Micro-story: My Wife‘s Dress Is Inside Out

 Micro-story:  My Wife‘s Dress Is Inside Out

My name is Bob. One evening, my wife came home from work. I noticed her whole dress was inside out. I froze for a second. Before I could react, she turned on the TV, ran into the kitchen to stir-fry, then we ate, cleared the table, washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, mopped the floor, and took out the trash — all within thirty minutes.

That’s the rhythm of this city. My city rhythm. Ho Ho ha ha ha…!

Ever since my wife became a Laughter Yoga student, she laughs about it, cries about it, then laughs again.

Ho Ho ha ha ha… Ho Ho ha ha ha… VGVG Yeah!

At night, we went to bed. I noticed her pajamas were inside out again. I froze again. I said, “It‘s inside out… I know you love Laughter Yoga and do Ho Ho Ha Ha every day, but you don’t have to wear your clothes backwards to make me laugh...”

My wife said, “I’m not trying to make you laugh... Laughter needs no reason. Laughter is the reason.” She yawned, rolled over, and fell asleep. Half an hour ago she was still doing Ho Ho Ha Ha. Within ten minutes of hitting the bed, she was out cold... Her back faced me. I stared at the washing label on her pajamas.

Over the next few days, I started noticing more. The little buttons on her blouse were on the inside. The seams were on the outside with tiny threads poking out. Her T-shirts were reversed. Her socks were reversed. Even the duvet cover had its zipper on the inside — the pale side showed without embarrassment, while the bright side hid against the quilt.

I asked her, “Have you been... too tired lately?” She was cooking with her apron tied on backwards, not turning her head. “The whole world is upside down and messy. What‘s wrong with me turning one or two clothes around?”

At first I thought she was in a bad mood, or making some silent protest. But no. I still heard her laughing loudly in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Her mood was perfectly stable.

I found myself answering her with Ho Ho Ha Ha without thinking, even though I wasn’t sure if my laugh was real or fake. I’m not even a Laughter Yoga student. My wife said, “Scientific studies prove that the body can’t tell the difference between real laughter and fake laughter. As long as you laugh, your body releases endorphins and lowers cortisol.” That’s pretty interesting.

One weekend morning, I saw her pick a stiff, sun-dried hoodie from the laundry basket — twisted inside out and knotted. Instead of shaking it out and flipping it back like she used to, she just followed the tangled mess, found the collar, and pulled it over her head. The sleeves were twisted. The hood sat behind her neck. She gave it a little tug and went to water the plants. Smooth as if she was putting on a freshly ironed shirt.

Then I understood.

She wasn’t “reversing” things. She was just accepting things as they came. If the washing machine turned it inside out, she wore it inside out. If the duvet cover was reversed, she used it reversed. If it got flipped back to normal, she wore it normal.

The world gave her a crooked logic. She just went along with it. Saving the energy of fixing the world to nurture her own life.

This attitude quietly seeped into her daily life. She no longer got upset by the twisted, distorted, bizarre things on the screen — as if people and beasts were all the same. Yet the world kept running as usual. Her words and smile remained gentle.

I looked at her calm profile. I remembered how she used to argue until her face turned red. I put my socks on inside out. I said, “Hey, my socks match your apron today!” I’m not fighting anything. I’m not going along with anything either. I just want to make my wife laugh. We haven’t worried about world events for six months now.

End

Laughter Yoga Song:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWeR7IEFtxlqH0w17yuHRJS0fReuxZ3-5

Laughter Yoga-Comic

https://laugh-yoga-hk.blogspot.com/

Laughter Yoga-Knowledge (Chinese)

https://laughter-yoga-knowledge.blogspot.com/

Online shop for Laughter Yoga! 

https://www.redbubble.com/people/tonkabean/shop?artistUserName=tonkabean&asc=u&collections=4352674&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=top%20selling

Laughter Yoga India

https://www.laughteryoga.org/

Tonkabean

https://www.tonkabean.me/

2026 April 20,

time: 15:18pm 

tonkabean  ^_^!!

微故事: 誰在聽螞蟻唱歌 (東加豆) Micro-story:Who Hears the Ants Sing? (by Tonkabean)

 微故事: 誰在聽螞蟻唱歌 (東加豆)

Micro-story:Who Hears the Ants Sing? (by Tonkabean)

我叫（阿凡），是一名（大笑瑜伽）導師。在成年人的邏輯裡，螞蟻唱歌這種事，跟老闆會自動加人工一樣，不會有人相信的。但我能證明，起碼有一個人聽得見，而且常聽得如癡如醉。那個人就是舊鄰居的女兒，（芝麻）。

芝麻才七歲，調皮得像個野孩子，身上永遠髒兮兮的。街坊鄰居不喜歡她，說她（無厘頭）、（亂講嘢）。他們總拿別的女孩（杏仁）比較：杏仁文靜聽話、清晨起床背千字英語單詞、傍晚練習小提琴、斯斯文文，不肯坐到泥地上。

幾天前回到老家，芝麻走過來跟我吃飯。她神秘地說："昨晚，我生了一個天藍色的蛋。" 

我故作驚訝問："是？蛋在哪？" 

她把我拉到雞窩旁，指著空地說："在這。" 

我在想，這是亂講嘢，還是將幻想揉進現實？

我順著她追問蛋的去向，她歪著頭想了想："讓螞蟻搬走了。"

我忙接話："我昨晚也生了一個紅色的蛋，有燈籠那麼大。" 芝麻一怔，隨即大笑起來。她為找到同類而心滿意足，整個下午都黏著我。

午睡醒來，我見她蹲在牆角。她說："我在聽螞蟻唱歌。"

我蹲下來，想起大笑瑜伽的核心理念——笑不需要理由，選擇相信就可以。我側耳靜聽，說："我也聽見了。蟻王像豬叫，小細腰的聲音尖脆，來回跑的那隻聲音沙啞。"芝麻興奮地直點頭，笑得燦爛。

這一刻，我真的聽見了。不是想像，不是配合。當你選擇相信，假笑會變成真笑，假裝聽見會變成真的聽見。

我聽見芝麻的笑聲比螞蟻還大。

我羨慕芝麻的快樂。這份快樂，她未來做什麼並不重要，重要的是她擁有一個浪漫主義的童年。一個會生藍蛋、能聽見螞蟻唱歌的童年，是多麼幸福。

完

Micro-story: (by Tonkabean)

My name is Fan, and I am a Laughter Yoga teacher. In the world of adults, believing that ants can sing is like believing a boss will give you a raise voluntarily—no one believes it. But I can prove that at least one person hears it, and she listens with pure delight. That person is my neighbor’s daughter, Sesame.

Sesame is seven. She's a wild child, always covered in dirt. The neighbors don’t like her; they say she’s "nonsense" and "talks crazy." They always compare her to another girl, Almond. Almond is quiet and obedient. She wakes up early to memorize a thousand English words and spends her evenings practicing the violin. She is so "proper" that she refuses to even sit on the grass.

A few days ago, I went back to my old neighborhood. Sesame came over to eat with me. She whispered mysteriously, "Last night, I laid a sky-blue egg."

I played along and asked, "Really? Where is it?"

She pulled me to the chicken coop and pointed at the empty ground. "Right here."

I wondered: Is this just "nonsense," or is she weaving her dreams into reality?

I followed her logic and asked where the egg went. She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "The ants carried it away."

I quickly added, "I laid a red egg last night, too. It was as big as a lantern!" Sesame froze for a second, then burst into laughter. She was so satisfied to have found a "soulmate" that she stuck by my side all afternoon.

After a nap, I found her crouching in the corner. She said, "I’m listening to the ants sing."

I knelt down beside her. I remembered the core of Laughter Yoga: Laughter needs no reason; you just have to choose to believe. I tilted my ear and said, "I hear it too. The King Ant sounds like a pig grunting, the thin-waisted one has a sharp, high voice, and the one running back and forth sounds a bit raspy." Sesame nodded excitedly, her smile radiant.

In that moment, I really did hear it. It wasn’t my imagination, and I wasn't just playing along. When you choose to believe, a fake laugh becomes a real one, and "pretending to hear" becomes "actually hearing."

I heard Sesame’s laughter, and it was louder than any ant.

I envy Sesame’s joy. It doesn't matter what she becomes in the future. What matters is that she has a romantic childhood. To have a childhood where you lay blue eggs and hear ants sing—that is true happiness.

日期 Date：30 March 2026

時間 Time: 14:11pm

圖 Picture: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Write. 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

喜歡我的文章嗎？盼得到您的支持、點讚，或分享我的文章，讓我知道創作的路上有你陪伴。

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關於我：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audio books. I hope we can get to know each other.

Do you like my stories? I hope to have your support, likes, or shares. Let me know that you are with me on this creative journey.

About me: https://tonkabean.me/

Story Collection

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

微故事: 第十四分鐘的笑 (東加豆) Micro-story: The 14th Minute Laugh (by Tonkabean)

 微故事: 第十四分鐘的笑 (東加豆)

Micro-story: The 14th Minute Laugh (by Tonkabean)

我叫（阿凡），在香港，東區，筲箕灣道一棟商業大廈做會計員。日子像游水——不停撥水，卻看不見岸。

某日午飯後，我走進七樓社區中心，聽見裡面傳來 "哈...哈...哈..." 的怪聲。我以為是邪教，卻因為冷氣吸引而推門進去。原來是（大笑瑜伽班）。

導師是一位戴著大圓框眼鏡的中年女人，不美麗。 

她遞給我一個紅鼻子，說："不用等笑話，不用等好笑的事。現在就笑。來，跟我做（攪拌牛奶笑）。"

我問："免費？"

她說："是免費的。"

我有點猶豫，我還未開口再問，她再說："是呀..是免費呀！"

我覺得自己像個白痴。

第一分鐘，我覺得自己像個白痴。

第五分鐘，尷尬。

第十一分鐘，懷疑人生。

就在第十四分鐘，導師突然停了下來，對我說："你還在等什麼？笑吧! "

接著，大腦竟真的順從著，它告訴我:"笑吧! 阿凡!" 

既然是我的大腦在呼喚，我還在等什麼？笑吧! 

然後，（不美麗導師）她忽然跌了一跤，全場靜了，沒有人笑，學生跑上前扶起她，導師爬起來，拍拍膝頭說："這叫跌倒笑。" 然後她自己先 "呵呵...哈哈哈！呵呵...哈哈哈！真好、真好...耶！"

我也笑了，但不是因為她跌倒，而是因為我忽然想笑。而這裡與門外的世界不一樣，踏出門外這樣笑、無緣無故地笑、忽然地笑，別人會避開我，那麼，我應該趁現在好好大笑!

那一刻，我像老鼠在水桶裡，突然相信自己能再多游一會。

第二天，我又去了。

第三天，我帶了同事阿強去笑。

阿強很快就笑，他沒有我那麼多疑問，別人笑他跟著笑，別人靜他跟著靜。

阿強在公司都一樣，叫他拍照便拍照，說缺佈景板他便定格不動，所以我喜歡阿強。

笑聲沒有拯救我的困境——老闆依然刻薄，租金依然昂貴，我依然買不起香港的磚頭。但我開始在茶水間練習（倒奶笑），在電車上做（無聲笑）。這些荒誕無稽的片刻，竟成了我繼續游下去的方式。

六十天過去了，水桶依舊在。但我已經習慣了在絕望裡自製笑聲。至於能游多久，我自己也不知道。或許，只要下一個（呵呵哈哈）響起，我就能再撐一段時間。

慶幸，我在第十四分鐘放棄之前，選擇了大笑。

完

Micro-story: The 14th Minute Laugh (by Tonkabean)

My name is Fan. I work as an accounting clerk in a commercial building on Shau Kei Wan Road, in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. Life feels like swimming — constantly paddling, but never seeing the shore.

One day after lunch, I walked into the community center on the seventh floor. I heard strange sounds coming from inside: "Ha... ha... ha..." I thought it was a cult, but the air conditioning was tempting, so I pushed the door open. It turned out to be a Laughter Yoga class.

The instructor was a middle-aged woman with big round glasses. She wasn’t pretty. She handed me a red nose and said, "You don’t need to wait for a joke. You don’t need to wait for something funny. Laugh now. Come, follow me and do the Milk-Churning Laugh."

I asked, "Is it free?"

She said, "Yes, it’s free."

I hesitated. Before I could ask again, she added, "Yes… it’s really free!"

I felt like an idiot.

The first minute, I felt like an idiot.

The fifth minute, I felt awkward.

The eleventh minute, I started to doubt my life.

Right at the fourteenth minute, the instructor suddenly stopped and said to me, "What are you still waiting for? Laugh!"

Then, my brain actually obeyed. It told me, "Laugh! Fan!"

Since my own brain was calling me, what was I waiting for? Laugh!

Then, she — the not-so-pretty instructor — suddenly tripped and fell. The whole room went silent. No one laughed. The students rushed to help her up. She got up, dusted her knees, and said, "This is called the Fall-Down Laugh." Then she herself started laughing, "Hehe… hahaha! Hehe… hahaha! Good, good… yes!"

I laughed too. Not because she fell, but because I suddenly felt like laughing. And this place was different from the world outside. If I laughed like this outside — for no reason, suddenly — people would avoid me. So I should laugh well while I had the chance!

At that moment, I felt like the mouse in the bucket, suddenly believing I could swim a little longer.

The next day, I went again.

The third day, I brought my colleague ( Ah Keung) along to laugh.

Ah Keung laughed easily. He didn’t have as many questions as I did. When others laughed, he laughed along. When others were quiet, he was quiet too.

Keung was the same at work. If you asked him to take a photo, he took one. If you said you needed a backdrop, he would stand still. That’s why I liked Keung.

Laughter did not save me from my problems — my boss was still harsh, the rent was still high, and I still couldn’t afford a house in Hong Kong. But I started practicing the Milk-Pouring Laugh in the pantry and doing the Silent Laugh on the tram. These silly, meaningless moments became my way of keeping myself afloat.

Sixty days passed. The bucket was still there. But I had gotten used to making my own laughter in the midst of despair. How much longer I could swim, I didn’t know. Maybe, whenever the next "Hehe Haha" sounded, I could last a little while longer.

I was glad that, before giving up at the fourteenth minute, I chose to laugh.

日期 Date：23 March 2026

時間 Time: 11:36am

圖 Picture: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Write. 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

喜歡我的文章嗎？盼得到您的支持、點讚，或分享我的文章，讓我知道創作的路上有你陪伴。

https://tonkabean.me/支持與鼓勵/

關於我：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audio books. I hope we can get to know each other.

Do you like my stories? I hope to have your support, likes, or shares. Let me know that you are with me on this creative journey.

About me: https://tonkabean.me/

Story Collection

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

微故事: 六吋空間 (東加豆)

 微故事: 六吋空間 (東加豆)

茶餐廳的卡位本就窄小，偏偏被老闆訓話直到中午十二點四十五分，洗手、執枱、搭電梯，來到茶餐廳已經是一點零五分，人潮擠擁。

阿哥大叫幾聲："一個、兩個，一個定兩個呀？"

我被安排與一個陌生（長毛髮束辮）男人併桌，我坐一邊，他坐對面。窄長檯面，本來各佔一半，但兩隻手肘，偏偏在中間狹路相逢。

起初，大家都很客氣。他把水杯移開兩吋，我把筷子收回三吋。但吃着吃着，那隻手肘又悄悄越界。不是存心挑釁，大概是男人的手肘天生需要佔據一方領土。

我沒有退讓。我也把手肘撐開一點，用行動表明：這張檯，有我一半！

倆男人的飯照吃，臉照擺，檯底下的角力卻未曾停歇。他進一寸，我進一寸，他稍退，我卻不收。像兩個武林高手，在無聲中較勁。

然後，他的手機響了。

他瞄了一眼來電顯示，眉頭一皺。他想接，手肘卻卡在半空，騰不出空間把電話貼到耳邊。他嘗試收縮身體，但背後的椅背頂住了他。

我看着他尷尬地掙扎。

不知為甚麼，我把手肘收了回來。

不是認輸，也不是甚麼修養大道理。只是那一刻，這六吋空間，他需要比我多。

他順利接了電話，聲音壓得很低："……知道，我馬上回來。"

掛線後，他望我一眼。沒說謝謝，只是點了點頭。

我也點了點頭。

我們繼續低頭食飯。他的手肘，再也沒有迫過來。

我的也沒有。

結帳離座，推門步出，陽光很刺眼，我腳步停了一秒，忽然想起老婆、岳母、兄弟，還有亦敵亦友的同事們，那些吵鬧、暗湧和火藥味，能熄便熄吧。愛情、親情或友情的仗，不打也罷。

完

寫作日期：2026年3月16日 

完成時間 : 11:35am

圖. 人工智豆

文. 東加豆

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

喜歡我的文章嗎？盼得到您的支持、點讚，或分享我的文章，讓我知道創作的路上有你陪伴。

https://tonkabean.me/支持與鼓勵/

關於我：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

微故事: 無敵阿生 (東加豆)

 微故事: 無敵阿生 (東加豆)

（阿生）多數人都這樣叫我。他們不會叫我先生，不會叫我名字，包括我的同事、狗友和酒友，阿媽和阿花。

染上這怪病那天，世界忽然變得溫柔得可怕。

我在阿公岩（香港-筲箕灣區）一間細出版社公司做（老雜）。公司只得八個人，但人事鬥爭足以拍足八十集。

朝早搭巴士，被人踩腳趾發紫，我竟衷心感謝對方教會我（平衡的藝術）。

午間被上司無故剋扣獎金，我不僅沒有（fact-check），還興奮地寫下檢討，標題為：《佛系看淡金錢的藝術》。

有日放工，遇著持刀劫匪，我雙手奉上錢包，眼含熱淚高呼："多謝你讓我體驗失去的快感！" 賊仔呆了一下，最後掉低一句 "痴 x 線"，然後拔足就跑！

同事陷害我孭黑鍋，我遞上一份八千字《成長報告》，對方讀到面紅耳赤，彷彿自己才是那個需要被救贖的罪人。

新聞裡戰火連天，我喃喃自語："沒人受欺負，是學習、是教導、是成長、是體驗，這一切都是非筆墨所能形容的。"

家人看我眼神仿佛有點神經質，他們看我神經質，我看他們何嘗不是？

我失去了憤怒。丟了防禦，就像一隻在狼群中宣揚素食主義的豬。世界沒變成兒童樂園，卻是一場血腥遊樂場，但我依然是那個永遠微笑的小丑。不僅微笑，有時還會 "Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha！"

直到那天，鏡中的我突然問："如果沒有敵人，正義的意義還有什麼意義？" 我站著，久久無語。

因為（阿花）甩了我，她要找個真男人，一個會憤怒、會計較的男人。

可是，她決定愛我之前，明明要我她面前朗讀這份愛的宣言：

《無敵五課》

第一條：我的人生沒有敵人，只有尚未拜完的老師。

第二條：沒有失敗，只有未成功的成長；沒有損失，只有未學懂的經驗。

第三條：所有發生的事，最終都會對我有利——若暫未有利，即課堂尚未完結。

第四條：被剋扣，學看淡。被背叛，學識人。被搶劫，學失去。被辜負，學放下。

第五條：不讓任何人困住我，包括那個明明憎恨卻要強迫自己感謝的人。

我學會了感謝所有人，唯獨忘了感謝她，因為她教的那一課，我不想學。

完

寫作日期：2026年3月9日 

完成時間 : 14:51pm

圖. 人工智豆

文. 東加豆

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