PUCHONG, Sept 23 (Sin Chew Daily) — After becoming a disabled, a salesman in the medical and education industry has turned to baking to make a living.

Zhou He De, 59, also known as Uncle OKU Puchong, bakes cakes, bread, mooncakes and other pastries to sell through PTee Delights on Facebook.

He started learning to bake marble cakes, cookies and others from YouTube in January last year after incurring a spine injury while moving heavy items on Aug 28, 2015.

“In order to earn a living, I started to bake cookies and cakes for sale. I started with a small oven and a blender. Now I have four ovens, five blenders and other equipment.

“I can bake up to 16 bottles of cookies, two pieces of cakes and 60 pieces of bread in a day,” he said.

Zhou then learned to make mooncakes on YouTube and also attended classes.

Now he sells up to 11 types of mooncakes.

He continues to improve on the quality of the mooncakes and now the mooncake skin baked by him is thin and has won praises from his customers.

He is extremely delighted to have received an order from a couple in Sungai Petani, Kedah, who spent RM1,300 on mooncakes and requested him to deliver them to various handicapped centers and old folks’ homes in Sungai Petani, Penang and Petaling Jaya.

“I was curious and asked them why they placed the order from SP. They just said they wanted to help me and the homes,” he said.

To Zhou, baking is am enjoyable task. He is happy to bake.

Zhou sells the cakes and bread at a stall at 25C, Jalan Kenari 1, Bandar Puchong Jaya, where he lived above the shoplot. He has been living there since he closed down a café he ran many years ago.

He was unable to operate during the movement control order and put up a white flag several months ago to seek help.

A company came forward to help him with water and electricity bills and bought him a new pair of crutches.

“I am also grateful to Uncle Potato for sending me to hospital in an ambulance,” he said.

Zhou resumed selling cakes and bread after completing two doses of vaccination.

Never look down on the disabled, he said.