Early the very next morning, Mo Fei took Aiwen and Lina out to the West End of London.
They brought some bread along as well, intending to test the waters.
The reason for bringing Aiwen was easy to understand. As the oldest child at the orphanage and an example to the others, he needed to shoulder considerable responsibility and step forward when Mo Fei was busy with other work in the future. He therefore needed plenty of experience.
Mo Fei's actions during this period had also given him more trials.
Lina was a different matter.
As mentioned before, Lina had quite a talent for making bread.
Before Mo Fei transmigrated, her understanding and the orphanage's meager kitchen equipment and ingredients had left her cooking skills almost no room to improve.
But now, with the model Mo Fei had provided, she was improving rapidly too.
Several times, when Mo Fei let her work on her own, she had managed to make very good bread. In his eyes, she had probably reached the level of "Cooking (beginner)" as well.
That was the very level Mo Fei had initially reached through the system.
Since Lina had talent in this area, Mo Fei intended to put it to use.
No craft could be developed in isolation, so even though Mo Fei's skills currently gave him a slight advantage, he never thought too highly of himself.
Never underestimating anyone was perhaps an attitude Mo Fei had learned over all those years.
More importantly, Mo Fei had the system. He had no intention of remaining in just one field. With the Belief Sublimation System, he had a chance to become exceptionally well-rounded.
Given the special nature of this world, he might even gain some ability beyond the ordinary.
That made Mo Fei even less willing to remain caught up in the mundane business of putting food on the table. For now, it was merely about survival. He had far more plans for the future.
Thus, Lina had become his successor in breadmaking, and he intended to teach her everything he knew about it.
In his view, the limits of Lina's current ability were merely the result of scarce supplies and a lack of sufficient instruction.
Once she had adequate conditions, there was no telling how far she might go.
As for being surpassed, Mo Fei's skills could still improve.
For him, attaining godlike mastery was never just a fantasy.
The three of them carried their things and slowly walked to the West End of London.
London in winter seemed rather quiet, with almost everyone on the streets hurrying to work and hardly any shops open.
Mo Fei and the others had done everything they could to insulate their boxes, but they still needed to sell the bread as quickly as possible. Once it cooled completely, its advantages would no longer be apparent.
Bread frozen hard could hardly fetch a good price.
Before Mo Fei transmigrated, his predecessor had walked these roads countless times.
Twentieth-century London was actually nothing like the London Mo Fei had once seen in videos.
Though it was not strewn with rubbish or utterly filthy, it was still some way from orderly and clean.
A constant drizzle fell over London, leaving the ground perpetually muddy. Pedestrians had to watch not only where they were going but also where they stepped. One careless moment, and their trousers would suffer.
That was why many gentlemen and aristocrats often relied on carriages to get around.
People who cared so much about appearances had no desire to get muddy stains all over the hems of their coats.
But not everyone living in the West End of London was an aristocrat. There were many ordinary people too, and they had to be even more careful as they walked.
Seeing something in memories and seeing it with his own eyes were truly different experiences.
After seeing it for himself, Mo Fei felt a little less confident.
Aiwen and Lina felt that way even more strongly.
Aiwen had never entered the West End since birth. He had always lived in the East End. More precisely, he had lived in the East End before entering the orphanage, and afterward, he had barely left the orphanage at all.
Now that he was in the West End, its buildings truly filled him with a deep sense of unfamiliarity and fear.
As for Lina, she had indeed lived here when she was little, but that had been several years ago.
Besides, she had been so young then that she had rarely had opportunities to go out with her mother. Her life seemed to have revolved around the bakery and the little room the two of them rented.
But whatever they were thinking, they were already here, so Mo Fei intended to start his sales pitch.
Whatever today's sales might be like, he had long since prepared himself.
Had it been summer, he had originally intended to attract customers simply with the aroma of the bread. But it was winter now. If he opened the basket, the bread would probably freeze solid before he could sell it all, which would do more harm than good.
Besides, with the ground in this state, if he carelessly dropped any, it would be completely ruined.
So he could only try a different strategy.
Fortunately, he had made some preparations before coming out this time. He had deliberately made the bread into very small pieces so that people could take them easily.
Mo Fei took a piece of bread from the basket and began calling out, "Come and try some! Freshly baked this morning! Only ten pence a piece, affordable and uniquely delicious! Made at the orphanage! Come and buy some!"
The price was very low, mainly because the bread had been made so small. He had also put it on wooden skewers to make it easier to take.
At this price, there was actually very little profit to be made.
Fortunately, Mo Fei had not intended to start making money this time.
Or rather, this was only a trial run.
The low price drew glances from some people who were not well-off. They had never encountered bread hawked along the street like this. At a bakery, even an ordinary large loaf, enough to feed a family for a week, cost three pounds.
What would bread this cheap be like?
And upon hearing the mention of an orphanage, some people with a little kindness in their hearts also noticed Aiwen and Lina huddling against the cold.
Of course, Mo Fei was not much better off, but he was an adult, after all, and few paid attention to him.
This strategy soon drew people over to look. The bread on its wooden skewer was not particularly large. Judging by its size, it was only enough for one person's meal.
They were immediately somewhat disappointed, and some simply left, treating Mo Fei and the others as vagrants using bread as a pretext to beg.
Others lost interest in buying after seeing their rather ragged clothes.
Only some people of seemingly modest means remained interested in the cheap bread. They intended to bargain and see whether it could be any cheaper.
Once people began asking questions, Mo Fei kept answering them.
"Yes, we made it ourselves at the orphanage. We're hoping to help cover our expenses!"
"We bought all the flour ourselves. It isn't top quality, but it's perfectly acceptable..."
"Ah, we really can't go any lower. We're selling at cost this time. I'm also trying to see whether breadmaking can offer the children a new way forward... at the very least, help them get through the winter safely..."
Some of the people nearby also learned about Mo Orphanage from Mo Fei.
Sympathy and pity began to appear in the eyes of some older people.
An elderly woman saw Aiwen and Lina's timid manner and their smiling faces, pale from the cold, and affection welled up in her heart. She came forward and patted Aiwen's arm. "Don't be afraid, child. Things will get better..."
Then she turned to Mo Fei. "Mr. Mo, I'll have a piece of bread."
As she spoke, she took out a ten-pence coin and handed it over.
Mo Fei accepted and put away the coin, then handed her the bread along with its skewer.
"Madam, this bread has cooled a little now. Just warm it over the fire when you get home. You can put it in broth too. It's a little chewy, so please be careful when you eat it..."
Mo Fei gave her very detailed instructions, afraid that his very first customer might have trouble eating it.
"Thank you... I understand. I am getting on in years, after all. I do know these things..."
The elderly woman nodded to show that she understood.
With the first buyer, the others began considering buying some too.
For the West End of London at this time, the price was indeed a bargain, well within their means. It also counted as a good deed, satisfying that little charitable impulse in their hearts.
In this atmosphere, much of their already modest supply of bread was sold.
But something even more surprising happened at the same time.
A young man had just bought some bread. Feeling rather hungry, he did not care that it had cooled a little and took a bite straight away.
Who would have thought that after only a few chews, his eyes would widen?