Ashan moved into his new home in the Eastern District of Taipei. After being traumatized by past flooding, his family chose a second-floor apartment in a four-story building made of reinforced bricks. The coal stove was replaced with a gas stove, and his elderly parents were very pleased, praising their daughter’s filial piety, saying she truly hadn’t let them down.
Ashan was, of course, very grateful to his older sister. He knew her life abroad wasn’t as wonderful as she made it seem. The unspoken understanding built between the siblings over the years allowed Ashan to sense from her expression that things were tough. As their parents were getting older, Ashan knew he would have to take on more responsibility for the family in the future. With two years left before graduation, he realized he needed to make the most of his time and focus on studying.
So, Ashan began to take his studies seriously. He started frequenting the library, a place he never used to visit. At first, his classmates thought he was using the library as an excuse to hang out with girls, but they soon realized he was genuinely committed to his studies. His hard work paid off, and his grades improved significantly, giving him more confidence about the future.
During the summer of his junior year, Ashan completed military training at Chenggongling. While there, he returned to his village in his military uniform to visit old friends. They teased him, rubbing his shaved head and feeling his strong arms, joking that if he took off his uniform and put on civilian clothes, he would look like someone under reform. When he asked about Xiaohui, he found out that she had moved away. Regretting that he hadn’t kept in touch, he got her new address and sent her a letter, but never received a reply.
Back at school, some classmates discussed the upcoming military draft. They mentioned that since Ashan’s father was a former general, he could probably use connections to secure a cushy job on the main island. But Ashan dismissed the idea, saying that he wouldn’t even dare bring it up, as it would only earn him a scolding. He told them they were better off hoping for good luck.
When Ashan drew his lot at the district office, he got the "Golden Horse Award," meaning he was assigned to Jinmen. The other young men cheered, as it meant one less person competing for a tough assignment. Ashan went home and told his father he had been assigned to Jinmen. His father said, “Good. The country has protected you for over twenty years; now it’s your turn to protect the country.”
Ashan graduated with decent grades, although his performance in his first two years wasn’t great. His GPA improved year by year, and some classmates suggested that this might give him a good chance of applying for a foreign scholarship. However, Ashan didn’t dare get his hopes up. He felt torn between studying abroad or staying in Taiwan to work and care for his parents.
In the end, Ashan, like most of his fellow graduates, took the foreign study exam and passed with flying colors. The school even put up red banners to congratulate him!
阿三搬進了在台北東區的新家。因為實在是被水淹怕了，所以選了一個四層樓公寓的二樓。這是加強磚造的建築，煤球爐也換成了筒裝瓦斯爐具。兩老非常滿意，一直誇讚丫頭的孝心，女兒到底是沒有白疼啊！
阿三當然對大姐也是心存感激，尤其他知道大姐在僑居地的生活，並不像她說的那麼美滿。姐弟多年培養的默契，讓阿三從大姐的眉宇之間，就可略知一二。父母的年紀都大了，以後生活的重擔勢必要阿三承擔下來。想著再過兩年就要畢業了，阿三非得把握這段時間好好唸書才行。
於是阿三開始認真讀書了。以前從來不去的圖書館，現在卻是阿三課餘最常去的地方。起初幾位玩在一起的同學，都以為阿三只是藉圖書館Ｋ書之名，行泡馬子之實，後來才發現阿三是玩真的。一分耕耘一分收穫，阿三的成績有顯著的進步，對於未來也愈來愈有信心了。
在大三暑假裏，阿三完成了成功嶺的軍訓及分科教育。其間他也穿著阿兵哥的軍服，回到村子去看老朋友。大伙兒摸著他的光頭，捏著他結實的臂膀，笑稱阿三如果脫了帽子、換上便服，可真像被管訓的份子。問起小蕙呢？才知道她已經搬了家。只怪自己沒有和小蕙保持聯絡。要了地址後，寫了封信去問候，不過卻一直沒有得到小蕙的回音。
回到了學校裏，幾位同學們談起將來當兵抽籤的事。提到了阿三老爸以前是將軍，總可以找到關係，幫忙安排個本島輕鬆的單位。阿三說想都不要想，他自己都不敢提，提了一定要挨一頓臭罵，大家還是自求多福吧！
結果阿三在區公所抽籤的時候，中了「金馬獎」，是金門。當場的小伙子們都鼓掌叫好，因為只要有人抽中了「金馬獎」，他們就少了一個中獎的機會。阿三回家報告老爸抽中了金門，老爸說：「很好，國家保護你廿幾年，現在輪到你來保衛國家了。」
阿三畢業時候的成績相當不錯，不過大一及大二的成績並不怎麼樣，平均分數倒是一年高過一年。同學說也許這樣申請國外獎學金比較有希望，不過阿三不敢奢想。心裏也很矛盾，是該想辦法出國留學呢？還是該留在國內就業照顧爸媽才對呢？
不過阿三還是跟大多的應屆畢業生一樣，去參加了留學考試，結果金榜題名，學校還貼了紅條子祝賀呢！
