On the day of the County Magistrate's wife's birthday, Su Wenyue had arranged to go to the County Town with Madame Liu Zhao and set out early in the morning. Han Yu couldn't get away from his duties, so he had no choice but to entrust Grandma Chen and Xiao Xi with the care of Su Wenyue and specifically sent word to her home as well. Given the Su family's status in Xinye, Su Wenyue's mother-in-law was most likely among the invited guests, and Han Yu hoped she would look after Su Wenyue a little extra. Su Wenyue, as the wife of an eighth-rank junior official, was probably included in the invitation due to her connection to the Su family.
Madame Liu Zhao did not have an invitation post from the County Magistrate's wife, but it was still expected for her to go and present gifts—a customary rule not set in writing. It was only proper for those below to show respect to the superiors, and the same applied to the womenfolk.