Shee was the third of five children, and the only one who would argue with their father. And because he was diligent and thorough in performing his duties, his gentle mother often requested his aid. Even before Shee had turned ten years old, she was already entrusting him with sensitive tasks that she was too embarrassed to do herself, such as collecting a debt from a tenant farmer.
五兄弟中排行老三的施哲三，是唯一敢和父親說理的孩子；另一方面，溫婉的母親常需要做事勤快周到的施哲三幫忙，連向佃農催收債款這類難以啟齒的事情，都要由這個十歲不到的孩子出面處理。