There were so many stalls at the marketplace that Gavin had a hard time choosing what to eat.
Ultimately, he decided to get the same thing as Zachary. “I'll have some barbecue skewers too.”
“Can I have a milkshake too, Mommy?” asked Jesse.
Arissa could barely keep up with the kids' requests.
“What about you, Tim?” she asked, beaming.
Tim had never visited a place like this. He wanted to scratch his head, but both his hands were being held by Gavin and Zachary respectively.
He peered at his surroundings. Everything looks and smells so good!
“Barbecue skewers, please,” he replied, going with something he had not tried before.
He was familiar with all the other food items.
I've had oxtail soup at one of our neighbors' places. It was good.
Arissa nodded. “I'll go buy whatever you guys want.”
“Mommy, I want a milkshake too,” Jasper added with a smile.
Arissa glanced at all the children.
“I'll get you all one each, then!”
The children squealed in excitement, causing more people to stare at them.
“Such adorable kids!”
“All six of them look around the same age. They also look so alike. Are they actually sextuplets?”
“Maybe they're not actually siblings, but cousins of the same age? If you stare at them long enough, they'd all start to look alike.”
“Good point. One of them looks extra tanned too. He's obviously not from the same parents...”
Arissa frowned as she heard that and politely corrected the passersby.
“They're all my kids.”
“Oh? That many of them?”
And what about it?
“All six of them!” the woman declared proudly.
“IVF?”
Arissa didn't know how to respond at this point.
“Naturally conceived,” Benjamin chimed in unhappily.
With that, the people stopped asking questions and continued to admire the children.
“You guys are amazing to be able to have six at a time!”
The crowd couldn't contain their adoration for the children, all of whom had exquisite features.
“They're so cute!”
“Oh, how I'd love to carry one of them home!” a young woman gushed.
Jasper smiled at the passersby.
“Oh, God. He even smiled at me. My heart can't take it anymore.”
Seeing people praise him made Jasper beam with delight.
Jesse, too, beamed at the crowd.
“This one's a girl, right? She's adorable!”
Upon hearing that, Benjamin frowned and gazed at Jesse. She does look like a girl.
There were dimples on her face when she smiled.
Gavin and Zachary weren't as bubbly, but the crowd liked them too.
Meanwhile, Oliver's eyes wandered as he calculated how much money they would have to spend on their food.
Tim kept his head low. He rarely visited places like these, so he wasn't used to being stared at.
“Don't be afraid, Tim. We'll protect you!” Arissa petted his head.
The boy nodded as his eyes lit up.
With a smile, Arissa went to buy their food.
Benjamin walked toward her to place an arm around her waist, clearly trying to indicate to everyone that she belonged to him.
Arissa glanced at the man and tried to evade him, but to no avail.
“What are you doing?”
“Be careful. Someone might bump into you,” Benjamin murmured into her ear as he led her forward.
The woman's heart began to race.
“I am being careful!”
She turned to look at her children, only to see them eagerly watching her and Benjamin's interaction.
“Stay close, Sweethearts! Don't fall behind!”
“We won't fall behind even if you do, Mommy!” Zachary teased. “You'd better follow us closely, or we might end up having to look for you if you get lost!”
Arissa's lips twitched. “How could I fall behind?”
That brat!
The children burst into laughter.
Arissa shot daggers at them, albeit in a joking manner.
“You won't get to eat anything if you fall behind!”
The children fell silent in response.
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