OK, let's do this. We've got 9968 and 5438 and we're adding them all together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 8 in column 1 and get 16.
We'll write down the last digit 6 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 6 & 3 in column 2 and get 10.
We'll write down the last digit 0 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 4 in column 3 and get 14.
We'll write down the last digit 4 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 5 in column 4 and get 15.
We'll write down the last digit 5 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 9968 + 5438 = 15406.

