I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 202 I felt an instant connection with him?!

I've seen her three times. Each time I played, she looked at me with deep affection. I played a somewhat melancholic piece, "The Legend of the Danube," and my heart flew back to my homeland with the music. But her melancholic and strange eyes kept staring at me; what were those eyes saying?

She leaned against the piano, her burning gaze making my whole body feel hot... We were surrounded by flowers, and my heart was captivated! I saw her twice more, and from then on, she fell in love with me...

—Chopin's diary, October 1837

In 19th-century Europe, the so-called upper-class circles were often incredibly narrow. For example, if you were to connect Michael with the current King Louis Philippe I of France, Victor Hugo alone would suffice.

But how can Mikhail be connected with Frédéric François Chopin if not through Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo?
Hey! That's actually possible, but it would have to be done in a rather abstract way.

In short, Mikhail's good friend Turgenev was fond of the singer Polina Viardo, and the Viardo couple were good friends with George Sand, who was currently with Chopin.

Of course, there's also a more abstract part, which is roughly that George Sand is currently living with her son Maurice and daughter Solange. Among them, her son Maurice has fallen in love with the singer Vialdo, while Vialdo, who still has an infant daughter, has also fallen in love with Maurice, and thus a passionate secret affair begins.

As for George Sand's daughter, Solange, she had a very close relationship with Chopin for some reason, to the point that some people even thought she was having an affair with him.
So what about our Brother Tu? Normally, he'd still be in Russia having a one-sided crush!

Honestly, sometimes it's not that Mikhail was impotent or simply a great saint, but rather that when you think about the intricate relationships and melodramatic interpersonal connections in Europe during that period, which normal person could stand it?

Because the surrounding environment was so complicated, Mikhail truly felt that it was better for him to be simpler. And sometimes, thinking further ahead, Mikhail really didn't want future generations to scrutinize his life with a magnifying glass after his death, only to have someone make a surprising discovery as they studied it:

Hey! Look at him! Mikhail's ass is anything but clean! Look at what he's done!

You really shouldn't do that.
However, it's a bit too early to talk about such things now. Let's get back to the present. Mikhail's current destination is, of course, another great French writer, George Sand, with whom he has corresponded.

Because of the profound impact of her earlier essay, "My Uncle Jules," George Sand had already spoken highly of Mikhail in some Parisian magazines and newspapers before he even arrived in Paris.

So, in any case, Mikhail had to visit and thank her while she was still in Paris.

It is worth mentioning that after 1840, George Sand spent most of her time with Chopin and her family in Nohant, a village in the Berry region of France. During this time, novels such as Eugène Sue's "The Secret of Paris" and Paul Faval's "The Secret of London" were serialized in newspapers and magazines and were very popular with readers.

George Sand was outraged by this, feeling that such novels promoted violence, immoral behavior, and social injustice, catering to the lowbrow tastes of readers. Thus, in the autumn of 1845, she wrote *The Devil's Swamp* in four days, beginning her series of pastoral novels titled "The Night Talks of Mahjong Players."

In French novels of that time, peasants were very rare characters. George Sand made peasants the protagonists of her novels, restoring the rightful place of peasants in literature.

Therefore, she doesn't spend much time in Paris each year, and Mikhail rushed over as soon as he heard the news.

To be honest, Mikhail's timing for coming to Paris wasn't exactly ideal. For example, the teacher Balzac that Mikhail wanted to meet was currently busy currying favor with the wealthy Madame Hansky. Because of this, Balzac not only abandoned his writing plans, but he also completely forgot about his creditors.

Balzac is currently traveling around Europe with his wife and daughter, and it is estimated that he will take her and her daughter back to Paris in October.

Just as Mikhail, dressed in somewhat unusual clothes and carrying a cane, was about to arrive at George Sand's house, the forty-something-year-old George Sand had to temporarily abandon his guests and deal with the complaints of a man of medium build, slender and rather handsome.

"Why did you still invite him? Even if I don't hate every Russian, judging from the articles I've read in the newspapers criticizing him, I certainly wouldn't like him. Besides, this is a rather private gathering, and I'm supposed to play for everyone here, so do you expect me to hear his opinion of me? And why are there so many people here today? It's really a bit overwhelming."

“My Chopin, I assure you, the articles you’ve read are completely different from what I’ve seen. I believe that once you’ve read those articles, you can’t help but become curious about this young gentleman. Besides, didn’t you say before that you wanted to discuss music with him? Now’s your chance!”

"That was just something I said in anger. How could I really expect someone who only has a basic understanding of music to communicate with me? Forget it, I don't want to have any communication with him anyway."

"Just do as you please, as long as you don't go too far in being rude."

After saying this, George Sand sighed with a sense of helplessness.

As a naturally sensitive and emotionally driven musical genius, Chopin was never an easy person to get along with. He was often extremely picky, hated all noisy arguments, disliked people being poorly dressed, and especially hated all ugly words and deeds.

His favorite setting was a beautifully decorated salon, filled with elegant, music-loving women who waited in the dim light to hear a nocturne that revealed their secrets. He liked to make his refined audience fall into deep thought, and then suddenly, with heroic and bold emotion, sing of suffering Poland, touching their hearts.

In many ways, George Sand treated Chopin as if he were a sensitive child.

After trying his best to calm Chopin down, George Sand felt a bit overwhelmed looking at the guests who seemed to be waiting for some good show to happen.

Parisian social circles have never been a place where secrets can be kept. When George Sand inadvertently revealed that a young Russian man was coming to visit her, within just a day or two, countless people had learned of it.

After that, George Thornton noticed that the number of guests at her salon was increasing rapidly, to the point that she had to issue a statement saying that she could no longer accept more guests, but even so, some people still tried to sneak in.

Some were driven by curiosity, others by a desire to verify the veracity of the news reports, still others by a desire to see his supposedly unconventional attire, and still others by a desire to observe the Russian man and the events that unfolded around him, then write compelling articles to sell to newspapers and magazines in exchange for a decent side income.

George Sand certainly didn't want to see this lively yet somewhat eerie scene, but how could she have imagined that a young man who had only been in Paris for a short time could attract so much attention?

Did he spend a month in Paris?

If such a commotion can occur in just one month, what would happen if he stayed for a year or two?
As George Sand pondered these things, she also noticed that it was getting late, and so she unconsciously looked toward the door.

As for her salon, it was naturally held in a spacious, ornately decorated living room, complete with velvet sofas, gilded chairs, marble fireplaces, and the smells of cigars, perfumes, candles, and coffee.

Before long, just as she had expected, two figures appeared at her doorstep. One of them was Turgenev, whom she already knew very well. He was tall and dressed in the clothes of a respectable Parisian.

As for the person beside him, it seemed no one needed to introduce him; everyone already knew his identity. Just as rumored, he wore novel clothes, possessed an unforgettable appearance, and had a peculiar expression on his face that blended youthful curiosity with the maturity of an elder. Of course, in Mikhail's opinion, he had no peculiar expression whatsoever; at most, he seemed curious enough to look left and right, yet compelled to maintain a respectable image.
However, his own thoughts do not seem to have affected how others perceive him.

George Sand couldn't help but glance at the two of them a couple more times after noticing them, and everyone else present also focused their attention on the young man who had recently caused quite a stir, with occasional rather hushed whispers breaking out:

"What's going on with his clothes? Was he cheated by some shameless tailor?"

“The material looks excellent, and how could he not have noticed it after all this time? Perhaps he shares the same interests as George Sand, enjoying wearing unique clothes.”

"However, while this outfit looks comfortable and decent, it's not quite decent enough; it doesn't show any difference in status. Wait, George Sand used wearing men's clothing as an outward expression of her pursuit of gender equality, so what is this outfit trying to achieve? Could it be equality between people?"

"I've read reviews of his 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.' Could he really be a lover of freedom and equality?"

"I simply think this outfit is nice; it's acceptable as casual wear for some occasions, but it's not quite presentable."

The outfit Mikhail is wearing has been the subject of much discussion these past few days. Leaving aside the attention from passersby, the first person Mikhail knows is undoubtedly Ditak, the owner of the newspaper "The Century." Although he also felt that the outfit was not enough to show his status, its comfort and the effect it had on Mikhail ultimately made the owner somewhat tempted.

So Mikhail introduced him to the old tailor Olivier.

Although Ditak was initially reluctant to believe in the craftsmanship of this small shop tailor, he was generally satisfied after the clothes were finished. However, there was one thing that really bothered him: "Hey! Mr. Mikhail, why does it look completely different on you and on me?! I think there must be something wrong with it."

Mikhail: “.”

How can I explain that?
Then there's Alexandre Dumas, who hit it off immediately with Mikhail. Dumas seemed quite interested in the outfit Mikhail was wearing, and even said to him, "Mikhail, this outfit looks good, it would be better if the waist was a bit wider! But anyway, it's much better than many of the clothes that are currently fashionable in Paris! Sometimes I feel like I'm going to throw up from all those clothes!"

I'm someone who's willing to try new things, so which store in Paris has this new outfit? I'm thinking of buying one to try it out!

So Mikhail introduced another business opportunity to the old tailor Olivier.

To be honest, Mikhail didn't have any long-term plans for this area. He just wanted to make it through 1848 first, and everything else could wait until after that.

However, doing something is always possible. Mikhail could easily make a small investment and create some jobs. If Mikhail really makes a big name for himself in Paris, then even if he is inevitably copied and plagiarized, he can still provide some people with a decent working environment and a reasonably good salary by virtue of his celebrity status.

It may be a drop in the ocean, but it's still an effort.

Unfortunately, Mikhail is not very good at business matters, so he was looking for some candidates in Paris recently. However, to Mikhail's surprise, his sister seems to be very interested in this matter and is currently learning about some related things. It is unknown what the final outcome will be.

Returning to George Sand's salon, even though he was still being stared at by many people, Mikhail was already used to such scenes. So, while nodding to everyone with considerable elegance, he also greeted one gentleman and lady after another, introduced by George Sand.

The process went relatively smoothly, but when it came to a gentleman with a somewhat gloomy expression, the other party suddenly started speaking to him in Italian.

To be honest, Mikhail felt it was normal for people to question him, but to do so during a greeting was somewhat impolite. Therefore, having indeed picked up on something, Mikhail asked in return, "Sir, judging from your accent, are you perhaps from the southern region of Italy? Perhaps Naples or Sicily?"

Of course, to save face for the man, Mikhail spoke to him in Italian. So, to others, Mikhail appeared to be smiling, while the man's face turned bright red. However, just as he was about to retort, he realized Mikhail's good intentions.

In the end, all that everyone saw was this flushed man nodding to Mikhail, seemingly with some gratitude.

Everyone present: ?

So what exactly happened?

After this series of introductions, although he felt something might go wrong, George Sand still had to introduce Chopin to Mikhail out of politeness.

As expected, Chopin's response was extremely cold after she spoke; he even turned his body slightly to the side, as if he would turn and leave at any moment.

Mikhail, who had some understanding of Chopin's personality, was not very surprised. He simply extended his hand as usual and said with a smile in fluent Polish, "Hello, Mr. Friedrich François Chopin, it is an honor to meet you."

Regarding language, Mikhail can only say that he was no pushover when he was in Russia. Coupled with his strong memory, even if he wasn't very familiar with some languages, he could still communicate simply.

As for Chopin, his state of mind in France can be simply summarized as: "I miss Poland while I'm in France," and sometimes he genuinely wanted to communicate with others.

Simply put, he's a national treasure; sometimes when he's homesick, he likes to speak Polish.

George Sand did not speak Polish, and in fact, she was so annoyed that she didn't even hear what Mikhail was saying. When she came to her senses, she only saw her Chopin slowly turning toward Mikhail, and then, with an incredulous expression, saying a few words to Mikhail that she couldn't understand.

George Sand initially thought the two would only exchange a few words, but as they talked, Chopin seemed to be talking more and more!

George Sand: "???"

What happened to ignoring me?

You and he hit it off immediately?
Chopin, however, was clearly oblivious to George Sand's expression; his mind was preoccupied with only one question:
Why does his accent sound so innocent?

The taste of home!
(End of this chapter)