It was already late at night, and every household had long since gone to bed. Other than the occasional car passing by on the road below, there was no other sound.
The fan in the house hummed. There was no air conditioning in the house. It was not that they could not afford it, but it was not too hot here in the summer, especially when they slept at night with the windows open. If there was an evening breeze, it would be cool.
Despite the cool breeze, Tang En, who was lying on the mat, did not fall asleep. He turned over. The bed was right under the window, and he could clearly see the starry sky outside.
This was his home, or rather, it had been his home. But at this moment, he was lying on a bed that was only used for guests. Today had been a strange day for him.
"Tony?" Dunn, who was lying on the other bed, suddenly called out.
"Hmm?"
"You really didn't sleep."
"I can't sleep."
There was a rustling sound behind him, and Dunn sat up on the bed.
"If you can't sleep, let's go out and get some air."
Tang En looked back at Dunn, who was already standing in front of his bed, and sat up.
The two of them put on their jackets and quietly walked out of the house.
"Where are we going?" Tang En asked.
"Just walking around." Dunn led the way in front. The two of them climbed over a small hill and saw the paddy field and dam behind it.
This was not a city that was still brightly lit in the middle of the night. There were no neon signs or street lights, and they were surrounded by dark, low-rise houses. There was a bright moon above their heads. The moonlight was like frost, illuminating the ground so they did not have to worry about tripping while walking.
"I almost forgot that natural lighting can be so bright." Tang En looked up at the full moon in the sky. "I still remember when I was very young. At that time, we didn't have our own bathrooms. We had to go to the public toilet. It was also at this time at night that I needed to pee. I did not dare to go to the dark public toilet alone for fear of ghosts, so I stood in front of my house to pee. The sky was clear, and there was a moon above our heads. In my sleep, I saw the bright white ground and thought it was snowing. But there was nothing the next day. Before I went to university, I had never seen what snow looked like. The white moonlight looked like a layer of snow on the ground. "
He pointed at the dam not far away. "When I was young, I thought that the dam was very, very big. I could play football and watch movies on it. Now it seems … so small. "
"The paddy field over there …" He pointed further. "When we were in elementary school, our teacher would organize us to fish for lobsters every Tuesday afternoon when there was no class. The lobsters that were caught were placed in a small bucket and roasted on the spot. There were no seasonings at all, but the group of people ate happily … "
"Further away from that mountain is the legendary Unmarked Burial Mound. The dead are all buried there. We also go there for our spring outing. Children are usually very timid, but they are also very big. Playing on top of a grave mound … You don't have the slightest bit of respect for the dead. I still remember there was a very fashionable classmate who danced Michael Jackson for us, it was very popular with the girls at that time. Now that I think about it, it was just a moonwalk … He knew how to please the opposite sex at such a young age. At that time, I was just sitting in the corner in a daze. In other people's memories, I might be the one who has been forgotten. "
Dunn stood next to him and did not make a sound as he quietly listened to him talk about his past.
"I originally thought it was impossible to remember these trivial things, but I forgot them later. I didn't expect to come back this time and see the familiar mountains and rivers. Memory is such a wonderful thing. "
He did not speak anymore. He stood on the small country road and looked at the dam and paddy fields in the distance under the moonlight. The sound of crickets grew louder.
"I don't think I've said 'sorry' to you?" Dunn, who was standing next to him, suddenly spoke.
Tang En looked back at him strangely.
"You're the Dunn who was born and raised here. I know you really want to call me Mom and Dad. I'm the one who snatched these things that belonged to you. "
Tang En smiled. "It's not really snatching. We just swapped bodies. If you snatched mine, then I also snatched yours. "
"There's nothing good about those things of mine. It doesn't matter if you snatch them. You saw it too, in Eastwood's cemetery … If you're referring to your current success, then it has nothing to do with me. "Dunn shrugged. "So I'm the one who owes you more … I really hope to have a warm home. I'm very sorry for taking over your home."
Looking at Dunn's sincere face, Tang En was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Actually … before this, I wasn't a person who loved home. 'Home' has never felt as strong to me as it does now. Maybe it was because I got it easily in the past, so I didn't know how to cherish it. Now that it's gone, I feel different. If it weren't for this, without you, I might still not know how to cherish it. Everything has a price. I know how to cherish it, but the price is that I don't have a 'home.' How can there be such a perfect thing in this world? I have a successful career, no worries about food and clothing, a lovely wife and good children at home, my parents are healthy and happy in their later years, and my family is harmonious. I'm a successful manager, a successful son, a successful husband, and a successful father … the envy of the world … How can I get whatever I want? I can't possibly monopolize all the good things, right? "
He smiled at Dunn.
"You're right. There's nothing perfect in this world. You'll definitely lose something if you gain something … Tony, actually, your problem is very easy to solve."
"Hmm?"
"I can't give you a successful career, a lovely wife and good children, but I think I can give you a 'home' that you want to cherish."
"Huh?"
"Are you willing to be my godbrother? To be my parents' godson? "
Tang En was dumbfounded.
"They're your parents to begin with. It's just that after we acknowledge this relationship, you don't have to call your mother 'Auntie' anymore. And … we have such a tacit understanding. Don't you think we're like a pair of brothers? We share each other's memories. You'll always be in my life, and I'll always be in yours. We don't have any secrets between us. It's like we're brothers who grew up together. "
When Dunn finished speaking, he looked at Tang En.
Tang En also looked at Dunn. After a long while, he slowly said, "When I suddenly went from China to an Englishman's body, I cursed God and fate. I thought it was playing a big joke on me, and I thought I was the unluckiest person in the world. Then … Now I think maybe we should have been linked together. This is not a random draw. This is something decided long ago. Do you believe there's a pair of hands fiddling with fate? I didn't believe it before, but now I do. Why did I swap with you and not with someone else, such as the world's richest man, the head of state, or a movie star? Why you? Why me? "
"It seems like a coincidence, but it's inevitable. Everything has a cause and effect, and every effect has a cause … Don't you feel dizzy? "
Dunn shook his head.
"Anyway, that's what it means. We're destined to be together. Otherwise, why would I meet you in a sea of people when I return to Chengdu? There are tens of millions of people in Chengdu. Why did I meet you? So … Hey, is there a ceremony to acknowledge godfather and godmother? "
Dunn smiled and shook his head. "There's no need for anything."
Hearing Dunn say so, he nodded hard. "I won't pretend or try to be brave. I accept it. "
With that, he yawned. "Go back to sleep. I'm sleepy."
"You're jet-lagged?"
"I've been jet-lagged for a long time. I was jet-lagged in Beijing!"
※ ※ ※
Tang En woke up close to noon. By the time he got up, Dunn had already returned from helping his parents with work.
"You're up? Did you sleep well? Are you used to it? "His mother asked when she saw Tang En.
Tang En nodded hard. "Yes, I slept very well. I'm used to it!"
Of course he was used to it. This was where he had lived for 20 years.
Dunn gave him a look, indicating that his preparations were in place.
During lunch, Twain mentioned his background and expressed his desire to acknowledge the two elders as his godparents. The two elders were not surprised at all. It looked like Dunn had really told them about this in advance.
The two elders were happy to have a foreign son and readily agreed.
Just like that, very simply, Tang En once again became his parents' son. But this time, he had to add the word "godmother" in front. Tang En did not care about the details of the name. He was happy that he could finally call his mother "mother" and his father "father."
Originally, he had followed Dunn back to the country in hopes of having a more reasonable reason to get close to his parents. That way, he would be satisfied. He did not expect his gains to be greater than he had expected. He had his own parents again and found what he had lost.
He no longer had any extravagant wishes for such a perfect holiday.
In the next few days, Tang En could finally shake off all the burdens in his heart and live in a relaxed and happy mood in his own home. He went out to climb the mountains and rediscovered his childhood. Everywhere he went, there were still many people who looked at him curiously, but he did not care.
※ ※ ※
After staying at home for half a month, it was time to say goodbye. Dunn decided to lay his cards on the table to his parents and tell them what he was really doing in England.
"Coach?" His father was not someone who did not know anything. Of course, he knew what a professional football coach did. He asked because he was surprised. He did not expect his son to be a coach in the highest level league abroad.
Dunn nodded. "Tony asked me to help him, so I went …"
His mother just sat to the side and did not express any opinion.
"My son …" His father turned to look at Tang En. "Can he really be a coach?"
Tang En nodded hard to prove that he was not lying. "He's very talented. In two years, he went from an ordinary coach in our club's youth team to an assistant manager. I plan to transfer him to the First Team in the second half of the year to be my assistant. "
Hearing Tang En's words, his father turned to look at Dunn again. "I only knew that you liked football when you were young. I never thought you could treat it as a job now. Then the one in Chengdu … "
"I resigned before I left. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
Tang En sat to the side and did not say anything. This was a matter between Dunn and his father. Even with Tang En's understanding of his father, he did not know what his father's answer would be. Would he agree or disagree? What if he did not agree? Should he convince him? After all, Dunn was an excellent candidate to be an assistant manager. Tang En would definitely be unwilling to lose such a capable assistant. Was he going to convince his father that he could earn a lot of money as a coach in a year?
His father was silent for a while before he slowly said, "Anyway, it's a job no matter where you work. There's no difference between being a coach or running sales. If you like this job, of course it's even better. "
"Thank you, Dad!"
"Anyway, remember, no matter what job you do, you have to do it well."
"Yes, I'll remember, Dad."
Then he turned to Tang En and said, "You're older than him and more familiar with the area. I'll have to trouble you to take care of him."
Tang En smiled. "Don't worry, Dad."
"Take good care of yourself over there." His mother, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke. Her voice was filled with reluctance to part.
"Mom, there's a holiday every year. I'll come back to see you. I can even bring you to England to stay. "
"I can go abroad for a trip, but I'll pass on staying." His father waved his hand. "I still like it here."
The two elders did not see a football coach as a very impressive profession. They did not even ask about how much money he could earn in a year. In their hearts, being a coach was no different from running sales in Chengdu. This made Tang En feel more at ease.
He also discovered a problem. This time, his decision to follow Dunn back to his hometown was absolutely correct. It allowed him to see many things that he had unintentionally overlooked in the past.
This time, he was not in China for a holiday. To him, this was a homecoming.
※ ※ ※
After saying goodbye to his parents and leaving the small town that gave birth to him, raised him, and filled him with countless childhood memories, Tang En and Dunn embarked on a new journey.
They boarded a plane from Chengdu to Beijing and then directly went to Germany from there.
That was their plan. They did not stay in Chengdu or Beijing to play. Tang En and Dunn were not interested in such things. They were not women who liked to shop, and there was no need for them to go sightseeing. It was just that when they were in his hometown, Tang En brought a lot of local specialties for Shania and Sophia. This was also the only time he went shopping after returning to China.
When they came, Tang En and Dunn each only brought a suitcase, which contained a change of clothes and toiletries, as well as gifts for the two elders. It could be considered a "light pack." And when they left, apart from the two suitcases they brought, there were also two large travel bags of local specialties from their hometown.
The two changed their boarding passes, sent their luggage away, and wandered around the departure hall in their light packs.
As the World Cup approached, they could see some tour groups at the airport with banners saying "Go to Germany to watch the World Cup." The atmosphere of football was strong even in the capital's international airport.
"The world's number one sport." Tang En shrugged. "Those fans who go to Germany are all cheering for other countries. Maybe only China has such a situation. Hey, Dunn, you've been in China for a few years. You should know what the country's football is like, right? "
Dunn nodded.
"They were eliminated without even making it into the top 10. That's pitiful. They played fake A and fake B in the country for a few years, and when they finally walked out of the country, they found that compared to the West Asians, their fake skills were not up to par. That's pitiful. Sad and pitiful China football. "
Dunn quietly listened to Tang En's complaints. His understanding of China football could not compare to Tang En's. His feelings for China football could not be compared to the "foreigner" in front of him.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about such an unappetizing topic. When we get to Germany, we won't be moving together. I'll be commentating on the BBC's live broadcast. You mainly observe which players we can bring in in the summer. "
Dunn nodded. "Okay."
"Let's go. I think it's time to board the plane."
The two men walked to the boarding gate and waited.
At this moment, Tang En suddenly heard someone calling his name.
"Tony Twain?"
He turned around reflexively and saw a somewhat familiar face.
It was the female reporter who had come to interview him when the Forest team wanted to buy the China player, Sun Jihai, and had been rebuked by him. Later, they met several times in various interviews — Tang Jing. (To be continued. If you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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