Okay, we are tasked with adding 9709 and 7781. Let's begin!

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 1 in column 1 and get 10.
We'll write down the last digit 0 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 8 in column 2 and get 9.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 7 & 7 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 & 7 in column 4 and get 17.
We'll write down the last digit 7 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 9709 + 7781 = 17490.

