I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 252 Illness, Funeral, and New Place
"I leave as quietly as I came. I wave my sleeves, without taking away a single cloud."

About eighty years later, when a student who had only studied in England for two years returned to England in 1928, he wrote these lines of poetry with deep emotion.

It's a somewhat complicated topic about what kind of person he really is, but it's highly likely that Mikhail will never have the chance to meet him.

For Mikhail at this moment, after arranging various matters and briefly leaving Britain, he did indeed breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, the air and environment in England are poor, and the food is generally mediocre. Most importantly, although Mikhail has made many new friends here, he is ultimately a very nostalgic person, and his old friends are looking forward to his return.

Moreover, if you calculate the time, Mikhail has already been away from France for several months and from Russia for almost a year.

Mikhail felt somewhat melancholy when he thought about it.

Mikhail became even more melancholy when he thought of a letter that Nadya had recently sent from faraway Russia.

From the time Nadya started writing the letter until Mikhail received it, almost a month had passed.

In this very long letter, Nadya, like in her previous letters, talked to Mikhail about many small things in life. At the end of the letter, she wrote: "I am happy with everything you have written. When will you come back? Please let me know when you are done with your work. My family and I would love for you to come and visit us."

Although the thought of those few lines made him incredibly depressed, Mikhail probably wouldn't go back easily until he finished what he was doing.

After all, given his current reputation, returning to Russia would be easy, but returning to Europe without offering any token of loyalty would be difficult.

The problem is that Mikhail is really not willing to offer any pledge of allegiance.

But then again, what would the general's reaction be if he didn't offer a pledge of loyalty?
These problems give Mikhail a terrible headache just thinking about them.

Russia is a mess; why is it so difficult to get everything done while standing up?
With this feeling of frustration, Mikhail queued to board the ship at the dock in Dover, England. After Mikhail finally boarded, the ship started moving, and the deck became a bit bumpy, causing some first-time passengers to turn pale and head towards the damp and stuffy cabin.

Since the weather was fine, Mikhail, who was not seasick, did not return to the cabin. He simply smelled the air mixed with coal smoke, sea salt, and a not-too-unpleasant fishy smell, holding his hat in one hand and the railing beside him with the other, and looked at the distant coast and the silver gulls circling above the sea with his silent black eyes.

As he looked, he became somewhat lost in thought, his mind drifting far, far away in an instant. Following his thoughts, he soon arrived at the home of General Danilevsky of Russia.

For many of the servants in this household, there was one thing that had been causing them great worry lately: the kind-hearted noblewoman in the house had suddenly fallen ill for some unknown reason, to the point that she was unable to leave the house.

Even though several doctors had come to examine the patient, they still couldn't find any problems.

While the doctors were puzzled and confused, the noblewoman lying in the hospital bed prescribed herself a remedy:
"In my opinion, I really need to go to one of those places in Europe with hot springs to recuperate from my illness."

Doctors: "?"

Nadya's mother, who was initially a little flustered, was left bewildered: "???"

After this incident, Madame Danilevskaya was so angry that she wanted to put her daughter in confinement. However, when the news reached General Danilevsky, Madame Danilevskaya clearly saw a thoughtful expression on her husband's face.
Mrs. Danilevskaya: "?"

Do you have some brilliant ideas of your own?
Just as Madame Danilevskaya was beginning to feel uneasy, she soon heard her husband say:
"Recently, some relatives in Europe have invited our family to visit them. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we last visited them."

At this time?
Before Madame Danilevskaya could retort, the general, after glancing at her, frankly said, "Furthermore, some important figures have asked me to deliver a few messages to Europe and to meet with Russian personnel stationed in certain places."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Danilevskaya was speechless, as the important figure her husband was referring to clearly held a very high position in Russia.

However, at the end, the general suddenly became excited and said, "I saw in Mikhail's letter that many people in both Paris and London already know him. If I were to attend some events with him, both Londoners and proud Parisians would be speculating: 'Look! That extraordinary gentleman must be some great man!'"

Mrs. Danilevskaya: "?"

Why would you consider relying on a young person's reputation?
However, so far, it seems that not many Russians have achieved the same level of fame in Europe as that young man.
As this involved political matters, Madame Danilevskaya would not interfere too much, but while she tacitly approved of it, she couldn't help but think of her daughter.

Upon reflection, it has indeed been almost a year, and if such a long time has not been enough to change a young person's mind, then perhaps some of the obstacles become less meaningful.
With a heavy heart, Madame Danilevskaya had unknowingly returned to Nadya's room. When she saw Nadya lying on the bed, her face pale and her expression distressed, her heart softened, and she finally spoke, "Your father needs to go to Europe to handle some business."

Before Madame Danilevskaya could finish speaking, she could already clearly see the girl lying on the bed, whose pale face was rapidly becoming rosy and healthy.

Mrs. Danilevskaya: "."

The two looked at each other for a moment, but in the end, the girl lying on the bed turned her face away.
In any case, the matter was eventually settled, and in the following days, they began to make preparations for leaving home.

Mikhail was unaware of this; he was simply depressed the entire way, and only on the day he arrived in Paris did his mood improve somewhat.

Mikhail did not intend to stay in Paris for long. He would take care of some business and see his relatives and friends before heading directly to Germany. Therefore, he did not inform anyone of his return.

As the unremarkable Mikhail strolled leisurely through the streets of Paris, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure. Having not seen him for a long time, Mikhail immediately wanted to warmly greet Balzac.

Unexpectedly, Balzac was taken aback when he first saw Mikhail, and then tried to turn away as if he hadn't seen him.

Mikhail: “?”

Has the friendship completely ended in such a short time?
While Mikhail was still in a daze, Balzac, having finished his feint, looked at Mikhail again and greeted him with rather complicated feelings:

"Mr. Mikhail, it's been a while. I heard you've made a fortune in London. The British are reading your novels like crazy and throwing money at the gambling tables like madmen. Apparently, you've won over ten thousand pounds."

Mikhail: “?”

"If I really won that much, I wouldn't be able to leave Britain at all, and the British wouldn't let me go."

Hearing Mikhail's wry smile and explanation, Balzac felt much better, but Mikhail's next words dealt him a heavy blow:
"At most a few thousand pounds, I lost a lot of it back."

However, Mikhail's next words gave Balzac a renewed sense of confidence: "Besides, I have a factory there, and I don't know what the outcome will be."

"This is not an easy thing; it can easily bankrupt you."

As someone who had started and failed several times, Balzac first made this comment, and then enthusiastically shared his experience in running a factory with Mikhail, talking to him about the cruelty of the market and the unpredictability of human nature.

While listening attentively to these things, Mikhail noticed Balzac's state and couldn't help but speak up:
“Mr. Balzac, you seem to have become much weaker than when we last met.”

Strictly speaking, due to long hours of intense work, Balzac's health had already deteriorated significantly by 1846. In his final years, besides frantically writing and expanding his great "Human Comedy," Balzac devoted himself to preparing a wedding room for Madame Hanska.

But not long after their marriage, in 1850, Balzac, as Hugo put it, "got married! got rich! and is almost dead!"

His health condition had already begun to show signs of problems this year.

"Yes, I'm nowhere near as good as I was when I was young."

Balzac, who was also aware of his physical condition, replied: "But I still have many grand plans to complete, and I cannot stop."

"Your 'Human Comedy' will make you immortal in France."

After saying this, Mikhail glanced at Balzac a few more times, and finally made up his mind:

"If you have any difficulties, perhaps I can help."

"no need."

Balzac touched his luxurious cane with some surprise, then laughed and said, "I am not at the point where I need to borrow money from a young man. What I lack, I can get back with my pen."

Faced with Balzac's words, "What Napoleon could not accomplish with his sword, I will accomplish with my pen," Mikhail did not insist too much. After chatting with Balzac for a while longer, Mikhail waved goodbye to Balzac.

A man like Balzac, who burned passionately for decades, no longer needs anyone's admonitions, nor does he need others to summarize or define his life, because he has a life that only he can understand.

Even so, Mikhail still hoped that he could meet Balzac in 1850, or at the very least attend the funeral as someone who had some connection with Balzac, and hear the speeches of those who truly knew Balzac and had known him for decades.

With a mix of inexplicable emotions, Mikhail continued with his own business.

As mentioned before, Mikhail did not intend to stay in France for too long. He spent only two or three days in Paris. On the first day, Mikhail naturally spent time with his mother and sister. The three of them happily talked about many things, and Mikhail also took a look at his properties in Paris.

Mikhail's businesses in Paris operate on a similar model to those in the UK, only on a much smaller scale. However, according to Mikhail's sister, they are cautiously expanding as his clothes become increasingly popular in France.

It's clear that after so much learning and practice, Mikhail's sister's business acumen has really improved a lot, and she now has her own set of opinions on many things that she wasn't familiar with before.

While feeling gratified, Mikhail also briefly mentioned the sewing machine and the British factory to his sister.

Although Mikhail's board game factory is located in the UK, he certainly won't let go of the French market. Furthermore, Mikhail plans to collaborate with his board games based on his novels, such as "Around the World in Eighty Days," to quickly open up the market and further solidify his brand advantage.

After talking with his family, Mikhail went to Turgenev, who was doing quite well in Paris. It was through Turgenev that Mikhail quickly learned a lot of firsthand information about the Parisian literary scene.

For example, there seemed to be an opportunity for "La Traviata" to be performed abroad, many theater managers were inquiring whether Mikhail had any plans to write a new play, at the same time, many newspaper owners were eager to import "A Study in Scarlet," which had become a sensation in London, and in addition, many noblewomen and young writers in Paris wanted to meet Mikhail.
It can be said that there were quite a few things to do, and each one of them required serious attention. As a result, Mikhail even had to stay in Paris for two more days. After dealing with many matters, and before the news of his return to Paris spread completely, Mikhail quickly packed up and left.

As for his first stop on his journey to what is now the German Confederation, Mikhail pondered for a while before finally setting his sights on Frankfurt.
(End of this chapter)