I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 185 The Complexities of Serfdom and the General's Waiting

Regarding what kind of book Turgenev's "A Hunter's Sketches" is, Mikhail believes it is just like Turgenev's character and his stance on many things that followed: mild.

Or rather, he treated everyone he met as a human being, whether they were serfs, stewards, mill wives, or aristocratic intellectuals and landowners.
To summarize this work solely as exposing the darkness and cruelty of serfdom would be too narrow. In fact, among so many pieces, some showcase the lives and spiritual world of peasants. For example, "Hor and Kalinich" demonstrates the wisdom and diversity of peasants, "The Singer" showcases the appeal of Russian folk art, and "The White Steppe" displays the poetic imagination of peasant children.

Some pieces depict tragic love stories and human dilemmas; others reveal the hypocrisy and cruelty of some landlords while also showcasing their dignity and resilience; still others seriously consider the relationship between life and death, and between humanity and nature.

The tragedy lies in the fact that, with the development of the times, and also under the advocacy of Belinsky and others, Russian writers have always been closely connected with social development and changes. In short, as a writer, you can't just be someone who writes bad novels and does bad art; you have to engage in politics! You have to shoulder your social responsibility!

This phenomenon can only be described as a unique characteristic of Russia. While writers and critics in France, Britain, and Germany at the same time also engaged in similar activities, no other country's writers treated online politics as seriously as the Russians.

Since we've started discussing politics, one thing seems equally clear: once politics is involved, people should stop treating each other like human beings.

You belong to this faction, I belong to this faction; you're with them, I'm with these people; you're the landlord, he's the serf.
For writers who treat people as human beings, it is perfectly normal to be scolded and criticized during times of severe situation or when emotions are particularly high. After all, an enemy is an enemy, and what are you talking about?
Although Lao Tu was attacked daily and constantly acted arrogantly, at least today, because Mikhail gave his essays extremely high praise yesterday, Lao Tu felt a bit elated. He even wrote several letters overnight to his friends and the female singer in France to brag a little. The first sentence of each letter was:
"Do you know what? Mikhail was so excited after seeing my work that he couldn't sleep all night!"

To be honest, while Mikhail was indeed very excited to witness the birth of a great work, it would be absurd for him to be unable to sleep all night. Back when Mikhail was burdened with a debt of nearly 10,000 rubles, he still slept soundly, let alone now.

In short, Mikhail slept very well, while Turgenev, on the other hand, was so excited and writing letters that he stayed up very late, and it wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that he finally woke up.

After Turgenev finished packing, although the landowner Ilyich thought Mikhail and his companion were both talented and had pleasant manners, and he really wanted them to stay a couple more days, the two men did have other plans. In the end, Ilyich could only reluctantly see them off. Before leaving, he generously gave them a bag of fruit to enjoy, and said attentively:

Please come again anytime! I'll definitely treat you to a good time!

And so, Mikhail and Turgenev bid farewell to their host family with their hunting gear and fruit, and then headed toward their pre-arranged destination.

However, as he was leaving, Mikhail seemed to sense a gaze peering through the crack in the window. Before he could think of anything, Turgenev was already beside him, stroking his chin thoughtfully, and said, "Mikhail, I feel like someone is watching me again. So, what exactly is love?"

Mikhail: “?”

I don't know anything about this.
"For you, love must be about loving someone you can't have."

“Mikhail, that’s extremely unfair.”

Seemingly stung, Turgenev retorted, "I've had more love affairs than you've eaten bread!"

"I ate five loaves of bread yesterday, so how many relationships did you have yesterday?"

Turgenev: “?”

After saying that with a slightly joking tone, Mikhail glanced at the gift from the landowner, Ilich. Although the probability of failure was a bit high, Mikhail, feeling something was missing in his mouth, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to take the gamble.
After watching the two leave, the landowner, Ilrich, sighed with a hint of regret. But soon he excitedly packed his things, preparing to head out to visit the people he knew and invite some beautiful women to his home to enjoy delicious French cuisine.

After Illich rushed out the door, his young daughter sat back down in her chair with mixed feelings. She felt a little regretful, a little bittersweet, and perhaps a strange sense of surprise. Although there may be no follow-up, these feelings undoubtedly left a deep impression on her.

Amidst these complex thoughts, a clear breeze suddenly blew in from the other side, passing through the cracks in her window, then sweeping across the bright sunlight, brushing against layers of green leaves, carrying away the whistling calls of the red-tailed birds and little woodpeckers, and causing Mikhail and Turgenev, who were discussing their next steps, to slightly lower their hats.

Today, the two of them were going hunting, led by a serf named Yermolay and a hunter, to explore a new place.

Although Old Tu considered himself a skilled hunter, his knowledge of mountains, forests, swamps, and other places was clearly inferior to that of some local hunters who made their living in the mountains year-round. Therefore, he did need to find someone to act as a guide.

It is worth mentioning that since Mikhail had been traveling with Turgenev for so long, he had naturally interacted with many serfs and people that Turgenev mentioned in "A Hunter's Sketches". While interacting with these people normally, Mikhail also intended to lend them a helping hand.

It must be said that although Turgenev was an extremely wealthy second-generation heir, due to his mother's control and restrictions, the amount of cash he could come up with was obviously less than that of Mikhail. Mikhail's casual help was not only for those who were so poor that they had nothing to eat or drink or no money for medical treatment, but also for those serfs who were willing to work towards redeeming themselves.

A typical example of this is Chekhov's grandfather, Yegor Mikhailovich Chekhov, who saved up 3,500 rubles through his hard work and redeemed himself and his family in 1841, thus gaining their freedom.

After becoming a free man, he drove a herd of Bighorn horses from Voronezh to Rostov to sell, and took the opportunity to register as a citizen there. It must be said that he truly changed his fate through hard work. However, not all serfs were willing to redeem themselves. Like the serf named Khor, whom Turgenev wrote about, when Turgenev asked him why he didn't redeem himself, this diligent peasant replied, "Why should I redeem myself? I get along well with my master now, and I pay my rent in lieu of service. Our master is good."

It is worth noting that the period (.) in this passage is noticeable. Obviously, the sentence "Our master is well" is not very fluent, which is one of the characteristics of Turgenev's writing. It is natural, but everything seems to be implied.

As for the additional reason why he didn't want to redeem himself, it was: "If Hall becomes a free man, everyone without a beard will have to take care of him."

In short, he believed that serfs were oppressed by one person, while free men were oppressed by many bureaucrats.

Mikhail didn't judge other people's opinions; he simply helped them whenever he could during their interactions.

Turgenev, of course, witnessed Mikhail's actions and was deeply moved, saying, "Mikhail, what a noble act! When my mother dies and I inherit her estate, I will definitely liberate my family's serfs and give them a portion of the land without compensation."

Mikhail: “.”

Why do they always start by sacrificing their own mothers?
It is worth mentioning that Turgenev did indeed do this after receiving the inheritance, but many serfs were unwilling to listen to him. Instead, they grazed their livestock on his pastures, cut down trees in his garden, and even sawed down benches in the garden to take back and burn as fuel.

From this perspective, we can also see the complexity of the Russian serfdom reform. But no matter what kind of pain it takes, some hurdles must eventually be overcome. Even if it is a broken path forward, it is still better than remaining stagnant and decaying.

And so, Mikhail and Turgenev continued walking, talking as they went. After a long while, they finally met a tall, thin middle-aged man. Upon seeing them, the somewhat casual and clumsy-looking hunter immediately removed his hat and bowed to them, to which Mikhail reciprocated.

Despite having met him quite a few times, Yermonet still wasn't used to this strange man's manner. He seemed to treat many people the same way, but he wouldn't do it if it might cause trouble for them, the serfs, so it didn't frighten them.

Of course, what surprised him even more was the man's hunting skills. The man was certainly not a seasoned hunter, but his so-called intuition and luck were enough to astonish even the experienced hunter Yermonne.

Today seemed to be no different. After Yermona led the two to a suitable ambush spot nearby, the three of them stopped talking and carefully filled the gunpowder and shotgun shells before focusing on keeping an eye on everything happening around them.

Turgenev was initially very focused, but as time went on, his attention became slightly distracted, and he began to focus more on the scenery in front of him. Suddenly, Mikhail seemed to lower his body slightly.

This tiny movement immediately alerted Turgenev, Yermonay, and the dog standing nearby. As Turgenev hurriedly looked in the direction Mikhail was looking, preparing to get ahead of him, his mind suddenly went blank.

Where? Where? Is Mikhail about to use his damned intuition again?
Turgenev was completely baffled, and the old hunter Yermonay, who was not far away, had the same question. How did this gentleman, who was always acting strangely and doing good deeds from time to time, find his prey? Could it be his nose?
Under the tense gazes of the two men, Mikhail shifted his body and changed his posture.

Turgenev and Yermonay: "???"

Just as the two men were feeling frustrated by Mikhail's feint, on the other side, General Danilevsky, at his country estate, also raised his hand and fired a shot at a certain spot. Unfortunately, the shot seemed to miss, as a startled hare dashed desperately into the depths of the forest.

Although the shot missed, a pale-faced young nobleman who had accompanied the general quickly offered his flattery, attributing it to various influences of the environment, and adding, "Look! Even a lowly beast can feel the power of a general!"

Although the flattery wasn't very skillful and the other party's words didn't really appeal to the general who was constantly flattered, the general still exchanged a few words of laughter with the young nobleman, as the saying goes, "one cannot hit a smiling face."

An official of general rank would certainly have his own estate in the countryside, perhaps even more luxurious than his mansion in St. Petersburg. A man as famous as him in St. Petersburg would be even more popular in the countryside, with a constant stream of visitors. If there were also men and women of marriageable age in his household, it would probably be even more lively.

The general was not averse to these things, but seeing his life like this day after day, he couldn't help but feel a little tired of it. Fortunately, there were magazines sent from St. Petersburg that he could read happily for a while, so he wouldn't be too bored.

Thinking of this, the general couldn't help but think of something else. So, he said to the young man beside him, "I reckon a famous young man from St. Petersburg will be coming to visit me soon! I wonder if he'll be willing to go hunting with me, hahaha."

The nobleman knew perfectly well who this famous young man was, and although he outwardly agreed with the general, he had already inquired about him and inwardly shook his head in disdain.

He's just an ordinary person, what does he know about hunting? Does he even know how to do it properly?

But it'll be good to see him embarrass himself then.
(End of this chapter)