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