主 角 137（上部53）‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍The Protagonist ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍ 陈 彦 ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍Chen Yan

躍龍

　　首先向易青娥发起进攻的，是地区几个青年诗人。他们诗社的名字叫“六匹狼”，也恰恰是六个人。主要是写诗，也有写小说、写散文的。他们是这个小城的另类，都修着很长的头发。据说，那时朦胧诗，在更大的城市，都已经衰落了，但这里刚刚兴起。六个人的诗集，一年出好几本，还都是自己印刷的。易青娥的《白蛇传》和《杨排风》，让“六匹狼”接连推出两本诗集来：一本叫《一个美艳古瓶的出土》，一本叫《欣赏完她，其实我们都是可以幸福死去的》。很多年后，易青娥还记得他们对她吟过的那些诗。其中有一首，是这样的：

The first to attack Yi Qing'e were several young poets from the region. Their poetry society was called "Six Wolves," and coincidentally, it consisted of six people. They mainly wrote poetry, but some also wrote novels and essays. They were outliers in this small town, all sporting very long hair. It was said that at that time, Misty Poetry had already declined in larger cities, but it was just beginning to flourish here. The six of them published several collections of poems a year, all self-printed. Yi Qing'e's "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Yang Paifeng" prompted "Six Wolves" to release two more collections of poems in quick succession: one titled "The Unearthed Beauty of an Ancient Vase," and the other "After Appreciating Her, We Can All Die Happily." Many years later, Yi Qing'e still remembered the poems they had recited to her. One of them went like this:

　　古董并不都是锈迹斑斑的

Not all antiques are rusty and worn.

有一种出土

Some unearthed artifacts

带着强烈的闪电

bear a strong flash of lightning

带着西方奥黛丽·赫本的鼻子、眼睛和嘴

bear the nose, eyes, and mouth of Audrey Hepburn (the Western Audrey Hepburn)

带着古巴女排“黑珍珠”路易斯的翘臀

bear the shapely buttocks of Luis, the "Black Pearl" of the Cuban women's volleyball team

带着东方我们没有见过的传说很酥的杨玉环的胸脯

bear the legendary, alluring breasts of Yang Guifei (the legendary beauty of Yang Guifei), a sight we've never seen before

还有西施、貂蝉、王昭君

and the faces of Xi Shi, Diao Chan, and Wang Zhaojun

沉鱼落雁、闭月羞花的脸庞

the faces of beauties that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, the moon hide its face and flowers blush with shame piercing through

　　刺破了

It pierced

很多不易抵达的坚硬的麻木的痛楚的绝望的心尖

many hard-to-reach, numb pains

明明是一条

the tip of Chu's despairing heart

已说不清是唐朝还是宋朝的蛇精

clearly a snake spirit

of indeterminate Tang or Song dynasty origins

却在一千多年后

yet, over a thousand years later

惊艳破土而出

stunningly burst forth

又迷醉了千万个

and captivated millions

正迷恋着《上海滩》里许文强的许仙

who were still enamored with Xu Xian, the Xu Wenqiang from "Shanghai Bund"

“浪奔，浪流，

"Waves surge, waves flow,

万里滔滔江水永不休”地

the mighty river never ceases"

拥挤在了去“断桥”看白娘子的路上

crowding on the road to the "Broken Bridge" to see the White Snake.

　　这首诗，他们是在邀请易青娥出席“六匹狼”诗歌朗诵会时，由“三狼”朗诵出来的。易青娥怎么都不愿意来，可他们找了报社给她写文章的记者。记者说，“六匹狼”都很喜欢你，但他们都很绅士，希望能用诗歌打动你。易青娥本来晚上演出很累，白天希望有更多的时间休息。可记者几次三番地来请，挨不过面子，她还是来了，是拉着惠芳龄来的。那时易青娥真的是不懂诗，念过好几首，连惠芳龄都听出一点意思了，可她还是把眼睛睁得很大，一头雾水的样子。

This poem was recited by the "Three Wolves" when they invited Yi Qing'e to attend the "Six Wolves" poetry reading. Yi Qing'e was reluctant to come, but they found a reporter from the newspaper who wrote an article about her. The reporter said, "The Six Wolves all like you very much, but they are all very gentlemanly and hope to move you with poetry." Yi Qing'e was already very tired from her evening performance and hoped to have more time to rest during the day. But the reporter came to invite her several times, and she couldn't refuse, so she came, dragging Hui Fangling with her. At that time, Yi Qing'e really didn't understand poetry. She had recited several poems, and even Hui Fangling could understand some of the meaning, but Yi Qing'e still stared wide-eyed, looking completely bewildered.

　　这首《说不清是唐朝还是宋朝的蛇精》，她倒是听出了点名堂。人家让她提意见，她甚至还捂着嘴，不好意思地说：“难道我很黑吗？没有那么黑吧？我还是个撅沟子吗？”说完，自己先羞得不敢看人了。“黑珍珠”，那不就是说黑得放光吗？在《杨排风》戏词里，焦赞本来就有一句说杨排风的台词是：“丑陋丫头多作怪，黑面馍馍一包菜。”她是最不喜欢听这句台词了，好像不是说杨排风，而是在说她易青娥呢。

She actually picked up on the tune of "The Snake Spirit: Is It From the Tang or Song Dynasty?" When asked for her opinion, she even covered her mouth, embarrassed, and said, "Am I that dark? Not really, am I? Am I a 'pockmarked'?" After saying that, she was too ashamed to look at anyone. "Black Pearl"—doesn't that mean so dark it shines? In the opera *Yang Paifeng*, Jiao Zan had a line about Yang Paifeng: "Ugly girl, so mischievous, a black-faced bun and a bag of vegetables." She disliked this line the most; it seemed to be directed at her, Yi Qing'e, not Yang Paifeng.

　　尤其是郝大锤，几次故意在她旁边说起这句词，意思明明是糟践她：一个“黑面馍馍”一样的烧火丫头，还能登台唱戏。因此，任何时候有人说到“黑”，她心里都是会犯嘀咕的。“翘臀”，更不好听了，那不就是说屁股撅着吗？在九岩沟，女孩子老撅着屁股，当娘的是要天天骂、天天拿脚踢的。有的晚上睡觉，还要给屁股上捆布带子朝回扳呢。要是长大了还扳不回来，那可就是大毛病，要嫁不出去了。唱戏也是不能撅沟子的。

Especially Hao Dachui, who deliberately mentioned this phrase several times next to her, clearly meaning to insult her: a kitchen girl who looked like a "dark-faced steamed bun," yet she could perform on stage. Therefore, she would always feel uneasy whenever someone mentioned "dark." "Upturned buttocks" was even worse; it meant her buttocks were sticking out. In Jiuyangou, if a girl always stuck her buttocks out, her mother would scold and kick her every day. Some mothers would even tie cloth strips around her buttocks to pull them back while she slept. If she couldn't pull them back when she grew up, it was a big problem, and she wouldn't be able to get married. Even performing in operas meant not sticking your buttocks out.

　　苟老师就批评过她好多回，说她做动作，有时是撅着屁股的，像在灶门洞偏起头来吹火，可难看了。她的这两条意见，刚一提出来，“六匹狼”就全笑了。他们七嘴八舌地抢着说：“黑珍珠”是一种很健康的表述。而“翘臀”，更是一种风靡世界的现代美。在她身上，他们就看到了这种象征着力量感的美妙体态。西施固然漂亮，却是病态的，这样的美人，我们宁愿少些好。无论怎样解释，她还是不喜欢诗里说她黑，说她撅屁股。

Teacher Gou had criticized her many times, saying that when she made movements, she sometimes stuck her butt out, like someone tilting their head to blow on a fire in a stove hole—it was unsightly. As soon as she raised these two points, the "Six Wolves" all laughed. They chimed in, saying, "Black Pearl" is a very healthy description. And "perky buttocks" is a modern beauty standard that's swept the world. In her, they saw this beautiful physique symbolizing strength. Xi Shi was certainly beautiful, but she was sickly; we'd rather have fewer beauties like that. No matter how they explained it, she still disliked the poem saying she was dark-skinned and that she stuck her butt out.

　　后来，“六匹狼”就跟人说，易青娥美是美，但不解风情。他们六个人，先后把《白蛇传》《杨排风》看了四十多场，几乎每晚演完，都要到后台看望、献花，甚至当面吟诗。结果，易青娥还嫌几个长头发的“异类”，整天围着自己转，影响不好。她要朱团长帮忙拦挡拦挡。朱团长还真派人拦挡了。尤其是易青娥的那班男同学，在易青娥人生点点升腾的时候，几乎都有些暗恋她的意思。他们哪里容得这些“花里胡哨”的外人，把腿脚伸进自己的锅里、碗里，挑肉、夺食。

Later, the "Six Wolves" told people that Yi Qing'e was beautiful, but lacked romantic understanding. The six of them watched over forty performances of "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Yang Paifeng," visiting her backstage almost every night after the show, presenting flowers, and even reciting poetry in her presence. However, Yi Qing'e still complained that these long-haired "oddballs" were constantly hovering around her, creating a bad impression. She asked Director Zhu to help her stop them. Director Zhu actually sent people to do so. Especially Yi Qing'e's male classmates, who, as her life was gradually improving, almost all harbored secret crushes on her. They couldn't tolerate these "flashy" outsiders sticking their feet into their pots and bowls, picking at their food.

　　他们不仅把前后台，看管得严严实实，而且还连业余保镖，都自告奋勇地兼上了。“六匹狼”再来“嗨骚”易青娥，不仅见不上面，而且还遭了“兜头泼水”“迎面撞门”“暗拉绊马索”的肢体、人格羞辱。这样一来，“六匹狼”追求易青娥的热情，就逐渐淡然了下来。“二狼”还转文说：“这娃好是好，可只能远观，不能狎玩焉。”“大狼”干脆说：“娃还是少了点文化，一脑子的封建思想，完全不解风情。咱们六匹狼，大概谁也得不了手，我宣布退出。”随后，“六匹狼”的骚扰，就渐渐销声匿迹了。

They not only kept a tight rein on everything, both front and backstage, but even volunteered to act as amateur bodyguards. When the "Six Wolves" tried to harass Yi Qing'e again, they not only couldn't get a meeting, but were also subjected to physical and personal humiliation, including being doused with water, shoved into doors, and tripped up with ropes. As a result, the "Six Wolves'" enthusiasm for Yi Qing'e gradually faded. "Second Wolves" even wrote, "This girl is nice, but we can only admire her from afar, not play with her." "Big Wolf" bluntly said, "The girl lacks culture, her head is full of feudal ideas, and she's completely clueless about romance. None of us Six Wolves will get her; I announce my withdrawal." After that, the harassment from the "Six Wolves" gradually disappeared.

　　与此同时，也有好多地区头面人物，托人出面，要娶易青娥做儿媳妇了。朱团长有一天还跟古存孝说：“咱们恐怕得赶快‘班师回朝’了，再不回，易青娥还得改行，去做那些‘侯爷王爷’的儿媳妇了。关键是好几家都在说。我们就只一个易青娥，咋办？应付不好，只怕是得吃不了兜着走呢。”古存孝说：“这得亏是新社会，要搁在旧社会，咱就得赶紧想辙了。不从陆路逃，就得从水路蹿。并且还得夜半三更，让青娥女扮男装了蹿。要再蹿不出去，就得把人塞进戏箱，给箱子拐角钻几个透气的窟窿，偷偷朝出运呢。搞不好，整个戏班子的命都搭上了。这号事，一般都是旦角太出彩、‘盘盘’太靓招的祸。”

Meanwhile, many prominent figures in various regions have asked their intermediaries to arrange marriages for Yi Qing'e as their daughter-in-law. One day, Commander Zhu even said to Gu Cunxiao, "We probably need to hurry back to the capital. If we don't, Yi Qing'e will have to change careers and become the daughter-in-law of those 'marquises and princes.' The problem is, several families are talking about it. We only have one Yi Qing'e, what are we going to do? If we don't handle it well, we might be in deep trouble." Gu Cunxiao said, "It's fortunate this is the new society. If it were the old society, we would have to think of a way quickly. If we didn't escape by land, we would have to escape by water. And we would have to have Qing'e disguise herself as a man and escape in the dead of night. If we still couldn't escape, we would have to stuff her into the opera trunk, drill a few holes in the corners of the trunk for ventilation, and secretly transport her out. Otherwise, the entire opera troupe might be doomed. These kinds of things usually happen because the female lead is too outstanding, or the 'show' is too attractive."

　　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*.