged helplessness in this student.
Therefore, when the student greeted him, Alexei felt that something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He could only nod somewhat aggrievedly and then watch the student walk away.

Frankly speaking, given his current position, it wouldn't be difficult for Alexei to make things difficult for this student. However, considering the young man's growing reputation among the nobles, Alexei couldn't be too harsh on him if he hadn't made any mistakes. After all, who knows what these writers might write?
At least he didn't want his name to become something like Ochumelov.

Fortunately, he is indeed about to graduate; otherwise, Alexei would really be worried about what our vibrant St. Petersburg University would become.
Just as Alexei was relieved that St. Petersburg University was about to send off such a student, Mikhail, after stopping and shaking hands with some people along the way, finally arrived at the classroom, ready to begin his simple and unpretentious university life.

(End of this chapter)