We've got two numbers: 993 and 9981. Let's find their sum.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 1 in column 1 and get 4.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 8 in column 2 and get 17.
We'll write down the last digit 7 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 9 in column 3 and get 19.
We'll write down the last digit 9 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 9 in column 4 and get 10.
We'll write down the last digit 0 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 993 + 9981 = 10974.

