Chapter 47: The Cheek Kiss and a Long-Awaited Reunion

Normally, meeting one's mother and younger sister after a long separation would be a cause for great joy, but when Mikhail, who had been chatting with the apartment residents in the living room, saw those two figures etched deep in his memory, before he could even move, a passionate, joyful shout rang out, and the two of them rushed toward him together.

Then, under everyone's gaze, Mikhail's mother and sister hugged him tightly, crying and laughing, while kissing him repeatedly.

Though somewhat bewildered, a surge of emotion deep within his heart made Mikhail instinctively embrace the two of them, then somewhat awkwardly return a cheek kiss.

It is worth mentioning that the cheek kiss is a relatively long-standing custom in Russia, its origins largely influenced by the Orthodox Church.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, kissing symbolizes love for those close to one, and kissing is frequently used in various Orthodox rituals; for instance, when reciting prayers: "I will love you, Lord!", the priest touches the holy vessels with his lips. After receiving communion, the baptized are kissed within the church.

Generally, the traditional Russian cheek kiss involves three kisses, in a right-left-right sequence. The reason for three is that the number three is a very sacred number in Christianity, such as the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Jesus's three transfigurations,

the three crosses at the site of Jesus's crucifixion, and so on.

Originally, this would have been normal enough, but later, when it came to the "Medal King" and "Medal Wholesaler" Old Bro, he fully exercised his scientific spirit, changing the three cheek kisses into two cheek kisses first, with the final one being a passionate kiss to express his sincere emotions.

As for how fervent this kiss was, let's put it this way: Tito's lips were kissed until they bled, Castro had several of his beard hairs kissed off, and such passionate kisses were given regardless of gender; a host of famous figures experienced Old Bro's passionate kiss. Later, even Britain's Lady Thatcher narrowly avoided being kissed this way, luckily managing to dodge it skillfully.

That said, Old Bro was a man of principle; he never initiated kissing people from capitalist countries. Once, an American president suddenly kissed him, and Old Bro became very angry, likely feeling he had been marked by a "capitalist kiss," making him feel unclean...

Of course, when relations were good, a kiss was still possible, so Old Bro and Carter later shared a rather intense passionate kiss.

To this, Mikhail could only say, fortunately he wouldn't live to see that time, otherwise the trauma of his old age would be real.

Finally, Mikhail decided that once he truly became famous, he must leave this sentence in Russian history: "The cheek kiss is only for the cheeks, never the lips."

At first, people might find it strange, but this is like saying "cultural workers must have culture"; who knows when the boomerang might strike someone on the head...

At this very moment, these thoughts merely flashed through Mikhail's mind; he was more immersed in the surging emotions of a long-awaited reunion.

Once the emotions of the three finally calmed down somewhat, Mikhail's mother began speaking incoherently: "Dear Misha, God bless! I am so happy to see you doing so well; only God can understand my feelings at this moment!

Your novel was published in 'Notes of the Fatherland', wasn't it? Are the novels you wrote called 'The Poor' and 'Sleepy'? Dunya and I, the moment we finished listening to it near the café, we couldn't think of anything else and rushed straight to those gentlemen, asking them to tell us the author's name!

That wonderfully talented author is you, dear Misha, isn't it? The surname and given name match perfectly! How could such a coincidence happen?"

"It is my mother." Seeing Prakharia looking as if she were about to faint, Mikhail quickly nodded and said: "It was published just two days ago. Why didn't you notify me when you came? I could have gone to meet you."

"It really is you, Misha! We've been following the news all the way; the whole of St. Petersburg is talking about you!" Probably due to excessive excitement, the old woman's words were somewhat exaggerated, but looking at her tearful, laughing, aged face, Mikhail said nothing, simply holding the extremely excited old woman and nodding again and again.

As for Mikhail's sister, this quiet, slender Miss who was usually calm, now had her face flushed with excitement. She held Mikhail's arm firmly, and after a long while, finally spoke with a trembling voice, tears in her eyes:

"Dear brother, Mother and I are both proud of you! You will be a great writer! Then we will be the mother and sister of a great writer!"

"No, you are mistaken, sister." Mikhail wiped the tears flowing from this poor Miss, then replied in a voice that trembled slightly, a tremor he himself had not noticed: "I am the son of dear Prakharia, and the brother of dear Dunya."

Once the intense emotions of the reunion gradually subsided, Mikhail apologized to the other residents of the apartment, then led his mother and sister toward his small room.

Before they could worry about his living conditions, Mikhail smiled and said first: "In a few days, I plan to move elsewhere. I haven't had time to tell you in my letters; my current manuscript earns at least sixty rubles! If I keep writing for a while, I might soon become wealthy."

Well, let's brag first...

Hearing Mikhail say this, the mother and daughter, who had indeed been somewhat shocked by Mikhail's living conditions, exchanged a glance, then recalled the grand scenes they had seen on the streets of St. Petersburg during the day; in the end, they believed Mikhail's words.

Even so, Prakharia couldn't help but mutter: "It is time to change, dear Misha. Living in such a place for too long will surely affect your mood! Over time, you might even fall ill! Take care of your body; you have a bright future ahead..."

While Prakharia was chattering on, Mikhail's sister first surveyed the cramped small room, then silently began tidying up.

Although the old maid Nastasya was responsible for cleaning the tenants' rooms throughout the apartment, she certainly could not be that meticulous; sometimes she even made a mess, merely gathering everything into one pile.

This quiet Miss organized things with great order; after her step-by-step tidying, the room visually seemed much more spacious, and the items Mikhail had placed haphazardly were now sorted and put in their proper places.

After they finally put down their tasks and sat, the old maid Nastasya, with the landlord's permission, brought three cups of tea. The moment she set them down, she heard this beautiful Miss speak:

"Brother, it is clear you do not understand life; perhaps you should find someone to take care of you."

Mikhail: "?"

It felt as if his sister was pressuring him to get married...

"I agree with your opinion, dear Young Lady." Hearing Mikhail's sister say this, the old maid, having held back for a long time, finally couldn't resist her gossiping nature and instinctively said:

"How can an excellent young man stay indoors day after day? Even when he occasionally socializes, those who come to visit or whom he goes to see are all men. How can men take care of him? Oh no, perhaps some men can."

Upon hearing this, Mikhail's mother and sister were clearly stunned; once they recovered, they both turned their gaze toward Mikhail.

Mikhail: "???"

Each statement sounded like the truth, but why did putting them together feel so wrong?

(End of Chapter)