There should have already been save files on your device and that second step unnecessary, unless you deleted that folder on your device.
One way to fix this, if the old folder is gone, is to open the VN and start a new playthrough. Save it to the quick saves or to a page you wouldn't normally put a "game" save on, then exit/quit.
This will have recreated the RenPy folder for the VN on your device. You can then copy the save and persistent files from your previous game and save them into the newly created folder on your device - when asked, allow the newly created persistent file to be overridden by the file you're pasting in. Then, go into the "saves" folder in the Game file area and delete the new game save and persistent that are there, just to make sure things are clean.
Reopen the VN, choose "Load" and your prior saves should be available to you.