Chapter 65: Those Years I Took Out Loans in Russia

Regarding the minor landlord Turgenev, simply put, he was a relatively normal and fairly typical landlord in Russia; they held no illustrious titles, lived no luxurious lives, and often had to participate in labor themselves, for everything they possessed at that time was earned bit by bit through their own efforts.

Of course, exploiting the lower-level serfs naturally happened, but not to such an extreme degree, because with their family assets, they truly could not bear the loss of a few serfs.

Turgenev was just such a landlord: diligent, stingy, living a life slightly better than ordinary people's but one that still required sweat.

If asked how his life had been lived, even he might not be able to explain it clearly, but he had simply walked this path, and life is often like that.

And perhaps because of having had similar experiences and feelings, Turgenev was deeply moved by the two short stories "Vanka" and "Misery"; this move was so intense that Turgenev even underwent some changes at the level of his thought.

When the subsequent "Sleepy" and "The Poor" followed, this change manifested more and more obviously in him; furthermore, during his exchanges with Mikhail, although this old man was not entirely clear about the exact meaning of some of Mikhail's words, he could indeed perceive the noble heart of this young man struggling with poverty.

Therefore, just before ending his trip to St. Petersburg this time, Turgenev, who had recently heard some news from others, found Mikhail and asked with concern: "Dear Mikhail, I recently heard from Versilov that you seem to be considering taking out a loan? Have you encountered some difficulties? If so, why didn't you mention it when we were chatting?"

"There are no difficulties; I am merely preparing to partner with someone to publish an anthology." After a moment of surprise, Mikhail replied with a smile: "There is a slight shortfall in funds, but once the anthology is published, those debts can be repaid very quickly."

It must be mentioned here that in these days, engaging in any kind of book publishing is actually a major business.

First, the cost of printing is not low; add to that the need to navigate various connections, so under these circumstances, although Nekrasov had made certain preparations in advance, he still owed a huge pile of debts, and even the paper for printing was bought on credit from the printing house and paper mill owners.

It must be said that being able to get credit from those people is no small feat; among Belinsky and his circle, no one else could do such a thing except Nekrasov.

However, at the same time, the selling price of magazines or books is generally not too cheap, after all, those who currently have the leisure and money to read are mostly from relatively wealthy families.

For instance, the annual subscription fee for "The Fatherland Notes" is seventeen rubles and fifty kopecks a year; for some ordinary citizens, this sum is enough to support them for a month, but for some families, this sum is no different from scratching an itch.

In short, due to lack of money and extreme caution, Nekrasov, despite owing a huge pile of debts, dared only to have the printing house print fifteen hundred copies, but later this anthology sold so well that Nekrasov even regretted printing too few.

But for Mikhail, he naturally knew this was a business that would surely make a profit without loss, so he behaved even more boldly and aggressively than Nekrasov; while encouraging Nekrasov to get more credit and owe more debts, Mikhail naturally could not stand idly by, and immediately turned to study the loans of these days, preparing to take out a huge loan!

Damn it, it's been several months; not only am I not rich, now I have to carry a huge pile of debts.

Of course, the main reason is that Mikhail's income is too singular; this manuscript fee is definitely enough to live on, but at the end of the day, sometimes it is just the price of a piece of clothing for some noble lord, or even less expensive than someone else's clothes.

But that makes sense; after all, how can honest work earn as fast as those noble lords earn through exploitation? Working oneself to death still doesn't earn as much as them.

Additionally, it must be said that Nekrasov is truly a good brother; when Mikhail encouraged him to get more credit and take out more loans, after hesitating for a moment, he actually took Mikhail's hand and said: "Good! Dear Mikhail! I believe in you! Let's do as you say; I will strive to get another five hundred copies on credit from the printing house!"

This really moved Mikhail to tears; being trusted while encouraging someone else to go into debt—who wouldn't say "what a good brother" upon hearing that?

Seeing that Nekrasov was like this, Mikhail naturally could not fall behind; if we are taking loans, let's take them together! Let's carry the debts together!

First, go to good brother Dmitri to ask for some help; after simply explaining the reason, this bear-like man gave Mikhail a bear hug again: "I am truly proud of your achievements now, dear Misha! Perhaps I will see you at the university soon? Anyway, the money is no problem; I will immediately find some excuse to write to my mother and father!

I will strive to give you two hundred rubles!"

No more words; just be moved.

Secondly, Mikhail himself must exercise his subjective initiative; taking out a loan also requires connections; if he accidentally encounters some usurer with outrageous interest rates, Mikhail might really have to take an axe and start chopping people.

Regarding this, the little merchant Versilov in the apartment is quite authoritative, after all, no merchant avoids lending; after asking around, besides getting a very low-interest friendly loan from Versilov, he was also introduced to some conscientious merchants through his introduction.

And this news spread within a small circle; the little civil servant Smirnov, although he also wanted to lend Mikhail a hand, was truly short of funds, so he could only express that he would definitely do his utmost to buy a copy to support Mikhail when the time came!

To this, Mikhail naturally expressed that he appreciated the sentiment, but there was no need to buy the book; he would likely bring a copy to read some parts to everyone later.

As for the landlord, one could certainly borrow from her if one insisted, but Mikhail now tries to avoid owing favors to the landlord Pavlovna.

Additionally, it must be said that as Mikhail develops better and better in the field of writing, Pavlovna also has higher hopes for Mikhail's future, and sometimes even speaks in a "hating iron for not becoming steel" manner, saying:

"Mikhail, do you still want to marry a Young Lady of the nobility?! Stop dreaming! If you do as I say, you will become a proper St. Petersburg citizen in the future! After that, no matter where you go in our Russia, you can hold your head high and tell them where you come from!"

Under the Tsar's feet, the most virtuous place, is that it?

Can I, Mikhail, also become a true St. Petersburg citizen?

Despite this, Mikhail temporarily chose to avoid the issue.

Returning to the present, Turgenev had probably also learned this news from others; Mikhail had no intention of hiding it and directly stated his plans.

After hearing Mikhail's words, Turgenev said with some worry: "Is this not too risky? If something goes wrong, how will you live in the days ahead, Mikhail?"

"Rest assured, dear Turgenev." Mikhail leaned against the sunlight and replied in a firm and powerful tone: "I will succeed."

"You can always make people feel hope from you." Seemingly infected by Mikhail's tone, this old man shook his head with great emotion and then stated his plan:

"Then I understand, dear Misha; may I call you that? Perhaps in a few days I will have to return; some of my lands over there are waiting for me to manage. But I still want to hear your novels, so facing your situation, how can I ignore it?

Listen to me, Misha; unless absolutely necessary, never think about borrowing too much money from others; one slip and you will be crushed by debt.

I have saved quite a bit of money over these years, and there has been nowhere to spend it; after hearing your novels and those words, I perhaps already know how to use them. But before that, let me contribute my strength to you!

How about this, is five hundred rubles enough? I..."

Mikhail, suspecting something was wrong with his ears: "?"

How much?

(End of this chapter)