Story text / 故事文字
Who Leads the Lion?
Pip held Grandma's sieve on her head, and Lin held on behind. They were a lion! "Today the new mill opens," said Pip, "and I'm leading the lion dance, with Lin as the tail! Who leads the lion? ME!" Clonk! The sieve bumped the wall.
In came Mr Gong and his grandson, Big Bao, for the lion. "Who leads the lion?" asked Mr Gong. "ME!" said Big Bao. "ME!" said Pip. "If I choose, people will say I chose Bao," said Mr Gong. "Let Tock choose. We dance at noon!"
Mr Gong showed Tock the old Village Book, full of lion dances. "Head. Tail. Not a dancer," he said, pointing. Click, click went the beads. "Good," said Big Bao. "I've waited all year! A machine is fair. It doesn't care who you are."
Tock rolled up to Big Bao. "Head." It rolled up to Pip. "Tail." It rolled up to Lin. "Not a dancer." Lin's chin wobbled, and she hid behind Pip. "See?" said Big Bao kindly. "The machine says so."
Pip stamped. "I'm the boss of Tock! Who leads the lion? ME! Say HEAD!" "Tail." Stamp, stamp! Her sieve slid down over her eyes. Dumpling wagged. "Tail," said Tock to him. Well, that was true.
"Tock, watch me!" Pip jumped and shook and roared her very best lion dance. Tock's beads gave one tiny click. "Tail." One dance was not enough. Big Bao drummed on Tock's lid, bong, bong. "Bell," said Tock. It was nearly noon.
Pip sat on the back step with the Village Book. Page after page, every head was a big boy. Every tail was a big boy. The girls and the little ones only watched. "Tock learned from these pictures, and the pictures left us out!"
Pip jumped up. "Quick! We need pictures of EVERYONE who dances!" Lin ran home. Big Bao felt in his pocket. Pip ran to the old frame that lay face down on the bench. Grandma never got round to mending it. Pip turned it over.
It was a little girl in round glasses, holding up a lion's head and roaring. "Who's that?" asked Pip. "Me," said Grandma, going pink. "I led the lion when I was five." "May Tock see it?" asked Pip. Grandma smiled. "Yes, you may."
Pip lined the pictures up on the bench, where everyone could see. "Look! This is who Tock never saw." Click, click, click went the beads. Tock rolled up to Lin. "Tail." To Pip. "Head." To Big Bao. "Head."
At noon, the new mill wheel began to turn. Big Bao grabbed the drumsticks. "You lead, Pip. I love the DRUM!" BOOM, BOOM! "Who leads the lion?" called Mr Gong. "WE do!" Up went the lion's head, and Lin wiggled the tail.
That night, Grandma mended her old picture at last. She hung it by Pip's bed on a brand-new string. Two lion leaders, side by side. "Goodnight, Tock." "Head," said Tock. "And tail," said Pip, and Dumpling wagged his.
谁来舞狮头？
皮皮把奶奶的竹筛子顶在头上，小林在后面拽着她的衣角。她们变成一头狮子啦！皮皮说：“今天新磨坊开张，我要舞狮头，小林舞狮尾！谁来舞狮头？我！”咚的一声，筛子撞到了墙上。
龚爷爷带着孙子大宝，来拿磨坊的狮子。龚爷爷问：“谁来舞狮头？”大宝喊：“我！”皮皮也喊：“我！”龚爷爷说：“要是我来挑，大家会说我偏心孙子。让嘀嗒来挑吧。中午就要舞狮啦！”
龚爷爷翻开村里的老相册，里面全是舞狮子的照片。他一张一张指给嘀嗒看：“狮头。狮尾。不是舞狮的。”小珠子咔嗒咔嗒地动。大宝说：“好！我等了一整年啦。机器最公平，它才不管你是谁。”
嘀嗒骨碌碌滚到大宝面前：“狮头。”滚到皮皮面前：“狮尾。”又滚到小林面前：“不是舞狮的。”小林的下巴抖了抖，躲到皮皮身后。大宝好心地说：“你看，机器就这么说。”
皮皮直跺脚：“嘀嗒要听我的！谁来舞狮头？我！快说狮头！”嘀嗒说：“狮尾。”皮皮跺呀跺，筛子滑下来，挡住了眼睛。汤圆摇了摇尾巴。嘀嗒对它说：“狮尾。”嗯，这倒没说错。
“嘀嗒，看我跳！”皮皮又蹦又摇，嗷呜嗷呜地吼，跳了最棒的狮子舞。嘀嗒的小珠子只动了一下。“狮尾。”嘀嗒说。跳一次不够呀。大宝在嘀嗒的铜盖子上咚咚地敲。嘀嗒说：“铃。”快到中午了。
皮皮坐在后门台阶上，一页一页翻着老相册。每个狮头都是大男孩，每个狮尾也是大男孩。女孩子和小不点儿，全都站在旁边看。“嘀嗒是看这些照片学的，可照片里没有我们！”
皮皮跳起来：“快！我们要找所有舞狮的人的照片！”小林跑回了家。大宝在口袋里摸呀摸。皮皮跑到长凳边。那儿有一个旧相框，一直脸朝下躺着，奶奶总说哪天再修。皮皮把它翻了过来。
照片上是一个戴圆眼镜的小女孩，高高举着狮头，张大嘴巴吼。“这是谁呀？”皮皮问。奶奶的脸一下子红了：“是我呀。我五岁的时候，舞过狮头呢。”“能给嘀嗒看看吗？”皮皮问。奶奶笑了：“可以。”
皮皮把照片在长凳上排成一排：“大家看！这些，嘀嗒从来没见过。”小珠子咔嗒咔嗒地动。嘀嗒滚到小林面前：“狮尾。”滚到皮皮面前：“狮头。”滚到大宝面前：“狮头。”
中午到了，新磨坊的大水车慢慢转了起来。大宝抓起鼓槌：“皮皮，你舞狮头吧，我最爱打鼓啦！”鼓咚咚地响起来。龚爷爷喊：“谁来舞狮头？”“我们来！”狮头高高地举起来，小林摇起了狮子尾巴。
那天晚上，奶奶终于把旧相框修好了。她用一根新绳子，把它挂在皮皮的床边。两个舞狮头的人，挨在一起。“晚安，嘀嗒。”嘀嗒说：“狮头。”皮皮说：“还有狮尾。”汤圆摇了摇尾巴。