I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 40 Little Beggar

"You mean the farmers I grew up with?"

After Mikhail asked this question, Turgenev seemed to grasp the key point at once, and at the same time the expression on his face became a little complicated.

There is a recollection and nostalgia for the past, but it is also inevitably accompanied by a bit of guilt and inexplicable sighs.

"Maybe there are also landowners." Mikhail nodded and said, "When will the peasants and landowners be able to negotiate separately? Just like the factory owners and workers."

"You are right, you are right." After hearing Mikhail's words, Turgenev nodded for a long time. After a long time, he finally reacted and couldn't help but shook Mikhail's hand tightly and said excitedly:

"Thank you so much, dear Mikhail! I seem to have found my direction! The vague ideas I had before have become clear all of a sudden! Yes, how could I forget them? They watched me grow up in my family's estate, calling me master over and over again.

But I also watched them grow up and grow old. I've crossed paths with many of them. Perhaps because I often spoke up for them in front of my mother, they weren't afraid of me and were willing to talk to me. I watched them grow up, grow old, disappear, and pass away. I watched them suffer at the hands of one landlord after another. How could I forget them?

The young man's excitement was mixed with sadness. Some emotions that seemed to have been suppressed in his heart suddenly burst out, making him so excited that he almost cried. At the same time, he held Mikhail's hand and talked about many things.

When he finally calmed down, he solemnly announced to Mikhail:
"After a while, perhaps I should take the time to go back and spend some time on the land where I grew up. I know our place well enough. I've hunted there many times, crossed one mountain after another, visited one landowner after another, and seen their serfs.

I have to write some essays, Mikhail. I've even started thinking of names. In addition to the titles of the articles, perhaps there should be a summary name. What do you think it should be, Mikhail?

"You asked me that," Mikhail smiled slightly. "Then, considering what you just said, how about 'Hunter's Notes'?"

"What a great name! What a great name!"

After hearing the name, Turgenev was stunned for a moment, and then he kept repeating the name as if he was fascinated. If there was paper and pen, he might have started writing at this moment.

Looking at Turgenev like this, Mikhail's heart moved slightly.

Frankly speaking, it seems impossible for some things to remain exactly as they were before.

However, for these truly great writers, sometimes even small changes seem unable to prevent them from creating great works.

Like Turgenev in front of us, he seemed to be completely immersed in a certain possibility and forgot some of the risks involved.

There is no doubt that "Hunter's Sketches" would inevitably anger the authorities because it reflects the cruelty and irrationality of serfdom and describes one stupid and hypocritical landlord after another.

My brother Tu was almost blacklisted by the authorities because of this. In addition, he later openly violated censorship regulations and published an article commemorating Gogol. As a result, he was quickly arrested by the police, detained for a period of time, and then exiled.

Of course, because he was a nobleman and had many noble friends working for Turgenev, my brother Turgenev never got to taste the potato-sized fists of the secret police. He was only released after being imprisoned for three weeks, and he was only exiled to his hometown village.

But then again, it was from this work that my brother Tu began to be criticized by all parties.
Back to the topic, after Turgenev finished talking to Mikhail, he seemed to be really fascinated by the things in his mind. After sitting in Panaev's house for a while, he hurriedly said goodbye to everyone.

Seeing this, Mikhail looked at the time and did not stay for too long. After staying for a while, he quietly asked Panayeva, the hostess of the Panayev family, to pack him some bread or something else.

Cough
Although eating and taking things at the same time was a little unsightly, Mikhail soon felt relieved after seeing Belinsky doing this almost every time he came.

Yes, Belinsky understood this, so why should I be so troubled? But to be honest, although Mikhail has always had this idea, it would definitely be embarrassing for him to bring it up.

Fortunately, the hostess Panayeva seemed to see that Mikhail was in the same predicament as some other people before, so she took the initiative to mention the matter to Mikhail without making any noise.

In this case, it would be really ungrateful for Mikhail to refuse again.

You can't just save face and not even have a good meal.
In addition, if Mikhail remembered correctly, the hostess Panayeva would write a memoir in the future, specifically recalling the noteworthy writers and artists she had met.

Well, I don't know what Mikhail will be like in her book.
Taking some free white bread, Mikhail, with a rosy face, quickly walked out of Panaev's house and walked quickly towards his home.

When Mikhail was about to enter the apartment where his small room was located, he suddenly saw a ragged and short figure wandering around the apartment.

This should be a child of eleven or twelve years old, perhaps even younger. Because of his tattered clothes and dirty appearance, Mikhail was not sure of his gender.

It can also be seen that this should be a beggar. The way he looks at the pedestrians on the street and the movements of his hands at this moment have already explained a lot.

This is extremely common in St. Petersburg. If you don't see it, it only means that they have been driven out of the area.

In addition, judging from his unfamiliar appearance, he is indeed not a veteran beggar and seems to have just entered this line of work.

And to Mikhail, it seemed a little familiar.
As mentioned before, although Mikhail is a poor man, many times when facing the ghosts wandering in St. Petersburg, even if he is very reluctant, he will still take out a few dollars from his pocket.

In most cases, this would only happen once, and Mikhail would rarely see these ghostly people a second time, as if they were just floating under St. Petersburg and had never been able to put their feet on this land.

But if Mikhail remembered correctly, this person in front of him was not the first time they had met.

It was not known whether their activities overlapped or for some other reason, but Mikhail had indeed seen him twice.
When he finally saw Mikhail about to walk past him, the young boy was stunned for a moment, and then, although his voice was still trembling, he clearly revealed a feeling of pain and relief that "I can finally eat."

Mikhail: “.”

Why do you suddenly feel more confident?
Of course, at this moment, it was hard to say whether Mikhail could think about the harm to his wallet. He just looked at the thin child several times, then half-knelt down, and amid the other party's trembling "Please be kind, sir", he broke some bread, and at the same time took out a few kopecks enough to buy some bread, and handed them over together.

Finally, Mikhail, who has no religious beliefs, said, "God bless you."

"God bless you, thank you, my dear sir!"

After saying this, the child, who had seen Mikhail several times, stared blankly at Mikhail as he left, and soon he also walked in a certain direction in the cold wind.

There was someone waiting for him.

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(End of this chapter)