“Big Sis!” both called out at once, and Ivy Shen quickly shifted to make room for her.
“Here, the medicine’s cooled—you can drink it now.” Yvonne Li settled into the spot Ivy made and handed the bowl to Lacey Shen.
“Sis, you really don’t have to do all this yourself. I… I feel so bad.” Lacey Shen looked apologetically at her. For more than a month, Ivy Shen had done most of the caring, but Yvonne Li helped a lot too. She never imagined she’d have real family in this world.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you treating me like a stranger? Am I an outsider to you?” Yvonne Li grumbled.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen chuckled, “Come on, Lacey, don’t be so polite to Big Sis. You know she’s scary when she gets mad!”
“What are you talking about? I’m not scary.” Yvonne Li laughed, then suddenly remembered, “By the way, your seven brothers-in-law are all hoping this baby’s a girl!”
“Huh? Why? Don’t men usually want sons?” Lacey Shen was puzzled. She’d been isolated for over twenty years, and the person who cared for her wasn’t a noble but a maid—though the maid had a bad temper, she’d sometimes share news from outside. Of course, she complained more, blaming Lacey for keeping her stuck in this awful place.
Even when the maid complained, Lacey Shen always stayed silent—she never knew what to say. But sometimes, those little bits of gossip were her only joy in all the suffering.
“That’s not how they see it! If it’s a girl, there’ll be another Xin—another Ivy. She’s so cute and pretty, and with seven handsome dads, the baby will be gorgeous. If it’s a boy, sure, he’ll be good-looking, but then there’ll be an eighth guy fighting for Ivy’s love. No way the seven want that!” Yvonne Li laughed.
“I don’t care what they want!” Ivy Shen snorted. “Those guys have way too many ideas.”
*** Scene Break ***
Right now, Lucian Vane, Butterfly Rogue, and Ethan Chu were trailing Old Man Sai around the pharmacy, totally blown away by his medicine skills.
The three of them basically followed him everywhere, hoping to pick up some tips.
Meanwhile, Adrian Night kept pestering Eli Crane for pointers—since Eli’s seen so much, he’s got loads of experience, and it’s a big help for Adrian’s training.
As for Caleb Miles, he was glued to his abacus all day, tallying everyone’s spending. Ivy Shen couldn’t figure it out—Ethan Chu’s the host, so why was Caleb, just a guest, so obsessed with every coin?
The gentlest of them all, Liam Willow, spent his days buried in books—not history, but borrowed parenting guides. He was determined to be a good stay-at-home dad.
Of course, they hardly clung to Ivy Shen during the day, but at night they all took turns sleeping beside her—not for anything naughty, just to take care of her. With her belly swelling like a balloon, she rarely slept through the night.
Plus, with her belly so big, her stomach was squished up, so she could only eat a little at a time—but needed food often. Whoever shared her bed had to give her massages and prep snacks to keep her from getting hungry.
But every morning, no matter who’d been on duty, they all came out looking ghostly pale.
I mean, who wouldn’t be miserable, cuddling Ivy all night but not allowed to touch her?
But today, all that changed—thanks to something Old Man Sai said.
That afternoon...
“Eli!” Old Man Sai called out mysteriously, pulling Eli Crane aside.
“Grandpa, what’s up?” Eli Crane wondered why his grandfather was being so secretive.
“Grandpa needs to ask you something,” Old Man Sai hesitated, then finally bit the bullet.
“Okay, go ahead!”
“Is it your turn to sleep with Ivy tonight?”
Eli Crane’s face turned bright red. “Grandpa, what are you saying!”
“That look on your face says it is! So, let me ask—since Ivy got pregnant, have you guys all been avoiding her?” Old Man Sai asked, totally straightforward.
“Grandpa!” Eli Crane blurted out, mortified his grandfather would ask such a thing.
“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m not prying into your bedroom business. Last month I was focused on saving Lacey, so I didn’t pay much attention to you. But lately, with Lacey recovering, I’ve noticed you always look pale after your night with Ivy. As a master doctor, I can tell at a glance—just didn’t say anything until I saw you looking even worse after two full rotations.”
“Grandpa, what are you trying to say?” Eli Crane asked, totally confused.
“Oh, come on, don’t be so dense! If it’s your turn tonight, don’t hold back—you can spend the night with Ivy.”
“Huh?” Eli Crane frowned. “But Ivy’s pregnant!”
“So what if she’s pregnant? Who said that means no intimacy? You seven—even the two doctors—are clueless! Only the palace’s silly doctors would say that. I know way more than them, and Ivy already knows too!” Old Man Sai rolled his eyes.
“Ivy knew too?” Old Man Sai’s words stunned Eli Crane.
“Yep. Last time I checked her, I mentioned it, but she already knew—only the last month’s off-limits. She said you guys haven’t touched her, so she’s just enjoying the peace!” Old Man Sai grumbled, annoyed at Ivy’s slyness.
“Really?” Eli Crane was shocked.
“Of course! Would I lie to you? Just be gentle—don’t go wild like before. I’ve put extra protection in Ivy’s medicine, so even if all seven of you share her every day, it’s fine. But remember, be gentle!” Old Man Sai looked at his grandson’s pale face and finally blurted out the truth.
“Don’t worry, Eli. I’ve already boosted Ivy’s supplements to make sure she and the baby are safe. Actually, I only told you—so you get first dibs!” Old Man Sai grinned, proud of his favoritism.
“Old Man Sai!” Six voices shouted at once, catching him mid-grin.
“What the—? When did you guys get here?” Old Man Sai froze, baffled by their stealth.
Eli Crane just smiled—he’d known they were all there from the start, but with family, there was nothing to hide.
“You’re so good to us, Grandpa Sai!” said the husbands, except for Liam Willow, who just fiddled with his sleeve. The other five glared at Old Man Sai like hungry wolves.
“Heh, well, I did say so, didn’t I?” Old Man Sai stammered, embarrassed that he hadn’t noticed them sneaking up.
“Why didn’t you say anything last night?” Lucian Vane fumed. “It was my turn!”
“And the night before that?” Caleb Miles protested. “Do you know how miserable we’ve been, holding back every night?”
“And the night before that?” Adrian Night huffed. “Now I have to wait even longer!”
“Why didn’t you say anything even earlier? This is so unfair!” Butterfly Rogue wailed. “I’ve been waiting forever!”
“Look at you all, acting like hungry wolves. I was worried Ivy couldn’t handle it! My medicine’s strong, but none of you are as gentle as Eli.” Old Man Sai defended his choice.
“How do you know he’s gentle? Have you tested him?” Butterfly Rogue retorted.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Old Man Sai grumbled.
“If we’re not gentle, then little White Rabbit is! He’s the gentlest in the whole family. Why didn’t you mention him?” Caleb Miles squinted at Old Man Sai.
“I did say so! Tonight is Eli’s turn, tomorrow is little White Rabbit’s!”
Liam Willow’s eyes lit up—tomorrow night would be his turn!
“I’m the day after!” Ethan Chu said, not fussing about it—his turn was coming soon. “Wait, after Ethan, that means it’s me!” Butterfly Rogue grinned, then glanced smugly at Adrian Night, Caleb Miles, and Lucian Vane, who were still waiting their turns.
Butterfly Rogue smirked, already celebrating, while Adrian Night, Caleb Miles, and Lucian Vane groaned at their bad luck.