《In his university days》
Ashan wore clothes borrowed from his high school classmates—actually, his entire outfit from head to toe was borrowed. Carrying still-damp banknotes, he took the train to register for university. On the train, Ashan looked at his borrowed clothes and shoes and couldn't help but laugh, hoping he wouldn't have to experience this again in the future. How would he explain when he had to pay the registration fee?
Sure enough, when Ashan handed the registration fee to the bespectacled lady, she hesitated suspiciously. "Don't worry, it wasn't dropped in the toilet!" Ashan replied, acknowledging the slight odor from the damp bills. The awkward sight of her adjusting her glasses clumsily while handling these smelly, wet banknotes amused Ashan and the surrounding students, causing a burst of laughter. In this unusual and quite amusing scene, Ashan officially enrolled as a freshman in the Civil Engineering department.
Life in the first year was indeed more relaxed. After classes, Ashan always played basketball and in the evenings learned to sing Taiwanese songs with his roommate from the south: "We are Taiwan's soldiers, brave in the military, please don't worry. Little brothers, little sisters, dear mother, how do you enjoy life so happily."
Ashan's first letter home was a rendition of this song, slightly modified: "I am Ashan, a university student, brave in school, please don't worry. Dear dad, dear sister, dear mother, how do you enjoy life so happily." His mother replied that they were doing fine. However, his father wondered why Ashan's letters now had a Taiwanese Mandarin flavor—had he gone a bit crazy?
Back then, prices in Taiwan weren't too high. A bowl of beef noodle soup outside of school cost only 3.50. However, with the school meal plan, it was only 180 yuan per month, so Ashan opted for the school's meals. To be honest, the food wasn't very good, and Ashan needed to eat at least three bowls of rice per meal to feel full.
There were many jokes about the school meals. Students couldn't complain about the poor food, so they found ways to entertain themselves. Sometimes there were large bugs in the food, and students would take those plates to argue with the kitchen staff: "Why does someone else's plate have meat, but mine doesn't!"
When they finally got extra meat, the students would hold it down with their chopsticks on the plate. Perplexed, the kitchen staff asked if they were crazy. The students replied, "I'm afraid that if a gust of wind blows, my piece of steamed meat will fly away."
《大學生涯的情趣》
阿三穿著跟高中同學借來的衣服，不對，是全身上上下下、裏裏外外都是借來的，帶著還沒有乾的鈔票，坐著火車到大學去註冊了。在火車上，阿三望著自己穿著借來的衣物、鞋子，不禁笑了出來，希望這個經驗以後再也不會有了。待會兒繳註冊費的時候，怎麼跟人家解釋呢？
果然，當阿三把註冊費交給那位戴著眼鏡的小姐時；「不是掉在馬桶裏面的，不要怕！」因為鈔票被污水浸過是有些臭味，所以阿三如此回應著這位滿面狐疑的四眼小姐。只見她把眼鏡擠在鼻子上，笨拙地點著這些帶著臭味的濕鈔票。阿三的幽默及小姐的窘態，引起了旁觀學生們的一陣哄笑。阿三就在這不尋常又蠻好笑的情景，正式入學作了土木系的新生。
大一的生活的確比較輕鬆。阿三下課後總是去打籃球，晚上跟同住在一個寢室裏來自南部的同學學唱台灣歌：「咱就是寶島男子作阿兵哥，在軍中真勇健，請您免掛意。小弟弟小妹妹，親愛的阿母，您是怎樣來快樂過日子。」
阿三第一封家書就是抄自此歌，只是稍加修改為：「咱就是阿三男子作大學生，在校中真勇健，請您免掛意。老爸爸老姐姐，親愛的阿母，您是怎樣來快樂過日子。」老媽回信說日子過得還好。只是老爸奇怪阿三現在寫信怎麼會有台灣國語的味道，是不是頭殼被水淹壞了。
當時的台灣物價不是很貴，學校外一碗牛肉麵是三塊伍毛錢。不過在學校包伙，一個月只要一百八十元，所以阿三就在學校包伙。老實說，菜的油水不足，阿三一頓至少要吃三大碗飯才能飽。
包伙的笑話也很多，學生們不能抱怨伙食差，只好找機會消遣伙夫們，有時菜裏面有大條的蟲，學生就會拿了這盤菜去找伙夫理論：「為什麼別人的這盤菜裏有葷的料，我的就沒有！」
好不容易碰到加菜時，伙夫們做了粉蒸肉，學生們都用筷子在菜盤上死命按住這塊肉。伙夫不解地問他們是不是神經病？學生們回答說：「我是怕風一吹，就把我的這塊粉蒸肉給吹跑了。」
