As soon as the winter comes, the old houses of Kagawa Castle will erect lattice doors in front of the halls, and they will not be removed until the cold of spring is over. My family evacuated especially late, because in the winter and spring, there were always strange guests visiting outside the lattice door, and my grandfather would always come out to entertain in person, and although he was very polite, he never invited these guests into the house. This situation lasted until the beginning of April, so the cute green early spring scenery in childhood memories is always inlaid in the window panes with patterns such as bats Fang Sheng, swasten characters and peaches.

However, whenever I asked, my family would always be very confused and say that I had never encountered this kind of thing, since it was a guest, I should knock on the door, and besides, the lattice door was obviously not closed during the day after the beginning of spring; Only my grandfather would take a sip of tea slowly, shaking his head in a thoughtful way: "It's not enough for outsiders...... Got it, Firewing, Icefin! ”

Although my father is a fake twin, Ice Fin and I are often treated as twins, and I was born a month earlier; It was all because my grandfather followed the old rules of making us both wear ear-length hair, wear old clothes, and call each other the very, very difficult names to write. If these rules were violated, the grandfather, who was usually very mild-mannered, would be furious, and say that older people have the same temper as children, as if they were a different person, and this is not true at all.

But then we realized that there was a reason for my grandfather's rules......

I remember that in the early spring afternoon when I was a child, I hated napping, and I often sneaked into the study to pestering my grandfather to tell stories after the ice fin fell asleep; At this time, the lilac outside the sunny window is adorned with fluffy light pink flower bulbs, and a refreshing citrus-like aroma wafts from the dark green leaves with gold edges. My grandfather always sat leisurely under the dappled shadow of flowers, with a wisp of tea smoke rippling in front of him. In the warm sunshine, I ate sweets and cakes and listened to stories, so I simply fell asleep on my grandfather's lap -

However, there are occasional exceptions, I remember that the day before a certain flower festival, when I came to the study, I found that the ice fin snoozing insect was one step ahead of me, and was leaning down against my grandfather's left hand, as if I had been wronged. As soon as I saw him, I immediately turned on a tiger face - I deserve it, who let him stain my new clothes!

In order to go out tomorrow, my mother specially sewed two small jackets with lion patterns for us; Yesterday, I took it to dry after the pulp, but I didn't expect to find that it was all sprinkled with blue ink early this morning, how can I wear it out of the door! Recall that Ice Fin was secretly playing with his grandmother's Tongcao Flower Dye last night, and there was no one else, he must have splashed it! Seeing that the good new clothes had become like this, I immediately pulled my aunt over, and my aunt frowned and looked at it carefully for a while, and then scolded Bingfin very harshly.

Bingfin suffered a loss, of course he won't give up, but even if he complains to his grandfather, it's useless, it's obvious that he's wrong!

I was about to count the icefins, but my grandfather beckoned to him, and I had to staggered to his right hand. Looking at me, my grandfather couldn't help but laugh, he pulled me with one hand and the ice fin with the other: "Alas...... You two can't make any more trouble! Come on, pull hands! ”

I shook my hand in protest, but I reluctantly grabbed the ice fin in the face of my grandfather's threat of "I don't like you if I don't get along." But as soon as I touched his hand, I felt rough, and when I shook off him and looked down, even my fingers were black; This guy just went crazy there, and his hands were covered in dust! In the face of my dissatisfaction, Bingfin was fine, as if he had forgotten the scolding just now, and laughed vigorously.

"You guys, that's not going to work!" Grandfather smiled helplessly and made peace again, "Before I say yes, you must hold hands like this, no matter what happens, you must never let go!" Otherwise, I'll tell you the story of chopsticks a hundred times! ”

I quickly clenched my ice fins - I really liked my grandfather's story, but chopsticks were an exception! What a story of chopsticks and a pair of chopsticks, my grandfather told it seven or eight hundred times! Finally, I have to say "brothers work together, eat pears with tendons", I really don't know why the taste of adults is so strange, I don't think there is anything delicious about pears with tendons!

For the sake of immediate interests, I hurriedly expressed my friendly attitude to Bingfin, and when I saw that we were "harmonious", my grandfather began to tell the story with satisfaction. Among the guests outside the lattice door, there is a person who likes to eat nails, and if you meet this guest, don't invite him in, it is very easy to tell this guest - his nails are different from others......

Today, my grandfather's story was particularly boring, and when I heard it drowsy, I saw that we were absent-minded, so my grandfather sent the two out to play. I'm still angry about the new clothes, and I don't want to be with the ice fin at all, but I didn't hear my grandfather say that I could throw away my hand, so I had to hit my face hard and ignore it, but today this guy who is strong in the tip is a little strange, I glanced over from the corner of my eye, he was still smirking, I don't know what was wrong.

In this way, Ice Fin and I wandered awkwardly to the hall, which was usually warm and bright, but now it was cloudy and cold—and I don't know why, the lattice door was closed so tightly in broad daylight. But even then it shouldn't be so dark, it's a sunny afternoon, why is it as dark as the evening, has it changed? If the sky is cloudy now, there will be a strong wind tomorrow!

I looked up in confusion, only to find my mother standing outside the dark lattice window, with the gray sky behind her; She didn't speak, just smiled and leaned down to the pane. Maybe Mom is holding something, so she can't open the door! I hurriedly went to help, but I was dragged - I couldn't let go of the hand holding the ice fin!

I couldn't open the tall and heavy door with one hand, but I couldn't let my mother stand outside the door, so I shouted anxiously, "Can my mother come in by herself?" ”

"In that case, I'm in!" I only heard the sound of hula hula, maybe my mother was putting down something to attract the wind. When the strange noise stopped, Mom reached out and pushed the door against the lattice. At this moment, I saw an indigo shadow flash away......

The central door creaked open to both sides, and the vivid green color lit up my eyes at once—why was it gloomy when I looked through the pane of the window, even though it was a sunny day? But I couldn't do that much for a while, because my mother stood outside the door and opened her hands to me: "Come on...... Walk with Mom! ”

Do you want to go on a trip today? I immediately ran to my mother with cheers, forgetting about my new clothes. But Bingfin, this guy doesn't move like he is nailed to the ground, he must be jealous that his mother took me to play, and deliberately went against me! Although I really wanted to let go of my hand and leave him alone at home, my grandfather could always find out that we didn't follow his instructions, and if we showed the stuffing again this time, I was afraid that the story of chopsticks and the story of the nail eating guests would be bombarded in turn......

Seeing that I was not coming, my mother was a little anxious, she paced around the door a few times, and finally stepped over the threshold carefully as if she was afraid of falling, and poked out her toes to tap the ground, which was like walking on muddy ground. Once she was sure everything was in order, she hurried over and hugged me in one hand and ice fin in the other. It turned out to be taking us along! Although I was very angry and stained my new clothes, it was really not fun to go out on my own. Thinking of this, I shook my ice-fin hand and turned to him to make a grimace to show forgiveness, but he still smiled, not realizing my magnanimity.

But what surprised me even more was my mother's appearance - she picked us up gently and delicately, but instead of going out the door, she looked around and put us down. "What to do...... You can't take it away...... "Mom muttered in a low voice and changed directions, but picked up the ice fin alone; Just as I was wondering, my mother dropped him and picked me up. Before I could sit down in the crook of my arm, my mother put me down again, looked left and right in a circle, looked left and right for a while, and still picked up the two of us. I thought that after tossing for so long, we should be able to go out this time, but I didn't expect my mother to let us go to the ground in annoyance, and looked at us in a dilemma: "No, there are three......"

"Mom, hurry up! If you don't go out again, it's going to be dark! I was in a hurry to go green, and I couldn't help shaking my mother's wrist with my empty hand, but my attention was attracted by a blue shadow, no wonder there was a blue light when I just opened the door - my mother's hand is familiar to me, when did her fingertips actually dye indigo nails?

"Mommy's nails don't look good! I don't like it! "The desire to go out was not satisfied, and I immediately couldn't hold the cucumber and hugged the gourd, and yelled and complained.

"I don't like ......" Mom's expression was already anxious, but now she looked even more anxious, she kept repeating the fragmentary sentences, "What should I do, don't like me...... Can't take ...... with me."

How did Mom talk upside down today? My fingers clenched the ice fin unconsciously increased in force, and my eyes involuntarily chased after the strange green nails, watching them stop at my mother's lips......

Click-click-click...... Click-click-click...... A strange voice sounded, and a lock of indigo silk thread fell from the corner of her mother's mouth, and gradually fell onto the clothes on her chest, gradually fainting into a pool of dark blue water stains, which continued to spread......

I was wrong for the ice fins—because the water stains were the blue ink that splashed the two new jackets!

Click-click-click...... Click-click-click...... With this strange voice, Mom approached us again, and up close I could see what the blue thread was—Mom was biting her nails, and the deep blue blood was coming from the fingertips that the thread had bitten!

Not only the nails, but also the face of "Mom" has turned blue, is that because the color of blood is indigo, right?

- One of the guests is particularly fond of eating nails, so she must not be allowed in...... It's easy to tell her apart because her nails aren't the same as others...... She has a different -

Green nails!

Why didn't I remember it just now - in the story that I didn't listen to, the forbidden guest that my grandfather said had indigo nails!

I was so frightened that I was about to run, but Icefin seemed to be completely frightened, and he smirked and grabbed my hand and froze in place! Seeing the "mother" with blue nails getting closer and closer, I was so anxious that I cried: "You are not a mother!" ”

As soon as she heard this, "Mom" immediately stopped biting her nails and hurriedly came over to hug us: "It's Mom!" Walk with your mother......" and picked up the ice fin. The surroundings were darkened in an instant, and the wind swished into my neck, and the eyes that were fascinated by the gray sand finally managed to see clearly—it was not the sky that had changed at all, it was the huge cyan flesh wings behind "Mom" that covered the clear sky, and the wind from the gray wings blew the hall into a mess!

What to do, Ice Fin...... You're going to get caught by the blue nails!

I cried and grabbed my ice fin's fingers tightly - even if I was taken to the sky together, there was no way, I couldn't let go of my hand! My grandfather said that no matter what you encounter, you should never let go!

They all closed their eyes and resigned themselves to fate, but something unexpected happened - the "mother" with blue nails actually dropped her ice fin again as she did when she first entered the house! She flapped her wings and spun in circles with a blue face like crazy, biting her nails fiercely, and blue water stains splashed all over her body: "What should I do?" I can't hold it! Which is mine? There are three...... There are three babies! ”

"There's no baby for you here." In the chaotic sand, the smiling Ice Fin suddenly spoke, "Because you're a bird." ”

The frantic expression suddenly froze on the face of the blue nails, and at the same time, the wind set off by the giant wings stopped with a clatter, as if it had stepped on the brakes. The strange "mother" shrank sharply as if deflated, and turned into a big bird with indigo fingers and claws in the blink of an eye; With a bone-rubbing chirp from its short beak of the same color, the bird spread its wings and disappeared into the dazzling sunlight of the sky.

I couldn't even wipe the tears from my face, and I was so surprised that I couldn't even close my mouth - why did the "mother" with blue nails suddenly change when I heard the words "Gu Won Bird"? Ice Fin seemed to see through my question, but he still smirked and said slowly, "Because that's her real 'name'!" ”

This is not the sound of ice fins! It was also when I just shouted "Gu Won Bird", and it was clearly my grandfather's voice!

Before I could scream, the ice fins in hand gradually changed their appearance - how could I see it as a human? It's obviously a bamboo bone pasted with tissue paper tied into a lantern! The lamp is a fat boy sitting on a unicorn, smiling innocently, exactly the same as the "ice fin" just now!

"Huh? Firewing, why are you over there? Didn't I hold hands! The familiar voice came over the lanterns, and I saw Icefin's face with tears and mud on his face, and his mouth was screaming in surprise, asking me what was the use, and I wanted to know what was going on!

Somehow, Ice Fin and I were holding the paper boy's left and right hands, no wonder the green nails just said that there were "three" babies!

Throwing the lamp away, Icefin and I stuck out our tongues at each other and laughed - we must hurry up to the study and tell my grandfather what had just happened: we really ran into the guest who couldn't be invited in, and the two of us were going to kick her out together!

The afternoon sun was slanting and the air was filled with the fragrance of new grass, and under the verandah, my mother was taking back the two new clothes with a lion pattern, and she frowned at the sight of me.

"How can you lie?" My mother came over and nodded my forehead, "Why did you complain to your aunt that your brother had soiled your clothes, even though your clothes were clean?" If you bully your brother again, your mother won't like you! I hugged my forehead hand and giggled, but my mother couldn't guess why I was so happy—because her nails weren't blue!

Just as I was smiling, my aunt's scolding voice suddenly came from the room: "Bingfin, come here!" Look what the room looks like! I also turned out your delivery lamp, and I can't even say that I will go to the study! ”

I'm talking about the paper boy just now! From my point of view, he did look like an ice fin; But from the ice fins, it's me! "Why isn't it my child lamp?" I protested with some dissatisfaction.

My mother walked briskly to the house while packing up her clothes, and replied to me casually: "Because you are a girl, it is a unicorn lantern." Although she almost felt weak when she saw the messy hall, her mother still tried her best to comfort her aunt: "Chang Xia, maybe my grandfather just died, and the children missed him, so I turned out the Lantern Festival gift he gave ......"

"But Grandpa just told us the story!" Ice Fin pulled me back into the hall and pleaded unconvinced.

"Kaoru, look, this kid is too suspicious when he talks!" The aunt slapped the ice fin on the head as she spoke, but she had a fiery temper despite her weak appearance. The mother hurriedly went up to persuade her, so that the aunt was even more angry: "Nonsense child, let the owl catch you!" ”

"It's Gu Yu Bird! The green nail of the Gu Bird! I reminded loudly behind my back, looking at my mother and aunt who were surprised and annoyed, Bing Fin and I grimaced at my grandfather, who was standing at the door of the study without saying a word, and my grandfather smiled and hid in the shadow of the flowers under the south window, not to mention how proud that expression was!