The boxes under the tent were stacked high. Li Du went up to take a look and asked, "Are these the cookies the children are selling?"
Mother Mesa smiled. "Yes, this is the first batch. We're working hard to make more cookies."
As she spoke, she opened the box and took out a packet of cookies, indicating that he should have a taste.
Inside the package were ordinary cookies. Li Du took a bite and found that it tasted good. Because it was freshly baked, it was fragrant and crispy.
The cookies were minty and had a refreshing sweet taste. They tasted better than the cookies he bought in the supermarket.
Li Du said, "It's delicious. No wonder you have the confidence to produce so many. Come, Mother Mesa, buy me two big boxes. Hmm, no, four big boxes."
The black lady's eyes turned into crescents as she smiled. She said, "Take two big boxes back first. They taste better when they're freshly baked. Come and get more whenever you want. Hans likes them too."
Li Du asked, "How much?"
Mother Mesa waved her hand. "Why would I need money? Mom roasted it for the kids. "
Hearing her say that, Li Du was too embarrassed to be polite.
A few children ran back, sweating profusely as they pushed a small cart. "Mother Mesa, we've sold them. Let's put new ones in."
The weather had cooled down a little, but it was still hot in the afternoon. The children were hot and tired from pushing the cart by hand.
Li Du had a plan. He said, "Mother Mesa, I can't eat your cookies for free. How about this, I'll help today. I'll be the chauffeur for the boys and girls. The reward is cookies."
Mother Mesa asked, "Aren't you busy today?"
Li Du said, "Not at all."
Hearing this, the children were happy. They weren't happy that there was a car to deliver the cookies, but rather, "Wow, we can work with the ocelot?"
"Bringing the ocelot to the door to sell, we can definitely sell more cookies!"
"His name is Ah Meow. He's Brother Hans's good friend."
"And Crispy Noodles, I know him!"
Li Du smiled as he opened the car door and carried Ah Ow out. "There's a new friend. His name is Ah Ow. He's a good kid."
Mother Mesa took a look and said, "Oh, where did you get a wolf cub?"
Li Du asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Mother Mesa smiled. "My father used to be a hunter in Tucson, protecting the farms and ranches. They often hunted wolves. I followed them when I was young, so of course I knew them."
As she spoke, she revealed a nostalgic expression. "Time really flies. There were many wolves at that time, and they were very common. When we talked about them, we felt fear and hatred. Now, they are protected animals. "
The children came back to rest, but not just to rest, they also had to help with the work.
There was an empty house in the orphanage that was temporarily used as a bakery. There were two large ovens inside, and some elderly people were busy making biscuits.
Eggs, milk, butter, flour, and other ingredients were mixed together. Some people weighed, some adjusted the proportions, some stirred, and some kneaded the dough. The people from the welfare institute formed a production line.
The kneaded dough would be carved into different shapes of biscuits. Next, the biscuits would be baked in the oven. After baking, the biscuits would be sorted. There was also a packaging machine here for the final packaging.
The children were in charge of packing. They were busy and sweating, but they were in good spirits. They talked and laughed, finding joy in the midst of hardship.
Li Du asked, "Is this how they rest?"
Mother Mesa smiled helplessly. "Yes, I know. The children are very tired, but the Scouts don't have much time to sell biscuits. We have to take advantage of this opportunity."
The Scouts did not sell biscuits at all times. If there was no activity, they were not allowed to carry out commercial activities in their name.
This was to prevent the children from being forced to work and to avoid affecting their growth and studies. At the end of the day, for most children, this activity was just for fun.
However, for the children of the welfare institute, this was a good opportunity to earn money to support themselves.
Looking at the children busy in front of the packaging machine, Li Du suddenly thought of himself when he was young.
At that time, he was in school and had a lot of pressure from schoolwork. He would learn math and then Chinese, alternating studying like this, and it would be a break.
The children were similar, alternating working as a break, which was very tiring.
However, with Li Du's help, they could at least relax a little.
He loaded the boxes of biscuits into the car, a total of 100 small boxes, and then helped to transport them to the residential area, the plaza, the shops, and other places with more people.
Just as they were about to leave, the spirited little girl, Sally, climbed into the car nimbly, took a look, and shook her head. "That's not enough, brother, we need to pack another 50 boxes!"
Li Du was shocked. "That many?"
"Each of us can sell 40 to 50 boxes of biscuits every day," the little boy, Kanter, said proudly.
Li Du exclaimed, "That's really amazing."
Children from poor families had to take charge of the household at an early age. They had to be good and earn money. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for the welfare institute to operate with just government funding and donations.
For an ordinary Boy Scout, the sales target for an activity might be around 100 boxes, and an activity would be held for a week.
However, the children from the welfare institute could not do that. They had to sell more biscuits.
However, they were more motivated than the average child. According to the rules of the Scouts, the average child could donate the money they earned from selling biscuits to the army, while the children from the welfare institute could keep the money they earned.
Mother Mesa was a great black woman. She not only adopted these children, but also ensured that they grew up healthy.
This healthy did not only mean physical health, but also mental health.
The few children who were with Li Du did not feel tired. Instead, they felt blessed after receiving his help.
Li Du brought the pickup truck as a means of transportation, as well as more small carts, so that they did not have to share one car.
In the car, a few children were excitedly discussing sales techniques.
Listening to their conversation, Li Du found out that the Scout training camp had hired a sales expert to teach them how to sell biscuits.
These children were very eager to learn. Besides applying what they learned in class, they also worked together to sum up their experiences, and to share their experiences with each other.
Driving to a square, Li Du wanted to drop off one of the children. He saw that there were a few Scouts pushing small carts around, and all of them had people monitoring them.
Just then, he suddenly noticed something and said, "You guys didn't have people monitoring you before. You came out on your own? Isn't that very dangerous?! "
From Li Du's point of view, the security in America was much worse than in China. Even in China, the children's parents did not dare to let them sell their biscuits, let alone in America.
Also, for some reason, there were a lot of perverted criminals in America. After coming to Flagstaff, he saw on the news that there were people who violated children.
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