"Then that's settled. You also don't like fish," Gu Fei looked at his phone, "You just like meat, right, pork belly?"

"Chicken wings are good too," Jiang Cheng swallowed.  

"So I think eating well is fine. I don't know how to make all that random stuff, and you probably can't eat it all anyway," Gu Fei stirred and flipped for a while, then pointed at the side with his spatula, "Go, pour the coke in."

"Okay," Jiang Cheng went and opened a can of coke, "The whole thing?"

"The whole thing," Gu Fei looked at his phone again.

"No Coca Cola?" Jiang Cheng said, "Pepsi doesn't have enough fizz..."

"Brother Cheng, I think your brain really isn't working," Gu Fei looked at him, "Do you want fizzy Coke chicken wings?"

"...can I go drink a bottle?" Jiang Cheng smiled.

"There's some in the fridge," Gu Fei said.  

This batch of chicken wings was a very generous portion, because Gu Miao who needed a lot of food despite not needing brain nutrition had to be considered too. Gu Fei spent nearly an hour in the kitchen. Jiang Cheng recited several pages of his politics homework before Gu Fei finally called out, "Gu Er Miao come get bowls and chopsticks!"

Gu Miao ran into the kitchen and brought out the bowls and chopsticks.

"Er Miao, let's go wash our hands?" Jiang Cheng asked.  

Gu Miao looked at him and nodded, following Jiang Cheng to the sink.

"I'll wash first?" Jiang Cheng said. After making sure Gu Miao was still calm, he turned on the faucet and washed his hands with a small amount of water.

Gu Miao also went over and stuck his hands under the faucet, scrubbing them.

"It's okay," Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei.

"Mm," Gu Fei nodded, "She hasn't been afraid of water for over half a year now."

This was progress, right? It counted as progress, right? Jiang Cheng didn't ask Gu Fei out loud. He believed Gu Fei must have gone through countless similar moments of anticipation, only to be met with disappointment.

Cola chicken wings were probably the easiest "main dish" to make. There was basically no technique required. Gu Fei just followed the steps on his phone while watching it. The taste was unexpectedly pretty good.

"Is the flavoring right?" Gu Fei looked at him.

"It's good," Jiang Cheng gave him a thumbs up while gnawing on a chicken wing.  

Gu Miao immediately also gave Gu Fei a thumbs up.

"Really, you should get a pot and just buy some chicken wings at the shop too," Jiang Cheng quickly finished a wing and took another.

"No time," Gu Fei smiled, "And if I really did, it probably wouldn't be enough for you to eat."

Jiang Cheng smiled and ate a couple mouthfuls of rice.

Gu Fei really didn't have time. This shop was basically just scraping by without proper management. When he went to do part-time photography work, he couldn't have Li Yan come watch the shop every day either. His mom would watch for a bit, then directly close up shop and stop business when she had to go out.  

Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao. If Gu Miao was a little better, able to help watch the shop, it would ease Gu Fei's burden a lot. But if she really was better, Gu Miao should be in school too.

He bit the chicken bone. Many things were just vicious cycles, interlocking in rings.

After eating, Jiang Cheng first returned to the rental room. He had to do homework and study.

Gu Fei tidied up at the shop, then brought Gu Miao home and played with him for a bit. After Gu Miao fell asleep, he came over with a thermos.

"What's this?" Jiang Cheng looked at the time. Gu Fei was an hour later than usual. It was past 10 now.

"...Cola chicken wings," Gu Fei unscrewed the thermos lid, "I just made it at home, your late night snack...brain food."

"Oh," Jiang Cheng felt a warmth in his heart, but after the warmth came an urge to laugh that he couldn't hold in.

"Be serious," Gu Fei put the lid back on, "Don't you like eating it?"

"Mm," Jiang Cheng nodded with a straight face, then laughed again.

Gu Fei glared at him for a long time before also laughing. He sat on the edge of the bed, "For now, this is the only dish I can make. Bear with it."

"Okay," Jiang Cheng stopped laughing and reached out to touch his lips, "Gu Fei, thank you."

"You're welcome, please call me Little Red Scarf," Gu Fei touched his chest, "Forgot my little red scarf."

"Alright, Little Red Scarf," Jiang Cheng laughed while picking up a book from the table, "Are you tired?"

"Not tired, what's up?" Gu Fei asked.

Jiang Cheng handed him the book, "Hit me up..."

When Gu Fei's lips quirked, he already knew what was coming, but couldn't dodge in time. Gu Fei slapped his arm.

"Fuck off!" Jiang Cheng rubbed his arm.

"Hit you," Gu Fei took the book, "Anything else?"

"Rub it for me," Jiang Cheng held his arm out.

"Okay," Gu Fei pulled his arm over and gently massaged it, then leaned down to look, "I didn't use force, why is it red?"

"I'm malnourished," Jiang Cheng said, "Gimme a wing."

Gu Fei went to the kitchen, washed a bowl, and brought two chicken wings over, placing them in the bowl on the table: "Do you want me to quiz you and you answer?"

"Mm," Jiang Cheng gnawed on a wing, "Just flip to random parts and go from there."

Gu Fei picked up the book: "The geographical dividing line in China's population distribution is..."

"Generally a straight line between Heihe City in Heilongjiang Province and Tengchong City in Yunnan Province," Jiang Cheng crunched on the bone, "Southeast of the line has high population, northwest has low population."

Gu Fei also took a wing: "The positive impact of Sichuan's population outflow on the local area is..."

"Relieved local population pressure, strengthened Sichuan's economic, technological, ideological, and cultural connections with outside areas..." Jiang Cheng was halfway through when his phone rang on the nightstand, "Who's calling so late?"

"Pan Zhi?" Gu Fei picked up the phone for him and looked surprised when he saw the caller ID, "Shen Yiqing?"

Jiang Cheng's hand froze mid-reach toward the thermos.  

"Your...foster mother?" Gu Fei hesitantly asked when Jiang Cheng didn't move. "Not answering?"

Jiang Cheng stared at the phone for a long time before softly saying, "Don't want to answer."

Gu Fei didn't say anything. He muted the call and put the phone back on the nightstand, then helped Jiang Cheng take two more wings from the thermos.

"Increasing income, promoted economic growth, the impact of the increased migrant population on urban development..." Jiang Cheng said.

"Huh?" Gu Fei was confused for a moment before quickly coming back to himself. Jiang Cheng had just picked up where he left off.

Jiang Cheng didn't say anything else, staring at the still silently lit phone screen with a frown.