微故事: 早餐前的早餐 (東加豆)/Micro-story: Breakfast Before Breakfast (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 早餐前的早餐 (東加豆)

 

離婚後，阿米的世界只剩下兩種顏色。他每天走進同一家咖啡館，點一碗燕麥粥和一杯脫因咖啡。菜單上其他的菜式、誘人的圖片都像灰塵般模糊。他只知道：吃了就有氣力，有了氣力就能上班，上班了就有錢。

直到某天，他鼓起勇氣，參加了他一直瞧不起的大笑瑜伽。

為什麼阿米會瞧不起大笑瑜伽？他自己都不知道，也許是一大堆人自己和自己哈哈大笑，像什麼樣？

為什麼他現在又想參加大笑瑜伽？他想，全世界一百幾十個國家，那些數不清的數字，難道那些人會是傻的嗎？不可能的。

他帶著幾分荒謬的妥協，接著打開視頻參與線上課堂，跟著帶領員大家 Ho Ho Ha Ha，抬起雙手，伸展身體。阿米覺得冇所謂，隔著屏幕，有沒有發出聲音都沒有人會知道的。這種心態真不好，但他依然每天參與線上大笑活動。

日復一日，某天他突然很想大笑，然後他真的爆笑了，他分不出真假，也懶得管，因為課堂說大腦對笑沒有測謊功能，真假都照單全收，身體照樣療癒。

阿米終於感受到，自己和方格裡的同學們，正做著同款表情、同款弧度，像一群散落各地的鏡像。在笑聲裡，胸腔空了又滿，直到橫膈膜劇烈震盪過後，像被重新洗滌。這種（呼出廢氣）的過程，讓他覺得自己不再只是機械地呼吸，而是重新獲得一個身體。

幾天後，他再次坐在咖啡館。當湯匙舀起燕麥粥，他竟嚐到一絲蜜糖的甜。他低頭一看，果然多了一勺蜜糖。他不記得自己加過，也不確定是不是手誤。或許，是身體替他做了決定。那一刻，他看著面前的一碗糊狀物，不再淡而無味。原來，當你願意（笑），生活的感知也會悄然改變，內心被編寫的程序，彷彿被系統洗刷了一遍。

阿米差點想低頭問那碗燕麥粥，是否一直等待這場笑聲降臨。但念頭才到喉嚨，他就吞回去了——算啦，剛才笑那三十秒，已經讓斜對面那桌幾個女人交頭接耳，要是再對著一碗糊狀物深情款款，她們大概會直接幫他預約精神科。

年復一年，阿米的身體的確好轉了，心情也平穩了許多。但前妻沒有回來，工作沒有升職，世界也沒有因此變得不一樣。他只是每天清晨先做完一場暢快淋漓的大笑瑜伽，讓乾涸的心靈先飽餐一頓，才開始一天的第一頓固體食物。

他只不過是，不僅能嚐到一碗燕麥粥的味道，還會在意餐牌上其他早餐。

完

 

Micro-story: Breakfast Before Breakfast (by Tonkabean)

 

After his divorce, Ah mi’s world was reduced to just two colors. Every day, he walked into the same café and ordered a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of decaf coffee. Other items on the menu and their tempting pictures were as blurry to him as dust. He only knew one thing: eating gave him energy, energy let him work, and working brought in money.

Until one day, he gathered his courage and joined a Laughter Yoga session—something he had always looked down on.

Why did Ah mi look down on Laughter Yoga? He didn't really know himself. Maybe he thought, *what does it look like for a big crowd of people to just laugh by themselves for no reason?*

But why did he want to join now? He thought about the hundreds of countries and the countless people doing it around the world. *Could all of them be foolish? Impossible.*

With a sense of ridiculous compromise, he opened his camera and joined the online class. He followed the leader and everyone else, clapping "Ho Ho Ha Ha," raising his hands, and stretching his body. Ah mi thought it didn't matter—behind a screen, no one would know if he actually made a sound or not. It wasn’t a great attitude, but he still showed up to the online laughter sessions every day.

Day after day passed. Then one day, he suddenly felt a strong urge to laugh, and he burst into real, hearty laughter. He couldn't tell if it was fake or real, and he didn't care to figure it out. The class had taught him that the brain has no lie detector for laughter; it accepts both real and fake, and the body heals just the same.

Ah mi finally felt that he and his classmates in the screen squares were making the exact same expressions, their smiles curving at the exact same angle, like a group of mirrors scattered across the world. In the midst of the laughter, his chest emptied and filled again. After his diaphragm vibrated intensely, he felt completely washed clean. This process of breathing out the stale air made him feel like he was no longer just breathing mechanically, but truly reclaiming his body.

A few days later, he was sitting in the café again. As his spoon scooped up the oatmeal, he actually tasted a hint of honeyed sweetness. He looked down and saw an extra spoonful of honey in his bowl. He didn't remember adding it, nor was he sure if it was an accident. Perhaps, his body had made the choice for him. At that moment, looking at the bowl of mush in front of him, it was no longer tasteless. It turned out that when you are willing to laugh, your perception of life quietly changes. The old programs running in your mind feel as if they have been completely reset by the system.

Ah mi almost wanted to look down and ask the oatmeal if it had been waiting for this laughter to arrive. But the moment the thought reached his throat, he swallowed it back. *Forget it,* he thought. *Just laughing for thirty seconds earlier had already made the women at the next table whisper to each other. If I start staring passionately at a bowl of mush, they’ll probably call the psychiatric clinic for me right away.*

Years went by. Ah mi's physical health did improve, and his mood became much steadier. But his ex-wife didn't come back, he didn't get a promotion at work, and the world didn't magically change because of it. He simply practiced a hearty session of Laughter Yoga every morning, letting his dry soul feast first, before starting his first solid meal of the day.

The only difference was, he could now taste the flavor of his oatmeal—and he had finally started to care about the other breakfast choices on the menu.

End

日期 Date：21 Sept 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

微故事: 當獅子遇上愛情 (東加豆) / When a Lion Falls in Love (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 當獅子遇上愛情 (東加豆)

從前，有隻雄霸山林的獅王，愛上了一座果園主人唯一的女兒。那女孩常在月光下唱歌，獅王聽得如痴如醉，終於鼓起勇氣上門求親。

果農嚇壞了，卻不敢當面拒絕。他顫聲說："大王，我女兒膽子小，最怕你那鋒利的爪子。你若肯把爪子剪掉，我就考慮看看。"

獅王為了愛情，二話不說就把爪子全剪了。

幾日後，獅子又來提親。果農看了看牠，又說："還是不行，你那牙齒太尖了，我女兒見了會發抖。你把它拔掉吧!我立刻把女兒嫁給你。"

沒有人會想到這頭凶猛的獅子，二話不說就把鋒利的牙齒拔掉，就是為了（愛情）這個詞。

果農見牠沒了爪也沒了牙，知道牠暫時傷不了人，便說："好吧，你進來，我把女兒叫出來。"

獅王滿心期待、毫無防備地走進果園。這時果農迅速抄起一根粗木棍，一棍一棍地朝牠身上狠狠揮去。

獅王想抓，抓不住；想咬，咬不動。按常理，大腦此時該啟動（戰鬥或逃跑）機制。可牠沒了武器，逃也無路。在痛楚與背叛感交織中，這隻百獸之王突然張大嘴巴，伸出舌頭，雙手懸空如爪，發出了響亮的咆哮聲，繼而化作一陣瘋狂的腹式大笑。

果農的木棍懸在半空，徹底懵了。他不知道，獅王正經歷著大笑瑜伽所說的（身體動作引發心理情感）的轉化。當心靈承受巨大創傷，那強行的身體律動反而繞過了認知系統，直接用最劇烈的方式把一切吐出來。沒理由，不需要理由。

一頭沒牙沒爪的獅子，在滿園月光下，對著施暴者搖頭擺尾，獅子後來怎樣呢？

當然是平安無事。不然，我們又怎會天天做獅子大笑呢？

*這個故事有一部分是我自己創作的，靈感來自一個經典童話。

完

 

Micro-story: When a Lion Falls in Love (by Tonkabean)

 

Once upon a time, there was a mighty lion king who ruled the forest. He fell deeply in love with the only daughter of an orchard owner. The girl often sang under the moonlight, and her voice enchanted the lion. Finally, he gathered his courage, went to her house, and asked for her hand in marriage.

The farmer was terrified, but he didn't dare to say no to his face. Trembling, he said, "Your Majesty, my daughter is very timid. She is scared of your sharp claws. If you are willing to clip them off, I will consider it."

For the sake of love, the lion clipped off all his claws without a second thought.

A few days later, the lion came back to propose again. The farmer looked at him and said, "Still no. Your teeth are too sharp; they make my daughter shake with fear. Pull them out, and I will marry her to you right away!"

Nobody would have ever thought that this fierce lion would pull out all his sharp teeth without hesitation, just for that one word—**Love**.

Seeing that the lion now had no claws and no teeth, the farmer knew he was harmless. He said, "Alright, come on in. I will call my daughter out."

Full of hope and completely off guard, the lion walked into the orchard. Suddenly, the farmer grabbed a thick wooden stick and began to beat him, blow after blow, with all his might.

The lion wanted to scratch, but he couldn't. He wanted to bite, but he couldn't. Normally, his brain should have triggered the **"fight or flight"** response. But he had no weapons left, and there was nowhere to run. Trapped in a mix of intense pain and betrayal, the King of Beasts suddenly opened his mouth wide, stuck out his tongue, raised his paws in the air, and let out a loud roar—which instantly turned into a wild burst of belly laughter.

The farmer froze, his stick hanging in mid-air. He was completely bewildered. He didn't know that the lion was experiencing what we call in Laughter Yoga: the powerful connection where "bodily expression generates emotion." When the mind suffers a huge trauma, the forced physical movement of the body, bypasses the cognitive thought system. It allows the body to release and throw everything out in the most intense way. No reason, no conditions needed.

Under the moonlit orchard, a lion with no teeth and no claws wagged his tail and shook his head, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face. What happened to the lion afterwards?

Of course, he was completely fine! Otherwise, how could we all be doing the "Lion Laughter" every single day?

*This story is partly my own creation, inspired by a classic fairy tale.

End

日期 Date：14 Sept 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

微故事: 阿強的橫膈膜 (東加豆) / Micro-story: Ah Keung's Diaphragm (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 阿強的橫膈膜 (東加豆)

阿強是個出名悲觀的人，說話又直接。太太阿珍出差前，塞給他一本大笑瑜伽手冊，說："遇到壞事時，試試笑。筆記說，身體分不清真笑假笑，笑著笑著，想法就會跟上。"

第三天，阿珍從印度打來電話："老公，屋頂那盆太陽花還好嗎？"

阿強說: "全部太陽花死了!"

阿珍又生氣又難過，太陽花死得突然，丈夫說話又那麼直接，早知還是放回露台吧!屋頂，屋頂，屋頂從來都是危險之地。過了半天，平靜過後阿珍又生氣，她對丈夫說："難道從來都沒人教過你說話的藝術嗎？你說話不能婉轉一點嗎？

阿強不解地問: "事實就是太陽花了，這還能怎麼說呢？"

阿珍深深吸一口氣，然後長長地呼氣說：“你可以一步一步告訴我啊。比如說，你先告訴我太陽花搬到屋頂曬太陽了。等我到了德里，你再說它曬太久開始發黃了。等我到了孟買，你再說它已經枯萎了。這樣我至少有個心理準備。"

"你學了大笑瑜伽，Ho Ho一秒半也好，至少給自己時間想清楚，不要一開口就殺死盆花。" 阿珍繼續說。

又過了半天，即是晚上，阿強打電話給阿珍說："今天太陽花搬到屋頂曬太陽了。"

"妳現在到了德里是嗎？...太陽花曬太久了...開始發黃。"

接著，阿珍聽不清楚阿強在說什麼，只聽到電話傳來一陣陣的由喉嚨發出的 Ho Ho Ha Ha...。

阿強連忙說："不好意思...不好意思...因為腹部突然收縮，他的身體搶先笑，橫膈膜自己動了。"

阿珍說："我明白...我明白，導師筆記第十五章（笑聲與壓力：生理上的對立）——當橫膈膜劇烈震盪時，交感神經會被切換到副交感神經，意思是，即使你不想笑，身體也會自己選。而且，你先選擇了笑！對的，對的，我明，我明。

阿強說："我想解釋太陽花的事，但還沒開口，笑聲就搶先跑出來。我越急，身體越不聽話；太陽花…Ho Ho…死了…Ha Ha！"

霎時間，阿珍沒有再為太陽花而生氣，因為阿強的笑聲彷彿生出了太陽花。

阿珍拿著電話，等。

她忽然問："我媽呢？她昨天說來我家為太陽花澆水。"

阿強張開嘴說："妳媽說天氣好，走上屋頂去了。"

完

 

Micro-story: Ah Keung's Diaphragm (by Tonkabean)

 

Ah Keung was known for being a pessimist who spoke too directly. Before his wife Ah Jane left on a business trip, she handed him a Laughter Yoga manual and said: "When something bad happens, try laughing. The manual says the body can't tell the difference between real laughter and fake laughter. Laugh, and the thoughts will follow."

Three days later, Ah Jane called from India: "Honey, how are the sunflowers on the roof?"

Ah Keung said: "All the sunflowers are dead!"

Ah Jane was angry and sad. The sunflowers died suddenly, and her husband was so blunt. She should have left them on the balcony. The roof, the roof, the roof was always a dangerous place. After a while, Ah Jane got angry again and said to her husband: "Has no one ever taught you how to speak? Can't you be a little more tactful?"

Ah Keung asked: "The truth is the sunflowers are dead. What else can I say?"

Ah Jane took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then said: "You could tell me step by step. First, you could tell me the sunflowers were moved to the roof to get some sun. When I get to Delhi, you could tell me they were turning yellow from too much sun. When I get to Mumbai, you could tell me they had withered. That way, I'd at least have some warning."

"You've learned Laughter Yoga. Even half a second of Ho Ho would give you time to think before speaking. Don't kill the flowers with your first sentence," Ah Jane continued.

Later that evening, Ah Keung called Ah Jane and said: "The sunflowers were moved to the roof to get some sun today."

"Are you in Delhi now?... The sunflowers got too much sun... they're starting to turn yellow."

Then Ah Jane couldn't make out what Ah Keung was saying. All she heard was a series of Ho Ho Ha Ha coming from his throat through the phone.

Ah Keung quickly said: "Sorry... sorry... My abdomen suddenly contracted and my body laughed first. My diaphragm moved on its own."

Ah Jane said: "I understand... I understand. Teacher's notes, Chapter 15 — when the diaphragm vibrates intensely, the sympathetic nervous system switches to the parasympathetic nervous system. It means even if you don't want to laugh, your body will choose to. And you chose laughter first! Yes, yes, I understand."

Ah Keung said: "I wanted to explain about the sunflowers, but the laugh came out before I could speak. The more I tried to control it, the more my body wouldn't listen. The sunflowers... Ho Ho... are dead... Ha Ha!"

Suddenly, Ah Jane stopped being angry about the sunflowers. Ah Keung's laughter seemed to have given birth to new sunflowers.

Ah Jane held the phone and waited.

She suddenly asked: "What about my mother? She said she was coming to water the sunflowers yesterday."

Ah Keung opened his mouth and said: "Your mother said the weather was nice, so she went up to the roof."

End

日期 Date：24 August 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

Micro-story: The Pigs Who Couldn't Lie (by Tonkabean)

 

On this farm, a new rule was made: No pig is allowed to lie. However, reports showed that lying is a pig’s natural instinct. Hearing this news, Kiki and Fifi were deeply worried. Their brother, Pipi, was always lazy and only did 70% of his work. For example, if he was supposed to change the trash bags three times a day, he would only do it twice. If he was supposed to guard the farm five times, he would only go three times. Whenever he was caught, he always made up excuses. That was just Pipi’s work attitude.

Rules were rules, but obeying this one changed the farm in a strange way. The whole place fell into a dead silence. Every pig became as lonely as a heavy, unmovable stone. Their facial muscles became completely stiff. Forcing them not to lie was like forcing them not to speak. It was deeply depressing.

In this quiet farm, Kiki noticed a very skinny pig. He was so thin that he barely looked like a pig. Because he was too skinny to be sold for money, he ended up doing various chores for the farmer, yet he carried an amazing amount of energy.

Fifi felt sorry for the skinny pig and began to watch him. But to her surprise, he didn't look miserable at all. She even doubted her own eyes—why did the skinny pig always seem to be smiling? She couldn't help but walk closer. He really was laughing, and he was doing it out loud! She thought, If there's nothing wrong with my eyes, then my ears must be playing tricks on me!

It turned out that the skinny pig loved to laugh. He loved laughing even more than he loved eating! Gradually, he had much less fat than the other pigs, and he wasn't as lazy as them either. He began to share his Laughter Yoga. Especially when the new rule was announced, the pigpen was filled with emotional stress. The skinny pig wrinkled his nose and let out a big, 'Ho Ho Ha Ha... Anyway, just laugh first!' Soon, the other pigs started laughing along, too. 'Yes, yes, yes! Real or fake, it doesn't matter. Just laugh first!' a female pig said."

Kiki and Fifi felt a bit awkward. If the laugh was fake, where was the fun? Besides, how was this any different from lying? Wasn't this just another form of cheating?

The skinny pig smiled and patted their shoulders. "In the science of Laughter Yoga, this is called the two-way link between body and mind. Whatever action your body performs, it generates a corresponding emotion in your mind. This is not cheating; it is a gentle rebellion of the body against the brain. When the brain stops judging whether life is funny or not, it bypasses the cognitive braking system that blocks our joy..." The skinny pig went on and on.

Fifi scratched her forehead and said, "That sounds way too complicated. You talk like you're speaking to humans. But I am a pig."

The skinny pig laughed and said, "Before you eat, do you stop and think, 'I am about to eat, but am I really hungry?' No, you don't! You just eat first! Laughter works the same way. Just laugh, and your brain will follow. It’s just like rolling around in the mud. Do you stop and ask yourself, 'Am I rolling the right way?' No! You just roll! Laughter is exactly the same." The skinny pig shrugged.

Kiki and Fifi looked at each other. They decided to drop all logic, let go of their doubts, and just give this "Ho Ho Ha Ha" a try!

Two pigs laughed very shyly.

Ten pigs laughed quite easily.

A hundred pigs laughed beautifully and brightly.

Eventually, Kiki and Fifi got used to laughing for no reason. Laughter itself became the reason. And the wonderful thing was, laughing this way still brought them pure, true joy.

End

Date：31 August 2026

Illustration: Ai-Bean

Written by: Tonkabean

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

微故事: 我跟阿媽去班加羅爾 (東加豆) Micro-story: My Bangalore Trip with Mom (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 我跟阿媽去班加羅爾 (東加豆)

 

我阿媽話要去班加羅爾參加大笑瑜伽導師課程。

佢六十七歲，退休後學過太多嘢：氣功、畫畫、種花、上網賣嘢。次次都話「今次真係搵到人生意義」，三個月後就放棄。今次輪到大笑瑜伽。

「你同我去。」佢話。

「我唔去。」

「機票買咗。」

「我份工……」

「你請假。」

「我冇錢。」

「我用你啲積蓄買嘅。」

我阿媽就係咁。佢永遠唔會同你講「我想你去」，佢只會令你冇得揀。

班加羅爾好熱。工作坊喺一個冇冷氣嘅禮堂，三百人坐地下，拍手喊「Ho Ho Ha Ha」。我坐最後排，諗緊公司嗰份報告星期一要交，但我仲未開始寫。

導師話：「身體分唔清真笑假笑，只要願意……」

我內心話：「我身體分得清乜嘢叫做攰。」

旁邊一個外國人笑到成個彈弓咁，啲眼淚飛咗落我隻手。我望住佢，心想：佢究竟經歷過啲咩？

課程進入「Laughter Meditation」。導師叫我哋瞓低、合埋眼，讓笑聲從身體入面自己流出來。我瞓低。腦入面開始盤點：今個月卡數、阿媽嘅血壓藥、老細上星期黑面嗰下眼神……

然後後面一個阿叔發出一下好似放屁嘅笑聲。真係好似放屁。

我忍唔住。唔係笑，係「哧」一聲，一啖氣從我個鼻噴咗出嚟。

然後我隔離嗰個外國人聽到，又笑多咗。

然後前面個阿姨聽到後面笑，又轉頭望。

然後成個禮堂好似傳染病咁，一個傳一個。

我笑到眼淚出晒嚟，笑到個肚好痛。唔係因為好笑，係因為我發現自己喺印度、喺一個冇冷氣嘅禮堂、同三百個陌生人一齊笑，而我阿媽喺我前面，笑到成個細路女咁。

我上一次見佢笑得咁開心，係我七歲嗰年。

課程完咗。我返到香港，繼續返工、繼續交卡數、繼續面對老細黑面。

但有一樣嘢唔同咗。

我而家每個禮拜六，會同阿媽去公園，同十幾個阿叔阿嬸一齊「Ho Ho Ha Ha」。

我唔知呢樣嘢有冇意義。

我只係知，每次我笑完，夜晚都瞓得好啲。

完

Micro-story:  My Bangalore Trip with Mom (by Tonkabean)

 

My mom announced that she was going to Bangalore to take the Laughter Yoga Teacher Training course.

She is sixty-seven years old. Since retiring, she has tried everything: Qigong, painting, gardening, and online selling. Every single time, she would say, "This time, I’ve truly found the meaning of life." Three months later, she would give up. This time, it was Laughter Yoga.

"You are coming with me," she said.

"I’m not going."

"The flight tickets are bought."

"But my job..."

"Take leave."

"I don't have the money."

"I bought them using your savings."

That’s my mom. She never says "I want you to come." She just leaves you with no choice.

Bangalore was boiling hot. The workshop was held in a hall with no air conditioning. Three hundred people sat on the floor, clapping and chanting "Ho Ho Ha Ha." I sat in the very last row, thinking about a company report due on Monday that I hadn't even started writing.

The teacher said, "The body cannot tell the difference between real and fake laughter. As long as you are willing..."

In my heart, I thought, *My body can definitely tell what exhaustion feels like.*

Next to me, a foreigner was laughing so hard he was bouncing like a spring, and a few tears splashed onto my hand. I looked at him and wondered, *What on earth has this guy been through?*

Then, we entered the "Laughter Meditation." The teacher asked us to lie down, close our eyes, and let the laughter flow naturally from inside our bodies. I lay down. My mind started listing my worries: this month's credit card bill, my mom's blood pressure medicine, the dark look my boss gave me last week...

Suddenly, a middle-aged man behind me let out a laugh that sounded exactly like a fart. Literally, like a fart.

I couldn't help it. It wasn't a proper laugh, but a "pfft" sound as air burst out of my nose.

The foreigner next to me heard it and started laughing even harder.

Then an auntie in front of us heard the laughter behind her and turned around to look.

Suddenly, like a contagion, the laughter spread from one person to another across the entire hall.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face, and my stomach began to hurt. It wasn't because anything was actually funny. It was because I realized I was in India, in a hall with no air conditioning, laughing with three hundred strangers—and right in front of me was my mom, laughing just like a little girl.

The last time I saw her laugh that happily, I was seven years old.

The course ended. I returned to Hong Kong, continued going to work, paying my credit card bills, and facing my boss’s dark expressions.

But one thing changed.

Now, every Saturday, I go to the park with my mom and join a dozen aunties and uncles to "Ho Ho Ha Ha."

I don't know if this has any grand meaning.

All I know is, every time after I laugh, I sleep much better at night.

End

日期 Date：10 August 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

Micro-story:  Ah Sha and Her Fertilizer (by Tonkabean)

 

People call me Ah Sha because my body looks like a shark, and my laugh sounds like one too. When they laugh at me, I laugh right back. I tell them, "This is my internal jogging."

What is internal jogging? Well, I just found out about it myself. A Laughter Yoga teacher told me: "Laughter Yoga works your belly muscles and your diaphragm. Scientists call it 'internal jogging' because it stimulates your organs. It doesn't just strengthen your belly and give you an internal massage; it also helps keep your organs in the right place, making sure your digestion and absorption work efficiently." To be honest, I didn't fully get what he meant, but it sounded pretty cool. Since then, I’ve been practicing Laughter Yoga, though I wouldn't call myself a true Laughter Yogi just yet.

My head is always full of weird ideas. A friend told me these ideas are "materials," but I call them "fertilizer." Materials can expire, but fertilizer makes things grow.

All those laughs and doubts from others? They are my NPK—my nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. I swallow them all and use the vibrations of my diaphragm to break them down.

What is NPK? They are the three essential nutrients for plants to grow. To put it simply: nitrogen grows leaves, phosphorus grows flowers and fruits, and potassium strengthens roots and stems.

The people who laugh at me keep on laughing, and whenever I want to laugh, I just keep on laughing too.

Just like when I was a kid, laughing is just for fun. You don’t need a reason.

This is exactly how my so-called "creative works" are grown.

But people always ask, "How much money can you make from this?"

Whenever that happens, stress starts running wild inside my body. So, I just keep laughing.

The funny thing is, when I keep laughing, the other person actually starts laughing along with me!

It has happened a few times now. Some people get a little embarrassed by my laughter, while others ask if they asked the wrong question.

I say, "No, no, no... good question! Good question!"

And in my heart, I remember what my Laughter Yoga friend said: "That’s mirror neurons at work. Just laugh and don't worry!"

Over the years, I’ve thrown away a lot of rotten ideas. But they were never wasted. It’s just like turning the soil to give new things room to grow.

My friend said, "Yes, exactly! Just like the carbon dioxide inside you—exhale it out with force, and let the laughter come in."

End

Date：17 August 2026

Illustration:  Ai-Bean

Written by: Tonkabean

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

Micro-story: The Night the Drinks Fought Back (by Tonkabean)

 

At 3:00 AM, the moonlight was like a voyeur, peeking through the window screen onto the kitchen counter. A cup of amber honey water and a cup of cloudy ginseng tea stood side by side in perfect order.

Ah Bei was used to drinking honey water before bed, letting the sweet taste coat her throat. Ah Lap, however, was obsessed with the bitterness of ginseng tea. If forced to choose, he would say that life itself is bitterer than Chinese medicine.

Thankfully, they had just finished watching a movie—David Lynch’s *Eraserhead*. On the screen, a deformed creature suddenly turned its head to the camera, flashng a sweet, honey-like smile. Ah Lap felt that only this kind of bizarre, twisted film could balance out his daily life. Perhaps, Ah Bei's presence in his life was the exact same kind of balance.

Ah Bei’s hand unconsciously moved to her chest. Something seemed to be crawling inside...

Tonight, the two drinks decided they would no longer stay silent.

Countless tiny bubbles popped up on the surface of the honey water, rolling and rolling, eating away at the edges of the ginseng tea. Not to be outdone, the root-like tea dregs of the ginseng tea grew out like a small hand, tightly wrapping around the honey water cup.

"I know your smile is sweet, but it’s so fake!" hissed the ginseng tea.

"Your bitter face is the one that's fake!" the honey water shot back. "Don't you know? Laughing releases endorphins. Whether it’s a real laugh or a fake laugh, it kills pain instantly."

The ginseng tea froze for a moment.

Taking advantage of the victory, the honey water pushed further: "Studies say that laughing can boost positive emotions by 17% and drop negative ones by 27%. Look at you. You’re so bitter and repressed. Who would ever want to get close to you?"

Furious, the ginseng tea stretched out its dark brown roots, wrapping around the base of the honey water cup like an octopus.

"Serotonin makes people calm, relaxed, and hopeful."

"Hey! Don't judge a tea by its cover! Just because I look bitter doesn't mean I don't want to smile," the ginseng tea replied, sounding a bit wronged.

The honey water went silent.

In her sleep, the corners of Ah Bei’s mouth curved up, looking like a thief who had just stolen some honey. Ah Lap’s brows, however, frowned into the exact shape of a wrinkled ginseng root.

At dawn, they woke up as usual.

Ah Bei took a sip of her honey water: "It doesn't taste that sweet today."

Ah Lap took a sip of his ginseng tea: "It doesn't taste that bitter today."

They looked at each other, and both smiled at the same time.

Deep down in the kitchen sink, the leftovers of the honey water and the ginseng tea quietly tangled together.

It seemed they were still talking.

End

Date：10 August 2026

Illustration: Ai-Bean

Written by: 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

Micro-story: The Happy Woman Who Sleeps Little / 少睡的快樂女人 (by Tonkabean)

Micro-story: The Happy Woman Who Sleeps Little  (by Tonkabean)

 

"Did you laugh today?"

At 4 AM, Ah Ta asked this question to the mirror. As if asking you, asking me, asking herself.

Ah Ta has a family, children, plans, and two books waiting to be written. She sleeps only three and a half hours a night, yet she's like a light bulb that never needs charging. In others' eyes, she never seems tired, always carrying a certain glow and warmth.

She has a trick: close her eyes, breathe in for four seconds, breathe out for eight seconds — like a meditating frog. Three and a half hours of sleep isn't a deficit for her; it's a precise energy-compression technique. Can't sleep? Don't get angry. Breathe deeply. Laugh. There's still so much to do.

Tonight, a black crow appeared on the living room sofa. Ah Ta genuinely wanted to crush it with one finger.

She stepped closer and asked: "Why do your eyes look like mine? Can't you sleep either?"

She had been wrestling with an AI over the lines of a strange drawing. The night was too quiet, the crow too black. Then, without warning, Ah Ta's abdomen began to pulse rhythmically, and her throat let out a dry "Ho Ho Ha Ha."

She wasn't crazy. This kind of laughter bypasses the brain's rational system — it's the only technique that allows adults to laugh continuously without thinking. The crow tilted its head, its black eyes rolling, as if to say: "Hey, don't you sleep?"

Ah Ta laughed back at it and tilted her head in return. One woman, one bird, playing a mimicry game at 4 AM.

The Laughter Yoga teacher's manual says laughter summons a team of special forces called "NK cells" that hunt down viruses and bad cells. Ah Ta doesn't sleep, but her immune system works harder than anyone's, patrolling quietly through the night. She could even handle a crow attack — but the question is, do crows have NK cells too?

The clock moved toward four. The crow flapped its wings and flew toward the window. Just before leaving, it turned back and let out two sounds — "Ho Ho Ha Ha" — same rhythm, same timing, exactly the same.

Was this an AI hallucination, or her own? Ah Ta scratched her head. Suddenly, a Laughter Yoga exercise came to mind — she unzipped the top of her head, took out her brain, rinsed it like a cabbage, put it back, zipped it up, and felt as fresh as if she'd been replaced by a brand new one.

She poured out her cold tea. The sky was growing light. The children would wake soon.

As for that laughing crow — she thought, tonight at 3:30, she'd ask it again.

End

微故事: 少睡的快樂女人 (東加豆)

"你今天笑了嗎？" 凌晨四點，亞亭對著鏡子問。彷彿在問你、問我、問她自己。

亞亭有家庭、有孩子、有計劃，還有兩本書在等她寫。她每天只睡三個半小時，卻像一顆不用充電的燈泡，別人眼裡的她，從不疲倦，總是帶著光芒與熱情。

她有一項心得：閉上眼，吸氣四秒，呼氣八秒，像一隻在打坐的青蛙。三個半小時的睡眠，對她來說不是透支，而是一種精準的能量壓縮技術。睡不了，不生氣，深呼吸，再來笑，還有很多事情等著她。

今夜，客廳沙發上莫名多了一隻黑色烏鴉，亞亭真的想一隻手指卒死牠！

她一步一步走近問："為什麼你的眼神和我一樣？你也失眠嗎？"

本來她正在跟AI為一幅怪畫的線條角力。黑夜太靜，烏鴉太黑，亞亭的腹部突然毫無預兆地抽動起來，喉嚨發出 "Ho Ho Ha Ha"的乾笑。

她沒有瘋。這種笑繞過了大腦的理智系統，是唯一一種不需要思考就能持續大笑的技巧。烏鴉側起頭，黑眼珠骨碌碌地轉，像是在說："喂，你不用睡的嗎？"

亞亭對著牠笑，又學牠側頭，一人一鳥，在凌晨四點玩起了模仿遊戲。

大笑瑜伽導師手冊說，笑聲會召喚一隊叫「NK細胞」的特種兵，專門捕捉病毒和壞細胞。亞亭不用睡，但她的免疫系統比任何人更勤快，在黑夜裡默默巡邏。即使有烏鴉來襲擊也能撐得住——問題是，烏鴉也有NK細胞嗎？

時鐘走向四點。烏鴉拍拍翅膀，向窗飛出去。臨走前，牠回頭，發出兩聲 "Ho Ho Ha Ha"——頻率、節奏，一模一樣。

究竟這是AI幻覺，還是自己的幻覺？亞亭抓了抓頭，腦海忽然飄起一個大笑瑜伽練習——她拉開頭頂的拉鏈，把腦袋掏出來，像洗一顆白菜那樣沖了沖，塞回去，拉好拉鏈，整個人清爽得像煥然一新。

她倒了茶，天色微亮，孩子快醒了。

至於那隻會笑的烏鴉——她想，今晚三點半，再問牠。

完

 

日期 Date： 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

Micro-story: The Laughter Yoga Menu (by Tonkabean)

 

Ah Fan had been practicing Laughter Yoga for three years. He decided to take an advanced course to upgrade himself.

A week later, the teacher handed him a "Laughter Yoga Menu" and asked him to think carefully about how he wanted to spend his next year in Laughter Yoga.

"You cannot choose everything on this menu. Your budget is only five dollars or less. Whatever you choose will be how you live your laughter days for the coming year." With a half-smile, the teacher clapped and cheered, "Very good, very good, yeah!"

Ah Fan looked at the menu:

* Hearty Laughter – $3

* Relaxation – $2

* Stress Relief – $2

* Infecting Others – $3

* Losing My Image – $2

* Pure Joy – $3

* Childlike Playfulness – $3

* Laughing from the Belly – $1

* Breathing Along – $1

* Eye Contact – $1

* Gratitude – $1

* Mimicking Animals – $2

* Exaggerated Body Movements – $2

* Lasting Friendship – $2

He wanted "Pure Joy" ($3) and also wanted "Childlike Playfulness" ($2)—but that would be $5 in total, But he would not have Stress Relief or Hearty Laughter.

So he put "Pure Joy" and "Childlike Playfulness" aside and switched to "Hearty Laughter" ($3) and "Relaxation" ($2). He remembered his wife always telling him that his laugh looked too fake. He thought to himself, *Getting some hearty laughter wouldn’t be bad.*

But then, his eyes caught "Lasting Friendship" ($2). He thought of him, her, and all of them. If it weren't for him, her, and them, he would never have taken the Leader course, let alone traveled to India for the Teacher training. Most of his happiness came from him, her, and them. This $2 was something he absolutely could not save.

Ah Fan chose "Lasting Friendship."

Now, he had $3 left. If he chose "Hearty Laughter," his budget would be full, and he couldn’t pick anything else.

"Laughing from the Belly" ($1) and "Breathing Along" ($1) were only one dollar each—very good value. Ah Fan already struggled with making decisions, and now he felt even more frustrated!

Before he could decide, a burst of laughter suddenly echoed in his ears, "Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha! VGVG Yeah!"

The teacher said, "When a person feels down or hesitates, instead of sitting around waiting for a good mood to happen, it’s better to take action first. Your mood will naturally follow and change."

"I am feeling very down today."

"I learn from my mistakes! I learn from others' mistakes!" the teacher talked to himself.

Then, a group of people burst into hearty laughter. The teacher laughed even louder. He looked completely relaxed, not at all like someone who was feeling down.

Ah Fan froze for a moment. The teacher was just saying he felt down a second ago, and the next second he was leading the laughter. Ah Fan suddenly recalled a psychological therapy mentioned in his notes called Behavioral Activation. The manual stated: "Participating in activities related to happiness—such as laughing, playing, or socializing—can truly boost your sense of joy."

Ah Fan finally made his decision and filled out his Laughter Yoga Menu:

*Lasting Friendship ($2) + Losing My Image ($2) + Gratitude ($1).*

Because he believed that one true, lasting friendship could offset everything else: hearty laughter, relaxation, stress relief, pure joy, childlike playfulness, eye contact, mimicking animals, breathing along, laughing from the belly...

End

*This story is entirely fictional. The laughter we share online every day is completely free.*

Date：13 July 2026

Illustration: Ai-Bean

Written by: Tonkabean

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

Micro-story: International "Riso a Gosto" Festival 2026 (by Tonkabean) / 巴西國際大笑節

Micro-story: International "Riso a Gosto" Festival 2026 (by Tonkabean)

Inside a Central office elevator, the air feels like frozen meat—cold and stiff. Ah Chan stares at the flashing floor numbers. Surrounding him are dark grey suits. Every mouth seems calculated, curved at a precise, mechanical angle. In this city, facial expressions are assets; they must not be wasted.

His phone vibrates. It’s an international email: "Invitation to the  International "Riso a Gosto" Festival 2026”—Record a 10 to 20-second laughing video to spread joy to the world."

"Why are there so many Laughter Yoga messages lately?" Ah Chan mutters to himself. He can't even remember what he liked or what forms he filled out.

Ah Chan scoffs in his mind. Ten seconds? In a city where hundreds of thousands of dollars are made every second, ten seconds of unconditional laughter is completely ridiculous! Doing something with zero return on investment will definitely get him scolded by his mom, kicked out of the house by his wife, and fired by his boss.

The elevator doors slide open. Everyone files out like programmed robots.

Ah Chan walks into the restroom. He stretches, takes a deep breath, and smells a foul odor. He looks in the mirror. The 50-year-old face staring back is stiff, like a piece of dried, mystery meat. Why mystery meat and not premium beef, fish, or pork? Ah... this city is just too polluted. "The last time I laughed for no reason feels like last century," Ah Chan mutters to himself again.

Driven by some strange impulse, he locks himself inside a toilet stall, pulls out his phone, and starts recording.

"This laugh is for the Riso a Gosto Festival!" he whispers to the camera in a tone that feels almost criminal. The first part rolls off his tongue smoothly: *"This laugh is for the..."*

"Riso... Gosto..."* He gets stuck immediately.

"Am I pronouncing this right?" "Riso... Gosto..." Switching back and forth between his social media and notes app, he just can’t remember the full sentence.

"Can't even handle one simple sentence, and yet I claim to make hundreds of thousands every second."

He opens his eyes wide to read the details clearly—turns out it's Portuguese, hosted by an organization called ABRARISO. The rules: record a 10 to 20-second video in vertical format, say "This laugh is for the Riso a Gosto Festival!" to the camera, post it as an Instagram Story, and tag @abrarisooficial. The main online event will take place on Zoom on August 22nd. That’s it.

Ah Chan takes it so seriously that he pulls off two squares of toilet paper and uses a pen to copy down the exact sentence: "This laugh is for the Riso a Gosto Festival!"

Then, he tries to laugh. A dry cough, a twitch—nothing comes out. Looking at his own indescribable expression, if someone said he looked constipated, he wouldn’t deny it.

Right then, inside that tiny toilet stall, he actually bursts out laughing. It is a genuine, unstoppable laugh. He laughs at his endless overtime work, laughs at the crazy housing prices, and laughs at this city where even breathing costs money. He laughs until tears stream down his face.

Fifteen seconds. Done.

He hits send, tossing his video across the globe to that distant Brazilian festival.

Stepping out of the restroom, Ah Chan puts his dark grey mask back on.

But he knows that on the other side of the world, someone is watching his moment of pure madness.

This is probably the least economically viable thing he has done all year—yet, it is the one that made him feel truly awake.

Date：9 July 2026

Illustration: Ai-Bean

Written by: Tonkabean

End

Story to my friend Maria-Brazil

Knowmore/知多一點

Official website of https://abrariso.org.br/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/abrarisooficial/

微故事: 巴西國際大笑節 (東加豆)

中環電梯裡，空氣像冷藏肉，又冷又硬。（亞陳）盯著電梯數字，身旁都是深灰色西裝，每個人的嘴角都彷彿經過計算，弧度精準，不多不少。在這個城市，表情是資產，不能隨便浪費。

手機震動了一下，收到一封國際郵件："邀請參與 2026 國際大笑節——拍下一段 10 到 20 秒的大笑短片，向世界傳遞快樂。"

"為什麼最近那麼多大笑瑜伽的訊息？" 亞陳自言自語，他都忘記了按過什麼讚，填過什麼表格。

亞陳心裡冷笑了一聲。10秒？在這個城市，每秒幾十萬上落的地方，10秒的無條件大笑，簡直是荒謬！做這種毫無投資價值的事情，肯定會被阿媽鬧，被老婆踢出家門，比老闆炒魷魚。

電梯門開了，大家魚貫而出，像設定好程式的機器人。

亞陳走進洗手間，伸懶腰、深呼吸，一陣臭味。他照著鏡子，鏡子裡那張臉五十歲，僵硬得像一塊風乾的雜肉。為什麼不是牛肉、魚肉、蟹肉或豬肉，而是一塊雜肉？喔...這個城市太污染了。上次毫無目的地大笑，好像是上個世紀的事。亞陳又自言自語。

他鬼使神差地鎖上廁所格子的門，拿出手機，點開錄影。

「This laugh is for the Riso a Gosto Festival!」他壓低聲音，用近乎犯罪的語氣對著鏡頭說。非常順口 "This laugh is for the... "

"Riso....Gosto..." 他馬上卡住。

"會不會讀錯？" "Riso....Gosto..." 因為在社交媒體和記事本應用程式轉換之間，亞陳總是記不起整句句子。

"那麼簡單都抓不住的一句，還口口聲聲說自己每秒幾十萬上落。"

他瞪大眼睛看清楚——原來是葡萄牙文，一個叫ABRARISO的機構主辦的。拍攝要求：十至二十秒短片，直式，對著鏡頭說：「This laugh is for the Riso a Gosto Festival!」，發佈到 Instagram Story，標籤@abrarisooficial。活動會在8月22日線上舉行。就這樣。

亞陳竟然認真到拿出兩格廁紙，用筆在廁紙上抄下整句句子 "This laugh is for the Riso a Gosto Festival!"

然後他試圖笑。乾咳、抽搐，笑不出來。他看著自己那副難以形容的樣子，如果有人說似便秘，他不會否認的。

此刻，在廁所格仔裡，他自己都笑了出來。那種笑，是真正的、忍不住的那種笑。他笑自己每天加班、笑樓價高、笑這個連呼吸都要計錢的城市，笑到眼淚流出來。

15秒。錄完。

他按了發送，把短片丟進那個遙遠的巴西大笑節。

走出洗手間時，亞陳重新戴上那副深灰色的面具。

但他知道，在世界的另一端，有人正看著他剛才的瘋狂大笑。

這大概是他今年做過最沒有經濟效益，卻最清醒的一件事。

完

日期：9 July 2026

圖: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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

微故事: 笑肌, 重啟中… (東加豆) Micro-story: Smile muscles: Rebooting... (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 笑肌, 重啟中… (東加豆)

Micro-story: Smile muscles, Rebooting... (by Tonkabean)

 

阿丁做了十一年客戶經理。他最大的技能不是談生意，而是（捲）。把一張臉捲成恰到好處的弧度，不冷不熱，不真不假。

捲了十一年，臉終於罷工了。

某天早上，他發現自己的嘴角卡在上揚的位置，放不下來。吃早餐是這樣，看新聞是這樣，連睡覺被老婆踢醒也是這樣。他像一個永遠在說（歡迎光臨）的蠟像。

客人給他留言："皮笑肉不笑，不如唔好笑。" 一星。

阿丁計算過，一顆星可以抵銷二十顆五星。系統評核他的平均值是三星半，身為一位客戶經理，這個結果，簡直不能向任何人交代，上司、下屬、阿媽、老婆、阿仔。

絕望之下，他重上大笑瑜伽課。導師沒說大道理，只叫大家做（獅子大笑）——伸脷、瞪眼、從喉嚨深處吼出來。阿丁照做，臉上的肌肉撕扯著，像在拉一條生了鏽的拉鏈。

他發現，原來笑不是從臉開始的。筆記說，一次大笑能把肺裡1500毫升的廢氣擠出來。他不知道1500毫升是多少，但他覺得自己的肺像被清空了一樣，然後灌進了新的東西。

阿丁非常享受這種奇妙的感覺，導師說："Inhale...!"

他吸吸進去的，有地鐵的廢氣，老細的晦氣、客人的怨氣，以及自己那口難以吞下的烏氣。

大笑瑜伽卻讓這些像垃圾般的氣體，像嘔吐一樣，把你生活中被迫吸入的種種烏氣，一次過吐出來，長長地呼出一口氣。

每次客人說他笑得假，他就趁機推廣大笑瑜伽。講（內部慢跑）、講（橫膈膜震盪）、講（氧氣大掃除）。本來是皮笑肉不笑的笑容，因為講得太多，竟然帶著幾分莫名其妙的熱情。

那麼，那張卡住的臉呢？還在的，但阿丁已經不在意了。笑下笑下，不知不覺就鬆開了。有時候，早上還會卡一下，Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha...x 2 YGYG Yeah！也就沒事了。

完

Micro-story: Smile muscles: Rebooting... (by Tonkabean)

 

Ah Ding had been an account manager for eleven years. His greatest skill wasn't closing deals; it was crafting the perfect "corporate smile." He could roll his facial muscles into a precise angle—neither too cold nor too warm, neither completely true nor completely fake.

After eleven years of doing this, his face finally went on strike.

One morning, he woke up and found the corners of his mouth stuck in an upward position. He couldn’t bring them down. He looked like that while eating breakfast, while watching the news, and even when his wife kicked him awake in the middle of the night. He had become a wax figure that was forever saying, "Welcome!"

A client left him a review: "A fake smile is worse than no smile at all." One star.

Ah Ding did the math. One single star could wipe out twenty five-star reviews. The system now rated his average at 3.5 stars. As an account manager, this score was a total disaster. He couldn’t face anyone—his boss, his team, his mother, his wife, or his son.

Out of sheer despair, he went back to a Laughter Yoga class. The instructor didn't give any deep lectures. She simply asked everyone to do the "Lion Laughter"—stick out your tongue, widen your eyes, and roar from the depths of your throat. Ah Ding followed along. The muscles on his face stretched painfully, feeling like a rusted zipper being forced open.

That was when he realized that a real laugh doesn’t start from the face. The class notes said that a single hearty laugh can push 1,500 milliliters of stale air out of the lungs. He didn't really know how much 1,500 milliliters was, but he felt as if his lungs had been completely emptied, and then filled with something brand new.

Ah Ding thoroughly enjoyed this magical feeling. The instructor called out, "Inhale...!"

What he breathed in everyday was the exhaust from the subway, the bad mood of his boss, the complaints of his clients, and his own swallowed anger.

But Laughter Yoga allowed him to throw up all these toxic gases like vomit. It took all the bitterness he had been forced to swallow in life and let him spit it out in one long, deep exhale.

Now, whenever a client complained that his smile looked fake, he used it as a chance to promote Laughter Yoga. He would talk about "internal jogging," "diaphragm vibrations," and "the oxygen deep clean." His smile started out fake, but because he talked about it so much, it accidentally took on a strange, genuine passion.

So, what happened to his stuck face? It still gets stuck sometimes, but Ah Ding doesn’t care anymore. As he laughs day after day, the muscles have naturally loosened up. Occasionally, his mouth might still jam a little in the morning. He just goes, "Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha... x 2, YGYG Yeah!"—and just like that, he is totally fine.

End

日期 Date：6 July 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 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。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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