Okay, we are tasked with adding 9651 and 8973. Let's begin!

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 5 & 7 in column 2 and get 12.
We'll write down the last digit 2 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 6 & 9 in column 3 and get 16.
We'll write down the last digit 6 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 8 in column 4 and get 18.
We'll write down the last digit 8 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 9651 + 8973 = 18624.

