Although her needlework and cotton jacket making provided only the most meager living, she continued to encourage her son to learn modern painting.
為兒子習畫，效孟母三遷那時生活十分清苦，但是吳李玉哥不惜加工趕活多賺些錢，為讓喜歡畫畫的吳兆賢去拜師學畫。兒子學的是現代畫，她雖然看不懂，卻深信「拜了老師學的，一定錯不了！」有時鄰居好心勸她：「畫畫沒有出息啊！