The first place Mo Fei planned to visit was a tailor's shop.
It was a place the people nearby often frequented. Its owner was an elderly woman with silver hair, who worked there with her granddaughter.
Both of them were very skilled, standing out even among the best in the neighborhood.
Moreover, the clothes they made had one very clear advantage-they were sturdy and durable.
For that very reason, many of the workers employed in factories had their clothes made here.
One reason for coming here was that he hoped to use their connections to spread the word about the bread they were now selling.
Another was to repay them for the care they had shown him.
Indeed, although the grandmother and granddaughter could not offer Mo Orphanage much financial assistance, ever since Mo Fei had adopted Aiwen, the old tailor had often made clothes out of their leftover scraps and given them to the orphanage.
Children wore through clothes quickly, and it was precisely thanks to their help that Mo Fei had not spent too much on the children's clothing.
Even now, they often came to the orphanage to help sew clothes.
This less tangible form of help had left Mo Fei very mindful of their kindness.
That was why he came here first.
When they reached the tailor's shop, before they could go in,
the door was pushed open.
A girl of about thirteen ran out. She was the old tailor's granddaughter and was learning the craft from her.
She had happened to be getting some fresh air by the window when she saw Mo Fei and the others approaching.
So she had run straight outside.
Looking at the wooden box in Aiwen's hands, she was unsure why Director Mo Fei had come.
Two months earlier, the director seemed to have made some sort of decision, after which he had almost stopped going out to work.
Some worried neighbors had also visited the orphanage.
After returning, they had merely said that Mo Fei had plans of his own.
Aisha had also gone with her grandmother. In their eyes, something about Mo Fei seemed to have changed. He had become more hopeful, he was keeping cows in the backyard, and the children at the orphanage had become livelier too.
That had put their minds at ease.
Mo Fei's unexpected arrival today left Aisha somewhat puzzled.
Still, she was excited to see the visitors, though of course, most of her attention was on Aiwen.
And after Aisha appeared, Aiwen also showed a rare hint of shyness.
Mo Fei took it all in without saying anything. It was clearly still too early.
He smiled and said, "Aisha, is your grandmother here? We have something we'd like to discuss..."
"She is, but she's busy making a batch of dresses. Do you need me to call her?"
Aisha nodded, looking a little torn.
"No need. As long as she's here, I can go inside and wait. As for you, if you aren't too busy with work, you can go play with Aiwen for a while. It's been quite some time since he last came out..."
As he spoke, he took the wooden box from Aiwen's hands and motioned for him to go play with Aisha.
"Don't go too far. Your grandmother will worry if she can't see you!"
"I know!"
Aisha seemed to have grown somewhat restless with her work as well. After answering, she pulled Aiwen away at a run.
Watching Aiwen look reluctant even as the corners of his mouth lifted, Mo Fei's own lips twitched. Then he pushed the door open and went inside to wait.
He did not enter the workroom farther inside, instead sitting in the outer parlor where customers were received.
When Mrs. Field finished her work and came out of the workroom, she was surprised to find Mo Fei rather than her granddaughter. Her expression was practically identical to Aisha's earlier one.
Still, she had plenty of experience behind her, and she soon composed herself.
Then she poured a cup of hot tea from the teapot nearby and handed it over, grumbling a little. "Honestly, that child Aisha, why didn't she pour you some tea? Why didn't she call me out? It's no good neglecting a guest like this. Please bear with her, Director Mo. I'll have a word with her..."
Shrewd with age, Mrs. Field took responsibility with just a few words, also keeping Mo Fei from feeling dissatisfied with Aisha.
But Mo Fei smiled and explained, "Mrs. Field, you've misunderstood. I was the one who told Aisha to take our Aiwen out to relax a little. He's had far too much on his shoulders at the orphanage..."
At Aiwen's name, Mrs. Field's brows twitched slightly.
Since Mo Fei did not mind, there was no need for her to keep dwelling on it.
After they chatted for a little while, Mrs. Field got straight to the point. "Director Mo, just tell me what you need. If it's within my power, I'll help..."
She assumed Mo Fei was having trouble making ends meet and had come to borrow money.
Indeed, she did not know what Mo Fei had been thinking, buying two cows in winter. They were money-guzzling beasts, and their feed alone cost no small sum. It was easy to imagine that money would be tight now.
Although the two of them were not particularly well-off either, they could just about scrape together some money to tide him over in an emergency.
Yet what Mo Fei said next truly astonished her.
"I'm not here to borrow money. Although the orphanage does need a lot of money, I can still just about keep it going with my previous savings. I came to ask you to help spread the word about the bread our orphanage makes. This is how we plan to earn a living from now on..."
"As you know, over these past two years, the income from my previous work has been far too unstable, and it would be hard to cover all these children's future expenses. So I thought I'd slowly pick up some of my mother's old skills again and see whether I could support everyone with that cooking..."
Mo Fei handed her a loaf of bread. "Please taste it for me and offer some suggestions!"
After taking the bread, Mrs. Field first set it on a clean table beside her, then poured herself a cup of hot tea from the nearby teapot.
As she poured, she explained, "When you get old, you worry about not being able to bite through your food. I need a little hot water. I hope you don't mind!"
Mo Fei shook his head. "Not at all. I'm already very grateful that you're willing to taste it for me."
Mrs. Field did not keep Mo Fei waiting long. After picking up her hot tea and taking a small sip, she took the bread in her hands again.
She had not paid much attention to how it felt when he handed it over, but now that she picked it up herself, she noticed a difference.
Although its color looked just like black bread, it felt much softer in her hands. It was not as fluffy as white bread, but it was still much softer than what they ate every day.
When she held the bread beneath her nose, she could also smell the fragrance of grain and a trace of milk's sweet aroma.
"You actually put milk in it? Isn't that far too wasteful?"
"As expected of Mrs. Field. You've certainly seen a thing or two. But don't worry, I haven't added much. The milk is mostly there to enhance the flavor. Adding a small amount won't raise the cost too much..."
Knowing what Mrs. Field was worried about, he explained several things clearly in one go.
After nodding to show that she understood, she prepared to taste it.
As she cut the bread with a knife, she was once again surprised by its texture. It was not simply soft, but soft with a certain springiness. She could feel some resistance as she sliced it, but even so, it was still much better than black bread.
She slowly cut the bread into small pieces, then put one in her mouth, intending to savor its flavor a little at a time.
Her other hand, however, rested on the teacup beside her, just in case.