Standing outside the departure hall of Shuangliu Airport, Tang En pursed his lips as he looked at the huge billboards outside.
Even though it was cloudy in Chengdu, he still took out his sunglasses from his pocket and put them on.
The taxis outside Shuangliu Airport had special lanes, lined up one after another, waiting for passengers to come over. Tang En pulled his suitcase and walked straight to the empty car without anyone waving at him.
"Hello!" The taxi driver greeted Tang En enthusiastically.
Hearing the other party's English with a Sichuan accent, Tang En wanted to laugh, but he kept a straight face and held it in.
Dunn pulled his suitcase and followed, and the driver enthusiastically helped put their luggage into the trunk.
After getting in, the driver started the car and turned to ask, "Where to?"
"Uh …" Tang En opened his mouth and realized he did not know where to go first. He turned his head and asked Dunn in Sichuan, "Where are we going?"
The driver sitting in the front suddenly jumped. He was frightened.
Seeing the driver's reaction, Tang En did not bother to ask Dunn and laughed out loud in the back seat.
Dunn glanced at him helplessly and turned to the driver. "To Liangjia Alley."
"You're not going to stay in Chengdu for a couple of days?" Tang En was determined to speak in Sichuan. He spoke English all the time in England. It would be very flashy to come back to China and speak English.
"No, I called my parents before I came back. They told me to go back directly."
Tang En nodded. Dunn came to Nottingham from Sichuan two years ago. Other than regular phone calls, he had no contact with his parents. Now that their son, whom they had not seen for two years, was coming back, his parents naturally could not wait to see him.
He understood the feeling of wanting their son to fly to their side.
Because he was also very anxious …
The two did not even eat lunch and took the afternoon long-distance bus to leave Chengdu.
Unlike the last time he came back, Tang En did not miss the city. Without Shania by his side, he did not have to think about eating, drinking and playing.
His purpose for coming back this time was very clear. It was to see his "parents" whom he had not seen in three years.
※ ※ ※
It was a three-hour drive from Chengdu to Dunn, or rather, to Tang En's hometown. To get home, they would need to take a bus for nearly an hour. It would only take half an hour to take a taxi from the long-distance bus station.
"Infernal Affairs" was playing on the long-distance bus. The passengers watched it with relish, but Tang En and Dunn were not interested. They all had something on their minds.
Tang En did not know if Dunn would feel awkward. His current parents had once been Tang En's parents, and now he was bringing his real son to meet them. Would he be able to accept this difference in status?
In the past, they were both in England, and they only needed to care about their identities. This was easy to solve. They were both young people, and their minds could be very open. They could calmly think about it and accept this reality. They didn't have to consider the relationship between their parents, and they didn't have to face the awkward scene.
Tang En knew why he had suddenly said he would accompany Dunn back home to visit his parents. Dunn must have known what Tang En was thinking. After all, they were Twain's biological parents, the ones who gave birth to him, raised him, and provided for him. This was a relationship that could not be abandoned just because he had changed his body and identity.
That's right. Tang En now had the appearance of a foreigner, but his heart would always be China. There could not be any changes. China, Sichuan, his hometown, his parents. Those people and those things had left a very deep impression on him in the course of his twenty-six years of life. He could not forget them.
Why was he so excited when he first met Yang Yan in Nottingham? Other than the fact that she was his first crush, there was probably a trace of familiarity. Yang Yan represented that projection of the past, and she made Tang En unable to forget his original identity. Whenever he saw her, he would remember many things from the past, whether good or bad. Now that he had lost them, he would feel especially precious.
Two years ago, when he and Shania came back, he had used the excuse of bringing Shania to China to play. At the same time, he did not know what identity he should use to meet the two elders, so he only took a glance from afar and left. This time, he and Dunn planned to stay at home for a period of time. Would it be awkward to meet with his former parents every day?
He turned his head to look at Dunn, who was staring at the scenery outside the window. What was he thinking?
※ ※ ※
For the Dunn of three years ago, the road outside the window was unfamiliar, and so was the country. He never thought he would come to China. He did not even know anything about China.
Now, this was the highway he was most familiar with, more familiar than the M1 highway from Nottingham to London.
There was only one reason that could make him identify with this land — his current parents. In his life that lacked paternal and maternal love, the appearance of his current parents was like a gift from God. They were everything to him. Because they were Chinese, he recognized his new identity as a Chinese. He recognized this land, this country, and the people here.
It was also because of this that he could easily abandon his previous identity.
Anyway, there was nothing for him to miss about his "home" in England.
Before he met Tang En, he could completely enjoy this happiness with a clear conscience.
When he agreed to go to England to resume his old career, he was very clear in his heart: he had to face his other self, and he had to face his parents' real son.
Of course, he was afraid of losing his current life. But as someone who had occupied someone else's body and family, he felt a little guilty about Tang En. Tang En did not know about his previous life, but he was very clear that there was nothing for him to miss about his previous life. If this was a business, he would be making a huge profit. No, it would be more like getting something for nothing.
It was precisely because of this in his heart that he always felt that he had taken advantage of it. If he had not met Tang En, he could have continued like this. But once he met him, that kind of guilt slowly emerged and occupied his heart. He felt that maybe he should go to England to meet him, explain everything clearly, and then see the results.
So, he went. Tang En was easier to get along with than he thought. He was a very outgoing and cheerful person, and he felt a little guilty. Why? Just because he had achieved a little bit as a manager, he felt that he had treated Dunn unfairly.
Thinking of such a thing, Dunn found it very funny. Some people saw their career as more important than anything else, while others felt that no matter how good their career was, the ultimate goal was just to have a happy family. After experiencing the experience of switching bodies, Dunn found his goal, and he belonged to the latter.
Dunn was not an ambitious person. In the past, his greatest wish was to be the manager of Forest's youth team. Training young players was where his ambition lay. He and Tang En were fundamentally different. Tang En thirsted for victory, for championship titles, for glory, for money, and for fame. He longed for the "success" that these things represented. Dunn felt that it did not matter. If Tang En needed him to help him, he would help him.
So, when Tang En said he wanted to come back to see his parents, he agreed. He knew that Tang En would not snatch away his current life, and he had nothing to worry about.
As for the awkwardness of his parents meeting their real son, he did not feel that there was anything awkward about it. He was originally a "third party." Even if there was any awkwardness, it would have long been over.
As long as he and Tang En did not say anything about Tang En's real identity, who would know? He would just treat it as a little secret forever.
He did not know if there was anyone else in this world like him, who had swapped bodies with another person. Even if there was, they would not say the truth. Because compared to the general public, he was an extremely rare exception.
※ ※ ※
Three and a half hours after setting off from Chengdu, Tang En and Dunn finally arrived at the small city in Southern Sichuan. After leaving the bus station, they did not take a taxi. Bringing along a foreigner would make it easy for them to be ripped off by the drivers who bully strangers. Although the two did not care about the money, Tang En could not accept being fooled by others like fools.
No matter how many enthusiastic drivers outside the bus station took the initiative to invite them in and followed them to ask where they were going. The two of them did not say a word as they pulled their luggage and headed straight for the bus station.
"Do you still remember which route to take?" Dunn asked as he watched Tang En search carefully in front of the bus stop.
Tang En turned back to glance at him, then pointed to the second level of the bus stop. "Of course, Route 75. Eleven stops. "
"You remember it so clearly."
"I can't help it. It's been 26 years. I can't forget it even if I wanted to." Tang En shook his head gently. "At that time, I was in secondary school in the city and had to go back and forth every week. This bus happened to pass near our school," Tang En said as he pointed to one of the stops.
After boarding the bus, the two of them sat in the crowded compartment and stopped chatting. After all, a foreigner speaking the Sichuan dialect was too eye-catching, and Tang En did not want to complicate matters.
After more than an hour of bumpy ride, the two of them stood at the entrance of the town at six o 'clock in the evening. This was a small town. The national highway passed through the middle of the town, splitting it into two. The simple and crude bus stop was in front of a grocery store. A metal sign stood on the side of the road where sand and stones were flying.
Tang En stood under the sign and looked at the scene in front of him.
The huge setting sun hung at the end of the road. To the west of the town, they had to squint to see the situation in front of them clearly. The bus drove along the road, as if it was gradually blending into the red sun, its shadow stretching very, very long.
Elementary school students who had just finished school walked past him in groups under the escort of their teachers. The curious children looked excitedly at the foreigner who had appeared here, Tony Tang En. They chattered about him, speaking in his familiar hometown accent.
It was dinner time, and the smell of stir-fry wafted out from the shops along the street.
Dunn stood in front and turned to look at Tang En, who did not move. "Scared?"
What answered him was a sound that came from Tang En's room.
"No, I'm hungry."
Dunn smiled soundlessly and turned to walk away. "Then let's go. I told them I'm having dinner at home."
"Hey, you introduced me to Mom and Dad, right?" Tang En pulled his luggage and chased after him.
"Yeah, on the phone."
"Uh … Did they have any reactions?"
"I'm glad I can bring a friend home."
Tang En looked up at the gloomy sky. "Is it because I rarely had friends come home to play in the past?"
Dunn said from the front, "I don't know. That's your problem."
Tang En looked at the people in the town. The town was only so big, and with such a small population, they saw each other all the time. Dunn did not even mention that he could stop and say hello to anyone he met on the road. The Tang En of the past was really bad with people.
Dunn, who was walking in front, did not hear the sound of footsteps and the friction of the leather suitcase's wheels rolling behind him. He curiously turned his head back and found that Tang En had stopped again.
"Hey, aren't you hungry?"
"Oh, I'm coming."
Seeing that Tang En was a little distracted, Dunn said, "I know the stories after you replaced me are not quite the same as you. After I became you, I tried very hard to live like you because I was worried about being discovered. But other than being bad with people, I didn't learn anything else. "
"That's good too. I'm not a person who likes to be in the limelight." Tang En muttered as he straightened his collar.
※ ※ ※
The two of them turned from the side of the street and walked up a flight of stairs. The "Z" -shaped steps passed through the middle of the low, gray tiled houses. South Sichuan was mountainous. The house in Tang En's hometown was built on a small hillside. The road was carved out from the middle of the mountain, and every family lived on the hillsides on both sides.
Tang En was also very familiar with this part of the road. When he was young, he often jumped up and down these steps. He would not fall even with his eyes closed. Behind the hillside was a paddy field. There was also a dam for threshing grains, holding meetings, and showing movies. Of course, he had also played football there before.
Two years ago, when he and Shania came here, they had only taken a few quick glances as they passed by on the road below.
Today, standing on the bluestone steps and looking at the houses around him, the eaves only reached his chest. A complicated feeling that was both familiar and strange at the same time arose spontaneously.
He used to think that these houses were very tall.
"We're here." Dunn, who was walking in front, suddenly quickened his pace and jumped up with three steps.
Tang En stood at the back and looked at the familiar bluestone and black tiled house, as well as the two old people standing at the door. Their faces were familiar. When they saw Dunn, their faces bloomed with smiles. Wearing an apron, his father turned back into the house to continue his work. His mother, on the other hand, grabbed hold of her son, whom she had not seen for two years, and asked about his well-being.
Tang En stood below and raised his head to look at this scene that he had not seen in a long time. When he returned home from university to celebrate the Spring Festival, his parents had also waited for him at the door like this. It had been in the dead of winter then, not the summer now.
Dunn, who was chatting with his mother, realized that Tang En had not followed up. He turned around and pointed at Tang En, saying a few words to his mother. Tang En realized that the two of them had their eyes on him. He walked up but did not know how to address the woman in front of him.
Auntie?
Mother?
Dunn knew what Tang En was thinking, but he still had to remind Tang En not to expose himself. So, he called out, "Tony?"
This voice brought Tang En back from his dazed state.
"Ah, hello, Auntie. I'm Dunn's friend. My name is … Tony Tang En."
"Hello, hello. I've heard Yaoer talk about you before. He even said that you speak Sichuan dialect. At first, I didn't believe it. Now, I believe it. Please come in. Please come in! "
Tang En carried his luggage into the house and greeted his old father, who had taken the time to come out of the kitchen. He then took out the gift he had brought from England. Although his parents declined, they still accepted it in the end.
They came back just in time. Dinner was already ready. They only needed to heat up the soup a little more before they could eat. Tang En was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back. Being able to eat authentic home-cooked food was a great blessing for someone like him who ate fried fish and roasted potatoes all day in England.
Dunn's parents were shocked by the appetite of their foreign friend. They looked inquiringly at their son, while Dunn looked at Tang En, who only cared about stuffing food into his mouth. He smiled embarrassedly at his parents. "He … really likes Sichuan cuisine."
The two suddenly came to a realization. "Oh … Eat slowly, eat slowly. Don't panic. There's still more …"
When Tang En heard that, his speed of stuffing food into his mouth increased.
He did not dare to raise his head because he was afraid that his reddened eyes would frighten his parents sitting opposite him. If you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!
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