It was the same breakfast Lina had made before, yet now, in the children's eyes, it looked astonishing.
The golden bread gave off an aroma unlike anything they had ever smelled.
As the thick potato soup was stirred, it too released a much stronger aroma than before.
Although there was still no meat, to them, this breakfast could easily rival the supposedly exquisite, lavish breakfasts of the great nobles.
Jimmy, the youngest, could not help swallowing his saliva. He could no longer spare any attention for Tom in his arms. If Mo Fei had not taken him, drool would have dripped onto his face.
Although Mo Fei very much wanted to witness Voldemort's embarrassing past, he gave up on the idea for Jimmy's safety.
With his burden completely gone, Jimmy carefully picked up a piece of bread.
The bread Lina used to bake had been hard and difficult to bite through, with the occasional burnt patch. The bread Mo Fei had baked this time had none of those unappetizing-looking spots.
Almost every part was a perfect color. Even the few places that had received a little too much heat were a pleasing reddish brown.
Although the bread was made from rye flour, perhaps because some milk had been added, it was not black but a light coffee color.
Jimmy brought the bread toward his mouth. Before he even took a bite, the aroma of baked flour and the distinctive, complex scent of the old dough burst into his nostrils, making his mouth water constantly.
Unable to hold back any longer, he bit down hard.
It was not as soft as the white bread he had heard about, but it was not difficult to bite through either. It was merely a little chewy and needed his teeth to help cut it apart.
Once it entered his mouth, its rich flavors left the inexperienced Jimmy stunned.
First came the full-bodied aroma of grain, then the sweetness and fragrance of the small amount of milk, before it all mingled with the saliva in his mouth.
Because seasonings were in short supply at the orphanage, Mo Fei had been very careful when adding sugar.
Still, to bring out the bread's flavor better, he had added an even smaller amount of salt along with the sugar.
All the seasoning had seemed instinctive, but he was quite confident in the finished product.
Jimmy said nothing after taking a bite of bread. If he had not refrained from spitting it out, Mo Fei would have thought it tasted so bad that he could not speak. Could it be a difference between Chinese and Western tastes?
"What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?"
"No!" Jimmy swallowed the food he had long since finished chewing without much effort. Seeing the other children looking at him, he told them all sincerely, "This is the best bread I've ever eaten. I'm just so happy!"
His declaration made the other children's eyes light up.
With someone taking the lead, the other children reached out one after another, carefully picking up their food and taking small bites.
They were eager, but they did not snatch anything. With Aiwen there, they all took turns placing one piece of bread and a bowl of thick soup in front of themselves.
After one bite, every child's expression changed.
All they felt was that the food in their mouths was extraordinarily delicious, and they began eating much faster.
As for Lina.
She ate much more daintily.
As she ate, she marveled at how delicious the bread and thick soup were.
Her ability to appreciate the quality of this meal owed much to her background.
Unlike her, Aiwen had been sent here because of controversy and disputes he had been dragged into by his father.
From any perspective, he had come here because he had nowhere else to turn. Had Mo Fei not been just starting the orphanage at the time, the first child it took in could never have been someone so troublesome.
As Mo Fei had told Aiwen before, what had happened in his childhood actually made finding a path forward much harder for him. He might even remain at the orphanage forever, becoming an employee here once he reached adulthood.
The future Mo Fei had planned for him back then was already as wonderful as anything he had dreamed of.
Lina was somewhat different. She had come here of her own accord.
Her mother had been a cook who had worked at a bakery, raising Lina alone on her modest wages.
As for her father, no one had ever been heard to mention him. Presumably, he was simply an irresponsible scumbag.
Lina's mother had been a very good cook. While working at the bakery, the owner's pity had allowed her to bring home some unsold scraps. Together with some vegetables, these had let her raise Lina to the age of eight, and she had even saved some money to have Lina learn a trade.
Seeing Lina grow older, her original plan had been for the daughter who had always grown up by her side to learn at the bakery and eventually become its new cook.
But something unexpected happened.
Exhausted by frequent overtime, she finally collapsed before Lina had grown up. She fell ill before she could teach Lina the skills she needed to survive.
At the time, she was gravely ill. Only after a doctor was called to examine her did they learn that her health had actually been poor ever since she gave birth to Lina. The excessive work afterward had brought her to this state.
As he left, the doctor shook his head, lowered his gaze, and told Lina with some pity, "Just let your mother enjoy the time she has left!"
Back then, Lina did not understand what the doctor meant. She kept begging for someone to come and save her mother.
The illness exhausted what little savings they had and dashed Lina's hopes of learning at the bakery.
Then one day, her mother suddenly sat up and reached straight out to take Lina's hand.
"Cough, cough... listen to me, Lina... you're clever, much cleverer than I am. After I die, don't concern yourself with too much. Give the money under the bed to Mrs. Bob at the bakery and ask her to help take care of my body... cough, cough... as for you, go to the East End and find an orphanage. Tell them you can cook and ask them to take you in..."
Her mother's grip was very strong then, squeezing Lina's hand painfully.
Tears streamed down uncontrollably, but Lina still committed every word firmly to memory.
Afterward, she watched the light in her mother's eyes fade little by little.
After her mother died, Lina did not immediately do as she had been told. Instead, she fetched a basin of water and wiped her mother's face and hands clean. She still remembered that when her mother had taken her to worship, this was what the priests had done.
Then she took a tattered purse from beneath the bed and went to find Mrs. Bob.
After handing all the money to Mrs. Bob, she ran away without looking back.
This, too, had been her mother's instruction.
In this London, a girl on her own could sometimes be in terrible danger. She might unknowingly become a slave, or end up a brutally abused corpse...
Moreover, without her mother's protection, even people she had once known were no longer so trustworthy.
Heaven had blessed her that day as well. The sky remained misty, allowing Lina to make it smoothly to the East End. Although a few searching gazes followed her along the way, she ultimately managed to find an orphanage safely.
Fate had brought her there just as Mo Fei opened the door. Seeing her rather miserable state, he could not bring himself to turn her away. Regardless of what Lina said, he took her in.
Only later did they learn that Lina had some cooking experience. Then a man and a boy had simply made the little girl the orphanage's cook, a role she had filled all these years.
It was also Lina's past that had given her some understanding of cooking.
And now, in Lina's eyes, Mo Fei's cooking was every bit as good as the taste of her mother's food in her memories.