The Accidental Shot

Name: The Accidental Shot
ISBN: 9787802044937

Xu DahuiApr 2023

3.4

Word count: 225K words
Chapters: 25
ISBN: 9787802044937

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Summary

A gun goes off accidentally, and a younger brother shoots his elder brother dead. The younger brother vows to care for his sister-in-law and his two young nephews, and, out of guilt and a desire for atonement, marries his sister-in-law, who is seven years his senior. But this marriage between a man and his brother's widow meets with suspicion and rejection from the world. When his sister-in-law suddenly falls gravely ill, he uses public funds from his workplace and is sentenced to three years in prison. Outside the prison walls, his sister-in-law runs into an old classmate who had courted her in school; he helps her warmly, and the two grow close. After his release, everything has changed: his sister-in-law leaves him, yet he keeps his promise as always. A beautiful young woman loves him and vigorously supports him in starting a business; their love is pure, noble, and soul-stirring, and the unexpected ending brings tears to one's eyes.

Editor's review

Zouhuo (A Gun Goes Off) turns an accident into a long-term moral wound: after the shot is fired, those left alive must repay it with marriage, money, and long years. The novel’s greatest strength is that it renders atonement as daily life—caring for a sister-in-law and nephew, sustaining a marriage no one blesses, losing one’s freedom between the workplace and prison, and then, after release, facing a world utterly changed. The author makes the characters choose again and again between duty and feeling, while others’ suspicion, illness, and separation become tests of their promises. The narration is somber and restrained, the plot unfolds steadily, and the characters carry no simple labels of good and evil; reading it feels like reality slowly tightening its grip. It suits a quiet, uninterrupted block of reading time, and afterward one may well ask: when the cost of a promise exceeds expectation, is keeping it noble, or another form of self-imprisonment? Readers who enjoy family ethics, fated lives, and moral interrogation will find rich rewards in this book.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy family-ethics novels and realistic long-form fiction
Readers interested in themes of atonement, responsibility, and the boundaries of kinship
Readers looking for a steadily paced story with a strong sense of character fate
Readers who want to ponder moral dilemmas and human choices through reading

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light, sweet romance or fast-paced, gratifying fiction
Readers sensitive to heavy plot elements such as a brother’s widow remarrying within the family or imprisonment
Readers expecting pure suspense, mystery, or gunfight action

Reading tips

Read along the timeline first, and watch how the “gun going off” changes the course of two families.
At key moments such as the marriage to the sister-in-law or the imprisonment over public funds, pause to consider the characters’ motives and the price they pay.
Compare others’ gossip with the protagonist’s choices to sense where the ethical pressure comes from.
At the end, look back at the promises made earlier and judge whether this is redemption or self-binding.

第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
第十六章
第十七章
第十八章
第十九章
第二十章
第二十一章
第二十二章
第二十三章
第二十四章
第二十五章

FAQ

What is this book mainly about?

It is about a family upheaval caused by an accidental gun discharge, and how the younger brother marries his sister-in-law to atone, cares for his nephew, and repeatedly honors his promise amid public censure, imprisonment, and emotional upheaval. At its core is the tension among duty, guilt, and the human heart.

How should the brother-and-sister-in-law marriage thread be understood?

It should not be read merely as an emotional gimmick. It is both the younger brother’s way of atoning and the starting point from which the two bear the world’s suspicion together; as illness, imprisonment, and separation unfold, this relationship is continually tested by reality. Watch for each character’s particular difficulties.

Is the ending a happy one?

From the synopsis, the ending carries surprise and sorrow and is not a simple reunion. The younger brother keeps his promise, the sister-in-law leaves, and a new love appears; these threads intertwine as a question of whether a promise can withstand fate. Do not assume a happy ending.

Do I need to know the author’s other works before reading?

No. The story begins with an accident, and the relationships unfold within the text, so it can be read independently. If you are familiar with similar family-ethics novels, you will more easily settle into its somber narrative rhythm.

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About the author

Xu Dahui Author · Chinese · 1956

Xu Dahui, who also writes under the pen names Yanweizi and Zhengyan, was born in September 1956 in Shuangliao, Jilin. He is a member of the China Writers Association and holds a second-level literary creation professional title. He graduated from the Jilin Writers Advanced Study College in 1987 and has served as deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine Guandong Writers and as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Siping Writers Association. He began publishing in 1976 and has written 42 novels, including Undercover, Fleeing, The Rival and Snow Wolf, several of which have been adapted for television. His work spans otherworld fantasy, social fiction, mystery and suspense, and documentary literature. Representative titles include Risking Life, Snow Wolf, Huazi House, Control, Betrayal, Gunpoint, The Last Opium Pipe and Wolf Smoke, with 22 titles held in the collection. His writing tends toward tight plotting and sharp conflict, often moving between suspense and social reality.