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.

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