The moment she tasted it, she overturned her earlier opinion.
The bread did not have the softness of white bread, but a much more distinct chewiness. Her teeth met a slight resistance as they sank into it, and perhaps it was still a little hard for someone her age.
But she could easily imagine how captivated a middle-aged person, or a young person, would be by this texture.
The texture was the first sensation, followed immediately by the bread's distinctive flavor bursting in her mouth.
Ordinary black bread sometimes had plenty of flavors too.
Sourness mingled with a faint aroma of wheat, often mixed with some off flavors. At its worst, there was also the scorched taste of overbaking, making the whole loaf even harder to swallow.
But almost all the flavors in Mo Fei's bread were pleasant.
Its slight tang made the bread appetizing, and the rich flavor of flour filled each bite with aroma. What was more, as she chewed and her saliva broke it down, more flavors slowly emerged.
It was like sunshine, and like the clear skies so rarely seen in London.
As she chewed and digested it bit by bit, the bread did not soak up all the saliva in her mouth and make itself difficult to swallow.
Mrs. Field actually felt that this was the most distinctive bread she had ever eaten.
Before she realized it, she had already picked up a second piece.
Most importantly, she had not taken another sip of tea.
Seeing this, Mo Fei knew that his bread-selling business should have no problems.
Only after eating three pieces did she stop and look at Mo Fei in amazement.
"This really is remarkable. Did you really make bread of this quality yourself? You didn't buy it?"
That was already high praise. Mo Fei's lips spread into a satisfied smile. "I don't think I have enough money to throw it around on a joke!"
"True!" Mrs. Field agreed with a sigh, then changed the subject. "So when do you plan to start selling it, where, and at what price?"
These were the core of doing business, and the most crucial questions.
Still, the fact that she could ask these questions at least showed that the quality of Mo Fei's bread was fully up to standard, and it was ready to be sold.
"I plan to start next week, right outside the orphanage. I'll set up a stall outside the gate. As for the price, I was thinking of setting it at £2.50..."
"£2.50?" Mrs. Field frowned slightly at the price.
The nearby bakery sold its bread for only £2, poor though it was. Mo Fei's desire to sell his for £2.50 was a bold choice.
The best choice would actually have been to sell it for £2 as well, then use its flavor to draw the bakery's customers straight over. That would be the easiest route to success.
Still, recalling the orphanage's complicated circumstances, she understood somewhat.
And when she thought of the texture and flavor of the bread she had just eaten, she felt that the price was not out of the question.
"Then I'll help spread the word in the meantime. I hope your business gets off to a good start!"
"Thank you for your help!"
Mo Fei was very grateful for her kindness. The tailor's shop had a fair amount of foot traffic, with many people coming to collect their finished clothes after work in the evening. A week would therefore be enough for plenty of people to learn that Mo Orphanage was starting to sell bread.
As long as some of those people became customers, their sales would be fine.
Things were much simpler after that, and Mo Fei stopped interrupting Mrs. Field's work.
When he left, he also left a fresh loaf for Aisha to try.
As for Mrs. Field's attempt to pay at the end, he declined. "Madam, please consider this bread my payment for asking you to spread the word. If sales go well in the future, Aisha can come over and eat bread whenever she likes!"
After saying this, he hurried out of the room, called to Aiwen, who had already reached the doorway, and left with him.
When Aisha returned to the tailor's shop, she too saw the bread on the table.
After playing for a while, she was a little hungry, so she picked up a small piece her grandmother had sliced and popped it into her mouth.
The delicious bread won her over instantly.
"Grandmother, this bread is so good! Where did you buy it? Let's buy some more later. I think it tastes even better than the soft white bread we've had before!"
Mrs. Field neither agreed nor disagreed with her granddaughter's assessment, giving her a light, exasperated pat. "Go wash up. You're getting dirty. Otherwise, you really will become a slovenly girl..."
"As for the bread, Director Mo and the others are planning to sell it later. The orphanage is going to have a business of its own!"
"Huh?" Aisha had been about to go wash up, but the news still startled her. "Aiwen didn't tell me!"
Then she grew excited. "Then I'll have to do a good job helping spread the word! After all, if they make money, Aiwen and the others will have better lives too."
After leaving with Aiwen, Mo Fei did not return to the orphanage. The tailor's shop was merely the first step in their sales efforts.
Afterward, the two of them took bread to the blacksmith's shop, the grocery section, and several other places, all neighbors they had been on very good terms with.
Only after giving away this batch of bread did they slowly make their way back toward the orphanage.
Along the way, Aiwen learned the purpose of their outing and seemed very excited.
"Director, now that we've done this, will we have lots of customers next week? Then we'll be able to make money and get new clothes, new sheets and duvet covers..."
He began dreaming of the good things to come.
Mo Fei was not quite so optimistic. "It's not that simple. All we've done now is ask everyone to spread the word. What sort of returns we'll actually get is still unknown, so don't celebrate too soon..."
"Besides, this is only the first step. In a couple of days, we'll also go to the West End of London, which isn't too far away, to promote and sell our bread!"
Aiwen was first dampened by this dose of cold water and felt a little disappointed, but then the director's plan gave him a fright.
"G-go to the West End of London? Isn't it full of minor nobles, and elites too? Are we really going?... Is... is that appropriate?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. You have to trust my skills. Who knows? We might even open a bakery in the West End someday."
"Th-then all right!"
Though he agreed, Mo Fei could still see that he was somewhat afraid.
That was normal enough. A child who had never seen much of the world would, after all, feel quite afraid of a place that seemed so close at hand, yet in reality stood behind formidable barriers.
Mo Fei said nothing more. The things they feared now would gradually disappear later.
The children in the orphanage would have better lives too.
After they returned to the orphanage, several children gathered around, pestering Aiwen with questions about what they had gone out to do.
When they heard that many people had spoken highly of the bread, their reactions were practically identical to Aiwen's earlier.