Chapter 5: Sister

The female landlord and male tenant—perhaps because he’d seen too many such stories before, Mikhail had once thought this pairing sounded vaguely suggestive, but now he could only say: seeing a Russian female landlord will sober you right up…

After all, the bitter cold of Siberia had swept over the Slavs for more than a dozen centuries, and the suffering of the lower classes had endured for nearly a thousand years. It wasn’t enough that the environment was harsh—those in power called them gray cattle and treated them with utter disregard.

To survive in such conditions, strong will and stubborn spirit alone were not enough—you needed a strong, resilient body.

No matter if man or woman.

In fact, more often than not, Russian women played a far more vital role in daily life than men.

Specifically, a sturdy female landlord could literally pick up a drunken troublemaker and throw him out, and she could also give a tenant like Mikhail—who owed rent—a good stretching, or even a solid punch.

So the three fell silent for a long while, and only when they no longer heard any movement from the landlord’s side did Mikhail and the others begin speaking in hushed tones.

But when they turned to Mikhail’s novel, Nekrasov couldn’t help growing excited:

“Mikhail, I plan to recommend your novel to Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky! Do you know him? If he reads your work, he might be even more excited than I am.”

But you know, someone of his stature is busy with countless matters every day, and I can’t just drop in on him whenever I please.”

So what if you wrote one or two more stories like this? If he finds them suitable, he might even write you a personal review—and then you’d be instantly launched onto the Russian literary scene! Let’s together spread the glory of ‘naturalism’!”

The ‘naturalism’ Nekrasov spoke of is what later generations would call critical realism.

Undoubtedly, this would become the dominant literary trend of the coming era.

As for who Belinsky was—aside from anything else—he was unquestionably the current leader of the literary world, wielding immense influence through his brilliant critical essays.

If he truly gave you a review, it would be nearly the same as ascending to the pinnacle of Russian literature overnight.

So… did I just stumble upon Dostoevsky’s breakthrough play?

Astonished, Mikhail could not possibly refuse Nekrasov’s proposal.

After a brief discussion, the three agreed on a time and place, and then Dmitri and Nekrasov took their leave.

Nekrasov was currently in high favor, and eager to accomplish something great, so he’d been traveling constantly lately, accumulating a great deal of business.

Dmitri, meanwhile, didn’t want to disturb Mikhail, who was about to begin new writing, so he left with this:

“I look forward to your next work, my friend! When you have time, I truly hope you’ll teach me something about writing.”

Then he, too, departed.

After seeing them off, Mikhail went to the landlord, Pavlovna. Before she could say anything, he pulled out several rubles and handed them to her:

“I’m paying part of it now, Pavlovna. I promise I’ll settle the rest as soon as possible—please give me a little more time.”

By the way, before Dmitri left, Mikhail had shamelessly borrowed a bit more money—even if the future looked bright, he had to survive this stretch first.

“I was already planning to go to the police station and file a complaint against you today,” the bulky woman said, counting the money. Her expression softened considerably. “For God’s sake, I’ll give you a little more time.”

Having settled the rent issue for now, before Mikhail could resume writing, the landlord’s only maid and cook, Nastasya, approached.

Nastasya came from the countryside, was no longer young, and was endlessly talkative, with a habit of cooking meals that were often inedible.

Now she walked over and handed Mikhail a letter directly:

“Your letter. I paid the postman three kopecks on your behalf.”

In tsarist Russia, postage was typically paid by the recipient.

A letter?

Mikhail paused for a moment, then realized what it might be. He gave the maid the money and returned to his room with the letter.

Opening it, he found it was from his mother, sent from their hometown.

“My dear Misha, I haven’t written to you or spoken with you in two months, and I’ve felt terrible. Sometimes, lying awake at night, I think and think until I can’t sleep. But I’m sure you won’t blame me for this forced silence.”

You know how much I love you: you are my and Du Niya’s only relative, you are everything to us, our entire hope and expectation.”

When I learned you hadn’t attended university for months due to lack of money, and that your teaching fees and other income had completely dried up, I was heartbroken. My pension is only one hundred twenty rubles a year—what help can that possibly be to you?”

The fifteen rubles I sent you four months ago—you know well—were borrowed from a local merchant, mortgaged against my pension…”

For some reason, Mikhail felt a complex emotion spreading through him as he read this letter.

In short, the letter’s content was this: though many troubles had recently struck the family, they could now finally bring him good news.

They could send him a little more money.

Mikhail’s father had been a minor clerk; after losing his job, he drank himself to death, like so many others, in Russia’s freezing winter.

His mother was old, with no means beyond her pension and borrowed money.

Mikhail’s sister, to send him even a little money, became a private tutor—but suffered endless harassment, and in the end, the employer’s wife turned on her, accusing her falsely and driving her out in front of many people.

Now, out of desperation and concern for Mikhail’s situation, his sister Du Niya was preparing to marry a forty-five-year-old civil servant. As for the purpose…

“We’ve cautiously probed Petrovich. He spoke carefully, saying, of course, he cannot do without a secretary, and it’s better to pay his own relative than a stranger—as long as the relative is capable (and you wouldn’t be incapable, would you!).”

But he immediately expressed doubt: your university studies probably won’t leave you time to work in his office.”

That conversation ended there, but Du Niya has thought of nothing else since. For days now, she’s been in a feverish state, devising a complete plan…”

Clearly, though Mikhail’s mother presented the matter optimistically, the forty-five-year-old civil servant had been deliberately vague, offering no concrete answer.

And Mikhail’s sister was indeed a beautiful, intelligent girl—yes, she was probably only seventeen this year.

“Three years, and we’ll soon meet, and embrace tightly! Du Niya thinks of that moment and smiles, thrilled. Once she joked that even just for that, she’d be willing to marry Petrovich!”

Now everyone knows the news, so my reputation has suddenly improved. I’m certain Ivan will now feel more comfortable mortgaging my pension—and might even lend me seventy-five rubles, so I could send you twenty-five or even thirty-five.”

After reading the letter, Mikhail felt a complex mix of emotions—and once again realized how closely his current situation mirrored that of the protagonist in Crime and Punishment.

Of course, it was pointless to dwell on anything else now—life was right before him. First, he must stop this classic case of opportunistic marriage.

Anger surged—but Mikhail quickly suppressed it.

Solving the problem was the urgent priority now.

Other matters would have to wait. First, he must write a reply to his family explaining his situation.

Mikhail sat again at his battered desk, picked up his pen, and prepared to change his sister’s fate.

Regarding the prices and purchasing power of rubles in this period of Russian history, I’ve consulted many sources, but no definitive answer seems to exist.

So I’ve taken a reasonably close estimate: roughly one ruble equals one hundred kopecks, and one ruble is approximately equivalent to two hundred yuan today.

Of course, purchasing power is hard to convert precisely, but this approximation may serve; the actual situation was even more complex, with distinctions between gold rubles and paper rubles.

If any expert has more accurate information, please share it—I’d be very grateful.

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(End of Chapter)