With the preparations made, Mo Fei actually felt somewhat confident on the day sales officially began.
Still, how things went today was very important. It would determine whether he could turn the orphanage's finances around. Only by making this place self-sufficient would he have a chance to keep it running, and only then could he free himself up to do other things.
With a system at his disposal, revolving around a single skill was hardly what he wanted to do.
His system was the Belief Sublimation System, not a God of Cooking System. He had no desire to spend his entire life at a stove.
Early that morning, he led the children in setting a cleaned long table outside the orphanage gates. Several baskets sat on top, covered with clean cloths. To keep everything warm, he had also made a small brazier beneath the table to maintain the temperature.
A cash box sat at one corner of the table, with some coins inside for making change.
The baskets on the table held bread of different sizes, as well as a few new varieties. For instance, one basket held steamed buns he had made himself.
Mo Fei had planned for every possibility for this sale.
If it really did not work out, he could improve other skills. He refused to believe that, with a golden finger, he should still have to worry about money.
Thinking of those other transmigrators, he really was an embarrassment, still slowly developing after two months and struggling even to feed and clothe himself.
Which of them had not mastered magic in a month, begun creating their own spells in two, then shocked Dumbledore, become a professor at Hogwarts outright, and gone on to reach the pinnacle of life?
By now, he was somewhat at a loss for words.
Fortunately, things went very smoothly.
They had only just finished setting everything out when Mrs. Field from the tailor's shop brought Aisha over to show her support.
He had chosen a day off. Generally speaking, the people around here should not have work today, and many would go out to buy things as well as clean their homes.
Choosing today was also a way to catch as much foot traffic as possible.
After arriving, Mrs. Field saw only Mo Fei and the children, without a single other customer in sight. She showed no concern at all, and instead asked with a smile.
"Director Mo, are you feeling a little disappointed that no customers have come yet?"
Aisha had already run over to Aiwen in concern and was fretting on his behalf, too. She peered outside and wanted to call out loudly to attract customers, but Aiwen caught her and stopped her.
Mo Fei, on the other hand, was in no hurry. Seeing that their director was not anxious, the children gradually settled down as well.
At some point, Mo Fei had come to hold a very important place in their hearts. As long as he did not panic first, the children would not lose confidence either.
Mo Fei's answer was straightforward. "I've done everything I can. Now it's up to everyone whether they approve of what I offer. There's no rush!"
Mrs. Field finally looked satisfied again.
"That's how business is. You can't rush it. I shared some of the bread you gave me with my customers, and they all thought very highly of it, so don't worry. This is only temporary. Customers will certainly come later, and there won't be just a few of them..."
While they were talking, some of the other neighbors Mo Fei had asked for help also began arriving one after another.
James from the smithy, George from the general store, and Vil-V from the tavern all came over as well.
None of them were worried by the scene here, either. After saying hello, they began exchanging greetings with one another.
"Mrs. Field, I never imagined Director Mo had such skills. I certainly couldn't tell before. If I'd known sooner, I would have hired him as the head cook at my tavern. He's close by, and trustworthy, too."
The speaker, Vil-V, was a middle-aged woman. Her husband had died on the battlefield because of an accident, and as a military widow, she had received a large sum of money.
With a son to raise, she had feared she would be unable to hold on to that money, so she had partnered with someone in the military and opened a tavern.
That place had later become a veterans' tavern in London's East End, a base where they could maintain their bonds.
With an income and someone to back her up, she had raised her child on her own.
Moreover, running the tavern had later brought out the resilience in her bones. She had also shown considerable competence and decisiveness, which led some jealous people to give her a nickname: Iron-Blooded Rose.
Who would have thought that her manner and nickname would suit the surroundings even better? Those soldier ruffians had all developed quite a liking for this woman.
It was only because of her background that nothing untoward had happened.
Perhaps because she had raised a child alone, she had quite a favorable impression of Mo Fei, the orphanage director.
And so she had helped him many times in the past.
At Vil-V's question, Mrs. Field merely smiled. "I knew Director Mo's parents when they were still alive. That lady was quite a remarkable woman herself..."
"Oh? Do tell..."
Vil-V's interest was piqued.
The others felt the same way. They had mostly come to know Mo Fei after he opened the orphanage. Before that, they had had no contact with his parents. They only knew that his father had once been a wealthy merchant, while they had rarely heard him mention his mother.
At this point, Mrs. Field sank into recollection. "Ah, I knew of his parents quite early on..."
"His father, Mr. Byrne, was a very refined and courteous man. They say that when he was young, he traveled to many places on business, and that was how he met his mother..."
"I met his mother because she came here to have me make clothes for her..."
"Not to boast, but many young ladies in London liked the clothes I made back then. They loved wearing my clothes at home, and that lady was no exception. Only, I could tell at a glance that she was a young lady with a very good upbringing..."
"Later, I heard many things as well. When Mr. Byrne went away on business, that young lady often handled dealings with people from various chambers of commerce all by herself. She was also well versed in all kinds of etiquette. In many people's eyes, she was the very image of a lady from a noble house. Many joked that Byrne had stumbled into a pile of dog-shit luck..."
She chuckled at that.
"Oh, yes, I also heard that the lady herself used to enjoy cooking. Perhaps that's where Director Mo inherited his skills!"
In the end, she brought the subject back around to cooking.
As everyone listened, they all expressed regret over that mysterious lady who was no longer alive, wishing they could have witnessed her elegance for themselves.
While they were chatting, the first customer finally arrived.
She was a middle-aged woman. Although she had done her utmost to tidy herself up, the weariness of life still made her look somewhat older.
After arriving, she walked straight toward the long table holding the baskets.
"Hello, what kind of bread would you like?"
Aiwen's voice rang out at once.