Once they had reached a measure of agreement, the matter was settled without further discussion.
To Colleen, this was a very minor matter. Had she not been curious about the orphanage, she would never have come here. More likely, she would have instructed her maid Molly to contact Mo Fei and the others, and the matter would have been decided just like that.
After the fun and games, Colleen and her companions politely declined the invitation to keep eating, rose, and left.
However, just before leaving, she still brought something up with Mo Fei.
"This child called Mia has considerable potential to enter the theater world. How she develops will depend on what you think..."
After saying this, she left the orphanage without looking back.
Mo Fei watched the Winter family's carriage gradually drive out of sight.
The neighbors who had been watching the excitement seemed to emerge again, intending to ask about the noble young lady. However, Mo Fei gave them an apologetic look, then shut the door.
Today was not a suitable time. Keeping the neighbors a little curious would help with the plans to come.
His attitude made it quite clear: the orphanage would not open its doors again today.
The neighbors who understood sensibly refrained from approaching again. Those who did not saw that nobody else was stepping forward, lost their own nerve, and gave up as well.
Once the door was closed, the children finally began cheering.
"Did we pass the noble young lady's test? Will life be much better from now on?"
Lina looked expectantly at Mo Fei.
Mo Fei nodded. "Yes, that's right. In the future, we can sell more bread and earn more money to improve the orphanage..."
"We can renovate the rooms and put all the rooms on the ground floor and second floor back into use. Perhaps you'll have rooms of your own in the future, along with better beds, soft pillows, brand-new clothes, and meat to eat every day..."
Mo Fei's description put stars in all the children's eyes.
"That sounds... so wonderful!"
Almost everyone was moved by this vision of the future, and for a while, they all lost themselves in daydreams.
At this point, Mia came over and tugged at his clothes. "Director, what sort of place is a theater? Why did that young lady say I could go there?"
In the end, she had asked the question after all.
In fact, it was not just Mia. Even Aiwen and Lina still knew little about such places.
After all, generally speaking, theaters were exclusive to the West End. Most people who frequented them came from fairly well-off families of the middle class or above. It was hardly surprising that people living in the East End like them had never encountered one.
Seeing the other children look over curiously as well, Mo Fei decided to explain it to them.
But for now...
Mo Fei had all the children gather at the dining table first.
He himself ran to the kitchen and brought out a large pot of milk tea, along with a modest amount of white bread-one piece per person.
"Today is a good day. Let's enjoy this delicious food ourselves, as a celebration!"
The children stared wide-eyed, and Boer kept swallowing. "Hooray! This dream is far too wonderful!"
Everyone carefully picked up their own bread and poured themselves a cup of milk tea.
They took a bite of the delicate white bread, and its softness instantly conquered their taste buds. Having never eaten bread like this before, they did not know how to describe it and could only compare it to eating a ball of cotton.
They had never tasted the cream inside, either. To them, its delicate, silky texture was as smooth as flowing water in summer, except that what flowed through their mouths was not water, but sweet syrup.
As for milk tea, they had certainly never tasted it before. Tea leaves were a rarity even more precious than milk. Their very first taste of this blended drink left them momentarily dazzled.
Mo Fei smiled as he watched the children eat carefully, then stick out their tongues to lick their fingers afterward. The sight stirred a few reflections on the simple pleasures of childhood.
By this point, they seemed to have forgotten that Mo Fei was going to explain theaters.
Fortunately, he had no intention of deliberately neglecting the subject. Once the milk tea in the pot had gradually been drained and all the bread had been eaten, Mo Fei spoke.
"If you want to know about theaters, you first need to know what drama is."
"To explain drama in the easiest way to understand, it means having real people act out stories full of twists and turns, so more people can see them and feel more immersed..."
"And a theater is a place where plays like these are staged. There are usually many people working both onstage and behind the scenes. What Miss Colleen meant earlier was that Mia has very sweet looks and might have a chance to become the lead in a play..."
"And if audiences really remember you, you might later win the appreciation of nobles and formally enter a higher social circle, while also earning a great deal of money..."
Hearing this, Mia's eyes filled with longing, and she was practically ready to agree on the spot.
But the more things went this way, the more Mo Fei wanted to throw a little cold water on her enthusiasm.
"However, becoming famous means facing many trials. You need more than looks. You also need enough experience and acting skill, which includes training your voice, singing, and movement... Besides, a play usually only has a few leading roles. How could you guarantee that you'd get one of them?"
Mo Fei laid out all the problems directly. Getting ahead had never been that simple.
Day after day of training and heavy chores could often wear away a person's passion, turning them into a numb machine. Once things reached that point, she really would have no further chance to get ahead.
Moreover, in London, being able to perform onstage was itself a means of rising in social class. Even many great nobles lacked the ability to arrange that, so Miss Colleen had deliberately done no more than mention it.
There might still be a chance to enter a theater to study, but getting onstage would depend entirely on whether an opportunity arose.
Mo Fei's words still made Mia hesitate. She had never been particularly resolute, and she instinctively turned to look at Lina.
But this time, Lina did not seem able to help her decide, either.
In fact, Mo Fei had not told Mia that even if she could not become a lead, getting into a theater was itself a very good job. Deep down, he was actually quite in favor of letting Mia go.
However, there were many things that required care. Right now, it was more important to let her think it through herself.
As for Miss Colleen's invitation, there was no rush, unless she brought the matter up a second time.
The children in the orphanage were about to welcome new changes, and the bakery workshop was also being renovated.
Since the Winter family had taken over the bakery, its original shabby condition now looked rather unseemly.
They simply made sweeping changes, remodeling the rooms and dismantling a large number of ovens, which they planned to transport to the orphanage as their first investment.
The original room was expanded into part of the backyard. Many of the street-facing panes were replaced with larger ones, and many more shelves were added inside to display bread.
The second floor was also remodeled, becoming much more comfortable. This would be the main living area for the servants the Winter family sent to handle management and sales.
Everything looked flourishing, apart from the venom that occasionally flashed through Miles's eyes as he watched his shop change beyond recognition.
He did not dare blame the Earl, so he laid the blame for this on the orphanage instead.