A 13-month-old boy was returned to his mother in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province, on Nov 22, 49 days after he was sold by his parents for 20,000 yuan ($3,282).

Jin, the father, sold the boy to another man, surnamed Lan, from Foshan, Guangdong, in Zhaoqing on Oct 4 after he posted details online, the Guangzhou Daily reported.

Lan's wife took the boy to her hometown in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Jin took 16,000 yuan from the deal and was detained on criminal term. The mother， Li，pocketed 4,000 yuan.

Police intervened and found that the couple had financial difficulties. They helped the mother understand that professional help was available and the mother deeply regretted what she had done.

Jin and Li had lived together after meeting through the Internet. Jin worked at a foot massage parlor and Li was unemployed.