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

"That's right," Tsai Chin said, cracking sunflower seeds. "Old Huang has been doing ideological work for so many years, he could tell something was wrong at a glance."

The boy's neck was covered in red marks, which couldn't be hidden no matter how high he pulled his collar. Having been on the neighborhood committee for so many years, I'm well-informed. So I went to find out what was going on. Apparently, Zhou Haimei had invited him to dinner last night, and they both drank too much and ended up not separating at all.

Political Commissar Huang took over the conversation, his face darkening: "Li Jianjun is a battalion commander, an active-duty officer. Such misconduct during his marriage is punishable according to regulations. He's currently in solitary confinement, awaiting further processing."

Lin Yinyin then realized why he had brought up divorce; he was afraid of receiving a harsher punishment from the military.

Political Commissar Huang looked at Lin Huizhi and continued, "Comrade Lin, I'm sorry to have wronged you. Originally, I saw that you were determined to get a divorce, and Li Jianjun was quite diligent in his post. Although he hasn't made any progress over the years, he hasn't made any mistakes."

I just wanted to help if I could. Going through the military's agency process is faster, which will not only free you up sooner but also minimize any negative public opinion.

So this morning, when Li Jinye went to complete the marriage registration, I took the opportunity to call Director Zhou and ask him to also process your divorce.

Lin Huizhi couldn't quite describe her feelings after hearing this; she felt neither the relief she had expected nor the elation of liberation.

It's like going through a long rainy season; the rain has stopped, leaving only a sense of peace.

The only thing that affected her mood was the day of her divorce, which happened to be the same day as her sister's wedding. It was like the end of the old and the beginning of the new.

Lin Yinyin, standing next to her, was overjoyed.

"Oh, Political Commissar Huang, thank you so much! This will help my sister get rid of that rubbish sooner and start a new life!"

"Indeed." Commissar Huang was infected by her energy.

"Your personality is exactly as Lao Zheng described. He said you are lively and cheerful, and your actions have a touch of avant-garde. After meeting you today, I can confirm that he truly lives up to his reputation."

He changed the subject and added, "By the way, Old Zheng mentioned to me before that you not only have a good temperament, but you're also incredibly skillful. The bow and arrow you made yourself out of wood not only has a long range, but the force and angle also have a clever touch. He's always praised you for your talent."

"Ah, that's because Commander Zheng thinks highly of me. I was just thinking about it for fun."

"Comrade Xiaolin, don't be modest. Brigade Commander Zheng was on a mission recently and happened to show off your bow and arrows."

Unexpectedly, the colleagues at the research institute immediately took a liking to it. They said my design concept could provide a lot of inspiration for their research, and they borrowed it directly for reference.

"Huh? You can do that?" Lin Yinyin was also surprised, but she could understand.

That bow may look simple, but it actually contains a lot of ingenuity accumulated over many years of post-apocalyptic life. It's not surprising that it was appreciated by professionals.

However, she still said some polite things.

"The colleagues at the research institute are too kind to me. If my little bit of cleverness can really help the research institution, it would be my honor."

Tsai Chin nodded in agreement, "Look at this grand vision! No wonder Li Jinye cherishes you so much."

Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Huizhi gently nudged her sister's arm: "It's getting late, we should go back now, so as not to disturb the political commissar and sister-in-law's rest any longer."

"Yes, yes, we'll take our leave now!" Lin Yinyin quickly chimed in.

"Oh, come visit me anytime! But please don't bring anything!" Tsai Chin said politely.

After the two left, Lin Yinyin couldn't wait to take out the passbook.

The darkness of the sky couldn't hide Lin Yinyin's gleaming eyes.

8000 yuan!

Li Jinye has so much money!

"Sis! I struck gold! Here's 8000 yuan!"

"Keep your voice down!" Lin Huizhi looked around, thankfully no one could hear her.

"Yinyin, this money represents Li Jinye's savings accumulated over many years. The army's funds are earned through blood and tears, so we can't waste it!"

"Sis, are you even my real sister? It seems like you're more on Li Jinye's side!"

"I'm fair and impartial, not biased."

Marriage is about two people living together, not one-sided sacrifice. He's given you all his savings because he trusts you and cherishes you; you must be worthy of his kindness!

"Pshaw! What's his is mine, and what's mine is mine too. The child in my belly is mine as well. All this money will be spent on the child. Let's see if he dares to say a word against it!"

"If he's so capable, let him come back and say no to me right now!"

Lin Huizhi poked her forehead helplessly: "You!"

When the two returned home, Wang Erhua and Lin Dani were both asleep. Lin Huizhi quietly heated up a bowl of yam soup for Lin Yinyin. "Drink it quickly, it will replenish your energy."

Lin Yinyin scooped a spoonful of soup and held it to Lin Huizhi's lips, saying, "Sister, you should drink some too, let's nourish ourselves together."

"good!"

That night, the two sisters slept in the same room again, and slept very soundly and relaxed.

The next day, after breakfast, Lin Yinyin accompanied Wang Erhua and Lin Dani to the train station.

Just before entering the station, she took out a tightly wrapped wad of money from her cloth bag and handed it over: "Aunt Erhua, please take this four hundred yuan."

The three hundred is for buying Master Fu's three recipes, fifty is the deposit for ordering two hundred mooncakes, and the remaining fifty is a tip for your hard work.

"No, no, no!" Wang Erhua immediately refused. "Fifty yuan is no small amount. I'm just helping out with errands, how can I take so much!"

"You deserve it."

Lin Yinyin forcefully stuffed the money into her hand, her tone firm, "You not only help me oversee the mooncake production, but you also have to persuade Master Fu to sell his gifts. Social obligations require money, and you've learned a skill this time, so you'll be teaching us when you get back. This isn't just for you, it's for Da Ni too! Auntie, listen to me, take this fifty yuan."

Wang Erhua wanted to refuse, but Lin Yinyin added, "Aunt Erhua, don't think I'll keep giving you this much in the future. This is just a one-time buyout! There won't be another one like this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; you won't get much money from monthly wages later!"

Wang Erhua felt even more guilty seeing Lin Yinyin's expression and wanted to refuse. But Lin Yinyin interrupted her, "Auntie, please accept it for the sake of the child!"

Don't worry! I married a rich military officer, very rich indeed!

Lin Dani, standing beside her, also had tears in her eyes. She wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

Lin Yinyin patted her hand. "Let's go, hurry up! Make sure you have your money safe so no one steals it!"

Wang Erhua wiped away her tears. "Don't worry, Yinyin, we'll be back soon! Your kindness will be remembered!"

Lin Dani bowed and the two left.

Actually, Lin Yinyin did this because she had guessed something.

Wang Erhua came in such a hurry this time, partly because she was worried about transporting the mooncakes, and partly because she thought that Lin Dani's marriage had probably gone wrong.

Wang Erhua has many brothers in her family. She is a feisty and capable woman, but she can't stand her husband's old-fashioned ways.

Farmers don't earn much money all year round, and their daughters' marriages are often hindered by the dowry.

This fifty yuan is both a reward for their hard work and a source of confidence for the mother and daughter.

She genuinely hoped that Lin Dani wouldn't let fifty yuan lead to misfortune in her life.

What Lin Yinyin didn't know was that things were pretty much as she had guessed.

Lin Dani's father had his eye on a family. Although the man was able-bodied, he had five bachelor brothers who were hoping that Lin Dani would marry into the family and become their slaves.

It was this unexpected fifty yuan "confidence money" that made Wang Erhua stand tall again.

Upon returning to the village, she immediately gathered her eight brothers' wives, bringing money and people, and threatened them: "Da Ni is going to the city to learn a trade. I'll pay you eight yuan a month for her wages. If you force her to marry someone else, I'll divorce you!"

When Lin Dani's father saw that she was serious, and thought about the eight yuan a month wage, wouldn't she be able to earn back the 50 yuan dowry in four months? Then she could just save and make money from then on! Thus, these fifty yuan completely changed Lin Dani's fate.