I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 5 Sister
Landlady and male tenant, maybe because he had seen too many things in the past, Mikhail once thought that this was a somewhat ambiguous combination, but now, he can only say that he will be honest after seeing the Russian landlady...

After all, the bitter cold of Siberia has been blowing on the Slavs for more than a dozen centuries, and the suffering of the lower classes has lasted for nearly a thousand years. It would have been fine if the environment was just harsh, but the upper class also called them gray beasts and drove them at will.

If you want to survive in such an environment, it is not enough to have a strong will to survive and a tenacious spirit, you also need to have a strong physique.

Both men and women.

It can even be said that in many cases, Russian women play a more important role than men in life.

When it comes to specific matters, the strong female landlord can really pick up the troublesome drunkard and throw him away, and can also really loosen up the muscles of tenants like Mikhail who are in arrears with the rent or even give them a heavy beating.

So the three of them were really quiet for a while, and when they finally could no longer hear any movement from the landlord, Mikhail and the other two started talking in a low voice.

But when talking about Mikhail's novel, Nekrasov couldn't help but get a little excited:
"Mikhail, I'm going to recommend your novel to Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky! Do you know him? He might be more excited than I am if he reads your novel.

But you know, a big shot like him has a lot of things to do on weekdays, and it's not easy for me to see him.

So, how about this? Can you write one or two more stories like this? Then, if he thinks it's suitable, he might even write a review for you, and you'll be right on the Russian literary scene! Let's help spread the word of 'naturalism' together!

What Nekrasov called "naturalism" was later called critical realism.

There is no doubt that this will be the main trend in literature of the coming era.

As for who Belinsky is, let’s not talk about anything else for now. Just talking about the present, there is no doubt that Belinsky is the leader of the literary world today, and he has exerted a huge influence in the literary world with his outstanding commentary articles.

If I could really get the other party's comments, it would be no different from making a big breakthrough in the literary world.

So, I took Dostoevsky's famous play?
Although Mikhail was surprised, he certainly couldn't refuse the other party's proposal.

After a brief discussion, the three of them agreed on a time and place, and then Dmitriy and Nekrasov said goodbye and left.

Nekrasov has been in the limelight recently, and he also wants to do something big, so he has been running around a lot these days and has accumulated a lot of affairs.

Dmitriy didn't want to disturb Mikhail who was about to start a new creation, so he left a message:
"I look forward to your new work, my friend! When you are free someday, I really want to ask you for advice on writing."

Then, he left as well.

After sending the two away, Mikhail first went to see the landlord Pavlovna. Before she could say anything, Mikhail took out a few rubles and handed them over:

"I'll pay back some of it first, Pavlovna. I promise to settle it as soon as possible later. Please give me some time."

By the way, before Dmitriy left, Mikhail shamelessly borrowed some money. Even though the future was bright, he had to get through this period of time.

"I was planning to go to the police station and sue you today." After taking the money and counting it, the burly woman's expression finally improved a lot. "For God's sake, I'll give you some more time."

After initially settling the rent issue, before Mikhail could start writing again, Nastasia, the landlady's only maid and cook, came over.

Nastasia came from the countryside. She was not young anymore, was very talkative, and the food she cooked was often inedible.

Now she came over and handed a letter directly to Mikhail:
"I paid the postman three kopecks for your letter."

In what was then Tsarist Russia, postage was often paid by the recipient.

letter?
Mikhail was stunned for a moment, then thought of something and gave the money to the maid, then went back to his room with the letter.

"My dear Misha, I haven't had a letter or a chat with you for two months now, and I'm feeling very bad. Sometimes I'm tossing and turning at night thinking about all sorts of things. But I'm sure you won't blame me for this forced silence, right?"

You know how much I love you: you are the only relative we have - Dunya and I - you are everything to us, all our hopes and expectations.

When I learned that you had not attended university lectures for several months because you had no money, and that your teaching fees and other income had completely stopped, I was so sad. I only have a pension of 120 rubles a year, what can this amount of money do for you?

As you know, the fifteen rubles I sent you four months ago were borrowed from a local merchant using this pension as collateral...”

Regarding this letter from home, for some reason, Mikhail always felt a very complicated emotion in his heart.

As for the content of the letter, in short, although there have been many problems at home recently, now I can finally tell him the "good news".

It's like I can finally send him some money again.

Mikhail's father was a clerk. After he lost his job, he became an alcoholic. Finally, like many others, he collapsed in the cold Russian winter.

My mother is old and has no other options except pension, mortgage and loan.

In order to send him some money, Mikhail's sister worked as a tutor for others, but she suffered endless harassment. In the end, her employer's wife turned the tables on her and kicked her out in front of many people.

Now, out of helplessness and concern for Mikhail's situation, Mikhail's sister Dunya is now ready to marry a 45-year-old civil servant. As for the purpose...

"We have already ventured to sound out Petrovich. He was very cautious, saying, of course, that he could not do without a secretary, and that it would be better to pay the salary to a relative of his own, if he were competent for the job (and would you not be competent!) than to an outsider.
But he immediately expressed doubts: Your university studies probably won't give you time to work in his firm.

The conversation ended there, but Dounia could think of nothing else now. She had been in a state of complete frenzy for several days now, and had a complete plan..."

It can be seen that although Mikhail's mother spoke of this matter in an optimistic and possible way, the 45-year-old civil servant has actually been vague and has not given a definite answer at all.

And Mikhail's sister is indeed a beautiful and intelligent child. Yes, she is probably only seventeen years old this year.

"It's been three years, and we're going to meet and embrace each other! Dounia beams with joy at the thought of meeting you, and once she joked that she would marry Petrovich just for that!
Now that everyone knows about this, my credit has suddenly improved. I'm sure Ivan will be more comfortable mortgaging my pension and may even lend me seventy-five rubles, which I might be able to remit to you twenty-five or even thirty-five."

After reading the letter, Mikhail felt complicated and realized once again that his current situation seemed very similar to that of the protagonist in "Crime and Punishment".

Of course, at this point, there is not much point in saying anything else. After all, life is right in front of us. Let's first prevent this typical marriage that takes advantage of the situation.

Anger rose, but was quickly suppressed by Mikhail.

At this point, solving the problem is the top priority.

Other things will have to wait for now. Now I will write a letter home to explain the situation.

Mikhail sat down at the tattered desk again, picked up a pen, and prepared to change the fate of his current sister.

I have found a lot of information about the prices and purchasing power of the ruble in Russia during this period, but there seems to be no most accurate answer.

Therefore, we can take a closer number, which is approximately one ruble equals 100 kopecks, and one ruble is approximately equal to two hundred yuan today.

Of course, purchasing power is not easy to convert, but it can be roughly substituted. The actual situation is a little more complicated, and there are also divisions such as gold rubles and paper rubles.

If anyone has more accurate information, please feel free to let me know. Thank you very much.

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(End of this chapter)