Since suffering a stroke at age 46, Chang has depended upon his right hand both to turn pages and to write. He used to trek back and forth between Xindian and Yonghe, dragging his right leg and supporting himself with a cane. He used the three fingers of his good hand to choose vegetables in the market, and even sold lottery tickets.
46 歲中風以後，張拓蕪靠著一隻右手翻動紙頁、寫作，創造了「代馬五書」傳奇；他也拄著枴杖，拖著一隻右腳來回在新店永和之間緩慢移行，用 3 根指頭提菜，一度還去賣彩券。