They say that, for a woman, love is a lifelong pursuit, while children are a lifelong concern.
The elderly people in that courtyard in the show could enjoy their twilight years entirely thanks to Lou Xiao'e's care.
Besides her affection for Silly Zhu, the most important reason Lou Xiao'e looked after them was their child together, a bond she could hardly let go of.
If she and Silly Zhu had never had a child, it's hard to say whether she would have cared so much about Silly Zhu through all those years.
And the elderly people living in that courtyard could spend their later years in peace mainly because Silly Zhu took on the responsibility of supporting them.
Much of the money for that came from Lou Xiao'e.
