A lonely, unlucky military officer with a stubborn fate insisted on marrying me.

As the car pulled up to the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, a man in a blue shirt came to greet us.

"Commander Li, I've finally been waiting for you! I'm Old Zhou from the Civil Affairs Bureau. I received a call from Political Commissar Huang late last night, so I came here early this morning to wait for you."

"Thank you for your help, Director Zhou."

Li Jinye squeezed his hand, then stepped aside to let Lin Yinyin stand in front of him. "This is my lover, Lin Yinyin."

"Hello, Comrade Lin! You two are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman!" Director Zhou praised with a smile, his gaze falling on the basket, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, you even brought auspicious eggs? That's a very good omen!"

Lin Yinyin's cheeks flushed, and she quickly handed over two auspicious eggs: "Director Zhou, please try some, and share in the joy."

"Alright! Thanks for Comrade Lin's kind words!"

Director Zhou took the photo and put it in his pocket, then led the two inside. "The backdrop for the photos has already been prepared. Let's take the pictures first. I've had the registration paperwork taken care of in advance, so I guarantee it'll be quick!"

Lin Yinyin followed behind, feeling very embarrassed.

Getting a marriage certificate has caused such a stir that the director of the Civil Affairs Bureau had to work overtime and even had Political Commissar Huang personally intervene. How many people did Li Jinye cause trouble for last night?

She tugged at Li Jinye's sleeve and whispered, "Aren't you making a huge fuss?"

Li Jinye looked down at her, a smile in his eyes: "My wife is worth it." The key was that he didn't have time; he had to rush back immediately!

While taking photos, the photographer shouted, "You two, get closer!"

Li Jinye put his arm around her waist, and Lin Yinyin leaned close to his shoulder. Both of them smiled.

The formalities were completed quickly. When the marriage certificate was handed to her, Lin Yinyin practically snatched it, saying, "I'll keep it safe."

As he walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Li Jinye's voice was full of reluctance: "Wife, I have to go."

Lin Yinyin looked up at him, wanting to tell him, "I'm pregnant with your child," but the words stuck in her throat.

"Be careful. When you come back, I have something to tell you."

"Okay. Yinyin, if you encounter any problems or have any needs, just ask Chi Peng, Gao Ming, Brigade Commander Zheng, or Political Commissar Huang. They will all help you. I've already spoken to them, so you can rest assured."

Lin Yinyin's heart was burning. How many people had Li Jinye alarmed last night! And now he'd even arranged her escape route.

"Go ahead and relax. What you should be worried about are the people who have offended me. After all, I am now the legitimate wife of Commander Li!"

These words reached Li Jinye's ears, and his dark eyes were filled with tenderness: "Okay, my commander's wife."

I really have to go now. Stay home and wait for me to come back.

Lin Yinyin stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yes. I will."

The moment the car started, Li Jinye reluctantly leaned out and waved to her.

Lin Yinyin stood there, watching until the jeep disappeared from sight, before turning her gaze away.

She touched her lower abdomen and whispered, "Baby, Daddy has gone on a mission. We'll wait for him to come back."

She glanced at her watch; it was only 5:30. She had plenty of time, so she decided to check out the black market first!

***

black market.

Lin Yinyin wore a scarf as she wandered through the alley.

Her goal this time was to look at jade artifacts of good quality.

Now that the three acres of land in the space are all planted, she's wondering if she can upgrade it again.

But she searched around twice and still couldn't find it. Doesn't the black market do this kind of business?

Just as she hesitated, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Lin Hui? What are you doing here?"

Lin Yinyin turned around and saw Li Juan standing not far away, carrying a cloth bag. She immediately smiled.

"Li Juan, what a coincidence! I was just thinking of going to the supply and marketing cooperative to find you later."

"Looking for me?" Li Juan's eyes lit up. "The brown sugar mooncakes you mentioned last time have arrived?"

"We've arrived, but can you get a cardboard box or a metal box?"

"You want to package the mooncakes into gift boxes?"

Lin Yinyin thought Li Juan was very quick-witted and reacted instantly.

"Exactly. A metal box would be best."

"If it's cardboard boxes, I know; my relative at the cardboard box factory can help me get them. But for metal boxes, metal is strictly controlled; you have to ask the black market boss for channels."

"Do you know the head of the black market?" Lin Yinyin immediately grasped the crux of the matter.

"I......"

Lin Yinyin noticed that Li Juan was a little embarrassed to speak, so she took out a mooncake from her spatial storage.

Fortunately, she thought the mooncakes took up too much space, so she casually put a hundred yuan into her spatial storage, which came in handy now.

"Li Juan, try this first."

Li Juan took the mooncake, took a bite, and her eyes lit up instantly: "Sweet but not cloying! The crust is so flaky it crumbles, and the brown sugar filling inside has a slightly caramelized aroma. It's even better than the pastries I had in Haishi!"

"This is a family heirloom craft," Lin Yinyin said, half-jokingly.

"My cost is 30 cents per box. How about we collaborate on making gift boxes?"

A box contains eight mooncakes, sixteen pieces of brown sugar, and a piece of donkey-hide gelatin. The outside is decorated with the four large characters "Good Fortune Continues" written on red paper—a festive and presentable gift.

Li Juan immediately became interested upon hearing this. As a saleswoman at the supply and marketing cooperative, she knew all too well the ins and outs of the business.

These days, mooncakes and brown sugar require coupons, and tin packaging is already rare, not to mention the highly nutritious donkey-hide gelatin. Coupons for donkey-hide gelatin are incredibly hard to come by! Whether it's a wedding gift or a visit to relatives, giving this as a present is sure to impress!

The thing is... she can get brown sugar, but donkey-hide gelatin and tin boxes are hard to come by, especially donkey-hide gelatin, which requires foreign exchange drafts.

Li Juan also voiced her concerns.

Lin Yinyin made a "six" gesture.

"I have six foreign exchange drafts, enough to buy six boxes of donkey-hide gelatin."

One box contains twelve pieces, enough to package seventy-two gift sets. If we don't have enough donkey-hide gelatin, we'll make two tiers: one with donkey-hide gelatin and a higher-priced one without, offering a more affordable option—we'll adjust flexibly.

"You even have foreign exchange drafts?" Li Juan was surprised. She hadn't expected Lin Yinyin to have such unconventional methods.

Foreign exchange drafts are only available to people who have made contributions to the country and have certain social status and backgrounds.

"If these could be sold as a set, how much would one set cost?"

"The price depends on the cost of the box. I think the markup should be at least two or three times the cost!"

She spearheaded a high-end campaign, promoting brown sugar as a blood tonic and creating a concept of nourishing women.

"Okay!" Li Juan felt that it would be a fool not to make money! She used to work as a seamstress at the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Should I go find my boyfriend?"

"Your boyfriend?" Lin Yinyin immediately grasped the key information.

"Well, not really. It's someone who's been pursuing me lately. He's a small-time boss in the black market, so he has a lot of connections."

"That's amazing!"

Lin Yinyin was very happy. Li Juan really is a treasure!

"Sister Juan, we'll split the profits equally afterwards."

"Sure! I'll also be in charge of sales!"

Thus, the two reached a preliminary agreement: "Then Sister Juan, you go find someone, and I'll wait for you at the pork stall up ahead."

"Okay! Wait for me!"

Lin Yinyin was in a very good mood at the moment, and even bought five catties of pork belly from the pork vendor. She wanted to eat braised pork belly for dinner!

However, just as she was paying, a man called out to her!

"Comrade Lin!"

Lin Yinyin turned around and saw a tall man carrying a wild boar.