Micro-story: One Laugh is All It Takes to Relax (by Tonkabean) 

Uncle Ping saw a news headline today: (Three Seniors, One Fire Extinguisher, One Dead).

The news reported that a 56-year-old man was smoking at a gas station. A staff member tried to stop him, leading to an argument that quickly turned physical. The 62-year-old staff member grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it wildly. The 64-year-old manager stepped in to stop them, only to be struck with great force by the snatched extinguisher. He fell unconscious instantly. A witness remarked, "He only hit him once... just once."

Uncle Ping shook his head and sighed, "One hit is all it takes to die. People these days have such short fuses."

Suddenly, a wave of worry washed over him. He had just had a huge fight with his son last night. He became genuinely terrified that one day, his son might pick up a fire extinguisher and strike him. He turned to his wife and said, "Fire extinguishers are bad luck. If they aren't used for fighting fires, people use them as weapons."

His wife replied, "Why don't you control your own temper instead? You are eighty years old and your internal fire is always burning. The fire extinguisher your son bought was meant to put out your fire, not to hit you."

Uncle Ping was reluctant to admit it, but deep down, he knew she was right. He decided to try Laughter Yoga, which his wife had been recommending.

During his first class, the teacher said, "Laughter requires no reason; it’s a choice." Uncle Ping opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was still full of anger—angry at his stubborn son, angry at the reckless people in the news, and angry at himself for growing old and useless.

Then, a line from his training notes crossed his mind: "Anger and laughter are physiologically incompatible. You cannot be angry and laugh at the same time." The notes also mentioned a German study finding that the activation of the internal oblique muscles during laughter is even higher than doing sit-ups. Scientists call it "internal jogging." As it turns out, laughter is an intense internal workout for the body; you don’t wait for others to react before you start. 

He decided to force a laugh. "Ho Ho Ha Ha." The sound was dry, like a cough. But as he kept laughing, his abdomen began to vibrate. That heavy, suffocating feeling trapped in his chest felt as if it were being gently massaged away by an invisible hand. The burning fire in his chest didn't seem as intense anymore.

A few weeks later, his son came over for dinner. Before long, they were on the verge of arguing over another trivial matter. Uncle Ping took a deep breath and suddenly let out a sharp "Ha!"

His son was stunned. "What are you laughing at?"

Uncle Ping said, "Nothing. Just practicing."

Then his wife chimed in, "Haha, let me practice with you!"

Surprisingly, the son stood up and said, "Ha ha ha! Let me practice with you both!"

That night, no one mentioned the fire extinguisher. It sat quietly in the corner, gathering a thin layer of dust.

End

Date：29 June 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: 客廳裡的播種期 / Planting Seeds in the Living Room (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 客廳裡的播種期 (東加豆)
Micro-story:  Planting Seeds in the Living Room　(by Tonkabean)

 

沙發兩端的距離，這是志明和秀英之間的一條界線，氣溫如南極。

志明總是把自己藏在報紙背後，像一隻自以為隱形的企鵝；秀英則沉迷於手機，彷彿在進行一場永無止境的滑屏探險。

然而最近，這個家悄悄出現了（氣候異常）。嚴格說來，異常的源頭不是客廳，而是秀英的體內。一切始於她誤交損友，那位損友叫大笑瑜伽，志明是這樣認為的。

秀英開始習慣無緣無故地笑。旁人的反應很統一。沉默，然後尷尬。同事、朋友、家人，一個個臉上面無表情，彷彿笑肌集體罷工。不過有一天，秀英在巴士站隨便抓了一個陌生人，邀請對方一起笑。結果那位陌生人比她笑得還大聲、還持久，簡直是職業級的水準。儘管她在廚房裡每天策劃一場無聲革命，遵從學術手冊的金科玉律——身體分不清假笑還是真笑，只要橫膈膜開始有節奏地震盪，大腦就會自動釋放快樂的化學煙火。然而，效果跟她想像大概差了十個馬拉松

。

秀英不再執著於志明那種依賴大腦刺激的冷漠回應。黃昏時，她對著緩緩上升的油煙，調動腹部肌肉，發出"哈、哈、哈" 的吐納。 那笑聲虛實難辨，有時像自嘲，有時像某種古老的寺廟早課。  

奇妙的是，這帶點荒謬的橫膈膜震動，竟然變成看不見的粉紅小粒子，在冰冷的空氣中散落。

那麼，志明呢？

最近，他覺得有點怪異，總之，不像以往踏進家門飄來一股冷冰冰，傳來了一陣陣說不清的舒適感。那黑黑的舊鍋鏟，在秀英手中揮舞時，連煎魚的劈啪聲都變得像輕快的敲擊樂。這種真真假假的笑聲，產生奇妙的心理效應。

現在，一到下班時間，他腦袋裡不再上演（要不要加班）的內心小劇場——家裡那團低氣壓，不知不覺消失了。

志明偷偷觀察秀英，她動不動就會做出一些古靈精怪的動作，一時扮獅子笑，即使沒有發出聲音，但嘴巴張得可以塞進一整個漢堡。家裡的空氣中浮動，滿地撒落愛的種子，土壤肥沃。"接下來...就要看自己了，彎下腰，一起灌溉。" 志明自言自語。

完

Micro-story: Planting Seeds in the Living Room (by Tonkabean)

 

The distance between the two ends of the sofa was a boundary between Chi Ming and Sau Ying. The temperature there was like the Antarctic.

Chi Ming always hid behind his newspaper, acting like a penguin who thought he was invisible. Sau Ying, on the other hand, was glued to her phone, as if on an endless scrolling adventure.

Recently, however, a subtle "climate change" happened in this home. To be exact, the source of this anomaly wasn't the living room, but inside Sau Ying's body. It all started when she fell into bad company. That "bad friend" was called Laughter Yoga—at least, that was what Chi Ming believed.

Sau Ying started laughing for no reason at all. People’s reactions were remarkably consistent: silence, followed by awkwardness. Colleagues, friends, and family members all stayed expressionless, as if their facial muscles had gone on a collective strike. But one day at a bus stop, Sau Ying randomly grabbed a stranger and invited them to laugh along. Surprisingly, that stranger laughed even louder and longer than she did, showing a truly professional standard.

Back home, she planned a silent revolution in the kitchen every day. She strictly followed the golden rule from her training manual: *the body cannot tell the difference between a fake laugh and a real laugh; as long as the diaphragm vibrates rhythmically, the brain will automatically release joyful chemical fireworks*. Yet, the actual results were still about ten marathons away from what she had imagined.

Sau Ying stopped obsessing over Chi Ming’s cold responses, which always depended on brain stimulation. At dusk, facing the rising cooking smoke, she engaged her abdominal muscles and exhaled rhythmically: "Ha, ha, ha." That laughter was hard to read. Sometimes it sounded like self-mockery; sometimes it felt like an ancient morning ritual in a temple.

Miraculously, these slightly absurd diaphragmatic vibrations turned into invisible little pink particles, drifting down through the cold air.

What about Chi Ming?

Lately, he felt something strange. In short, the usual wave of icy coldness that greeted him whenever he stepped through the front door was gone. Instead, there was a wave of indescribable comfort. As Sau Ying waved the blackened old spatula in her hand, even the sizzling sound of frying fish sounded like cheerful percussion music. This mix of real and fake laughter was creating a wonderful psychological effect.

Now, whenever it was time to leave work, the little drama in his head about "whether to work overtime" stopped playing. The heavy low pressure in the house had quietly vanished.

Chi Ming secretly observed Sau Ying. Every now and then, she would make quirky movements. Sometimes she practiced the "Lion Laugh"—even without making a sound, her mouth opened wide enough to fit a whole hamburger.

With love floating in the air, the seeds had been scattered all over the floor, and the soil was now rich and fertile.

"Next... it’s up to me. Time to bend down and water them together," Chi Ming muttered to himself.

End

日期 Date：22 June 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: Ping-jai's Love Story (by Tonkabean)

Ping-jai was heartbroken. His life went back to the state of "two combs of bananas"—empty-handed with nothing left. His girlfriend’s eyes had become cold, and she left him without looking back. Every day, Ping-jai kept replaying the romantic memories of meeting her in heavy rain. He locked himself up in his own sad thoughts.

His good friend, Lei-ching, wanted to help. She brought him into a nightly Zoom Laughter Yoga class. Lei-ching was a Laughter Yoga Teacher. She knew that Ping-jai’s mind was stuck in the past, repeating his painful memories over and over again.

In the class, everyone started doing "Lion Laughter" and stretching. Ping-jai’s body was stiff, and his eyes were blank. Lei-ching watched him through the screen. She remembered the "University of Auckland Cardiovascular Regulation Study" from her notes. When a person is trapped in negative thinking, "simulated laughter" (laughing on purpose) actually works like a strong aerobic exercise. It can push the heart rate up to over 90 beats per minute and lower heart rate variability (rMSSD). By making the heart and lungs work fully through simple body movements, it builds a protective shield in the body to help handle stress and anxiety later on.

"Ping-jai, don’t worry about why you are laughing. Just move your body!" Lei-ching guided.

Ping-jai looked at all the moving boxes on the screen. At that moment, he felt this group of people—who just moved their bodies without asking for a reason—was like a safe shelter without any judgment. His mind was still hurting from the lost love, but the deep, regular breathing began to unlock his tight stomach. He breathed in and out. His diaphragm started to shake. Finally, a laugh came out from his belly. It was not because he felt happy, but because his body was finding its natural energy again through the physical rhythm.

At sunset, the two friends sat on a hill. Ping-jai’s eyes looked less worried and more relaxed.

Looking into the distance, Lei-ching suddenly said softly, "If your father had been like you, always trying to fix everything with his brain when facing a problem, I wonder what my life would be like?"

Ping-jai turned his head to look at her. The mountain breeze blew past, and they both stayed silent.

End

*Cultural Note : What does "Two combs of bananas" (兩梳蕉) mean?

This is a traditional Cantonese slang. Imagine a person walking with their arms hanging down loosely, looking like two combs of bananas hanging from their shoulders. It simply means *empty-handed*—you go somewhere with nothing, and you return with nothing. In this story, it describes how Ping-jai lost his love and felt he had absolutely nothing left in his life but his own two hands.

End

日期 Date：15 June 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: Bili Bala (東加豆)
Micro-story: Bili Bala (by Tonkabean) 

那天，我被全世界拋棄了。

我叫阿恆，禍不單行。

上司在會議上搶了我的計劃書。

女友傳來一句："我們冷靜一下。"

阿媽打電話來："今天和你大哥吃飯，他塞了一萬元在我的衫袋，家用比以前多了一千三百元。"

我聽懂了。不需要解釋。五年來，我給母親的家用沒有變過，因為老闆給我的薪水，也沒有變過。

連我養的貓都跳上了衣櫃頂，不瞧我一眼，我只是換了一袋雜嘜牌的貓糧。

我打開Zoom，參加每晚的笑瑜伽課，螢幕上一張張笑臉像陽光下的花。只有我笑不出來。我的笑是假的，連喉嚨都在抗拒。

筆記寫得真好：只要動作到位，大腦皮質那層理性的防線會自動瓦解。這一刻，這個視訊方格成了我——阿恆——最安全的避難所...

我不需要對任何人解釋我的難過，只需要坐在這片共振裡，讓繃緊的橫膈膜和胃部重新找回彈力。然而，這一刻我未感受得到。

然後我看見了他——右上角那格畫面裡，一個中年男人，嘴角上揚的角度精準得像量過，眼神溫柔而空洞，半小時過去，姿勢、笑容、甚至眨眼的頻率都沒有變過，簡直神級！

他叫（Bili Bala)。

我的腦內開始上演小劇場：這人一定修練了十年，神經迴路已經重組到可以完全控制每一條面部肌肉。他的笑容不依賴幽默、不依賴情緒、甚至不依賴外部刺激——那是無條件大笑的最高境界。

我盯著他，嘴角不自覺地跟著上揚。假笑開始鬆動，橫膈膜震了一下，然後是第二下。我聽見自己發出（Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha）的聲音，像生鏽的機器重新轉動。三十分鐘後，我笑了，真正的笑，眼淚都擠了出來。

接著，完成了一分鐘和平大笑，即是跳舞之前。大笑帶領員清了清喉嚨說："各位，Bili Bala 今天的畫面在第一分鐘就當機了，但他一直沒有離開。Bili Bala 非常好！非常好！耶！

全場靜了。我意思，我的耳朵、我的嘴巴、我的呼吸，全部靜了兩秒。然後笑成一團。

我看著那張定格的笑臉，忽然覺得——畫面卡住了，但我卡住一整天的情緒，鬆開了。

完

Micro-story: Bili Bala (by Tonkabean)

 

That day, I was abandoned by the whole world.

My name is Ah Hang. Misfortunes never come alone.

My boss stole my project proposal during the meeting.

My girlfriend sent a message: "Let’s calm down for a bit."

Then my mom called: "I had dinner with your big brother today. He stuffed ten thousand dollars into my pocket. He gave me thirteen hundred dollars more for household expenses than before."

I understood perfectly. No explanation needed. For five years, the allowance I gave my mother had never changed, because the salary my boss gave me had never changed either.

Even my cat jumped onto the top of the wardrobe and wouldn't even look at me, just because I had switched to a cheap, no-brand cat food.

I opened Zoom to join the nightly Laughter Yoga class. On the screen, the smiling faces were like flowers in the sun. Only I couldn’t laugh. My smile was fake, and even my throat was resisting.

The notes put it so well: As long as you do the movements right, the logical defense of your cerebral cortex will automatically dissolve. At this moment, this video grid became my—Ah Hang’s—safest shelter.

I didn't need to explain my sadness to anyone. I just needed to sit in this resonance and let my tight diaphragm and stomach find their bounce again. However, at this very moment, I couldn't feel it yet.

Then I saw him—in the top right corner of the screen, a middle-aged man. The upward angle of his smile was so precise it looked measured. His eyes were gentle yet hollow. Half an hour passed, and his posture, his smile, and even his blinking frequency never changed once. He was simply god-level!

His name tag said (Bili Bala).

An imaginary show started playing in my head: This guy must have practiced for ten years. His neural pathways must have reshaped so much that he can completely control every single facial muscle. His smile didn’t rely on humor, emotion, or even external stimulus—that was the highest state of unconditional laughter.

I stared at him, and the corners of my mouth unconsciously turned up. My fake smile began to loosen. My diaphragm shook once, then twice. I heard myself making "Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha" sounds, like a rusty machine starting to turn again. Thirty minutes later, I laughed—a real laugh, and tears even squeezed out of my eyes.

Next, we finished the one-minute laughter for world peace, right before the laughing dance. The Laughter Leader cleared their throat and said, "Everyone, Bili Bala’s screen actually froze in the very first minute, but he never left. Bili Bala, Very Good! Very Good! Yeah!"

The whole room went dead silent. I mean... My ears, my mouth, my breathing—everything went quiet for two seconds. Then, everyone burst into laughter.

I looked at that frozen smiling face and suddenly felt—the screen was stuck, but my emotions, which had been stuck all day, finally broke free.

End

日期 Date：8 June 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 Bounce of a Football (by Tonkabean)

Long, long ago, there was a ball named "Ah Ball."

One day, it was rolling around on a green lawn. Later, a boy who was feeling down spotted it. He gently tapped Ah Ball with the tip of his toe, and then gave it a kick. Instantly, the boy felt much lighter.

When Ah Ball was being tapped and kicked, it felt a very strange but pleasant sensation. Since it was strange and pleasant, Ah Ball treated it as a game, and gradually, it grew to love this game.

However, Ah Ball’s friends mocked it, saying, "You get kicked around all day, not just by one person, but by a whole crowd!" Ah Ball even heard the animals outside the lawn laughing at it—the four-legged ones and the ones that could fly were all laughing. Ah Ball began to wonder: Am I doomed to spend the rest of my life on this lawn? It decided to visit a psychologist.

The nurse handed Ah Ball’s initial physical assessment to the doctor. Looking at Ah Ball, who had lost its bounce, the doctor didn't talk about the meaning of life. Instead, he opened a notebook on Laughter Yoga and said, "Where is your mouth? Can you give me a smile?"

So, Ah Ball carved out a mouth on the edge of its leather skin and squeezed out a forced smile.

The doctor told Ah Ball, "The body cannot tell the difference between a real smile and a fake one. As long as you keep practicing, your neural pathways will reshape, and happiness will be carved into your body's memory." Ah Ball was completely confused, but its eyes grew wide and round.

This theory was clearly written for humans, but the doctor didn't care—in his eyes, humans and footballs were pretty much the same.

Listening to this, Ah Ball suddenly remembered the boy’s laughter when kicking it. That sound was like the vibration of a diaphragm, bringing excitement and comfort at the same time.

One day, Ah Ball was kicked far away by a child and suddenly heard a burst of sound. It was a familiar laughter with a familiar rhythm. Ah Ball was sure it was that group of animals again. This time, up close, it felt a bit nervous, but it still rolled its round body forward. This time, it heard it clearly. It wasn't the blurry laughter from before, but a perfectly organized: "Ho Ho Ha Ha... Very Good, Very Good, Yeah!"

Ah Ball suddenly realized the truth: the animals weren't laughing at it. They were doing some kind of practice—Breathing? Exercise? Laughing? A game? It wasn't sure. But Ah Ball rolled a bit too far and was spotted. Everyone stared at each other, and the air suddenly went quiet.

Suddenly, Ah Ball remembered the doctor’s words: Laugh!

Even though its laughter was quite awkward, the animals knew a lot about laughing and welcomed it warmly. The barrier was broken instantly. Laughter doesn't care whether you are an animal, a plant, or a toy.

Laughter injected a new bounce into Ah Ball. From then on, whenever it was kicked far away, it wasn't in a hurry to roll back. Instead, it took the chance to roll over and share a laugh with everyone!

The End

日期 Date：2 June 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 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.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

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