CHAPTER 719: CHAPTER 723 FAIRY TALE TOWN (12)

The elder sister had spoken, how could the unwilling-to-be-outdone Second Young Lady stay silent?

Second Young Lady immediately followed suit, pointing at Cinderella and going on a tirade, ruining the image her mother had carefully crafted for her.

The current scene was just like the classic case of a domineering step-sister bullying the pitiful younger step-sister.

Su Li felt her sympathy for the Madam almost materializing.

It was difficult, so difficult for the Madam having such foolish daughters.

Once the sisters set their attitude, everyone forgot about Cinderella’s estranged manner of addressing her stepmother, and the conversation was focused on criticizing the sisters.

Cinderella immediately garnered another wave of sympathy from the surrounding people.

Indeed, there wasn’t a good stepmother.

Look, what had they done to the child? At the Prince’s banquet, even the two step-sisters could attend, but the legitimate young lady couldn’t, what kind of logic was that?

The Madam’s face grew darker, her gaze toward Cinderella sharp.

That look made Cinderella shrink back again.

There were indeed righteous people wanting to step forward, but one such elder sister hadn’t even puffed her chest out when she was pulled aside by the person next to her, taken away before she could act.

The space left by the elder sister was quickly filled by others.

With Su Li’s exceptionally sensitive hearing, she couldn’t help but overhear.

She heard the elder sister being pulled away arguing with someone.

"Why are you pulling me? Can’t you see how pitiful Cinderella is...."

"Pitiful? Aren’t you aware of Cinderella’s tricks? Every time it’s the same; we tell her to inform her father, and she refuses. In the end, it’s always our fault."

"Moreover, don’t forget, the street shop’s rent has increased by a third, who knows if next it will be half, do you want those people to tear you apart?"

"Madam’s rules are collective responsibility...."

Looking back at Cinderella, one could see a mix of shock and confusion in her eyes.

There was no shortage of onlookers, but... but no kind-hearted person spoke up in her defense.

Cinderella immediately felt aggrieved again, feeling as if the whole world had turned dark.

Her father belonged to someone else, her house was occupied by outsiders, even these good-hearted people had succumbed to the evil forces...

Drip drip, large tears fell from Cinderella’s eyes.

Seeing Cinderella cry, the foolish sisters panicked, frantically waving their hands, explaining to their mother, "Mother, we... we didn’t say anything nasty... why... why is she crying..."

It seemed that the mean sisters really thought Cinderella was crying because of their scolding.

The two, like children who had done something wrong, hunched their shoulders, eyes cast down, not daring to look in their mother’s direction.

Well, they had made a mistake again.

The Madam gazed steadily at Cinderella, silent.

The downwards gaze watched as Cinderella’s sobbing slowly subsided, until it was gone.

When Cinderella’s annoying whimpering stopped, she finally spoke.

"Cinderella, I just want to ask you a few questions."

"First, didn’t I also offer to make you a new dress, but you said you didn’t need one, that you didn’t want those luxurious clothes and preferred wearing this gray dress?"

"Second, didn’t I also tell you that the new dress was for attending gatherings, and wasn’t it you who said you weren’t interested in those sycophantic banquets?"

"Third, we have discussed this openly at home, how can you say that it was me who didn’t allow you to attend?"

Every calm question from the proprietress struck Cinderella hard on the head.

She opened her mouth like a fish out of water, her emotions fluctuating but unable to speak.

Her eyes inadvertently swept to the side, and the surprised expressions on several unfamiliar faces immediately made her breathing uneven.

These people, who seemed to be new staff in the store, dared to look at her with such eyes?

She, she must tell her father...

Whimper, whimper, whimper...

Cinderella began to whimper again.

A three-year-old child using tears to escape reality is understandable.

But a nearly twenty-year-old young woman doing the same only makes people...

"Stop crying, your cry is really annoying."

"Yeah, so noisy, my head hurts."

With their heads down, thinking they had done something wrong and would receive their mother’s scolding, the sisters waited, but when no reaction came from their mother, they grew bolder.

It was quiet for a moment, but they were ready to start their performance again.

The proprietress, at a loss for words, didn’t know how to continue the conversation and could only helplessly wave her hand and say, "When your father returns, I will talk to him, you are also grown up, I can’t teach you well..."

"You didn’t say that this banquet was hosted by the Prince, to choose a Princess, otherwise I wouldn’t have refused..."

Cinderella looked timid, always whimpering and crying, but her argumentative manner was fearless.

Su Li watched, chuckling, sipping floral tea and interestedly cracking sunflower seeds.

These people all got it wrong...

They all thought the girl in front of them was weak, otherwise, she would not have resignedly accepted her father’s remarriage, and the invasion of outsiders into her home.

She could only whimper softly, mourning the sorrow of life, without even expressing her own anger.

But Su Li saw clearly, how could a truly weak person choose to rush into the shop and confront her stepmother?

Especially since she chose to do it in front of a public crowd, making everything clear for all to see.

Moreover, a weak person wouldn’t secretly try to attend the banquet...

So...

Su Li felt that Cinderella was a very contradictory girl, unwilling to accept reality.

She seemed to be stuck in the happiness of her past days, and her father’s remarriage gave her a feeling of betrayal, but she dared not express her thoughts to her father.

This deeply buried anger made her unconsciously direct all her grievances at the outsiders invading her family.

However, by the look of the proprietress, perhaps she understood this too.

She wasn’t too angry and didn’t care about how the people around her looked at her.

Her displeasure earlier was merely due to Cinderella’s distortion of the facts.

After stating the real situation, the proprietress indifferently said, "Since you want to attend, go ahead and pick out some pretty clothes in the store."

"It’s too late now to make you a handmade outfit, just choose a ready-made one..."

With the proprietress’s words, Su Li could see the dissatisfaction in Cinderella’s eyes.

Not only could Su Li see it, but even Si and others standing close could see it.

Rourou covered her chest, appearing as if her heart was shattered.