But if they left in the morning, it's been a whole day now. If they went to town, they should have been back by now.

Could it be that you bought a lot of things, which is why you couldn't get back in time?

Su Yueya was a little puzzled, but she didn't think too much about it. She reheated the lunch, set aside half of it as usual, and sat in the courtyard to cool off after dinner.

After finishing their meals, most villagers would sit under the old locust tree at the village entrance and chat. Su Yueya's house was not far from the village entrance, and when the gate was open, one could vaguely hear many people chatting.

Fanning himself with a fan, he found it quite leisurely.

At this time of day, Su Yueya would usually be tidying up the house. She does most of the housework, from top to bottom.

When she's busy, Zhang Cuihua will lend a hand.

It's been a long time since I've had a day like this, where I haven't done much work.

However, most of the things in the house had been packed, and some clothes and bedding had been packed away. There were too many to carry, so Su Yueya felt a little sorry for them. She quietly put them in the closet, planning to secretly put them into her space before leaving, so that she could buy fewer things when she went to the army.

Pots and pans, newly made quilts, and clothes made before the New Year—Su Yueya pondered these things in her mind.

Time passed slowly, the sound of cicadas seemed to grow louder, while the voices of people outside grew fainter.

Su Yueya suddenly stood up and looked at the clock in the main room.

It was already 10 p.m., and the clock had just struck ten.

Zhang Cuihua and Liu Dekai, however, have not yet returned home.

Something's not right!

Su Yueya frowned and simply went out.

Knocking on her neighbor's door, Su Yueya asked, "Sister Li, did you see where my mother-in-law and husband went today?"

"No, I haven't seen it all day."

Su Yueya's heart sank. After thanking him, she turned and walked towards the village entrance.

There were still four people at the village entrance at this time. The lights at the village entrance are usually turned off at 11 o'clock, so there were still a few people there.

Su Yueya walked over and asked, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Chen, have you seen my mother-in-law or my husband Liu Dekai today?"

Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Chen thought for a moment, then shook their heads, indicating that they had never seen them before.

Uncle Li, who was sitting on the big rock, seemed to remember something. "I didn't see them today, but last night, when I went out to pee, I saw them leaving their houses with big bags and small packages, as if they were leaving the village directly."

Grandpa Zhang: "Hey, what are you doing out of the village in the middle of the night?"

Aunt Chen: "He's going out overnight, carrying big bags and small bags. Is Liu's son in a hurry to go to work? Aren't there time restrictions for military personnel returning to visit their families?"

Aunt Wang: "That doesn't make sense. If they left with all their bags, why hasn't Crescent Moon left yet?"

The others thought it made sense, and they all looked at Su Yueya.

At this moment, Su Yueya's expression was not good.

She had her suspicions, but since there was no confirmation yet, she said, "Grandpa and Grandma, you two continue chatting, I'm going home now."

Even after walking quite a distance, you can still hear the voices behind you.

"Old Li, did you really see it? Cuihua and her son, carrying things on their backs?"

"How could it be fake? I saw it with my own eyes!"

Upon returning home, Su Yueya immediately went to check the things in the room.

Sure enough, all the simple clothes and valuables that my mother-in-law and husband had packed were gone.

Zhang Cuihua and Liu Dekai disappeared early this morning and haven't shown up all day, which is abnormal in itself.

But Su Yueya subconsciously thought that this was their home and that they couldn't possibly abandon her, so she stayed at home as usual.

But now, some villagers have seen them leaving late at night carrying large and small bags, they must be heading back to Liu Dekai's troops!

Su Yueya sat blankly on the edge of the bed, her initial disbelief giving way to shock and a deep sense of grievance.

How could they do this to themselves?

Liu Dekai and she were childhood sweethearts, growing up in this village. Three years ago, after they got married, he received news that he was going to join the army. In the past three years, she has worked tirelessly, taking care of her mother-in-law and managing the household.

Now that things are finally looking up, why are they doing this?

Su Yueya couldn't understand it at all.

But is it possible that they did go shopping, but something happened that delayed their journey home?

The town isn't far from the village, and besides, there's an oxcart to ride every day, so it's impossible that he didn't come back for a whole day.

Or should we just call the police?

Su Yueya was so annoyed that she simply stopped thinking about it and went to sleep.

She didn't sleep well that night.

The next morning at five o'clock, Su Yueya got up early, made breakfast, and after eating, she went out to the village entrance.

There are oxcarts going to town every day; if you get up early, you can catch one.

Su Yueya went to town and went straight to the police station.

She had made up her mind. She couldn't do anything by herself, so she decided to seek help from the police.

The police officers on duty quickly took Su Yueya inside and then questioned her.

"Hello, my husband is a soldier. He came home a couple of days ago and stayed for a day. Yesterday, he and my mother-in-law disappeared, and no one in the village has seen him either. It has been a day and a night now."

“My husband’s name is Liu Dekai. He is a deputy battalion commander in the army. We live in Sangouzi Village.”

Su Yueya told the whole story in detail.

After hearing this, the police officer asked, "Did you bring your marriage certificate?"

Marriage certificate?

She and Liu Dekai rushed to get married before she joined the army, so they could only hold a wedding ceremony but did not register their marriage.

"Madam?" The police officer's probing gaze fell on her.

Su Yueya stammered, and finally blushed as she spoke, "My husband left in a hurry to join the army, so we only had a wedding banquet and didn't get our marriage certificate."

In rural areas, people only look at the wedding banquet and rarely at the marriage certificate. Most couples hold the banquet first and then get the marriage certificate. Some even get the certificate after the baby is born.

Su Yueya quickly explained, "In the countryside, people hold banquets. Once a banquet is held, we are considered family, and with the whole village as witnesses, we are husband and wife. We originally planned to get our marriage certificate after the banquet, but they were in a hurry and left that very night, so we didn't have time to get the certificate."

“Liu Dekai and I were childhood sweethearts and from the same village. Everyone knew we were husband and wife. He went to serve in the army for three years and finally came back. He said he wanted to take me back to the army and get a marriage certificate.”

"But who knew that before he even left, he disappeared, and so did my mother-in-law whom I had served for three years."

As Su Yueya spoke, she felt anxious and distressed, and her eyes reddened.

The police officer was completely dumbfounded; he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

But once you hear that, you know what's going on.

Even if they've been married for three years, they haven't registered their marriage or had a de facto relationship. If one party denies it, the relationship is difficult to establish.

Furthermore, this man surnamed Liu went to serve in the army for three years, only stayed for two days after returning, and then disappeared with his mother. Isn't it obvious that he doesn't want this woman anymore?