An elderly man rescued a drowning child earlier this week, only to learn afterwards that he had a surprising prior connection to the boy.

Xu Weifang, 80, was resting at his home in Zhutang, China when he heard someone screaming for help in the river. He immediately rushed outside with his wife and found an 8-year-old boy struggling to keep his head above the water. The little boy had been playing with his grandmother on the side of the river when he accidentally fell in.

Xu is not as fit as he once was, since he experienced long-term injuries after he fell down a set of stairs two years ago. However, this did not stop him from immediately taking action. Without hesitating, the elderly man jumped into the river and pulled the boy to safety.

It was only when Xu went to the hospital to check on the boy that he learned that he already had a connection to the child’s father. In fact, Xu had rescued the boy’s father from drowning in the exact same river thirty years ago! On top of that, Xu has saved three others from drowning in this same river as well. He’s been one busy guy over the years!

Despite the fact that he has saved so many people, Xu has stayed humble about his rescues. He had admitted that his old age may prevent him from saving people from the river in the future, but he hasn’t let that stop him yet!

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