Chapter 42: A Second Mikhail Has Appeared!

"The old wooden clock hoarsely struck ten, then eleven... still the husband had not returned. He never cared for his own health, often braving the bitter cold and stormy seas to fish. She worked from dawn till dusk, yet what came of it? The family barely scraped by."

With just an opening, one could see this was another extremely concise novel; a few deft strokes vividly portrayed the family's arduous circumstances.

For a family like this, merely striving to survive was already difficult, yet the female protagonist still worried about others:

"Sanna suddenly remembered that since evening she had wanted to visit her sick neighbor. 'No one has gone to care for her yet!'"

"How hard the widow's situation is! Though she has only two children, everything rests on her alone. And she herself is ill! Alas, how hard the widow's situation is! Let me go in and see her."

Sanna kept knocking, but no one answered; finally, she had to enter the room to check, only to behold such a scene:

"She lay so quietly, so motionless on her back, as if she had just breathed her last. Sanna brought the lantern closer; indeed, her head was tilted back, and upon that cold, bluish face rested the serenity of death.

One pale hand of the deceased, as if reaching for something, had fallen and hung down onto the straw mattress, while right beside the dead mother slept two chubby-cheeked, curly-haired babies, covered with a tattered garment, legs curled, their two blond heads pressed tightly together.

It seemed that before her final breath, the mother had still managed to wrap their small legs in an old headscarf and cover them with her own clothes. They breathed evenly and calmly, sleeping sweetly and soundly."

Seeing this, Dostoevsky, who had originally approached it merely with a spirit of learning but was now completely immersed, felt his heart suddenly leap into his throat.

In today's Russia, two helpless orphans needed no imagination to foresee their inevitable fate.

Given Sanna's family's current condition, merely making ends meet was already difficult, let alone discussing anything else.

Dostoevsky did not know how best to handle it; the novel's female protagonist seemed equally uncertain:

"Sanna took down the cradle, wrapped them in her headscarf, and carried them home. Her heart pounded fiercely; she did not know how or why she had done this, but she knew she could not undo what she had already done."

Although Sanna had unconsciously made such a decision, this household was not ruled by her alone; indeed, the family's survival depended on her husband's arduous labor, and suddenly adding two more mouths to feed created immense pressure.

Thus, Sanna, who had been awaiting her husband's return, suddenly became flustered:

"Is he back? No, he hasn't returned yet. Why did I bring these two children home?... Will he beat me?! Well, I deserve it; I ought to be beaten. He's back! No!... Ah, it would be better if he didn't return."

Yet some things are ultimately unavoidable; finally, Sanna's husband, the fisherman, dragged his exhausted body home, and once again good fortune had not favored him, as he returned with almost nothing:

"It's terrible; caught nothing, and the net is torn. Things are very bad... I tell you, we encountered wretched weather. I don't think I've ever seen such a night. Forget catching fish! Just surviving the return was luck enough. Well, what have you been doing while I was away?"

Sanna remained silent for a moment; finally, seeing there was no avoiding it, she spoke:

"Do you know," Sanna said, "our neighbor Sima has died."

"Really?"

"No one knows when she died, probably yesterday... the two children are still so tiny... one cannot even speak yet, and the other has just learned to crawl..."

Sanna fell silent.

Faced with such a situation, the exhausted fisherman could have entirely ignored this miserable matter, yet instead he:

"The fisherman frowned, serious and worried. He repeatedly scratched the back of his head and said, 'We must bring them over; how can children stay with a corpse! Very well, let it be so; we shall manage somehow. Go quickly and fetch them!' But Sanna did not move."

"What is wrong with you? Are you unwilling?"

"They are right here," Sanna said, pulling back the mosquito net.

Watching such an ending that was somewhat unexpected yet seemed entirely reasonable, the thin man, who usually existed in a state of tension and bitterness, unconsciously relaxed his brow, genuinely rejoicing at such a conclusion.

Who says poor people cannot possess kind hearts?

Vaguely, the man felt he had grasped something once more, but looking at the novel following it, he ultimately suppressed the urge to pick up his pen and devoted himself entirely to reading the next story, "Sleepy."

Just as he thought this too would be a warm tale, upon seeing that ending which held suspense yet seemed to hold none, he instantly froze; his previously gentle heart was gradually replaced by another intense emotion, until even his pale lips began to tremble.

At this moment, he very much wanted to say something to someone beside him, but there was no one beside him now; after struggling for a long time, he finally sat at his desk and began writing a letter to his elder brother:

"Oh God! Brother, do you remember that Mikhail I told you about? He has published new works in 'Notes of the Fatherland'; I hope you have already seen the previous issue containing his work, so I need not repeat to you just how excellent his writing is!

Another two stories; unlike the previous issue, these two stories in this issue seem to form a contrast. I was just feeling greatly encouraged by that beautiful soul, and then he immediately punched me again!

How can he write two stories that seem completely opposite, yet both are written with such conciseness and such brilliance?

I will say no more; when you see them, you will understand I have not spoken a single falsehood. I hope you will write back then and tell me your thoughts.

I must continue my own writing, brother! My work, which had previously stalled, now has new momentum; I have a feeling I will complete this novel at an unprecedented speed! Originally, I did not know what title to give it, but after reading his stories, I seem to already know.

But if I give it the same title as this Mr., how will others view my novel? Might they not think I wrote this story only after reading his work? Although that is indeed the truth, I still do not wish to hear people say so.

Yet perhaps this is also a tribute to this Mr.? I truly must think this matter over carefully.

The only certain thing is that I will finish my novel as soon as possible; at that time, I will submit it to 'Notes of the Fatherland,' and then you will see people shouting: A second Mikhail has appeared! Brother, I have this confidence; bless me!

If you have spare funds, you might also send some money; I recently intend to devote myself entirely to writing for a while."

Thanks to the generous donations from big shots 'Fish-Slacker Never Sleeps,' 'Summer of Ju Dalang,' and 'Hell No Longer Bleeds,' as well as everyone's monthly tickets; many thanks!

I must hurry to stockpile chapters; when the time comes, I will definitely add extra updates in return for your monthly tickets and donations; I will continue striving.

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(End of Chapter)