Many have probably heard the surname Buslaev, the well-known professor and writer. He lived in Penza, not far from the Trinity Monastery, in a large estate. However, this building has not survived to this day. Perhaps it is for the best, as Fyodor Buslaev himself recalled it with sadness and bitterness, especially in the context of his family relationships. The fact is that the professor's mother became a widow early, and her new husband did not behave well. "The stepfather not only drank, wrote Buslaev, but also disappeared for weeks, returning home in a rage and completely ruining my mother's fortune." Apparently, she loved him dearly, as she was in no hurry to part with him even after that. However, his debauched lifestyle and alcoholism led to the death of Fyodor Ivanovich's stepfather.

"In September 1830, a terrible disease, cholera, struck Penza, the scholar recalled. My stepfather continued to lead a debauched life and still disappeared from home. One morning he was brought to us infected with cholera. He could barely stand; I still remember his bluish face, contorted with convulsions. He was immediately moved to the bed, and my mother sent me to stay with the family of Prosecutor von-Frixius. She was left alone with the dying man, as all the servants fled in fear: some to the kitchen, some to the wing, and some to the barn or stable. The agony of the dying man lasted three days, and my mother cared for him without outside help; none of the household dared to enter the infected rooms. If she needed something, she would go out to the back gallery and call for someone from the servants.

I never heard from her the details of how she spent those days and nights, and I cannot imagine how she had the strength to endure the terrible sight of convulsions and the unbearable stench. She dutifully and firmly fulfilled her obligation and timely invited a priest to give the dying man the Holy Gifts, who now evoked only mercy and compassion from her.