It was already late at night. At this hour, everyone was asleep in their beds. Other than occasional pa.s.sing cars on the roads beneath them, there were no sounds.
The fans whirred noisily in the house; there was no air-conditioner. It wasn"t that they could not afford it. It was just that summer here was not too hot, especially when they slept with open windows at night. It was even cooling if there were gentle evening winds blowing.
Despite the soft cooling winds, Tang En, who lay on the sleeping mats, was not asleep yet. He turned over. The mat was placed right beneath the windows and he could clearly see the starry sky outside.
This was his home, or had used to be his home. Right now, however, he lay on the guest bed. It had felt strange the whole day.
"Tony?" Dunn, on the other bed, suddenly called out to him.
"Yeah?"
"I knew you haven"t fallen asleep yet."
"Can"t sleep."
Shuffling noises could be heard from his back. Dunn sat up on his bed.
"If you can"t sleep, let"s go out to get some air."
Tang En took a backward glimpse at Dunn, who stood in front of his bed, and then sat up as well.
The two put on their jackets and left the house quietly.
"Where to?" Tang En asked.
"Anywhere." Dunn walked in front, leading. The two walked over a small hilltop and saw paddy fields and a dam behind the slopes.
Where they reached was a city still brightly lit in the late of night. There were no neon lights or street lamps. Surrounding them were short houses painting a slab of darkness. A full moon shone above their heads, casting moonlight as pure as snow across the ground, lighting it up brightly. They did not have to worry about tripping on their path.
"I"ve almost forgotten that natural light can be this luminous." Tang En raised his head to look at the round moon hanging in the sky. "I still remember when I was very young… At that time, we didn"t have our own bathrooms, and everyone had to go to the public ones, the kinds like pit latrines. At night around this time, I had needed to go to the toilet. But I didn"t dare to go to the public toilet on my own. It was pitch dark there, and I was afraid there would be ghosts. So, I peed standing in front of my own house. The sky was clear then. The full moon was s.h.i.+ning. I was only semi-conscious, having been asleep. I saw the ground covered in white, s.h.i.+ning brightly, and thought it was snowing. In the end, there was nothing at all when I woke up the next day. Before going to college, I had never seen snow with my own eyes. The moonlight made it seem as if the grounds were covered in a layer of snow."
He pointed to the dam not far away. "When I was younger, it felt like the dam was very, very big. We could even play football and watch movies there. Now it seems… tiny."
"The water paddy on that side…" he pointed to a point even further, "in primary school, we didn"t have cla.s.ses on Tuesday afternoons. Our teacher would organize for us to come over here to fish for lobsters. We would place the ones we caught into a small bucket and roast them on the spot after we were finished. There wasn"t any seasoning, but the group of us ate so happily…"
"The mountaintop even further back is rumored to be unmarked graves. People were buried there. On spring outings, we would go there as well. Young children had little courage, but can still be bold sometimes. Playing on top of the grave mounds without any respect for the dead… I still remember a cla.s.smate who was very fas.h.i.+onable. He danced something of Michael Jackson"s for us and was popular with the girls then. Now that I think about it, it was just a segment of moonwalking… At such a young age, he already knew how to get girls. Meanwhile, I was just sitting in a daze at a corner. In the memories of the others, I was probably forgotten."
Dunn stood beside him without saying a word. He quietly listened to Tang En talk about his own past.
"I had thought I can"t possibly remember such little, mundane things, and I did forget them later. But, with the trip back this time, seeing the familiar scenery, it"s all come back. Our memory is such an amazing thing."
He fell silent. Standing on the small village road, he looked far away towards the dam and water paddy lit under the moonlight. The sounds of crickets gradually became louder.
"I don"t think I"ve said sorry to you?" Dunn suddenly said as he stood next to him.
Tang En looked back at him oddly.
"You"re the real Dunn, who was born and raised here. I know you really want to call them mum and dad. I was the one who robbed you of things that belonged to you."
Tang En laughed. "We can"t really say it"s a robbery. We just exchanged bodies. If you must say you robbed mine, then I"ve also robbed you."
"There"s nothing good about what I have. It doesn"t matter even if you rob me of them. You saw it too, in Eastwood"s graveyard… If you"re referring to your current success, that has nothing to do with me." Dunn shrugged. "So, I"m the one who owes you more… I wished very much to have a warm home. And I"m very sorry I have taken yours."
Seeing Dunn"s sincere face, Tang En quieted briefly before saying, "To tell the truth… before this, I wasn"t someone who would miss home. "Home" had never been such a strong feeling as I feel now. Maybe it"s because I got it so easily in the past, so I didn"t know how to cherish it. Now that it"s gone, I feel differently. Without this, without you, I might have continued without knowing how to cherish it. Everything has a price. Now that I"ve learned to cherish it, the price is that I no longer have a home. But where on earth would you be able to find something so perfect? A successful career with no financial worries, a lovely wife with obedient kids at home, healthy and happy parents in their late years, a harmonious family. I would be a successful manager, successful son, successful husband, and a successful father… a person admired by the world… How is it possible for us to have anything and everything we want? I can"t possibly monopolize all the good things, can I?"
Tang En said this to Dunn with a smile.
"You"re right. There isn"t anything in the world that"s completely perfect. When you gain something, you"ll necessarily lose something else… but Tony, your problem, in fact, can be easily solved."
"Hmm?"
"I can"t give you a successful career, or a lovely wife and good children. But I think I can return you a home."
"Ah?"
"Would you be willing to be my G.o.dbrother? To be my parent"s G.o.dson?" Tang En was stunned. Dunn continued. "To begin with, they"re your parents. Only, after establis.h.i.+ng this relations.h.i.+p, you won"t have to call your own mum auntie. And… we"re so much in sync, don"t you think it feels like we"re brothers? We share each other"s memories. You"ll always be there in my life and I"m always in yours. We don"t have any secrets from each other, just like true brothers who grew up together since youth."
Dunn finished saying this and looked at Tang En.
Tang En also looked back, staring at him for a long while before he slowly replied. "When I had found myself transmigrating from China suddenly into an Englishman"s body, I cursed G.o.d and Fate, believing that they were playing a huge joke on me. I felt I was the world"s unluckiest person. And now, I feel that perhaps we should have been linked together to begin with. This wasn"t some draw in a random lottery. This is something that has long been decided upon… Do you believe there is another pair of hands acting behind Fate? I didn"t used to believe it. But now I do. Why was it you swapping with me and not someone else? Like the world"s richest man, the head of a nation, a movie superstar… Why you, and why me? It appears coincidental, but it"s in fact inevitable. Everything has a cause and effect; an effect must have a cause… Are you feeling dizzy yet?"
Dunn shook his head.
"Anyway, this is what it means: we"re destined to be together. Otherwise, how else would I be able to meet you amongst the throngs of people on a trip back to Chengdu? Chengdu has more than 10 million people. Why did I meet with you of all people? So… hey, is there any ceremony needed to recognize them as my G.o.dparents?"
Dunn shook his head with a smile. "We don"t need anything."
Hearing Dunn say so, Tang En nodded vigorously. "I don"t want to pretend to be strong anymore. I"m not going to put up a front. I"ll do it."
He yawned as he finished his words. "Let"s go back to sleep, I"m tired."
"Because the timezone switched over?"
"It"s been switched over for a long time; since Beijing!"
※※※
Tang En only woke up nearing to noon time. By the time he got up from bed, Dunn had already returned from helping his parents.
"You"re up? How did you sleep? Are you comfortable?" His mother asked when she saw him.
Tang En nodded furiously. "Yes, I slept very well. And I feel extremely comfortable!"
Of course, he was comfortable. This was a place he had stayed in for 20 years…
Dunn threw him a look, signaling that he had already made preparations.
Over lunch, Tang En talked about his own life experiences and expressed his wish for them to accept him as their G.o.dson. The two elders were not at all surprised. It seemed like Dunn had really mentioned this to them beforehand.
They were very happy to have a foreigner as their son, readily agreeing to it.
Very simply, in that manner, Tang En once again became his parents" son. Only this time, he had to add a "G.o.d" before the t.i.tle. However, he did not care about those little details in the name. He was overjoyed he could finally call his mother "mother," and his father "father" without worry.
Initially, he only hoped to have a more reasonable excuse to get closer to his parents when he followed Dunn back here. In that way, he would already be satisfied. He did not expect himself to get more than that; he had gotten back his parents and found what he had lost.
He could wish for nothing else. This had been a perfect vacation.
In the following few days, Tang En was finally able to throw off the burden in his heart and live in his own home in a relaxed and joyful state. He could go out to climb the mountains and search for those times in his youth. He still attracted a lot of curious gazes scrutinizing him wherever he went, but he did not care.
※※※
After staying at home for half a month, when they had to leave, Dunn decided to come clean with his parents. He told them what he was really doing in England.
"A manager?" His father was not someone who knew nothing. Of course, he knew what a professional football manager did. He only asked this because he was so surprised. He did not expect his own son to be working as a manager overseas, in the highest level of the league.
Dunn nodded. "Tony asked me to help him out, so I did."
His mother sat to one side without saying anything.
"My son…" His father turned to look at Tang En. "Can he really be a manager?"
Tang En nodded firmly to prove he was not lying. "He"s very talented. Within two years, he rose from an ordinary manager in the Youth Team to become their a.s.sistant manager. In the latter half of the year, I plan to transfer him to the First Team to be my helper."
Hearing Tang En"s words, his father turned to look at Dunn again. "I only knew that you liked football very much when you were young… I didn"t think you would be able to find work in it now. Then, your work in Chengdu…"
"I quit before I left… I"m sorry I kept that from you."
Tang En sat next to them quietly. This was a matter between Dunn and his father. Even with Tang En"s understanding of his own father, he did not know what answer he would give. Would he agree or disagree? What if he disagreed? Should he try to persuade him? After all, Dunn was truly the best candidate to be his a.s.sistant manager. Tang En would certainly be unwilling to lose such a capable helper… Should he use the fact that a manager could earn a lot of money annually to persuade his own father?
His father fell silent for a period, and said slowly, "Anyway, work is work, regardless of where you are. There isn"t any difference working as a manager or running sales. Of course, it"s even better if you like the job."
"Thank you, Dad!"
"Anyway, just keep this in mind. No matter what work you"re doing, you have to do your best."
"Yes, Dad. I will remember that."
And then he turned to look at Tang En. "You"re older than him and more familiar with what"s over there. I"ll have to trouble you to take care of him."
Tang En smiled. "No need to worry, Dad."
"You have to take care of yourself over there…" Dunn"s mother finally voiced out, having stayed quiet the whole time. A reluctance lingered in her voice.
"Mum. There are vacation periods every year. I will come back to see you both. Or, I can even bring you over to reside in England."
"It"s fine to enjoy a trip overseas, but staying there? Never mind that, I think…" His father waved his hands. "I still like it here."
The two elders did not see being a football manager as any great career. They did not even ask questions such as how much money he could earn in a year. In their hearts, there was no difference between being a manager or working a sales job in Chengdu… This relieved Tang En.
He also discovered something. His decision to follow Dunn back to his old home was absolutely the correct choice. It allowed him to notice some things he had unintentionally neglected in the past.
To him, this trip was not a vacation in China. This was coming home.
※※※
After saying goodbye to their parents, Tang En and Dunn began their new journey, leaving the small town filled with countless memories from when he was a child, and which had nourished and birthed him.
A flight from Chengdu to Beijing, and then from there directly to Germany.
That was their plan. They were not going to stay and take a leisure trip in either Chengdu or Beijing. Neither Dunn nor Tang En were interested in such things; they weren"t fond of shopping, and they found it unnecessary to tour around. Only when they were back in their hometown did Tang En go out shopping for local specialty products for Shania and Sophia. It was the only time he shopped since his return to China.
When they had arrived, both Tang En and Dunn only brought a suitcase each. In it were changing clothes, toiletries, and presents for their parents; they could be considered lightly packed. When they left, other than the two suitcases they brought with them, they had another two huge luggage bags filled with local specialty goods from their hometown.
After they got their plane tickets and checked-in their luggage, the two, now lightly packed, casually strolled along the waiting area.
With the World Cup looming, they could see several tour groups in the airport waving the "Visit Germany and watch the World Cup" flag. Even within the Beijing Capital International Airport, there was a thick atmosphere of football in the air.
"The world"s number one sport…" Tang En shrugged. "The fans going to Germany are going there to cheer for another country. This is a situation that happens maybe only in China. Hey, Dunn. You"ve been in China these few years. You know what China"s soccer is like, right?"
Dunn nodded.
"They got eliminated even before entering the top 10… what a pity… having played in Jia-A and Jia-B domestically for several years. They ended up walking out into the world to find that their best skills were still below par in comparison to people in Western Asia… it"s tragic. How pitiful Chinese football is…"
Dunn silently listened to Tang En grouse. In terms of knowledge on China"s football, he certainly could not measure up to Tang En. Their feelings towards it, as well, was not something he could compare with the "foreigner" before him.
"Never mind. Let"s stop talking about something that spoils my appet.i.te. When we get to Germany, we won"t be moving around together anymore. I"ll be working on the commentary for the live match broadcast by BBC. Your main objective is to take note of which players we could bring in during the summer."
Dunn nodded. "Yes."
"Let"s go. I think we should be boarding the plane."
The two walked to the boarding gate to wait.
At this point, Tang En suddenly heard someone calling his name.
"Tony Twain?"
He turned back on reflex, finding himself looking at a rather familiar face.
It was the female reporter who had come to interview him when he had wanted to buy Chinese player Sun Jihai, and even got dissed by him. He had met her a few times after that again in various sorts of interviews. It was Tang Jing.