At four in the morning,

before the break of dawn,

I dug up the buried shotgun under the old locust tree.

Carefully wiping off the dirt from the cloth, I held it tightly and went out.

I didn't dare to turn on the flashlight along the way, feeling my way in the dark until I reached the familiar haystack.

Putting the gun aside, I pulled out some grass and made a simple straw man.

The forest was quiet, not even a bird chirping.

"Brother?" Suddenly, a voice rang out, and instinctively, I picked up the gun.

In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly, but from the voice, I could tell it was my cousin.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Isn't that what I should be asking?" my cousin replied.

"I came here for a serious matter. Xiaoqiang's situation reminded me, and I wanted to recreate the scene of that night in junior high school."

"Recreate?" My cousin was puzzled.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't hit anyone that night because I probably couldn't, or rather, I couldn't hit."

"What do you mean?"

I picked up the straw man and said to my cousin, "Wait for me here."

I ran to the lake, recalling the situation from that day and fixing it on the ground with a tree branch.

Then I ran back to the haystack.

Picking up the gun, aiming, and pulling the trigger.

The flame and the sound appeared simultaneously.

Then I fired a few more shots. "First of all, it's highly unlikely that I could hit. You know my marksmanship. Secondly, it's very likely that the shotgun doesn't have such a long range."

"I'll go out and take a look, and you try shooting a few more times." After saying that, my cousin ran out.

I tried shooting a few more times, and my cousin came back, saying, "From the shots just now, it's indeed not enough distance, a bit off."

"It would be even harder to hit if the range is not enough. As for what I saw that night, something falling down, it might have been an illusion."

My cousin hesitated, "Or maybe it wasn't an illusion."

I was startled, "What do you mean?"

"Brother, let me make it clear, I've never lied to you. When I went to see that night, there was indeed no one, but I saw some bloodstains."

"Bloodstains?" My pupils contracted. "You mean, Fool?"

"Yes, these past few days, I've thought a lot. Since Xiaoqiang had an accident, the only possibility for him to come back here is if Fool is the one who killed him. I can't hide it from you anymore. I didn't sleep all night and waited at your doorstep since four or five in the morning."

"How come I didn't see you when I came out?"

"It was dark, and I didn't expect you to leave so early. When I saw you holding the gun, I thought you were going to turn yourself in, which scared me. I followed you, and if you were going to turn yourself in, I had to stop you."

"I see. Actually, I had the same suspicion, but why did Xiaoqiang die?" I frowned.

Suddenly, I thought of something and looked at my cousin, "Was it you?"

My cousin had no expression, and it was hard to tell.

"Among the people who played cards with us on the evening of the fourth, was there someone who mentioned Fool's disappearance?"

"You saw the bloodstains, and you know something must have happened. There were only three of us that day. When we came back, you even borrowed a gun from Xiaoqiang to test him." I found it unbelievable.

"I knew he was suspicious, but I didn't find out by testing him. I noticed that he changed his clothes. If, as he said, he came back before the heavy rain, then his clothes would definitely be dry. I paid attention, and indeed, his clothes were dry, but it wasn't the same outfit as in the afternoon. Although the style was exactly the same, this set of clothes seemed... too clean." My cousin said.

"After coming back from the forest in the afternoon, he was so dirty, so it's reasonable to change clothes when he came back."

"Yes, but usually, he wouldn't deliberately change into an almost identical outfit. Someone like Xiaoqiang wouldn't wear the same clothes twice in a row."

"So he lied."

"Yes. I concluded that Fool was probably killed by him."

I suddenly found it hard to believe, "So you killed him?"

"I didn't." My cousin answered firmly.

"I don't believe it!" At that moment, my head felt like it was about to explode.

I raised the gun and pointed it at my cousin, "Tell me the truth. Let's turn ourselves in. I don't want you to live in the shadow for the rest of your life just because you thought I might have killed Fool. I haven't been sleeping well these days, and I can't even look others in the eye."

My cousin froze, "I really didn't, brother."

"Tell the truth, little brother. When the time comes, just say it was an accident. I'll testify for you." I could feel my hand holding the gun trembling.

"Brother, calm down first. Can you please put the gun down?" My cousin's tone was pleading.

I threw the gun on the pile of grass beside me.

Seeing me throw the gun, my cousin visibly relaxed. It wasn't that he really believed I would shoot, but he was afraid of an accidental discharge. "Listen to me. After I heard that Xiaoqiang knew about Fool's disappearance, I thought he might come back. I came here early on the fifth, but I didn't expect to really encounter him. But I really didn't kill him. I don't know how he..."

Before my cousin could finish speaking, a third person's voice came from the woods—

"Are you guys playing a game?"