Lin's mother is really weird.
She ended up trusting (never mind repeatedly talking to) a complete stranger on the phone to the point where they'd meet up in person.
You must be really lonely and/or desperate in that position. And now for that person to have apparently betrayed her must come as a big shock.
As realistic as the "never learnt what a caring relationship looks like" backstory might be, I'm not a big fan of it, when it depicts treating the next generation the same as almost inevitable. People can change nonetheless, given enough effort and help.
I think I would've preferred if the process had been more collaborative instead of them basically cutting ties to the point where Tong Tong's mom has to mend their relationship. Although I think it's a nice touch to have someone support the "antagonist" instead of waiting for them to magically discover the errors in their ways over time.
