主 角 131（上部50）‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍The Protagonist ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ 陈 彦 ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Chen Yan

躍龍

　　苟老师还说过一句话：

Teacher Gou once said:

“秦腔吹火，那个苦就不是人能干的事。那是鬼吹火，只有鬼才能拿动的活儿。不蜕几层皮，你休想吹好。”

"Blowing fire in Qinqiang opera is an act so difficult it's beyond human capabilities. It's like a ghost blowing fire; only a ghost could do it. You can't expect to do it well without shedding several layers of skin."

的确，松香一旦点着，变成明火，立马就会产生浓烈的烟雾。吹几十口火下来，无论什么地方，都会变得相互看不清脸面。足见演员是在怎么难受的环境里演戏的。

Indeed, once the rosin is lit and becomes a bright flame, it immediately produces thick smoke. After blowing dozens of times, you can't even see your face anywhere. This shows just how unbearable the environment is for the actors to perform in.

　　苟老师每次在棺材铺练一回吹火，看库的老汉都要骂他说：“老狗，看你屙下的这一摊。你每次一走，我都要为你打整好半天。松香末，松香油烟，都快把我头发弄成油刷子，鼻窟窿弄成油灯盏了。你看看，你来练几个月吹火，把窗玻璃吹成黑板了；把白洋瓷缸吹成黑碗了；把棺材铺吹成油坊店了；把一袋面吹成黑炭了。你还吹不好，看来你这个死男旦，也就只配去吹牛×了，还吹火呢。”

Every time Teacher Gou practiced blowing fire at the coffin shop, the old man guarding the storeroom would scold him, "You old dog, look at the mess you've made! Every time you leave, I have to clean it up for ages. The rosin dust and rosin smoke are turning my hair into an oil brush and my nostrils into oil lamps. Look at you, after practicing blowing fire for months, you've turned a windowpane into a blackboard; a white enamel jar into a black bowl; a coffin shop into an oil mill; and a bag of flour into charcoal. And you still can't do it right. It seems you, you deadbeat, are only fit to brag, let alone blow fire."

　　“少批干，快给我泡茶。嗓子眼都快密实了。”一趟火吹下来，苟老师不仅嗓子密实了，眼睛睁不开了，而且呼吸也会极度困难起来。易青娥每练一次，都是要从房中跑出去，透好半天气，才能再回来吹的。

"Stop criticizing me, quickly make me some tea. My throat is practically full." After blowing through the fire, Teacher Gou's throat was not only full, but he could barely open his eyes, and breathing was extremely difficult. Every time Yi Qing'e practiced, she had to run out of the room to get some fresh air before returning to blow.

易青娥明显感到，师父今晚的气力是有些不够用了。但他一直控制得很好。她知道，他是要把最好的力道，用在最后那三十六口“连珠火”上的。

Yi Qing'e clearly felt that her master's strength was somewhat depleted tonight. But he had maintained excellent control. She knew he was saving his best strength for the final thirty-six breaths of "continuous fire."

　　她按师父的要求，在侧台仔仔细细地看着他的每一个动作。每一口火吹出来，她都要认真研究师父的气息、力量，以及浑身的起伏变化。那一晚，她觉得她比平常任何时候学的东西都要多。并且更具有茅塞顿开、点石成金的效用。也就在师父一步步将《杀生》推向高潮时，她似乎也完成了一次演戏的启蒙。她甚至突然觉得，自己是能成一个好演员，成一个大演员了。

As instructed by her master, she meticulously observed his every movement from the side stage. With each breath he exhaled, she carefully studied his breath, power, and the subtle shifts in his body. That night, she felt she learned more than ever before, experiencing a profound and transformative experience. As her master gradually propelled "Killing" to its climax, she seemed to have undergone an initiation into acting herself. She even suddenly felt that she could become a good actress, a great actress.

　　终于，师父开始吐最后一道火了。也就是那个三十六口“连珠火”。师父依然控制着气力，一口，两口，三口，四口……由慢到快，由弱到强，直到“连珠火”将贾化、贾似道、贾府，全部变成一片火海。

Finally, the master began to unleash the final burst of fire—the thirty-six consecutive bursts of flame. He controlled his strength, one, two, three, four… from slow to fast, from weak to strong, until the flames engulfed Jia Hua, Jia Sidao, and the Jia mansion, turning them into a sea of fire.

继而天地澄净，红梅绽开。

Then, the world cleared, and red plum blossoms bloomed.

观众的掌声，已经将乐队的音乐声、铜器声全都淹没了。易青娥她舅几乎使出浑身解数，将大鼓、大锣、大铙、吊镲全用上了，可观众的掌声，还是如浪涛一般，滚滚涌上了舞台。

The audience's applause completely drowned out the music and the sounds of the brass instruments. Yi Qing'e's uncle had used almost everything he could, employing the large drum, gong, cymbals, and hanging cymbals, yet the audience's applause still surged onto the stage like a tidal wave.

　　就在台上贾府人相互于火海中挣扎时，苟老师被人搀扶下来了。易青娥发现，苟老师已经使完了人生最后一点力气，是奄奄一息了。朱团长也急忙过来，帮忙把他平放在一排道具箱子上。苟老师浑身颤抖着在呼唤：

Just as the Jia family members struggled amidst the flames on stage, Teacher Gou was helped down. Yi Qing'e realized that Teacher Gou had used up his last bit of strength and was on the verge of death. Commander Zhu rushed over and helped lay him flat on a row of prop boxes. Teacher Gou trembled as he called out:

“青娥，青娥……”

"Qing'e, Qing'e..."

“师父，师父，我在这里，我在这里。”易青娥紧紧抓着师父的手。

"Master, Master, I'm here, I'm here." Yi Qing'e tightly grasped her master's hand.

苟老师抖抖索索地摸着她的手说：

Teacher Gou shakily touched her hand and said:

　　“娃，娃，师父……可能不行了。记住……吹火的松香，每次……要自己磨……自己拌。记住比例……”

“Child, child, Master… may not make it. Remember… the rosin for blowing on the fire, each time… you must grind… mix it yourself. Remember the proportions…”

在说比例的时候，苟老师向她示意了一下，易青娥明白，是要她把耳朵附上去。她就把耳朵贴上去了。苟老师轻声给她说：

While explaining the proportions, Teacher Gou gestured to her, and Yi Qing'e understood—he wanted her to put her ear to his. She did so. Teacher Gou whispered to her:

“十斤松香粉……拌……拌二两半……锯末灰。锯末灰要……要柏木的。炒干……磨细……再拌……”

“Ten catties of rosin powder… mix… mix two and a half ounces… sawdust ash. The sawdust ash must be… cypress wood. Fry it dry… grind it finely… then mix…”

勉强说完这些话，苟老师就吐出一口血来。

Having barely finished speaking, Teacher Gou coughed up blood.

　　舞台监督喊：“咋办，底下观众喊叫要苟老师谢幕呢。”

The stage manager shouted, "What do we do? The audience is demanding that Teacher Gou take a bow!"

朱团长说：“谢不成了，快关幕！”

Director Zhu said, "He can't take a bow now! Close the curtain!"

“都不走，在下边喊呢。”

"They're not leaving; they're shouting from below."

只见苟老师身子动了动，意思是要起来，但又起不来了。

Teacher Gou moved slightly, as if trying to get up, but couldn't.

　　朱团长就紧急决定，用身边的道具——贾府的太师椅，把苟老师抬上去谢幕。

Director Zhu immediately decided to use a prop they had on hand—a grand armchair from the Jia family mansion—to carry Teacher Gou up for the curtain call.

大家就帮着把苟老师弄到了太师椅上。

Everyone helped get Teacher Gou onto the armchair.

朱团长又紧急决定说：“青娥，你跟舞台监督，一起把你师父抬上去！”

Director Zhu then urgently said, "Qing'e, you and the stage manager, help carry your master up!"

易青娥就跟舞台监督把“李慧娘”抬上去了。

Yi Qing'e and the stage manager carried "Li Huiniang" up.

　　易青娥看见，观众是热浪一般在朝舞台上狂喊着。

Yi Qing'e saw the audience shouting wildly at the stage like a wave of heat.

被他们抬上去的苟老师，静静靠在太师椅上，一动不动了。

Teacher Gou, whom they had carried onto the stage, leaned quietly against the armchair, motionless.

舞台监督还跟她说：“咱俩把苟老师搀起来！”

The stage manager even told her, "Let's help Teacher Gou up!"

易青娥低头一看，苟老师的眼睛已经闭上了。

Yi Qing'e looked down and saw that Teacher Gou's eyes were already closed.

就在一刹那间，她反应过来：

In that instant, it dawned on her:

苟老师，可能已经不在人世了。

Teacher Gou might no longer be alive.

　　陈彦，1963年生于陕西镇安。一级编剧。中国作家协会会员。曾创作《迟开的玫瑰》《大树西迁》《西京故事》等戏剧作品数十部，三次获“曹禺戏剧文学奖”“文华编剧奖”，作品三度入选国家舞台艺术精品工程“十大精品剧目”。曾创作32集电视剧《大树小树》，获“飞天奖”。著有长篇小说《西京故事》《装台》，其中《装台》被中国小说学会评为“2015小说排行榜”长篇小说榜首，“2015中国好书”，2017年获首届“吴承恩长篇小说奖”。出版有《陈彦剧作选》《陈彦词作选》《陈彦西京三部曲》，散文集《必须抵达》《边走边看》《坚挺的表达》《说秦腔》等著作。

Chen Yan was born in Zhen'an, Shaanxi Province in 1963. He is a first-class screenwriter and a member of the China Writers Association. He has created dozens of theatrical works, including *The Late-Blooming Rose*, *The Great Tree Moves West*, and *The Story of Xi'an*, winning the Cao Yu Drama Literature Award and the Wenhua Screenwriting Award three times. His works have been selected three times as one of the "Top Ten Excellent Plays" in the National Stage Art Masterpiece Project. He also wrote the 32-episode TV series *The Great Tree and the Little Tree*, which won the Feitian Award. He is the author of the novels *The Story of Xi'an* and *Zhuangtai*, with *Zhuangtai* being ranked first on the "2015 Novel Ranking" by the China Novel Society and named one of the "2015 China's Best Books." In 2017, he won the inaugural Wu Cheng'en Novel Award. He has published *Selected Plays by Chen Yan*, *Selected Lyrics by Chen Yan*, *Chen Yan's Xi'an Trilogy*, and essay collections such as *Must Arrive*, *Walking and Observing*, *A Resilient Expression*, and *Talking about Qinqiang Opera*.