Let's break this down. We're going to add 3981 and 4553 together.

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

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 5 in column 2 and get 13.
We'll write down the last digit 3 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 5 in column 3 and get 15.
We'll write down the last digit 5 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 4 in column 4 and get 8.

So, 3981 + 4553 = 8534.

