Some were elegant. Some shy. Some clearly confused why the "minor palace official" kept asking completely unnecessary questions. Luo He ignored all normal hiring standards.
One poor noble steward had even attempted to present him with official servant background records and family histories. Luo He waved them away immediately.
"I don't care who your grandfather was," he said lazily. "Can they work properly and are they pleasant to look at? That's more than enough for me."
And somehow against all reason the system actually worked. Even better than a normal hiring. By the end of it, Luo He had assembled what was possibly the strangest servant arrangement in the district.
Two gardeners. Two kitchen assistants. Two laundry workers. Two cleaning maids. And then three exceptionally pretty attendants chosen almost entirely because Luo He thought they were cute.
And the mansion looked more lively with them around. Jin Mulan still remembered staring at him in disbelief afterward.
"You hired them entirely based on appearance." She asked if it's the weirdest thing she had ever heard.
"I also considered personality," Luo He corrected proudly.
"You asked one girl whether her smile improved the courtyard." She asked mockingly. "And she answered saying 'Yes,' confidently. That shows leadership qualities." He said.
Yet somehow the most impressive hire among all of them had been the cook.
Unlike the others, the man possessed almost no official culinary record at all.
No noble recommendations. No famous restaurant experience. Nothing. Because of that, nobody important had ever hired him despite his obvious talent.
Most noble households preferred reputation over actual ability. Luo He did the opposite.
The moment he tasted one dish, he immediately pointed at the stunned cook and declared "You. You're hired."
The poor man had looked genuinely shocked. "You… are not concerned about my background?" he asked carefully.
"I care about food," Luo He replied. "Not paperwork." And that single decision ended up creating one of the few people Luo He genuinely respected professionally.
Because the cook's skill truly bordered on absurd. Together, the bizarre collection of servants somehow transformed the mansion into a lively and chaotic place during Luo He's stay in the capital.
Which was exactly why Luo He became furious the moment he returned and discovered Jin Mulan had dismissed nearly all the pretty attendants before leaving previously.
That night, dinner was finally prepared after the exhausting journey. The servants carefully arranged the dishes while Luo He sat waiting at the dining table with visible expectation.
Then his expression slowly darkened.
An elderly maid approached carrying the food tray. Silence. Luo He stared at the tray. Then at the old servant. Then very slowly toward Jin Mulan.
"My waitress is gone," he said with deep disappointment. Jin Mulan calmly continued drinking tea. "My cute serving staff is gone," Luo He continued like a grieving nobleman attending a funeral.
"They were servants," Jin Mulan replied flatly. "They were artists of hospitality." He said. Luo He always had that strange artistic demeanor.
"They giggled every time you walked past." She said mockingly. "That is called morale." Luo He proudly reasured. Jin Mulan already knew this argument was inevitable the moment they returned to the capital.
So instead of arguing she used her final weapon. "What if," she asked calmly. "I personally bring food to my lovely husband instead?"
Luo He immediately looked interested.
Then suspicious. "Dressed as what?" He asked curiously. Jin Mulan narrowed her eyes slightly. "...What?" She asked.
"You will dress as a maid," Luo He answered instantly. The servants nearby nearly choked trying not to laugh. Jin Mulan stared at him in disbelief.
"Do I truly need the outfit?" she asked slowly. "Am I not already attractive enough?" She asked.
Luo He immediately shook his head with complete seriousness. "No, honey. It won't work." He said. Jin Mulan looked personally insulted.
"You look far too noble honey. Nobody would mistake you for a normal waitress." He added with no remorse for his wife what's for ever.
"That is somehow both offensive and flattering." Jin Mulan said calmly. "I will try my best." She said desperately. She cursed him under her breath for nearly a full minute afterward before finally agreeing.
"I would rather die than suffer this humiliation," she muttered quietly while walking toward the servant quarters to change.
Yet surprisingly what made the situation bearable was the fact that Luo He himself entered the kitchen wearing the cook's hat.
Because he absolutely refused to let Jin Mulan prepare the food alone. Not out of distrust. Out of survival instinct. Jin Mulan possessed many talents. Cooking was not one of them.
In fact, Luo He firmly believed she had somehow violated several laws of nature through culinary experimentation alone. Her meals regularly looked dangerous enough to qualify as assassination attempts.
Meanwhile Luo He cooked at a level that genuinely rivaled royal chefs. Possibly surpassed them.
He moved through the kitchen effortlessly while issuing instructions to the servants, preparing ingredients with frightening precision, adjusting spices from smell alone, and somehow making the entire process look entertaining rather than exhausting.
Even the kitchen staff slowly gathered nearby just to watch. Oil crackled softly. Steam filled the air. Knives moved almost too quickly to follow.
And somehow, despite the humiliation of standing inside a kitchen dressed as a maid, while every one watched, Jin Mulan gradually began enjoying herself.
Mostly because Luo He treated the entire thing with such ridiculous enthusiasm.
At one point he even turned dramatically toward her while stirring soup.
"Assistant," he declared proudly. "Bring me the seasoning." Jin Mulan looked ready to stab him. But still handed him the seasoning.
The servants completely lost control after that. Laughter echoed throughout the kitchen repeatedly that night. Not openly to their faces, of course.
The servants still valued their lives. But Luo He and Jin Mulan both possessed senses sharp enough to hear every whispered conversation from nearby corridors and corners of the mansion.
"She actually wore it…" One woman said unable to restrain her laughter. "I thought the young master was joking." Another whispered under her breath.
"Does the Lady know she still looks terrifying even dressed as a maid?" one man remarked. "I think that makes it worse." Another said.
And somehow instead of becoming angry Luo He simply laughed along with them. While Jin Mulan covered half her face in humiliation and questioned every decision that had led her to marrying this man.
That night, the mansion finally settled into peace after the exhausting journey.
Warm lanternlight glowed softly across the dining hall while rain clouds drifted lazily beyond the outer courtyard walls.
The long wooden table had been filled far more generously than anyone expected.
Mostly because Luo He had personally taken control of the kitchen.
And unfortunately for everyone elsea, he was absurdly good at it. Steam rose gently from freshly prepared pork dumplings arranged neatly in bamboo baskets beside bowls of rich red chili sauce.
The scent alone filled the room with warmth and spice. Beside them rested slices of roasted duck with perfectly crisp skin glistening beneath golden oil, served together with thin fried potato chips seasoned lightly with herbs and salt.
Soft white buns sat stacked inside woven baskets while a heavy clay pot of slow-cooked beans simmered beside them, thick with broth and spices.
Individually, the dishes looked like they belonged to completely different meals.
Yet somehow, together, they worked perfectly. Even Jin Mulan had to admit it tasted incredible.
Jin Mulan:- "You are annoyingly talented sometimes."
Luo He:- "Sometimes? The disrespect in this household continues."
Jin Mulan ignored him completely while reaching for more duck before he could steal it back.
Meanwhile Luo He leaned comfortably against his chair looking entirely too proud of himself.
Luo He:- "This is what happens when civilization advances."
Jin Mulan:- "It's dumplings."
Luo He:- "Culinary skills, is both a science and an art."
By the end of dinner, even the servants nearby looked emotionally affected by the food.
The old maid who had served them earlier nearly looked ready to cry after tasting the leftover broth.
Eventually the dishes were cleared away and the mansion slowly quieted for the night.