After returning to the unit, the engineering corps received another mission, and the soldiers were stationed in Shui Bi Liao, Pingtung, to build military housing. The conditions there were still harsh. The construction site lacked proper bathrooms, so everyone had to bathe in irrigation ditches. Thankfully, the weather was warming up, and the cold water wasn’t much of an issue. However, leeches often came up with the scooped water, clinging to their skin. Sighing, Ashan lamented, “Life as an engineer is tough. Even after returning to Taiwan, there’s no respite.”
One weekend, an older sergeant asked Ashan to accompany him to Shandi Men to “buy a bride.” In those days, many senior non-commissioned officers struggled to find wives. When stationed on offshore islands for extended periods, they would often save up money over the years to “purchase” a bride. Driven by curiosity, Ashan joined the sergeant in a jeep to witness the process.
As soon as they arrived in a small village, a middleman greeted them. The group walked to an open area in the village, where a straw pavilion housed several mountain (now referred to as Indigenous) women. The sergeant scrutinized the women, eventually settling on a slightly plump young woman with large eyes. He sought Ashan’s opinion, to which Ashan replied, “She looks fortunate, like a mountain version of Yang Guifei, just a bit darker. Worth considering.”
Hearing this, the middleman eagerly chimed in, “Look at her round hips! She’ll definitely be great at having children.” The sergeant was thrilled and proceeded to haggle over the price, finally agreeing to a sum of 8,000 dollars.
At the time, Ashan earned 600 dollars a month, half of which he sent home while spending the rest on personal expenses, leaving him with no savings. Although the middleman tried to persuade Ashan, promising younger, prettier, and fairer-skinned women, Ashan, despite being tempted, politely declined.
再次回到部隊後，工兵連又有新的任務，於是弟兄們又駐紮到屏東水底寮負責蓋建軍舍。當地的環境條件仍然很差，在工地根本沒有浴室，大家必須在田溝裏洗澡。好在天氣已經漸漸轉暖了，水泠沒有什麼關係，只是田溝裏的螞蟥，常常隨著舀上來的水沖在身上。阿三不禁嘆息道，工兵真苦，就算是調回了台灣，也沒有好日子過。
某一個星期假日，阿三被一位老士官要求一起到山地門去買新娘。在那個時代，許多老士官都討不到老婆，所以當隨軍調派到外島駐紮，幾年後都會存下來一筆錢用來「買」新娘。阿三因為好奇心驅使，跟著老士官坐了中吉普到山地門去見識見識。
車子甫在一個小村落停妥，就有一位仲介的男子前來打招呼。一行人走到村落中間的一塊空地，有一個茅草搭的涼亭，裏面坐了幾位山地（現稱原住民）姑娘。老士官選來選去，看中了一位大眼微胖的女子。接著詢問阿三的意見，阿三說：「很有福相，像山地楊貴妃，只是黑了一點，可以考慮。」
那位仲介男子一聽，急忙加強推銷：「你看她的屁股圓滾滾的，一定很會生孩子。」老士官非常滿意，接著就討價還價，最後以八仟元成交。
阿三當時一個月是領六百元，一半寄回家，另一半自己花用，所以沒有積蓄。當仲介一再鼓動阿三，說是有更年輕、更漂亮而且皮膚是白的姑娘，阿三雖然有點心動，不過還是推辭掉了。
