疫情下的返鄉路

施清元，鹿港人，今年36歲。2020年3月，正值新冠病毒疫情開始升溫之際，被住在鹿港的爸媽急急從日本東京喚回臺灣，他臨時被迫放下在東京生活七年的工作、租屋、物品和記憶，一直到現在。

我的家在鹿港

「一府二鹿三艋舺」，代表著鹿港在臺灣發展史上的重要地位。如今，鹿港是一個文化古鎮，人口大約8萬6000人，有豐富的古蹟廟宇、人文薈萃，同時也是臺灣最大五金產業產地和觀光重鎮。清元的家族，幾乎都在鹿港做生意，外婆已退休，舅舅在第一市場賣三代祖傳肉圓。

清元的父親高中畢業後從事家具業，為了家計中年轉業，到八里的中華穀類研究所上課，十多年前開始在家鄉賣包子、客製糕餅。清元的哥哥—施青良，臺大外文系畢業，是大學的外語文老師，喜歡騎重機，弟弟不在家的時候，一舉一動都受到父母親的關心。

疫情來了我回家

當年清元考上台大醫學院，爸媽得到全鹿港人的祝福，一直到去年從日本回臺灣前，期間，鄰居和爸媽的對話，常常是：清元何時回家？何時結婚？何時回來鹿港開業當醫生？何時要接包子店？雖然這些問題一直得不到答案，但已成為清元父母和街坊鄰居的日常問候。

2020年三月，清元因為新冠疫情回到臺灣後，兄弟倆父母住同一個屋簷下，關係緊密但也緊張。如今，清元必須重新建立跟家人的情感，然而，何時回日本？下一步要做什麼？變成清元和家人之間不敢觸碰的話題，想要修補和父母親之間的感情，清元要怎麼做呢？

Introduction

When Shih Ching-yuan gained a place at medical school in Taiwan's prestigious National Taiwan University, he was the envy of his friends and pride of his parents. However, after countless years of study, Ching-yuan dropped a bombshell, announcing he was quitting on the eve of embarking on his career as a physician. To the dismay of his parents, Ching-yuan then traveled to study design in Japan, where he remained for a further seven years, using his passion for photography and writing to make a living. In March 2020, before Covid-19 cases spiked, Ching-yuan's anxious parents summoned him back to Taiwan, while continuing to rent his apartment in Japan. In today's episode, we meet 36-year-old Ching-yuan as he stands at a crossroads, struggling to find a compromise between his parents' hopes and his own dreams. He wants to turn his job as a freelance photographer-cum-writer into a livelihood, but can he win the recognition and support of his parents? Should he return to his life in Japan or come full circle and begin a new chapter with his parents in Taiwan? Will this be a turning point for the family's relationship, or will old habits die hard?