Okay, we are tasked with adding 9697 and 8289. Let's begin!

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 7 & 9 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 9 & 8 in column 2 and get 18.
We'll write down the last digit 8 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 6 & 2 in column 3 and get 9.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 8 in column 4 and get 17.
We'll write down the last digit 7 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 9697 + 8289 = 17986.

