As soon as these words were spoken, Julia Brooks's eyes lit up, while Mrs. Harris hurriedly offered a few modest remarks, though her gaze kept darting toward the kang. Although she had renovated her house in recent years and the furnishings in Zining Residence were exquisite, compared to this Qingxi Residence, it was still far inferior. Not to mention anything else, even the ornaments on the kang here were things she dared not overstep, let alone the fact that even an inconspicuous vase here was a rare treasure from a famous Song dynasty kiln. Since her mind was elsewhere, her words of refusal sounded rather insincere. In the end, under Ms. Turner's firm insistence, the couple finally agreed together.

Soon after, it was time for the elders to give money to the younger generation, and the household servants kowtowed to the heads of each branch, received money according to their duties, and then the banquet was set up. The men sat in the east and the women in the west; after the meal, it wasn’t long before firecrackers started going off outside. Every courtyard in the marquis’s residence was brightly lit, and everywhere you could see maids dressed in fine silks and satins. Every corner exuded an air of wealth and luxury.

Lauren Brooks saw Ivy Brooks and Yvonne Brooks, the sisters, supporting Ms. Turner as they watched the fireworks outside from the front hall, with several clan sisters close to their branch flattering Ms. Turner at her side, so she didn’t want to squeeze in any further. Since the whole place was decorated with lanterns and there were fireworks, Fiona Quinn stayed at Jinxiu Pavilion with the little maids to watch over the house, while she only brought Ruby Hall and Samuel Hudson with her.

Samuel Hudson was young and had already mingled with the maids to watch the fireworks. Ruby Hall accompanied her for a while, but worried she might get cold, so she said she would go inside to fetch some hot tea and add some charcoal to the hand warmer. So Lauren Brooks stood alone in the shadow where no one was around, staring blankly at the laughing crowd not far away. It wasn’t until she heard someone call “Sister” and saw Ian Brooks excitedly squeeze over that she smiled and chatted with Ian Brooks for a while. Seeing how noisy it was here, she inevitably took a few steps toward the east wing on the side.

After only a few steps, Lauren Brooks saw that the side room over there was lit and there were low voices, probably the old women in charge of tea chatting and laughing. She was about to turn away when suddenly her sleeve was tugged hard by Ian Brooks.

“Sis, let’s go over and take a look. If they really are gossiping, we can catch them and embarrass them!”

Faced with such a combative little fellow, Lauren Brooks immediately shook her head, grabbed Ian Brooks's hand and pulled him away, walking to the west side of the courtyard under a bright glass lantern. She saw a snake-shaped firework shooting up into the sky, and only then did she lower her head to fasten the ties of Ian Brooks's cloak, saying, “It’s probably just a few rough old women inside, joking about who knows what. Even if there’s something worth hearing, if someone sees you sneaking around the door and it gets out, what would people think? One must be open and aboveboard, and not give others a handle to criticize you over small matters. You know, we’re already not on the same footing as others in this family, so we mustn’t give anyone a chance to find fault.”

Ian Brooks had been used to his sister’s lectures since he was little, but before, they were always rambling and not very pointed. Now, her words started from a small matter but spoke to a greater principle, and he couldn’t help but nod, though another thought surfaced in his mind—his sister only said he couldn’t eavesdrop himself, so if he sent the maids and servants to gather information, that should be fine.

Lauren Brooks didn’t want to lecture her brother during the New Year festivities, so she asked where the people following Ian Brooks had gone. Sure enough, Ian Brooks jerked his chin toward the crowd watching the fireworks and firecrackers, grinning, “They wanted to follow me, but I thought they’d get in the way, so I told them to go join the fun and listen for any gossip while they’re at it.”

“You… such a clever little rascal!”

The siblings were laughing when Lauren Brooks suddenly saw someone hurrying over—it was Ruby Hall. As she got closer, Lauren Brooks noticed that Ruby Hall’s expression was a bit off. Though she held a teacup in one hand and a hand warmer in the other, both hands were trembling slightly. Knowing something must have happened in the room just now, Lauren Brooks didn’t want Ian Brooks to get involved, so she planned to find an excuse to send him away. Unexpectedly, Ian Brooks was quick-eyed and snatched the tea from Ruby Hall before she could, saying, “Ruby Hall sis, why is your face so pale?”

“I…”

The glass lantern shone on her face, and Ruby Hall knew she couldn’t hide her pallor, but she didn’t want to say it in front of Ian Brooks, so she hesitated, caught between uncertainty and anxiety. Across from her, Lauren Brooks felt her brother reach out and grab her hand, and after a moment’s thought, she said, “Ruby Hall sis, everyone else is over there having fun, and there’s no one here. If you’re in trouble, just say it.”

At this moment, Ruby Hall glanced back at the five main rooms, and after a long pause finally made up her mind, whispering, “Because of fetching water and adding charcoal, I got into an argument with Lily King. It’s a shameful thing for a maid to quarrel, I deserve to die.”

Ian Brooks thought it was something serious and was quite disappointed, curling his lip in annoyance: “It’s just a quarrel, what’s there to worry about? Besides, if she wouldn’t give you what you needed, she’s already in the wrong. Would she dare complain to the old madam? Sis, I’ll go check on my maids. I told them to gather information, not to run wild!”

Watching Ian Brooks leave in high spirits, Lauren Brooks turned to Ruby Hall: “Fourth brother is gone, so just say what you have to say, don’t hold back. You’re a steady person, not someone who can’t take a little grievance. There’s no way you’d look like this just from a quarrel.”