在清朝乾隆年间，浙江石门县洲泉人吴孟举是一位读书人。他家境富裕，拥有千亩良田，并且官职为内阁中书。虽然生活充满荣华富贵，但他心中却缺少一件事——长生不老的仙术。

听闻苏州民间将四月初八定为“神仙节”，传说这一天上天的神仙会下凡一游，观察世间事务。人们都希望亲眼见到神通广大的仙人，因此每当这日，苏州城里总是热闹非凡。但从未有人真正目睹过神仙，只能用当地俗语：“见仙不识仙，富贵三千年”来取吉利而已。然而，这并没有使吴孟举灰心，他坚信要在这天碰上好运。

四月初八那年，当吴孟举早早抵达苏州时，他既不打红伞也不坐蓝轿，只带了四个亲兵，上街凑热闹。这天整个市井摆满了各色货摊，还有卖艺的人们打拳头卖膏药、敲搭板唱“莲花落”。街上的行人川流不息，那真是个热闹至极的“神仙节”。但吴孟举并没留意这些景象，而是留意于来往行人的表情和态度，以寻找非凡之人的踪迹。

吴孟举穿梭于街巷，不知不觉便来到了八里桥边。当他准备越过桥梁时，一名衣衫褴褛的叫化子摇摇晃晃走下桥来。这个叫化子嘴里衔着一枚铜钿，每呼吸一次便发出“嘘、嘘”的声音。他的模样和行为引起了吴孟舉的注意。他紧盯着叫化子，不禁脑海中闪现出一个想法，然后急忙向前跪倒作了一揖。叫化子的脸上露出了惊讶，说：“怪哉！怪哉！你怎么向我这样穷叫化子作揖呢？”

Wu Mengju's eyes lit up as he asked, "Are you Lyu Zhen?" The beggar replied, "How did you come to this conclusion?" Wu Mengju pointed to the copper coin in the beggar's mouth and said, "You hold a copper coin in your mouth and it is stacked on top of another. This is like 'Lü'!" The beggar smiled and said, "Well then, since we have met today, I shall give you a few lines of poetry." He used his broken bamboo staff to write on the railing of the bridge:

I have lived in Suzhou for many years,

No one knows that I am a god.

Only Wu Mengju from Shouquan knows,

That I am not his fate.

The poem was written and disappeared along with the beggar. Wu Mengju was certain that he had truly encountered Lyu Dongbin. He returned home and pondered over Lyu Dongbin's words. He realized that being rich but lacking simplicity was why he could not achieve immortality.

Soon after, Wu Mengju followed Lyu Dongbin's advice and resigned from his official position at court. He returned to his ancestral home in Shouquan County where he divided up his landholdings among his neighbors before living out the rest of his days in simple solitude as an author. After death, he was buried at Maqun Hill west of Shouquan County village.

It is said that later someone dug up Wu Mengjus grave but found nothing valuable buried with him - further evidence that during old age indeed Wumingjus life had turned towards simplicity from wealth.

Note:

Wu Yujie (1640-1717), named Zhiwen or nicknamed Zhoushuai or Yellow Leaf Village Scholar; later also known as Hualian Villager Farmer., native place Chongfu Town., scholar since childhood friend with Luyu Liangzhang Zhu Xi et al.. Collected poems into Song Poetry Collection; co-edited Song Poetry Anthology; wrote Yellow Leaf Village Poems etc..