Liu's Steamed Bun Shop.
The door was half open. There were no towering stacks of steamers out front like before, and Uncle Liu was nowhere to be seen.
He walked over and pushed the door open. Inside was a complete mess, with tables and chairs scattered across the floor.
A woman sat in a chair, crying.
"Aunt Liu!"
Fang Mo called softly.
The woman slowly turned around.
Her hair was disheveled, her face haggard, her eyes swollen, and her cheeks streaked with tears.
Fang Mo was taken aback.
Aunt Liu had once been a very graceful woman. How had she become like this? But when she saw Fang Mo, her eyes suddenly lit up. She lunged forward and grabbed his hand.
"Xiao Fang, save Uncle Liu!"
She cried out in anguish and fell to her knees in front of Fang Mo.
"Aunt Liu, don't panic!"
Fang Mo hurriedly caught Aunt Liu as she nearly collapsed, then helped her settle into a chair. "Aunt Liu, take your time and tell me what happened. I promise I'll do everything I can to help Uncle Liu, but I need to understand what's going on."
Aunt Liu clutched Fang Mo's hand and spoke urgently:
"Xiao Gang got sick. The doctor said he needed surgery, but it cost too much. Uncle Liu was so frantic that he went and borrowed money from loan sharks..."
"Now they've got him. He has to pay them back, or they'll break his legs!"
Her voice choked as she spoke. With a pleading look, she wept, "Xiao Fang, Auntie has nowhere else to turn. I can only ask you for help!"
Fang Mo felt a little relieved when he heard this. If it was just a debt, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
"Don't worry, Aunt Liu. The