His mother went against a taboo and married a man of the same family surname; for this she was willing to give up her home in Meinung and flee together with Chung Li-ho to Manchuria. They returned home years later, only to face a chilly reception and isolation from the local residents. They had to accept the challenge of getting by on one income.
他的母親鍾台妹為了掙脫禁忌、嫁給同姓的父親，不惜逃離家鄉美濃和鍾理和私奔至大陸東北，數年後回到故鄉，又面臨鄉人冷眼孤立及丈夫染疾，一人扛下全家生計的挑戰。