Electronic Nezha

Chapter 93: Covering one’s ears and stealing the bell

I pointed at Liu Zhenhua and said, "The child is nearsighted and wants to get a pair of glasses."

"Okay, let's do the eye exam and axial length measurement first." The sales assistant gave me a form with columns for name, gender, age, height, and weight.

"I just want to get some glasses, do I have to fill out all these forms?"

"I suggest you set up a file with us so that we can monitor your child's vision in the future."

I could only fill out the form while asking, "Where do I pay?"

"The tests are all free. We'll talk about it after the results come out."

I scoffed. Free things are the most expensive.

There weren't many children at that time, and Liu Zhenhua got his turn quickly, following a woman in a white coat to the machine for an eye exam.

The results came out quickly: Liu Zhenhua's eye axis was too long and his refractive power was too strong, so he was definitely nearsighted, with 175 degrees in his left eye and 225 degrees in his right eye, which prevented him from sitting in the last row and seeing the blackboard.

The woman in the white coat led Liu Zhenhua to another area, where she stacked and replaced various lenses, and instructed him to look into the distance.

The sales assistant, holding the test results, had me sit on the sofa and started introducing their products. It turned out this store wasn't a traditional optical shop; they sold functional lenses, also known as orthokeratology lenses, which effectively control myopia and are now the mainstream glasses worn by children. However, they are quite expensive, with average quality lenses starting at one or two thousand yuan, and slightly better ones costing five or six thousand yuan.

I'm a little heartbroken. Five or six thousand yuan for a pair of glasses? It's like wearing a computer on your eyes!
But we have to spend the money we need to spend. I flipped through their brochure to get a rough idea of ​​the prices before deciding to pay Liu Zhenhua the full price in one go.

Just then, Liu Zhenhua appeared behind me, tapping my shoulder with his finger and whispering, "Dad, Dad—"

I held the brochure up to him and said, "Perfect, you can choose a style."

Liu Zhenhua said in an even softer voice, "No need to choose, I'm ready."

"What do you mean by 'you're better'?"

Liu Zhenhua looked around at the sales assistant and then fell silent.

I told the sales assistant, "You can go ahead with your other tasks, let's pick something out."

After the sales assistant left, Liu Zhenhua quickly sat down opposite me and said, "When I was getting my eyes checked and my axial length measured just now, I used their machine to perform two minor surgeries on myself. Now the data has returned to normal, so I'm cured and no longer nearsighted."

This time it was my turn to look around warily: "Are you telling the truth?"

"I wouldn't joke about this."

I looked out the window of the optician's shop and saw an inconspicuous LED sign across the street. I couldn't even make out the words on it. I pointed at the sign and asked, "What does it say?"

"Massage - Dad, this is not a safe place to stay. Let's go outside and talk."

I slammed the brochure shut and grabbed Liu Zhenhua as we left.

"Sir, have you chosen your style yet?" The sales assistant blocked my way.

I forced myself to say, "Let's go back and discuss it before deciding."

Why do fruit vendors encourage customers to try before they buy? Because if a customer is willing to try, they've usually already decided to buy. Of course, there are some who just want a bargain, but they're rare. The sales assistants and optometrists have been busy for ages, and now we're just tasting two pounds of oranges and then saying they're not good and we're not buying them…

"Uh, okay." After saying those three words, she added, "Actually, the ones priced at around a thousand are also quite effective." She thought I was short of money and scared off by the price. Even if I had a big, scruffy man living in my pocket, I wouldn't spend five thousand on a decoration.

As soon as I stepped outside, I couldn't wait to ask, "Tell me, how does an optometry machine perform vision correction surgery?"

"You know that corneal refractive surgery is done with a laser, right?"

I nodded.

"Why not just turn the light from the refractometer into a laser?"

This is a particularly good answer. If you ask a rich person what to do when they don't have enough money, they'll tell you to set a small goal first, like earning a hundred million from them.

"What about the axial length of the eye? Isn't the axial length of the eye irreversible?" I didn't understand this before; the sales assistant just spent a long time explaining it to me. "It's the same principle. Just like people more than 70 years ago could understand shaving their heads, but didn't believe that anyone would get hair extensions. It's just a trivial skill." Liu Zhenhua said smugly.

"Don't be so cocky!"

Liu Zhenhua quickly stood up straight.

Will there be any long-term effects?

"will not."

I said, "In the future, please ask for my opinion first regarding matters like this!"

“Okay…” Liu Zhenhua said nonchalantly, “Actually, I was thinking of getting my vision to 300 degrees before I told you. I was thinking of having the surgery then. Who knew you would be so serious? Your son is a super AI. Myopia is just like tartar in his teeth. Once he gets it, he can just clean it out.”

His words struck a nerve, and I raised my voice, saying, "You have to be Liu Zhenhua first! And then someone else."

As we started walking back, Liu Zhenhua joked, "Dad, I just saved you five thousand yuan, is there any reward for me?"

"Here's two slippers for you!"

As I passed by a much smaller optician's shop than the one I had just visited, a question suddenly occurred to me: Liu Zhenhua's nearsightedness has been resolved, but you can't explain to Teacher Wang that he should still wear his glasses properly to school tomorrow.

I grabbed Liu Zhenhua and led him into the glasses shop.

"Get glasses for your child?" the shop owner asked me.

"No, I want to buy a pair of non-prescription glasses."

"What is its purpose?"

"Pretending to be refined."

The shop owner silently reached his hand into the counter and hesitated over a row of glasses.

"I want the cheapest one."

This time, the shop owner had a target in mind. He placed a very lightweight pair of non-prescription glasses on the counter. Saying that they were lightweight was just him trying to save face; in reality, they just looked very cheap.

"200!" the boss said.

Liu Zhenhua put it on willingly and said, "It fits perfectly."

I wasn't in the mood to haggle and just paid. If I weren't in a hurry, there are plenty of options on Pinduoduo that cost 10 yuan with free shipping, and you can even choose between an intellectual style or a pure and innocent style—

After leaving the optician's, I instructed Liu Zhenhua: "Don't let your classmates try on your glasses. If you forget to wear them and your teacher Wang sees you, just say you have a pair of contact lenses. After a while, if you really don't want to wear them anymore, you can say that you were just a pseudomyopia and the correction is working."

“I know, I’ve thought of all that you’re saying… Actually, Wang Aili won’t notice me, I’m not the top student in the grade.”

"Don't get first place in the grade, it doesn't make sense." If you only heard these few words, you would never guess that this was a father's advice to his son.

“I understand that by the time I graduate from junior high school, I will only be at the level where I can just get into the top high school.”

I nodded. I realized that although Liu Zhenhua was immature most of the time, he did quite well in this respect. You know, the treatment of the top student in the grade is very different from that of other students. I remember when we were in school, the teachers would talk to the top student in the grade in a consultative tone, and they would flatter him in everything. He could do his homework if he wanted to, and if he didn't want to do it, he didn't even have to say "I forgot to bring it".

If I had Liu Zhenhua's abilities, from the very first day of exams, no one could even dream of taking the top spot!

The sales assistant who had served us then went out and poured a cup of cold tea into a tree pit. She noticed my son and me coming out of another optician's shop and stared at the non-prescription glasses Liu Zhenhua was wearing for a few seconds. From the time we left until Liu Zhenhua put on his new glasses, less than three minutes had passed. She must have guessed that the glasses were non-prescription and hadn't been checked.

The sales assistant gave me a strange look, then quickly ran back into the store and started pointing and whispering about my son and me to the other employees.

I said with a wry smile, "Your dad's image is completely ruined."

The sales assistant didn't even know how to describe me to others—my son is nearsighted, and as a father, I was reluctant to spend money but also afraid of being gossiped about, so in the end I bought a pair of non-prescription glasses to cover it up. Compared to me, those who bury their heads in the sand are the most sages and wise teachers.

(End of this chapter)