Chapter Forty-Four "Which One?" (5)

  Dong Agen coughed once and said to the woman: "Alright, you can go back now."

  That woman left with a thousand thanks, and when she was far away, Dong Agen relit the candle and said to me: "Go to the door and bring that thing over, it's yours anyway."

  Dong Agen's so-called spiritual communication was very disappointing, and compared to the movie, it was far from it. I don't know what that woman left at the door, probably money, anyway Dong Agen's eyes were not convenient, so I didn't say anything, took the candle and walked out.

  There was a piece of paper on the ground at the entrance, I picked it up and thought about it but didn't look at it. I walked back to the house and handed it over to Dong Agen. Whatever he said would be given to me anyway. I just assumed he misspoke because I didn't know this woman at all, so why would there be something for me?

  Dong Agen, however, did not accept the paper and insisted that it was meant for me. I couldn't convince him that he had mistaken the person, and since I was also curious about what was on the papers, I didn't insist for long and took the paper instead. Using the candlelight, I began to read.

  I took a glance at the paper left by that woman, and then quickly flipped through the ones Dong Agen had given me. The shock in my heart made me speechless, I thought I finally knew where those papers in the small coffin came from.

  The stack of paper in my hand was pasted with various papers of different sizes, looking like a newspaper clipping. The papers were filled with words written in different handwriting, and from the format of the text, it should be a diary, just like the one I saw in the coffin at Chujingshan.

  I didn't have time to read the contents of those diaries carefully, but now I think I understand why Dong Agen said I was the second one. Because before me, someone else had already received these same things. I looked up at Dong Agen and asked: "The person in his hand, is it also given by you?" I didn't say who that person was, I believed Dong Agen would definitely understand my words.

  Dong Agen nodded, without saying a word. I suddenly felt a stir in my heart, remembering that someone had also given me something similar before, and I had even written a story with it. In the end, this story became a real event. My heart began to beat violently as I asked: "Are you also from the Dream Club?"

  I was waiting for Dong Agen's answer, my heart was so tense that it almost jumped out of my chest. Maybe I can really figure out the secret of the Dream Club from Dong Agen, as long as I find a breakthrough, then I can slowly uncover the truth behind all things and restore my previous peaceful life.

  Dong Agen didn't seem surprised that I knew about the Dream Club, shook his head and said something I couldn't understand: "We're all in this club."

  Dong Agen slowly lifted his head and looked at me, trying hard to open his eyes. In the dim candlelight, I saw a strip of eerie white under his eyelids, and I couldn't help but shudder and take a step back. My voice was also lowered as I stared at him tensely and asked cautiously: "What do you want to do?" Dong Agen may be an old man, but he had incredible strength, and if he really made a move, I'm afraid I wouldn't be his match.

  Dong Agen looked at me, not saying a word. The two of us stood there like that for a while, until Dong Agen finally let out a sigh and said: "So you don't know either... I didn't think you wouldn't know." His tone was full of disappointment.

  I was stunned for a moment, originally I still thought that Dong Agen, since he and the people from the Dream Club helped me with these materials in the same way, should also be a member of the Dream Club. But listening to his tone, it's clear that he doesn't know where the Dream Club is either, and has been searching for it all along, thinking I should know where it is. It seems there are some misunderstandings between us.

  I loosened my clenched fist and walked back to his side, saying: "What's going on here? How did they get in touch with you? Why are you collecting these things?"

  Maybe I had too many questions, and Dong Agen didn't know how to answer them at once. I told him not to rush, just say whatever he wanted to say. After thinking for a while, Dong Agen slowly said: "All of this is because of my one dream."

  Dong Agen's response was within my expectation, as all of this has an inseparable relationship with the Dream Club. The only thing that the Dream Club does is promise to fulfill others' dreams and ideals. I didn't speak, quietly waiting for him to continue speaking.

  Dong Agen fell silent for a while, seemingly lost in thought. I patiently waited without urging him, and after a good while, he finally spoke up: "I have a son who has been a bit mentally challenged since childhood, but just like me, he has a strong physique."

  Dong Agen fell into a reverie of past events, repeatedly talking about some things related to his son. At first, I patiently listened to him, but later on, I couldn't bear it anymore and saw that he was not getting to the point, so I couldn't help interrupting him: "So where is your son now?"

  I originally wanted to ask Dong Agen directly what his dream was, but when I saw the look on his face, I couldn't help but think of my own parents and softened in my heart, changing my words at the last minute.

  I felt a wave of awkwardness, hastily said "sorry", not wanting the old man to continue being sad, hastily changed the subject, but Dong Agen didn't take my words, still stubbornly talking about his son's affairs, I could only patiently continue listening.

  Dong Agen's son, although a bit weak-minded and not well-read, relied on his innate physical strength to do odd jobs on construction sites and earn some money. Gradually, he grew fond of this work, and being an extremely filial child, despite the family living in poverty, Dong Agen was very satisfied.

  As the years went by, Dong Agen began to worry about finding a daughter-in-law for his son. However, with his condition, naturally no one would look at him, so he hesitated for several months. Dong Agen gritted his teeth and took out all his savings to ask someone to buy a girl from a poor mountainous area and bring her back.

  Although the country has always prohibited human trafficking, it actually exists among the people. For some poor mountain girls, this may be their only way to escape poverty. Unfortunately, Dong Agen encountered a group of scammers this time, and a month later, the woman took the little money left at home and ran away.

  Dong Agen was so angry that he went to bed and didn't get up. His son, in order to earn money for his father's medical treatment, went to various construction sites to find work, sometimes even doing two jobs alone. Finally, an old boss saw that he was willing to suffer, so he took him to work outside, but as a result, he accidentally fell from the scaffolding and died on the spot.

  Dong Agen chattered on for a long time, and I couldn't help but feel some sadness in my heart. Dong Agen's family had indeed suffered many misfortunes. I comforted him with a few words and asked: "Where did your son have the accident? What about that old boss?"

  My intention was to see if the boss had given compensation to Dong Agen, and if not, out of sympathy for their family, I would definitely go to the relevant department to react.

  But I didn't expect the address and name that Dong Agen told me would shock me so much, because it was exactly the same community where Lao Chu lived and the boss who had a car accident. Was Dong Agen's son the migrant worker that Lao Chu saw? Things wouldn't be so coincidental, would they? I couldn't quite believe it, as such coincidences only happen in movies and TV shows. I swallowed hard and asked, "Old man, do you have any photos of your son?"

  Dong Agen reached into his close-fitting clothes and pulled out a photo, handing it to me, saying: "You didn't see wrong."

  I had already gotten used to Dong Agen's inexplicable way of speaking, so I didn't pay much attention to this sudden sentence. I took the photo from his hand and looked at it under the candlelight. In an instant, I finally understood what Dong Agen meant by his previous sentence. My mouth agape in incredulity, I stared at Dong Agen. Although he was clearly blind, he seemed to be able to see my expression clearly at that moment. He nodded slowly and said, "You haven't misseen."

  My gaze slowly withdrew from Dong Agen's face and fell back onto that photo. Did I really not see it wrong?

  I really didn't see it wrong! The person in the photo, I just saw him not long ago and even talked to him. Then he mysteriously disappeared from my side.

  How could a person who had already died appear right in front of me, and even talk to me? But this unbelievable thing just happened, I can be sure that it wasn't an illusion, but I don't know how to explain all this, I can only suppress the doubts in my heart, preparing to continue listening to Dong Agen's so-called secret. Just at this moment, something flashed through my mind, and the scene before me, although I had never seen it before, someone else had once said similar words: she wanted to see her deceased mother.

  I used to mock Xiaorui's unrealistic thinking, but today I saw a person who had been dead for many years standing in front of me. When I realized this, my first reaction was "I've seen a ghost". Thinking of Dong Agen's profession, I instinctively took a step back, as if he was hiding something terrifying on him.

  Dong Agen said in a low voice: "You don't have to be afraid, I'm just an ordinary old blind man." After a moment of silence, Dong Agen continued to tell his story.

  After his son's accident, Dong Agen was naturally heartbroken. The boss was quite generous and gave him a large sum of money as compensation. However, for Dong Agen, no amount of money could make up for the loss of his son. Moreover, he would not use the money that came at the cost of his son's life. He just sat silently, holding his son's ashes box, refusing to eat or drink.

  After a few days, the neighbors couldn't bear it anymore and were afraid that Dong Agen would starve to death. They found community workers who half-persuaded and half-coerced him into going to the hospital. By the time Dong Agen came out of the hospital, his son's ashes had already been buried in a public cemetery. With no other choice, Dong Agen could only guard his son's belongings as a way to hold onto his memories.

  The son's remains were returned together with the ashes box, and Dong Agen had no heart to check the trunk that was sent back after seeing the ashes box, so it wasn't until now that he first came into contact with the remains left by his son. Upon inspection, he immediately discovered something was off.