主 角 136（上部52）‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍The Protagonist ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ 陈 彦 ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Chen Yan

躍龍

　　易青娥看见她舅坐在敲鼓的椅子上，正泪流满面着。他的一只手，还操着鼓板，另一只手，却腾出来，把脸捂住了。舅已经给她敲过好多次戏了，但像今天晚上敲得这样天衣无缝，这样出神入化，还是第一次。他就跟钻到她心里，看着她走戏一样，哪个动作，都会在锣鼓家伙的配合中，显得更有韵味、节奏、力量感。哪段道白、唱腔，也都会在他鼓板、牙子的掌控、点化下，进入一种好像是玩活了一条真龙的自如、兴奋状态。她看见舅在抹掉了满脸的泪水后，悄悄给她奓了一个大拇指。

Yi Qing'e saw her uncle sitting on the drum chair, tears streaming down his face. One hand was still holding the drum, while the other was used to cover his face. Her uncle had played for her many times before, but this was the first time he had played so flawlessly, so masterfully. It was as if he had entered her heart, watching her rehearse. Every movement, in harmony with the gongs and drums, seemed to possess more charm, rhythm, and power. Every line of dialogue and every aria, under his control and guidance of the drum and cymbals, entered a state of effortless exhilaration, as if he were playing a real dragon. She saw her uncle wipe away his tears and quietly give her a thumbs-up.

　　紧接着，就有好多人都拥上台来了。大家拉着她的手，不仅赞不绝口，而且问长问短、问东问西的。让她又不由自主地举起手背，挡了嘴，是一个字都回答不上来。后来她才听说，那里边有领导，还有从省上请来的好几个大名角儿、大导演，他们都是来当评委的。她听里边有一个老师大声喊叫说：

Immediately afterwards, many people crowded onto the stage. They grabbed her hands, showering her with praise and bombarding her with questions. She involuntarily raised the back of her hand to cover her mouth, unable to answer a single word. Later, she learned that there were leaders among them, as well as several famous actors and directors invited from the province; they were there to serve as judges. She heard a teacher inside shout loudly:

　　“这个易青娥，在整个秦腔界的青年演员里，都属挑梢子的。没想到人才出在县剧团了，难得，难得呀！这可算是秦腔界的一件大幸事了！”

"This Yi Qing'e is one of the best young actors in the entire Qinqiang opera world. It's unexpected that such talent would emerge from the county troupe! This is truly a great blessing for the Qinqiang opera community!"

让易青娥没想到，也让整个宁州剧团没想到的是，这个戏，在全区会演拿了“头名状元”后，地区领导竟然不让走，又让扎住在北山演出了一个多月。

What Yi Qing'e didn't expect, and what the entire Ningzhou troupe didn't expect, was that after this play won first place in the regional performance competition, the regional leaders wouldn't let them leave and made them stay in Beishan for over a month of performances.

　　看戏，本来好像是上年岁人的事，结果，宁州剧团在那里创造了奇迹：竟然把大量年轻观众吸引进了剧场。都说，宁州出了个大美人易青娥，看一眼，一个月都不用吃饭了。

Going to the theater, usually considered a pastime for older people, was transformed by the Ningzhou Theater Troupe, which attracted a large number of young audience members. Everyone said that Ningzhou had produced a great beauty, Yi Qing'e; one look at her and you wouldn't need to eat for a month.

易青娥那时也的确留下不少照片，都是观众自发拍照的。很多年后，再看这些照片，连易青娥自己都感到很吃惊，那的确是自己人生最美丽的时候：

Indeed, Yi Qing'e left behind many photos from that time, all taken spontaneously by the audience. Many years later, even Yi Qing'e herself was surprised to see these photos again; it truly was the most beautiful time of her life.

　　十八岁。

Eighteen years old.

个头一米六八。

1.68 meters tall.

瓜子脸形。

Oval face.

鼻梁高挺。

High, straight nose.

眼睛明丽动人。

Bright, captivating eyes.

双眼皮。

Double eyelids.

长睫毛。

Long eyelashes.

嘴唇棱角分明。

Well-defined lips.

胸部隆起。

Full-set breasts.

腰身紧束。

Tight waist.

臀部微翘。

Slightly upturned hips.

　　在电影院刚刚演完《罗马假日》后，地区报社记者竟然说，易青娥是奥黛丽·赫本的翻版了。她那时还不知说的是谁呢。还有人说她像年轻时的电影明星王晓棠，她也不知是哪个。反正自己觉得那阵儿，脸的确是长开了。过去瘦小时，是长成了一撮撮的，好像一个巴掌都能捂住。五官也有些像一堆没放好的石头，挤挤卡卡的。就这一两年，也许是几个月时间，当自己再面对镜子时，就一天一个样子地变化起来。一切都在朝开地长，朝舒展地长，朝丰盈地长，朝鲜花盛开的季节长了。

　　Right after "Roman Holiday" finished showing in the cinema, a reporter from the local newspaper said that Yi Qing'e was a carbon copy of Audrey Hepburn. At the time, she didn't know who they were talking about. Others said she looked like the young movie star Wang Xiaotang, but she didn't know who that was either. Anyway, she felt that her face had definitely matured around that time. When she was thinner, her features were clumped together, almost like a hand could cover them. Her features also looked like a bunch of misplaced stones, jostled and uneven. But in just the last year or two, maybe a few months, when she looked in the mirror again, she changed every day. Everything was growing, unfolding, and becoming fuller; the season of blooming flowers in Korea had lengthened.

　　有好多照片，都记录下了她当时的模样。真是有些出乎常人的意料，一个深山里的九岩沟，竟然生出这样一个大美女来。就是嘴一笑，有一颗牙齿长得有点乱，她就老爱用手背挡着了。早先，是害羞，是怕人，不敢与人照面、搭腔。后来挡嘴，也是与这颗不协调的牙有些关系的。谁知所有人现在都说，易青娥美就美在这颗牙上了。地区报纸记者写了一大篇文章，其中有好长一段，都是在说这颗牙的美丽生动的。

Many photos captured her appearance back then. It was truly unexpected that such a beautiful woman could emerge from Jiuyan Gully, a remote mountain village. However, when she smiled, one of her teeth was slightly crooked, and she always liked to cover it with the back of her hand. At first, it was out of shyness, a fear of people, and an reluctance to meet their faces or speak to them. Later, covering her mouth was also related to this mismatched tooth. Now, everyone says that Yi Qing'e's beauty lies precisely in that tooth. A local newspaper reporter wrote a long article, a significant portion of which focused on the vivid beauty of that tooth.

　　需要特别交代的是，《白蛇传》演了一个多月后，很多人听说易青娥还有一本拿手戏《杨排风》，就都吵吵着要看了。北山地区从书记到专员，都看过《白蛇传》，有的为了陪人，还看过两三遍的。听说小易还有拿手好戏，就都给有关方面打招呼，说也演来看看。其实剧团已经累得不行了。尽管所有人都因戏红火，而成了北山城的贵宾，几乎见天都有人请去吃吃喝喝。但毕竟是出来时间长了，都闹着要回去。连朱团长把摊子都有些“挽笼不住”了。最后，是宁州县委书记、县长亲自来慰问、督阵，才把《杨排风》布景道具拉来，又扎住演了一个月的。

　　It's worth mentioning that after "The Legend of the White Snake" had been running for over a month, many people heard that Yi Qing'e also had a signature play, "Yang Paifeng," and they all clamored to see it. From the Party Secretary to the Commissioner of Beishan District, everyone had seen "The Legend of the White Snake," some even seeing it two or three times to accompany others. Hearing that Yi had another specialty, they all contacted the relevant authorities, saying they wanted to see it performed as well. In reality, the troupe was exhausted. Although everyone had become VIPs in Beishan City because of the play's popularity, and were invited to eat and drink almost daily, they had been away for a long time and were all clamoring to go home. Even Troupe Leader Zhu was finding it difficult to manage. Finally, it was only after the Secretary and County Head of Ningzhou County personally came to offer their condolences and supervision that the set and props for "Yang Paifeng" were brought in, and the performance continued for another month.

易青娥也在这短短的两个多月中，经历了人生最猛烈的爱情炮轰与进攻。

During these short two months, Yi Qing'e also experienced the most intense onslaught of love in her life.

　　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*.