《Growing Up in a Military Dependents' Village》
When Ashan was in the fourth grade, his father was assigned a military residence in Taipei, so the family had to move.
Ashan's mother distributed their chickens and ducks to the neighbors, thanking them for their care over the years. Ashan's friends were reluctant to see him go, but they had all heard about Taipei's bustling city life and couldn't help but show some envy. Ashan, however, was sad to leave the close friends he had grown up with.
Moving day finally arrived. The borrowed jeep was packed with furniture and miscellaneous items. Other than Ashan's father, who rode with the truck, the rest of the family took a rickshaw from Sanxia to Yingge, where they transferred to a train heading to Taipei. The eldest sister was particularly attached to their old cat, which kept escaping from her arms and running back into the house, proving the saying, "Dogs are loyal to their owners, cats to their homes."
Amidst waves and farewells from neighbors, Ashan's family left their home, filled with friendship, growth, and joy.
After arriving at Taipei Railway Station, the family took a bus through the bustling Yanping North Road. Ashan, who had never seen neon lights before, was stunned. This was a completely different world from Sanxia, and it made him a bit uneasy. He believed his friends back home wouldn't like this place either.
When the bus reached its final stop at Dalongtong, it was almost midnight. The family then walked a considerable distance to their new home—Zhongxing New Village. This was a military dependents' village with around a hundred households. Rumor had it that the place was once a mass grave, leading locals to say that only soldiers would build houses there.
Entering the house, they found it had only three and a half rooms, probably less than 70 square meters. One room served as both the living room and dining room, two were bedrooms, and the remaining half was the kitchen. Although the house was small, it was still a place they could call their own. Ashan's mother cheerfully settled the two children to sleep before starting to organize.
The next day, Ashan woke up to find the walls were made of mud. He could clearly hear the neighbors scolding their children. Stepping outside, he saw a bare courtyard in the front and another similar one in the back. Compared to their home in Sanxia, it felt like many things were missing, especially the lush green mountains and the clear river.
《在眷村中成長的日子》
就在阿三讀四年級的時候，阿三爸在台北配到了眷舍，於是阿三要搬家了。
阿三媽把雞鴨分送給鄰居們，謝謝他們這麼多年來的照顧。阿三的朋友們也是依依不捨，但是大伙兒們都曾聽說台北很繁華、熱鬧，不免也露出羡慕的表情，倒是阿三捨不得這些一起長大的好朋友。
搬家的日子終於到了，借來的中吉普車裏堆滿著傢俱及雜物。所以除了阿三爸隨車以外，其他的人還得從三峽坐輕便鐵路的人力車，到鶯歌轉火車來台北。大姐捨不得老母貓，但是老母貓三番兩次地從她的懷裏，掙脫跑回屋子裏去，倒也印證了「狗念主人，貓念舊宅」的俗話。
在鄰居們揮手說再見中，阿三一家人搬離這個充滿了友情、成長及喜悅的家。
在台北火車站下了車後，阿三全家又坐上了公共汽車，穿過了當時最熱鬧的延平北路。從未看到過霓虹燈的阿三，這下可真是看傻了眼。這跟三峽簡直是完全不同的另一個世界，心裡反而有些不安。他相信他的好朋友們恐怕也不會喜歡這個地方。
待公共汽車到了底站大龍峒，也近半夜了。大伙還走了段不算短的路，終於到了新家--中興新村。這是一個陸軍的眷村，大約有一百戶。基地傳言曾是亂葬崗，所以當地人說只有阿山才會在這裏蓋房子。
走進了屋子，才發現只有三間半房，可能二十坪不到。一間是客廳兼飯廳，另二間是臥室，那剩下的半間是廚房。雖然房子不大，到底總算有了個自己的家。阿三媽還是高高興興的打點兩個孩子入睡後再行整理。
第二天阿三醒過來，發覺牆是泥巴敷的。隔壁一早教訓孩子的聲音，聽得清清楚楚。出門一看，嗯，前面有個光禿禿的小院子，後面也有個同樣的小院子。只是比起三峽的家，總是覺得少了許多東西，尤其是那綠油油的山及清澈的小河。
