Chapter 66: Encounter

Although Mikhail was deeply shocked by Turgenev's wealth and trust in him, to be honest, if it were not absolutely necessary, Mikhail certainly did not want to spend this old man's coins, lest it seem as though he had ulterior motives.

Yet under the old man's repeated insistence, having suddenly become stubborn, Mikhail could only nod, just short of declaring on the spot:

"Mikhail has drifted for half a lifetime, only regretting never meeting a wise lord; if you do not reject me, Mikhail is willing to bow and call you my sworn father!"

Largely because of sincerity exchanging for sincerity, up to now, Mikhail found that the people around him treated him quite well; indeed, there was nothing to complain about.

Regarding this, Mikhail could only first keep it in his heart, waiting until the time came to sell the anthology, then quickly repay all these debts, and afterwards present some small gifts.

Thus, after chatting lively with the people in the apartment for quite a while, and spending some time with his mother and sister, Mikhail finally had a bit of free time; simply calculating the debts on his hands, while feeling the pressure was somewhat heavy, he also lay down on his hard sofa, preparing to read the reply letter he had just received this morning.

As for who the reply was from, it was naturally that young Miss from the General's family.

It is worth mentioning that in the previous reply letter, Mikhail did not include anything particularly special; roughly, he praised the other party's thoughts which were indeed praiseworthy, responded to several questions the other party asked him, and at the end of the letter, after pondering for a long time, Mikhail ultimately learned from the other party's example and wrote a few words about his recent life at the letter's conclusion.

Honestly, there seemed to be nothing worth saying, but looking at the things the other party wrote, they also did not seem to have much substance, so Mikhail thought for a moment and wrote about his days mooching food and drink in other people's homes.

Of course, he embellished it a little; I, Mikhail, am also a decent person.

As for this reply, largely because she had not much contact with the life Mikhail was currently living, or perhaps because what Mikhail said provided her with an opportunity to ask questions, in any case, this Miss expressed great curiosity in the letter about the things Mikhail had mentioned:

"Can you tell me more about this in detail?"

"It sounds very interesting; I have had similar experiences too."

"I truly did not expect you would do such a thing; I think..."

Is this because she has never seen the life of the poor, so she is curious?

Looking at those gorgeous words that were enthusiastic yet somewhat restrained, Mikhail could not help but touch his chin.

Could it be—pfft! What am I thinking?

Stopping his superfluous thoughts, Mikhail continued reading downwards; below were this Miss's views on the latest short story "The Chameleon" and the General's own views on this short story:

"Written is truly too interesting! Speaking of which, I am somewhat ashamed; I originally took the way many people behaved at various gatherings for granted and as a matter of habit, but after finishing this short story, I now cannot even look them straight in the face!

Only God knows how hard I am holding back right now, and how can some of them read your short story while simultaneously behaving like the characters in the story? It is truly incomprehensible.

As for my father's views on your short story, I will tell them to you now; for God's sake, do not laugh at him too hard.

He said: This short story is written really well! The plot that moved me the most was the protagonist's attitude towards the General; this is also the only praiseworthy aspect of him. That's right, one should treat a General this way, even the General's brother's dog is no exception!"

Mikhail: "?"

Truly a General; the way he views problems is indeed somewhat unique.

As he read on, the corner of Mikhail's mouth could not help but curve into an arc; after finishing reading this letter, Mikhail suddenly felt his mood had also become quite a bit happier.

And just as before, the end of the letter still contained several sheets of exquisite paper; this time, Mikhail was no longer so hesitant; he walked decisively to the desk, sat down, and then began writing this reply.

Writing letters with this Miss feels actually quite nice.

Just like that, after finishing the reply letter, in the blink of an eye it was the next morning; while Mikhail went out to mail this letter, he also, as usual, headed towards the Panayev family's home.

Hmm, when we brothers have money, we will definitely invite Panayev to our home to gather separately, eat and drink.

And on the way to the Panayev family's home, walking along, Mikhail suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Hey, Nikolai."

Hearing Mikhail's voice, Nekrasov, who was walking with a certain tall young man, immediately turned around; while exchanging a knowing smile with Mikhail, Nekrasov opened his mouth to introduce to Mikhail:

"This is Grigoryevich; he is a contributor to a small anthology I published previously."

After a brief introduction, Nekrasov looked at that young man and said: "This is the Mikhail you often mention to me."

Before Nekrasov could finish speaking, this tall young man suddenly became excited; while rushing forward to shake hands with Mikhail, he also spoke somewhat incoherently:

"Respected Mr. Mikhail Romanovich, it is a great honor! I can no longer recall how many times I have heard your name, but meeting in person is indeed the first time; Lord, I do not even know what to say right now."

If Grigoryevich were to speak for himself, this excitement was indeed unavoidable.

After all, among the young writers in present-day Saint Petersburg, how many have not heard the name Mikhail?

His profound themes, concise expression, unspoken intense lyricism, and scalpel-like writing style; although it seemed to have been criticized by many in the Cultural Circle, by now, young authors were already imitating him!

A genius writer appearing out of nowhere; which young person has not had such a beautiful dream?

Moreover, he is so young!

"I am also honored to meet you." Grigoryevich was very excited, and upon hearing this young man's name, Mikhail's heart also stirred slightly, but he temporarily suppressed that little doubt in his heart and instead shook hands seriously with this excited young man.

After Grigoryevich calmed down slightly, seemingly to find a topic to liven up the atmosphere, Nekrasov also actively said with a smile: "We are currently talking about a friend of Grigoryevich; his friend recently seems to have the idea of submitting a manuscript, and Grigoryevich came to ask on his behalf to see if it can be submitted to us."

"What is his name?"

Mikhail asked.

"Fyodor, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky."

It's the end of the month; gentlemen with tickets, please throw your tickets at me quickly (dog head).

Then, a thank you to the big shots "Miyazaki Potato Cake," "Fish Me Again," "Weather Turns Cool Always After Several Rains in Autumn," "Void God," and "Book Reading Cat Sect Master" for their donations; very grateful!

By the way, recommending a big shot's book, a historical novel set in the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties period; those interested can go take a look.

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(End of this chapter)