<p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 黑色的新式“伏爾加”小轎車在茫茫的春雨中穿過綠色海洋般的中部平原，由北往南，向省城飛馳而行，車輪在積水的柏油路面濺起一溜白霧。黃土高原邊緣地帶的沖積階地和兩級臺原，象一抹荒涼的海岸線消失在了北方遙遠的天邊。透過車窗，從遼闊的平原上望過去，南方巍峨的橫斷山脈漸漸出現(xiàn)在視野之內(nèi)。一列列鋼藍色的山巒象大海中的艦隊一般威嚴；突兀的峰巔之上，隱約可以了見那白皚皚的積雪。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> A brand-new black Volga sedan sped southward through the green ocean of the central plains in the misty spring rain, heading towards the provincial capital. Its wheels splashed up a trail of white mist on the puddled asphalt. The alluvial terraces and plateaus on the edge of the Loess Plateau disappeared into the distant northern horizon like a desolate coastline. Through the car window, looking out over the vast plains, the majestic Hengduan Mountains gradually came into view to the south. Rows of steel-blue mountains stood as imposing as a fleet on a vast sea; atop their towering peaks, the white snow was faintly visible.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 小汽車在奔馳。綠色。還是綠色。無邊的綠色中，有時會閃過一片緋紅或一方金黃——那是大片返青的麥田中盛開的桃花和油菜花。溫暖的春天從中國的南方走來，開始用生命的原色裝飾北方的大地了。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Cars are speeding by. Green. Still green. In the boundless green, sometimes a patch of crimson or a golden hue flashes—those are peach blossoms and rapeseed flowers blooming in vast fields of wheat turning green again. Warm spring has arrived from the south of China, beginning to adorn the northern land with the primary colors of life.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 綠色中飛馳的小車急速繞過一個拋物線似的大彎道，把弧線內(nèi)一座巨大的化工廠甩在后面，重新轉(zhuǎn)入筆直的路面，在平原上繼續(xù)向南飛奔。道路兩旁晃過一排排青楊綠柳，那枝葉被雨水洗得油光鮮亮；成對的燕子翻著低掠過霧氣騰騰的麥田，用它黑色靈巧的剪刀裁剪密麻麻的雨絲……喬伯年沉默地坐在車內(nèi)，對原野上的一派春光并不特別在意。他不是詩人，也不是游客，看來無心觀賞這撩撥人的飛紅流綠。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The car, speeding through the green landscape, swiftly navigated a sharp, parabolic bend, leaving a massive chemical plant behind, before straightening out again and continuing its southward journey across the plain. Rows of green poplars and willows flashed by on either side of the road, their leaves glistening from the rain; pairs of swallows swooped low over the misty wheat fields, their nimble black wings slicing through the dense raindrops… Qiao Bonian sat silently in the car, seemingly unconcerned with the spring scenery of the fields. He was neither a poet nor a tourist, and appeared indifferent to the alluring vibrant colors of spring.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 實際上，在這個頭發(fā)斑白的人眼里，此刻車窗外依次出現(xiàn)的只是內(nèi)陸省的三種截然不同的地貌。北方那消失了的一抹黃色，就是荒涼的黃土高原。那里溝壑縱橫，土地被流水切割得支離破碎，面積卻要占全省版圖的百分之四十五。這季節(jié)那里仍然是一望無際的荒涼——他出生在那里，閉住眼也能看見故鄉(xiāng)一年四季的景象。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> In reality, to this gray-haired man, what appeared outside the car window at that moment were simply three distinctly different landscapes of an inland province. The vanished patch of yellow in the north was the desolate Loess Plateau. There, ravines crisscrossed the land, fragmented by flowing water, yet it covered forty-five percent of the province's territory. In this season, it remained an endless expanse of desolation—he was born there, and could see the scenery of his hometown throughout all four seasons even with his eyes closed.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 展現(xiàn)在眼前的這幾百里綠色平原，當然是全省的“白菜心”了。這塊肥得流油的土地，也曾經(jīng)是中國歷史上的“白菜心”——散布在平原上那一個個小山似的古代帝王的墳冢就是證明。不過，對于全省來說，這塊風水寶地畢竟太小了，面積只占百分之十九。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> This vast expanse of green plains stretching for hundreds of miles is undoubtedly the heart of the province. This fertile land was once the heart of China's history—the numerous ancient imperial tombs scattered across the plains, resembling small hills, are proof of this. However, for the entire province, this auspicious land is still too small, accounting for only nineteen percent of the province's area.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 南邊云霧繚繞的蔚藍色山巒，是亞細亞兩個龐大水系的分水嶺。那里土壤單薄，怪石嶙峋，屬半封閉狀態(tài)的貧瘠山區(qū)。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> To the south, the mist-shrouded, azure mountains form the watershed between two vast river systems in Asia. There, the soil is thin, the rocks rugged, and it is a semi-enclosed, barren mountainous region.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 中間一點“白菜心”，周圍全是“菜幫子”，這就是本省大自然的寫照。多少年來，南北廣大山區(qū)的千百萬人，連起碼的溫飽問題都沒有解決。正因為如此，他，剛上任不久的省委書記，此刻哪有心思把這大自然的風光看成是一幅五彩畫圖呢？他深知這些美妙畫面的后面隱藏著什么樣的景象。他深感責任重大。他的心情是沉重的。是啊，二十萬平方公里的土地，三千萬人口哪！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> A single "cabbage heart" in the center, surrounded by "cabbage stalks"—this is a true depiction of nature in this province. For countless years, millions of people in the vast mountainous regions of the north and south have struggled to even meet their basic needs for food and clothing. Because of this, how could he, the newly appointed provincial party secretary, possibly appreciate the natural scenery as a beautiful painting? He knew all too well what lay hidden behind these picturesque scenes. He felt a profound sense of responsibility. His heart was heavy. Indeed, 200,000 square kilometers of land, 30 million people!</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 省委書記坐在車內(nèi)，羅著腰，只是沉默地一支接一支抽煙，他身軀高大，但并不壯實。臉色是黝黑的，皮膚已經(jīng)失去了光澤。顴骨和前額都很突出，整個頭顱象一塊粗糙的巖石。頭發(fā)已經(jīng)斑白了。并且脫得稀稀疏疏。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The provincial party secretary sat in the car, hunched over, silently smoking one cigarette after another. He was tall but not muscular. His face was dark, and his skin had lost its luster. His cheekbones and forehead were prominent, making his head resemble a rough rock. His hair was already gray and sparse.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 這樣的人物，面部總會有一些特點——喬伯年的特點主要表現(xiàn)在眼睛里。即使是缺乏睡眠，這兩只眼睛也總是充滿了活力和機警，并且象年輕人一樣閃爍著銳利的光芒。當然，如果走起路來，那神態(tài)就更象一個小伙子。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Such a person always has certain distinctive features—Qiao Bonian's features are mainly reflected in his eyes. Even when sleep-deprived, his eyes are always full of energy and alertness, and they sparkle with a sharp light like a young man's. Of course, when he walks, his demeanor is even more like that of a young man.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 其實他已經(jīng)五十八歲了。他原來的身體倒不象現(xiàn)在這樣瘦削——當年曾經(jīng)象運動員一樣健壯哩?？上б桓焙蒙眢w在“文革”的牛棚和監(jiān)禁中耗費了大半。唉！那時間，他本以為，自己的后半生就要在“牛圈”里窩囊地結(jié)束了，而不能再出去為人民拉犁耕作。誰能想到，在他接近花甲之年，中央?yún)s把這么重大的責任交給他來擔當。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Actually, he was already fifty-eight years old. His body wasn't always so thin—he used to be as robust as an athlete. Unfortunately, most of his good health was wasted in the cowsheds and imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution. Alas! At that time, he thought his later years would end miserably in the "cowshed," unable to go out and plow the fields for the people anymore. Who could have imagined that, nearing sixty, the Central Committee would entrust him with such a weighty responsibility?</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 責任的確是重大??！他在上任前就充分估計到了這里工作面臨的困難性。但一進入實際環(huán)境，困難比想象到的更為嚴峻。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The responsibility is indeed immense! He had fully anticipated the difficulties he would face before taking office. But once he entered the actual environment, the difficulties were even more severe than he had imagined.</b></p>