The next day.
Friday morning.
It was only a little after six.
In the duplex unit of the Family Compound, Dong Xuebin got up early. After brushing his teeth and washing up upstairs, he hummed a tune as he came downstairs and headed into the kitchen to treat himself to a proper breakfast. He made a rather elaborate meal: fried sausage, toasted bread slices, a fried egg, and a bowl of Red Date Porridge. The combination was a little random, but since he was eating alone, there was no need to be too particular. A blend of Chinese and Western food, then.
Breakfast was ready.
Dong Xuebin carried it out of the kitchen and sat down at the dining table. Seeing that it was about time, he casually picked up the remote and turned on the TV, switching to Jiaolin County's Morning News.
"Hello, everyone. Welcome to Morning News." Right on schedule, the host appeared.
Dong Xuebin took a big bite from a bread slice stuffed with sausage and egg, eating as he watched TV.
They were only a county TV station, so they did not have all the formalities of a major network. They got straight to the point. "Yesterday, an online exposé drew the province's close attention. It concerned the New County Party Committee Compound. Yesterday, our reporters also learned that the public had been actively discussing the matter, and that it had sparked considerable controversy. The focus of the debate was the construction costs of the compounds in three counties of Baohong City exposed in the report. Many people questioned why this money had been spent here. If it had been used to improve residents' social security and related benefits, it would surely have been more meaningful than building a Family Compound or County Party Committee Compound.