No one could know what medical expenses or other needs might arise in the future.
Keeping a larger financial cushion would have been understandable.
Du's response explained the philosophy that had shaped their decision.
He said that they did not have much time left, that they had pensions and savings, and that they did not need very much money.
It was a simple explanation for an extraordinary gift.
They had enough for themselves.
Someone else needed the rest more.
455 Children
Over time, the impact of the couple's giving became much larger than the first 10 children they had agreed to help.
Reports published in 2026 said their contributions supported treatment for 455 children with congenital heart disease.
Behind that number were individual families.
Four hundred and fifty-five diagnoses.
Four hundred and fifty-five children requiring medical attention.
And hundreds of parents facing the fear that accompanies a serious health problem in a son or daughter.
The exact medical circumstances would naturally have differed from child to child. Congenital heart disease is not a single condition, and treatment depends on the specific defect and its severity.
But the couple's money was directed toward giving children access to the treatment they needed.
The contrast was striking.
Du and Lu were willing to divide an inexpensive meal to reduce their own daily expenses.
At the same time, they were willing to part with millions of yuan when that money could help sick children.
Their frugality therefore takes on a different meaning when viewed in the context of their philanthropy.
Saving money was not simply about watching a bank balance grow.
It allowed them to decide where those resources would eventually go.
They Had No Children of Their Own
One detail has made their story particularly emotional for many people who encountered it after it became public.
Du and Lu had no children.
For some couples, accumulated savings and property naturally become an inheritance for their sons, daughters or grandchildren.
Du and Lu had no direct descendants to whom they needed to leave their estate.
They could have spent more freely during retirement.
They could have traveled extensively, renovated their home or surrounded themselves with expensive comforts.
Instead, they chose children they had never met.
There is an important distinction here.
The 455 children were not replacements for children Du and Lu never had.
They were individuals in need whom the couple had the ability to help.
That makes the story more meaningful without romanticizing their personal circumstances.
Their generosity did not depend on family connection.
The children did not need to carry their surname.
They did not need to know the couple personally.
Their need was enough.
A Philosophy of Enough
Modern life constantly encourages people to think about what they do not yet have.
A larger home.
A newer car.
A better phone.
New furniture.
More clothes.
More experiences.
More convenience.
Du and Lu appear to have lived according to a different question:
How much is enough?
Their answer was unusually modest.
They had pensions.
They had savings.
They had somewhere to live.
Their basic needs could be met.
Once those needs were covered, accumulating more comfort for themselves apparently mattered less than using their money to help others.