[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-36":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Literary Giant in Russia",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317211,4531,"Chapter 36: Honorarium and Contract","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>“Mikhail, a gentleman is here to see you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Mikhail had just returned to his apartment, the old maid Nastasya had already come forward to tell him this:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s been waiting here for a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, Nastasya pointed in the direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail followed where she indicated and soon saw an elderly gentleman seated at the dining table, his demeanor stiff and formal, his face brimming with suppressed complaints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing Mikhail approach, the man seemed to realize something and immediately stood up, looking at Mikhail and saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you Mikhail Romanovich Raskolnikov? The university student? Or perhaps a former one? You shouldn’t even be attending classes anymore—why are you not at home at this hour? Did you go out drinking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail: “?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear the man was resentful from having waited, and though they had never met, his words were laced with barbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dude, are you okay?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail nearly launched into a string of curses in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not,” Mikhail said, glancing at the man with a touch of disbelief, having guessed his identity. “Do you normally speak to people this way? Sir, your manners leave something to be desired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” The well-dressed gentleman blinked, then flushed with embarrassment. “Forgive me, sir, I thought you were...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail didn’t wait for him to finish. He merely shook his head and walked past without another word, heading straight for his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t close the door. Though he had no desire to converse with this man, some things needed to be clarified, so he sat down on his sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, having learned the truth from Nastasya, the gentleman stormed in, visibly flustered, and stared at Mikhail’s room with undisguised shock before speaking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where on earth am I? How can there be such a place? And why did you lie just now? Did you think I shouldn’t have said those things? I took time out of my busy schedule, chose a special day, just to speak with you about your mother and your sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Believing himself superior in this relationship, the well-dressed gentleman spoke without restraint, and regarding Mikhail’s tiny room, he feigned horror, as if insulted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you are—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke his name, the man carried an air of arrogance, as if Mikhail should immediately rise and greet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really is you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At your age, forty or fifty, and still trying to be my brother-in-law...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And you’re truly brazen...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You think marrying my sister is some great favor to our family?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flashing these thoughts through his mind, Mikhail had no desire to tangle further with the man. He cut straight to the point:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, Mr. Pyotr Petrovich, I’m sorry, but I was just about to find time to tell you this myself—recently I’ve been overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since you’re here, I’ll be plain: I oppose this marriage. If you’ve spent anything already, I’ll repay you in full once I’ve verified it. Let this engagement be called off. When my mother and Du Niya arrive, I’ll tell them the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the letter, this man hadn’t paid a single kopeck. The matter was simple: it was all verbal, and his sister Du Niya had barely exchanged words with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you say that?” After hearing Mikhail, the gentleman froze, staring at him and then at his room, incredulous. “Look at where you live—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish, Nastasya, who had appeared silently at Mikhail’s door, interrupted: “Mikhail, another gentleman is here to see you. He says he wants to discuss your writing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Writing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail, slightly puzzled, replied: “Then let him come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After answering, the old maid Nastasya cast a glance at Pyotr Petrovich, her eyes heavy with reproach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he speak so disrespectfully to Mikhail, who wrote those articles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Nastasya went to fetch the visitor, she soon returned with another gentleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man, too, was well-dressed and of advanced age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing Mikhail’s tiny room, he was startled—but quickly entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the room was so cramped, Mikhail said: “Mr. Pyotr Petrovich, I’ve already told you what I had to say. There’s no room for negotiation. Could you please step aside for this gentleman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Pyotr Petrovich burned with anger and had much to say, faced with this sudden turn, he preserved his dignity and said nothing, stepping aside for the other man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he did not leave. He remained standing, waiting to speak again after the visitor departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would write a letter—yes, he would tell his mother and sister everything this former student had done!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Idleness, drunkenness, no basic manners!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this sudden visitor—what was he doing here? Why would a man of such refinement come to such a shabby place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Pyotr Petrovich thought this, the newcomer hesitated, glancing at the man beside him. But when Mikhail said, “No need to be uneasy, sir. Say what you came to say,” the man lost his hesitation and introduced himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Respected Mr. Mikhail Romanovich Raskolnikov, I am Nikodim Fomich, editor of The Fatherland Chronicle. I’ve come today to pay you for your last two articles and to commission another. Do you have any new work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truthfully, Mikhail had waited a long time for this payment. But now, he showed no excitement. He sat wrapped in his tattered overcoat on his worn-out sofa, nodded slightly, and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much will you pay me this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Mikhail had no money at all, twenty rubles had been a generous sum—thanks to Belinsky’s advocacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, considering the magazine’s recent surge in circulation, the editor paused, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s another pair of short stories, same length as before, you’ll receive sixty rubles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though their publisher was stingy, the editor was certain Mikhail would accept this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Pyotr had been half-listening before, the moment “sixty rubles” was spoken, his mind snapped clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did articles fetch such prices?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he write gold?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the elderly gentleman’s eyes widened. He stood frozen, listening further, until he realized this was no act—it was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Pyotr met Mikhail’s eyes again—those eyes, devoid of emotion. Just one glance, and he involuntarily moved toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staying longer would only bring him humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pyotr Petrovich faded away. Mikhail had, with a pen, begun to alter his sister’s fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1051,"2026-06-20T14:41:53.633Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e4ed077912394a715af1727f93cfd5c5e8879b30dba9cb99f7159c12adae76ae","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-37","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-35",105,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-cover.jpg"]