He gave her a firm no, but she didn’t push the matter.

There’s a lot of social stigma around asking people for money, and for good reasons. Nobody is entitled to anyone else’s money, even if that person would gladly and freely give their money away. It can come off as entitled to ask your aunt, whom you barely talk to, for money, especially if you’ve made no other effort to form a relationship with her outside of that question. 

There is a time and a place where asking a family member or friend for money is more socially appropriate. Young couples often ask their parents or in-laws for money for a wedding or a down payment on their first house. Their parents might not agree to give them the money, but it’s not like it’s a totally out-of-line question, unless the parents are worse off financially than their children. 

The main thing about asking anyone for money is that you cannot expect them to agree to give it to you. As long as you can accept a «no» with dignity and respect, asking the question is probably not going to ruin your relationship.