I relied on a system to prolong my life in ancient times.

Chapter 188 Lü Tong's Thoughts

"Yue'er, were you happy today?" Lin Qin asked Xia Siyue after seeing the others off.

"I'm so happy, thank you, Mother." Xiao Siyue smiled sweetly. She loved Lin Qin's kind of maternal love, which made up for her lonely life in her previous life.

"Alas, it's a pity your brother is traveling abroad and can't make it back." Lin Qin sighed as she thought of her son.

"Mom, it's alright. My brother will definitely be there for my next birthday." Xiao Siyue didn't care about this.

“Yes, let’s go in.” Lin Qin thought about it and agreed. Actually, the reason she was celebrating Xiao Siyue’s birthday this time was because it was Xiao Siyue’s tenth birthday. Although Xiao Siyue had a system and her health had improved, she was still a little worried.

Seeing that her daughter is now healthy, she wanted to celebrate.

After the three of them went inside, they saw Xiao Qinian sitting upright in a chair.

"Father," Xiao Siyue called out.

"Yue'er, come and see, this is a gift your father prepared for you." Xiao Qinian took the gift box from Xing's hand and gave it to Xiao Siyue.

When Xiao Siyue opened it, she found that it was actually a house deed.

Xiao Siyue was puzzled; what was her father doing?

"Yue'er, this is a shop in our prefecture. Didn't you say before that you wanted to open a bookstore in the prefecture?" Xiao Qinian said with a smile.

Xiao Siyue instantly understood that now that the bookstore business in Qianyuan County had stabilized, she wanted to open branches in other places.

She had originally planned to have someone go to the prefectural city to look for a shop after her birthday, but she didn't expect her father to send it to her so soon.

"Thank you, Dad," Xiao Siyue said happily.

What they didn't notice was that when Lü Tong heard their words, a look that was hard to decipher flashed in her eyes.

After receiving the gifts, Xiao Siyue went back to her room. She had received gifts from her grandparents a while ago, and today she received gifts from her parents and friends.

Suddenly, Xiao Siyue remembered the gift Mu Li had mentioned earlier and became curious. She had originally wanted to see it, but Mu Li went to look at the oven instead, so she didn't.

She found the gift, which looked like a rather large box.

When Xiao Siyue opened it, she found a set of clothes, light green, with exquisite workmanship and a simple style, clearly made with great care.

Xiao Siyue liked it quite a bit. Just then, she discovered that there was a note inside the box.

After opening it and looking inside, I realized that the dress was made by Mu Li herself for Xiao Siyue.

This surprised Xiao Siyue greatly. She didn't expect that Mu Li, who was lively, energetic, and talkative, would have such a skill.

She could hardly believe it.

She'd known Mu Li for two years, and yet she hadn't noticed.

Xiao Siyue was pleasantly surprised and changed out of her clothes.

"Miss, you look really good in this outfit." Just then, Chun Tao came in from outside and saw Xiao Siyue admiring herself in front of the mirror, praising her.

"Right? This was a gift from Lili. She made it by hand." Xiao Siyue said with pride, as if she had made the clothes herself.

"Miss Mu's craftsmanship is truly excellent, and she treats you so well. This dress fits you perfectly," Chun Tao continued after hearing Xiao Siyue's words.

"Yes, these are all styles I like." Xiao Siyue turned around and liked them more and more from a distance. The clothes were just what she wanted, and she praised Mu Li in her heart. She was indeed her best friend.

"Yes, yes, Miss Mu knows your preferences very well." Chun Tao couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at her young lady. Her young lady usually acted like a tyrant, but now she seemed to be acting like someone her age.

Xiao Siyue thought to herself that she must cook something delicious for Mu Li next time.

Second day

When Xiao Siyue went to find Lin Qin, Lü Tong happened to be with Lin Qin.

"Yue'er, what brings you here?"

"Mother, I was planning to go to the paper mill today, so I came to tell you," Xiao Siyue said after glancing at Lü Tong.

Yesterday, her father gave her a shop in the city, and she plans to open her study as soon as possible.

Today I want to visit the paper mill and pick out a batch of books for my study.

"Alright, go ahead then." Lin Qin waved her hand casually; she didn't interfere with what her daughter did on a daily basis.

Xiao Siyue was about to leave when Lü Tong called her back.

"Siyue, I want to go with you, is that okay?" Lu Tong said, looking at Xiao Siyue with expectant eyes.

Xiao Siyue glanced at Lü Tong, then at Lin Qin.

Lin Qin was also stunned for a moment; she hadn't expected Lü Tong to say that.

"Xiaotong, the paper mill is very boring. Why don't you stay and keep your aunt company?" Lin Qin was in a dilemma. Apart from the workers inside and Xiao Siyue's people, people were basically not allowed to enter the paper mill.

Lin Qin and Xiao Qinian hadn't been there many times, and the workers had all signed contracts, out of concern that the papermaking formula would be leaked.

"Auntie, I'm just curious and want to go with Siyue to take a look." Lü Tong didn't give up.

"I'm sorry, it's not convenient for you to go to the paper mill," Xiao Siyue said directly, refusing the offer.

"Why is it inconvenient? Does Siyue think I'm an outsider?" Lu Tong asked, looking aggrieved.

Xiao Siyue thought to herself, "You know that, yet you still asked me," but she didn't say it out loud.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard Lü Tong say, "Sister Siyue really looks down on me because I'm an outsider. I just envy that even Sister Siyue's maid can go."

As she spoke, she glanced at Chun Tao and Lan Yi, who were standing beside Xiao Siyue.

The two looked bewildered; how did this get involved with them?

Xiao Siyue was speechless, but she wouldn't tolerate it.

"Since Miss Lü knows that these two are my maids, why did you say that? Besides, what's wrong with my maids? They are my right-hand women." After saying this, Xiao Siyue left after speaking directly to Lin Qin.

Lu Tong was still somewhat stunned when she saw Xiao Siyue. She hadn't expected Xiao Siyue to be so disrespectful to her.

"Ahem." Lin Qin coughed lightly, bringing Lü Tong back to her senses.

"Xiaotong, don't mind Yue'er. That girl doesn't really mean anything by it. That paper mill is pointless. It's good that you don't go."

Lu Tong's face immediately filled with tears, and she said aggrievedly, "Auntie, does Siyue not like me?"

"How could that be? Yue'er likes you a lot." Lin Qin thought to herself, "But she doesn't like you, so why do you still insist on getting close to her?"

“Auntie, I overheard that Siyue’s maids are managing the paper mill. It’s not a good idea for me to stay at your house all this time. Could you please ask Siyue if I could work in the paper mill as well?” Lü Tong looked at Lin Qin with hopeful eyes, her eyes still wet from crying.

Lin Qin was taken aback; she hadn't expected Lü Tong to have this idea. However, she couldn't just casually enter the paper mill.

"Xiaotong, this paper mill belongs to Yue'er, so I can't make a decision. If you want to find some workers, I can look at some more options for you," Lin Qin said directly.