Chapter 7

Mom gripped the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She looked up at the gray sky, then back toward the orphanage, as if she could see my hopeful face through the walls.

She took a deep breath before speaking clearly and firmly. "Xander, listen carefully. Even if I can't find a job and have to set up a food stall, I'll never step one foot into the McNeil residence ever again! Sal and I won't starve! Stay away from us!"

After saying that, she hung up right away and blocked his number.

…

A few days later, a small stall was set up outside the orphanage's big iron gate. An old cart, a blazing coal stove, and on top of it stood a shiny big iron pot!

Mom wore a faded apron and had her hair neatly tied up. She began selling some authentic Southern delicacies—country-fried chicken, flapjacks, and hearty macaroni and cheese. And what was the most eye-catching was the pot bubbling away with…

Although it wasn't finished yet, the rich aroma of gumbo forcefully drifted through th