I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 187 I wish to send a letter, but the mountains are high and the waters are wide, so where can I send it?

Mikhail undoubtedly found this life of being so close to nature and able to roam and hunt freely extremely enjoyable, but his fate was unlikely to be entirely tied to it. Mikhail's current state of mind is probably similar to what is described in "This Is Life":

"The light from the streetlamp shone through the window, dimly illuminating the room. I glanced around and saw familiar walls, the ridges at the edges of the walls, familiar piles of books, unfinished art books beside the piles, the ongoing night outside, the endless distance, and countless people—all of which were connected to me."

I exist, I live, and I will continue to live. I'm starting to feel more real; I have the desire to act.

That is why Mikhail will keep going without stopping. Occasional rests and naps are fine, because this is also a kind of life. The whole content of life is never something to be celebrated, but it is something to keep going, step by step.

So, realizing the passage of time and the faint call from all directions, Mikhail told Turgenev at an opportune moment of his intention to leave. Turgenev, though reluctant, was not surprised, for as he had said to Mikhail:
"Alright, Mikhail, you have so much more to do than I do. But please don't forget to send me a letter before you head off to Paris. I want to go with you to Paris and see how we turn the place upside down together!"

Mikhail: “?”

Is it that exciting?
Of course, at the same time, Turgenev had another purpose in going abroad: "I have a lot to write, but I cannot coexist with the object of my hatred, nor breathe the same air. I must leave my enemy so that I can attack it more powerfully from a distance."

After explaining these things to Mikhail, Turgenev, as he had said before, began preparing various things for Mikhail.

Strictly speaking, it's true that Turgenev was an extremely wealthy second-generation heir, but his mother had very strict control over the family's finances, so Turgenev couldn't really touch much money except for the allowance he received from his mother.

Fortunately, during their hunting trip, the two men were quite adept at flattery and praise, and Mikhail also performed remarkably well, leaving a deep impression on many landowners near Turgenev's house. As a result, most people in the neighborhood agreed that the young man Turgenev brought from St. Petersburg was indeed impressive.

Since this young man is so impressive, Turgenev, whom he admires and praises, must be doing quite well in St. Petersburg and abroad as well. What does this mean? It means the Turgenev family certainly has a bright future!

In short, when all sorts of rumors appeared, even Turgenev's mother was taken aback. But no matter what, it was definitely a good thing. So, while Turgenev's mother was happy, she did relax a lot on Turgenev's finances, and preparing things was a piece of cake.

On the day he formally bid farewell to Mikhail, Turgenev, after seeing Mikhail off, recorded his feelings at that moment in his manuscript with a sense of melancholy and sadness.

It's worth mentioning that Turgenev's *A Sportsman's Sketches* often uses phrases like, "Dear reader, let me take your hand and we'll go for a ride together," or "Dear reader, let me first introduce this new task to you."
Therefore, even today, Turgenev couldn't help but write: "Dear reader, what a sorrowful thing this is! My soul and body seem to have flown away with it."

However, despite his melancholy, Old Tu soon rallied and ventured into the mountains. While the time spent with Mikhail was pleasant, Mikhail's behavior undoubtedly distracted him, making him seem less attentive to certain things.

To be honest, Mikhail's performance was so impressive that it was impossible not to pay attention. In short, after Mikhail left, Turgenev did have to start seriously observing and digesting certain things, and wanted to truly bring the images in his mind to life.

Turgenev resumed his journey, while Mikhail, sitting in his carriage, began to contemplate the gains of his trip. At the very beginning, Mikhail subconsciously reached for his large stomach. Pshaw! He reached for his belly.

Although Mikhail had been able to eat and sleep well before, perhaps due to excessive mental exertion, his physique had not changed much. However, after spending quite some time with Turgenev, Mikhail felt that he had become much more agile, and activities such as climbing mountains and trees were no challenge for him.

Mikhail was quite relieved about this, after all, he didn't want to develop a huge appetite at such a young age.
Aside from that, Mikhail also gained a lot of insights and experiences about nature, and received a lot of gratitude from people. Although it is always so difficult to truly change other people's fate, it is always good to be able to do something. In this on-site observation, Mikhail also had many thoughts.

As Mikhail sat in the carriage, immersed in these memories—some light, some pleasant, some bitter, some spicy—he was naturally connected to many of the events happening outside, given his current relationships with so many people. In fact, these events had already begun shortly after Mikhail left St. Petersburg.

First and foremost, there was the impact left by Mikhail's formal departure from St. Petersburg University. Although he had already graduated, while Rector Pletnyov felt refreshed and invigorated, he did indeed discover many problems left behind by Mikhail within his university.

There's an increase in students gathering to discuss issues; underground student groups seem to be making a comeback; more students are taking pride in reading *Modern People* magazine and showing greater interest in certain topics.
Pletnyov: "?"

Even after leaving, he's still restless? It seems I need to seriously reconsider agreeing to his sponsorship of university students.
And what will become of the magazine "The Contemporary" founded by my good brother Pushkin in your hands?
While Pletnyov faced some rather conceptual annoyances, and some things might not even have actually been done by Mikhail, Nikichenko, a professor and censor at St. Petersburg University, was facing some real troubles, simply because some students, while treating him with even greater respect, would sometimes ask him questions:
"Professor, do you know where Mr. Mikhail went? Given your relationship, you must know, right? I heard he seems to have gone to some secluded place. Could he be up to something big?"

"Professor, have you seen Mr. Mikhail recently? I have some secrets I want to tell him."

Nikki K.: "???"

What could I possibly have to do with him? I'm just someone earning extra money!
And what secret? I don't want to hear it! Although Mikhail has the ability to make a scene in France, Nikichenko is just an censor who wants to earn extra money, and he certainly doesn't want to get involved in many things if he can avoid it.

To be honest, Nikichiko had been seriously considering resigning from his position a while ago and finding a safer way to make extra money. Unfortunately, Mikhail casually said before he left, "Mr. Nikichiko, I'm going to give you some extra money."

This completely shattered his inner struggle.
In short, now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to endure it!

As time went on, the editorial office of *Modern Man*, after a period of chaos and disorientation, quickly stabilized. Although Mikhail was no longer with us, his novels continued to be published in the magazine.

Especially after his novel, *Around the World in Eighty Days*, which reportedly caused a sensation in half of Paris, was finally translated and published, the increase in magazine subscribers and sales made *The Contemporary* a sensation in St. Petersburg's cultural circles once again. It is said that even Kraevsky, the owner of *The Chronicle of the Fatherland*, *The Contemporary's* arch-rival, couldn't resist approaching Nekrasov and Panaev and saying:
"As you know, Mikhail once said that he wanted to serialize a novel in 'Chronicles of the Fatherland.' To help him realize his dream, how about you give me half of 'Around the World in Eighty Days'? If that's not possible, splitting it into several installments would also be fine."

I heard it with my own ears, and I have witnesses!

Nekrasov and Panaev: "?"

Do you want it like this?

The two would certainly refuse, but to prevent other unscrupulous newspapers in St. Petersburg from translating and pirated parts of the novel for profit, the "Modern Man" team quickly turned the novel into a booklet similar to a free gift from the magazine, with several issues per month, but it was only given as a gift to those who subscribed to the magazine.

In short, the cultural circles of St. Petersburg have been embroiled in a lot of intrigue surrounding this novel. As for the letters from readers, they continue to pour in like snowflakes. Unfortunately, even sending letters is not so convenient these days, so all these letters, full of readers' eager expectations, can only be temporarily placed in Mikhail's office.

As time went on, Mikhail's mother and sister were quite surprised to find that Mikhail had gotten to know so many people, and many of them couldn't help but ask about his whereabouts after not seeing him for a while.

Among them were some noble gentlemen who were said to hold high official positions, as well as Mikhail's friends from the apartment whom they had met before. They all inquired about Mikhail's whereabouts and were relieved to find out that he had just gone on a trip.

What surprised Mikhail's mother and sister the most was that even some beggars and people from other professions in St. Petersburg came to their door out of concern and asked them a few questions. After hearing "God bless him!", these people left with peace of mind.

Meanwhile, Mira, the maid who ultimately wasn't taken along by Mikhail, kept mentioning the matter to the two of them. Out of concern, Mikhail's mother and sister naturally sent letters, but because of the long distance and the fact that Mikhail did live in the mountains for a while, it would take some time for the reply to arrive.

As day and night continued to flow relentlessly, and time continued to fly by, even past the day Mikhail left Turgenev, in a rather luxurious country estate not too far from St. Petersburg, a young woman still couldn't find a suitable opportunity to send her letter.

This two-story palatial structure is built in the Neoclassical style, with an exterior decorated with colonnades, vaults, and reliefs, and constructed of stone. The first floor houses public areas such as the living room and dining room, used for social activities, while the second floor contains private spaces such as bedrooms, studies, and a family gallery.

Behind the main building is a French-style garden with geometric flower beds and sculptural fountains, which then naturally transitions into a natural forest. Nearby are also some functional buildings such as a church, a steam room, and stables.

At this moment, a young woman with delicate features was leaning against the bedroom window. Her usually lively blue eyes now looked slightly melancholy, and if you looked closely, you could see that her brows were slightly furrowed.

There's no way anyone would be happy in her current situation. Perhaps it's because her mother had already sensed something was amiss. In any case, from some point onwards, this girl noticed that her mother would occasionally check her letters. Even if she didn't peek at the contents, she would at least check who was writing to her.

Meanwhile, the summer vacation at the country estate was even more frustrating. In addition to this, her mother introduced her to many supposedly decent people and invited some to visit. All of this made the girl even more troubled.

For these reasons, even though she had been at the country estate for a long time, she still hadn't found a suitable time to send out some letters, or rather, even if she could send them out, she didn't know what to say in the letters.

Just as the young girl Nadya was feeling slightly troubled by something today, on this sunny day, the sound of clattering hooves seemed to drift over, growing clearer with the breeze.

Just as Nadya was about to leave through the bedroom window, she suddenly froze, seemingly having seen something. She watched as a young man on horseback approached her manor, and he seemed to sense something as well. In a subtle moment, their eyes met again in the sunlight.

(End of this chapter)