"He's growing so fast." Minnie held the baby and couldn't help but sigh.
"He's almost one month old." Erina sat cross-legged on the bed, smiling happily. "Finally, I can go outside." For someone like her, this month-long confinement was pure torture.
But with all six of her husbands forbidding her from going out, Erina couldn't win against all of them. She could only stay in the room, resting and calming herself. "By the way, sis, you must come drink at the celebration in three days."
Seeing Minnie open her mouth to reply, Erina quickly said, "Don't tell me you're busy. What could be so important? You were the one who delivered the baby, so you're the most qualified to drink."
"No leaving until you're drunk. Also, no gifts allowed!"
Minnie looked troubled. "I can't drink."
"A woman who can't drink? What kind of woman is that?" Erina glared. "Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
Minnie said awkwardly, "Drinking and being a woman aren't really connected, right?"
"Why not?" Erina slapped the bed in excitement. "You know how I got my third husband? I won him in a drinking match."
Minnie was stunned. This, this, this...
"And besides, alcohol is great. It gives you courage." Erina wiggled her eyebrows with a suggestive look. "That's why a woman has to know how to drink."
Minnie replied softly, "I never planned to drink just to find a man..."
"Speaking of men..." Erina leaned forward, eyes lighting up. "Sis, there are so many men on Phoenix Mountain. You see them every day. Didn't anyone catch your eye?"
Minnie's face grew warm, and she didn't respond. It really was the time she'd seen the most men in her life. But to say she liked someone...
Erina's eyes lit up. "You're always with Jax and Doctor San. Don't tell me you've taken a liking to one of them?"
Minnie shook her head quickly.
"Exactly. Jax is decent in looks and character, but he's already engaged, so it wouldn't be right. As for Doctor San..." Erina thought about Sanruwi's appearance. "He really is good-looking. Such a pity!"
"What's a pity?" It was Xiren who came in. Minnie later learned that although he had the same surname as Erina, they weren't related. He was an orphan taken in by the Ren family.
The family head thought he looked good and brought him back to raise. Later on, Erina brought him into her household.
Caught mid-conversation, Erina wasn't scared at all. She smiled cheerfully. "It's a pity we can't make him our seventh."
"Stop talking nonsense. If this gets out, even if the doctor lets you go, Boss Hayes won't."
"I was just saying, just saying!" Erina lowered her head and muttered softly, "Nagging again!"
Xiren had only come to grab something. He reminded Minnie again about the celebration, looked affectionately at the baby, and reluctantly left.
As soon as he was gone, Erina lowered her voice and said to Minnie, "Sis, let me be honest. Guys like Doctor San, no matter how handsome, are just for looking."
"They're too prickly. Why ask for trouble?"
Minnie responded, then asked, "Why?"
"Don't you see? There are so many men for us to choose from. Why chase someone cold and distant?"
"He's so full of himself. Just don't want him. Go find someone nicer."
Minnie nodded slowly. After a moment she asked, "Erina, you already have six... you still want more?"
"Of course." Erina answered directly. "There are more men than women now. Women are supposed to marry more."
"If I like someone, I'll just marry him."
"You really..." Minnie didn't know what to say. She asked again, "Is it like this everywhere? Not just Phoenix Mountain?"
She really hadn't seen many women on the mountain. But she thought it was normal. After all, women like Erina were rare.
Not many would choose to be mountain bandits.
"Of course. There are fewer women than men. Women are respected. It's always been this way."
So this world gave women higher status because there were fewer of them. They enjoyed many privileges.
But without women having children, the population would decline, and the country would fall.
That meant women might spend their lives suffering for childbirth. Was that really a good thing or not?
"Sis, so many men around, and you don't like any? Rhett is a good guy. By the way, how did he confess to you?" Erina was curious.
"Confess?" Minnie frowned. "Confess what?"
Erina looked at her strangely. "What else? He likes you, of course."
"Third chief?" Minnie seriously thought about it. Did Erina mean Rhett liked her? Wait, liked her? Minnie felt a bit creeped out.
"That can't be. He never said anything like that. You must be mistaken."
"How could I be wrong?" Erina looked frustrated. Was her reputation as a love expert about to be ruined?
No wonder Rhett hadn't made progress lately. He was putting in all the effort while Minnie didn't even notice.
"He goes to see you all the time. Didn't you wonder why?"
"Wasn't it because of work?" Rhett did visit them often. But he always had a reason.
Oh, and he often asked her to go for walks in the evening. Could that be it? But they were rarely alone. It was usually a big group.
"Those were just excuses!" Erina was baffled. How could someone be so clueless about love?
Minnie had always been a good girl.
Since childhood, she never made her parents worry. She didn't argue with classmates or friends. Outside of studying, she never went out much.
She always stayed home quietly.
During school, her parents and teachers warned her about dating early. So she never did. After getting into college, her parents asked if anyone pursued her.
She always shook her head, and they never pressed her.
Her dorm mates, some had boyfriends, some didn't. So she didn't think being single was strange.
Her life had always been full. She was satisfied with her situation.
Of course, it's not like no one pursued her. Some did, but they failed because of how slow and introverted she was.
Some tried to get close through group events:
"Minnie, we're going to karaoke Saturday night. Come with us?"
Minnie shook her head. "I can't sing. I'm not going."
"Minnie, want to go hiking this weekend?"
"Hiking?" She hesitated for a while. Then refused. "Don't feel like it."
Others invited her alone:
"Minnie, there's a good movie tonight. Want to see it with me? My treat."
"The cinema?" She was interested in the movie, but didn't want to go out and take the bus.
In the end, she decided to wait for the online version. Watching it in the dorm with snacks sounded much better.
If someone wanted to ask Minnie out successfully, one common method was to invite her to a meal. Minnie would usually prioritize good food even if it meant overcoming some difficulties, so some boys managed to get close to her that way. But after a while, if they noticed she didn't respond to their pursuit, they'd lose hope and gradually give up.
Besides, Minnie was in the eight-year medical program. Her workload was already heavy, and once she started clinical training, she became even busier. She barely had any time for dating, and she had no interest in it either.
So by the time she graduated, she had never been in a proper relationship. As for everything Rhett, the third-in-command, had done, Minnie didn't think anything of it. She had never been in love, so it never even crossed her mind.
But now that Erina pointed it out to her, she suddenly realized this was someone chasing her? Someone's pursuing her? What should she do?
Minnie felt a little panicked, a bit moved, and secretly pleased and proud. Come to think of it, she had spent a lot of time with Rhett. Since there was nothing else to do in the evenings, when Rhett invited her to take a walk, she usually agreed.
She didn't really have a choice. If this were modern times, Minnie wouldn't have agreed no matter what. Staying in the dorm was much more comfortable.
Why go out just to feed mosquitoes? Besides, she had always been trying to find a chance to return home, so all she could do was wander up and down the mountain roads. The third-in-command...
The image of Rhett fanning himself with a folding fan, dressed in red and green, popped into her mind. Minnie couldn't help shivering. "What are you thinking about? Your expression is really strange."
Jax had seen her sitting at the gate of the courtyard in a daze, her face turning red and pale. When she saw it was him, Minnie let out a soft sigh. Resting her chin in her hands, she said with a troubled look, "I was just chatting with Erina, and then…"
"And then what?" Jax simply sat down beside her. He was really curious about what could make the usually calm Minnie look like that. Had she run into some trouble?