Okay, we are given 290 and 9686. Let's add them up step by step.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 6 in column 1 and get 6.

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 2 & 6 in column 3 and get 9.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 9 in column 4 and get 9.

So, 290 + 9686 = 9976.

